Maneuvering between Cultures: The Reception of Hospice Care in the Chinese Medical Community and Implications for Health Policy

Abstract: The expansion of hospice care worldwide has been received differently by medical communities in different societies. Nonetheless, the existing effort to explain how culture affects the reception of hospice care is inadequate. Based on fieldwork conducted at Chinese medical institutions and care facilities between 2017 and 2022, this paper draws on a theoretical framework that distinguishes between declarative culture and nondeclarative culture to explain the discrepancies between healthcare professionals’ beliefs about the value of hospice and their daily healthcare practice. Moreover, I want to demonstrate that the culture of hospice care and the culture of medical institutions are not separate, independent entities but rather are in “constitutive relations” that bring out specific forms of hospice care and influence the design and implementation of health policy in the Chinese context. The above analysis helps clarify the obstacles and opportunities faced by hospice care in China and contributes to existing research on the reception of hospice care worldwide.