ABSTRACT
Recent literature has revealed marked differences in artišcial hydration therapy for terminally ill cancer patients in Japan (Morita, Shima et al. 2002). This means that patients may undergo unnecessary suffering from over-or under-hydration. In addition to physical symptoms, artišcial hydration and nutrition have a special meaning for patients and families as a metaphor for life. In Japan, recent efforts highlight the need to standize artišcial hydration therapy, and the Japanese Society of Palliative Medicine developed a clinical guideline for artišcial hydration therapy in terminally cancer patients. This chapter thus focuses on the current status of artišcial hydration therapy in Japan, and describes: 1) the concept of a good death for Japanese, 2) the opinions of Japanese patients, families, and the general public on artišcial hydration therapy, 3) the attitudes toward artišcial hydration of physicians and nurses, and 4) the essence of the clinical guideline. We decided not to include research šndings on the physical aspects of terminal dehydration because other chapters will deal with them.
