The metaphor of "fighting" disease and death ingrained in both the broader American culture and the culture of medicine creates the potential for hospice and palliative care to be perceived as "giving up."

Question

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A medicalized culture with a preference for aggressive treatment exists among medical professionals and in the American culture. Many patients and families do not believe that nothing more can be done in the face of a terminal diagnosis and push for an aggressive approach, even when it is unlikely to help. Some physicians frame referrals to hospice and palliative care as "giving up."

The Metaphor of "Fighting" Disease and Death Ingrained in Both