A review on problems of China's hospice care and analysis of possible solutions.

IntRoductIon Hospice care is a type of care and a philosophy of care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill or a seriously ill patient’s pain and symptoms, and attends to their emotional and spiritual needs.[1] Taiwan scholar Xie Mei introduced the concept of hospice care to the mainland of China in 1982 and the practice of hospice care in the mainland of China began then.[2] Tianjin Medical University had set up the Institute of Hospice Care.[3] Major state‐owned hospitals have established hospice wards. There are also some hospice agencies set up through private fund raising. However, after all these years of development, the supply of the hospice care service in our country is still much less than the demand, between which the gap is big. There are three main reasons causing the gap. The details are as follow.