Control and end-of-life care: Does ethnicity matter?

Abstract

Patient control and autonomy are core values in Western bioethics and important components of end-of-life (EOL) care. However, the centrality of the patient as decision maker may not be relevant to culturally diverse groups of people. The purpose of this article is to present results of a literature review of patient control and ethnicity within the context of EOL care. The review revealed that the interplay between control and ethnicity in EOL care is complex and unpredictable. Implications for clinical care and future research are presented.