In the past, life-prolonging treatments such as ventilators, tube feeding, and intensive interventions were often continued even when recovery was unlikely.
Recently, an increasing number of nurses in Japan have begun to speak out with deep anguish about end-of-life care. Many question whether continuing aggressive medical treatment is truly necessary when patients are in severe pain, suffering, and unlikely to recover, asking if medicine should only wait for death rather than ease the final stage of life.
Under the new approach, when a patient’s condition is irreversible and death is likely within a year, medical teams may move away from aggressive treatment and focus instead on palliative care. This includes relieving pain, reducing distress, and supporting patients’ dignity and quality of life. The change reflects growing concern that prolonged medical intervention can increase suffering rather than provide meaningful benefit.
Nurses and frontline healthcare workers play a key role in this debate, as many experience ethical distress when required to continue invasive treatment for dying patients. Clearer guidelines are expected to support shared decision-making among doctors, patients, and families, and to reduce emotional burden on medical staff.
By prioritizing comfort and respecting patients’ values, the shift toward palliative care represents an important step toward more humane and patient-centered end-of-life care in Japan.
- Do you think switching to palliative care when death is expected within one year is the right approach? Why or why not?
- In your opinion, what should be prioritized more at the end of life: extending life or reducing pain and suffering?
- How important do you think the patient’s own wishes should be compared to the wishes of family members in end-of-life decisions?
- Do you believe current medical treatment at the end of life sometimes causes unnecessary suffering? Please explain your view.
- If you or a close family member were in this situation, what kind of care would you want, and why?
2025/11/22毎日新聞より