Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

Multimodal Resource Use for Creative Solution Construction in a Chinese Hospice Family Meeting

Yihong GaoPeking University* Yuan QinBeijing Haidian Hospital

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

In light of the multimodal analysis framework of Norris, this study explored the interaction between medical team members and patient’s family members in a Chinese hospice care family meeting. In a series of higher-level mediated actions, modal configurations of different densities were adopted, dialogically co-constructing a creative solution of a ward wedding to fulfill the family desire of letting the dying father witness the marriage of his son. While the modal density of the presiding physician tended to reduce across the meeting stages, the primary family member’s corresponding modal density tended to increase. These changes suggested the gradual agency enhancement of the family, with the empathetic support of the doctor and her team. The study indicates that the “death discourse literacy” of both the medical care team and the patient family are essential and probable, in a culture where death talk is traditionally forbidden.

Keywords: hospice care family meeting; medical decision making; multimodal analysis
Published: July 4, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.24568
Volume: CHR Vol.69
pp. 173-188
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