• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 2009

Purpose: This exploratory study was undertaken to analyze the information needs of family members of terminal cancer patients, collected through the telephone counselling service by National Cancer Information Center. Methods: The study included 113 family members of terminal cancer patients who had enrolled at the National Cancer Information Center for the period from June, 2007 through March, 2008 and had agreed to the survey. Results: The subjects (n=113) consisted of grown-up children (n=82) and spouses (n=8) of patients'. Those in their 40's (n=40) and 30's (n=36) accounted for the majority of the sample. The questions raised most were about the information on treatment methods (n=117), management of terminal cancer patients (n=46), terminal cancer patients' life (n=27), deathbed and prediction of remaining life (n=18), hospitalization (n=16), and financial support (n=15). Most of the subjects were satisfied with the telephone counseling services, and 69% of the subjects had come to know about the telephone counseling service via Internet, and 10.6% of them stated that the PR for the service was poor. Conclusion: It is deemed essential for the government to use the mass media for PR of the hospice services, since family members of terminal cancer patients' are less aware of the hospice conducive to enhancement of patients' remaining quality of life, being involued too deeply in their treatment.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 2004

Purpose: This research aims to assess the effect of a single session of group education of hospice program at Seoul National University Hospital for the advanced and terminal cancer patients and their family members. Methods: Response to questionnaires from 89 participants were evaluated using SAS and CHISQ analysis. The questionnaires included the following items: 1) the characteristics of participants; 2) the characteristics of patients; 3) the difficulties of patient care; 4) the satisfaction with the program Results: The participants consist of 33 patients (37.5%) and 56 family members (56.2%). Diagnosis included mainly stomach, lung, breast, and colon cancer. Participants of family members consisted of spouse, parent, children, daughter-in-law, and siblings (in decreasing order). The participants were interested in the medical information, nutrition, pain and symptom management, and psychosocial adaptation. They had difficulties in emotional problem, nutrition and symptom management. Even though it was a single session of group education, the level of satisfaction was high (95%). Conclusion: This research shows that even the single session of the group education for the advanced and terminal cancer patients and their family members is very helpful by giving them the necessary information. In order to develop comprehensive care-giving services, more specific informations, more opportunities to participate in such sessions and longer question-answer time is required.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.243-251
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate how nurses who take care of terminal patients perceive fluid therapy and how this therapy is currently being used in hospitals. Methods: This survey included 200 nurses, 87 of whom were working in the oncology units of 3 university hospitals in Seoul, Korea, and 113 were working in 18 hospice centers. The data for this study were collected by means of structured questionnaires and analyzed by using the Statistical Analysis System software. The differences in perception towards fluid therapy between nurses working in oncology units and those working in hospice centers were examined using the $x^2$ test and analysis of covariance. Results: Fluid therapy was perceived more negatively by the nurses from hospice centers than by those from oncology units. Continuous subcutaneous infusion was used in hospice centers, but not in oncology units. In addition, the average amount of fluid infused daily differed significantly between the oncology units and hospice centers. Conclusion: Our results show that there were differences in the perception towards fluid therapy between nurses in different clinical settings. Nurses caring for terminal and palliative care patients should not simply provide or withhold fluid therapy, but rather develop a wider range of views on fluid therapy, focusing on effective alternative interventions.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.667-685
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning and essence of experience of family members as care-givers of terminally ill cancer patients at hospice wards. This study was based on the Giorgi phenomenological method, which describes the experiences about the family caregivers. We had in-depth interview with spouses and orthogonal families of nine terminally ill cancer patients. Results were drawn into 13 essential themes, 45 sub themes, and 122 main points. The essential themes are as follows: "cling of life", "bed-keeper", "sacrifice of care", "physical and mental exhaustion during care process","feeling of love and hatred", "avenge on a patient", "self-condemnation", "futility after exhaustion", "consolation of other caregivers", "utmost efforts in resignation", "freedom from suffering", "paradoxical blessing of cancer", "introspected revolution", and "preparation of a dignified death". Implications and limitations are discussed based on study results.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.106-109
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• 2006

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.216-223
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• 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the need for hospice care between families of children and adults with cancer. Methods: The data was collected from 190 families of children and adult with cancer using self-rating questionnaires from December, 2004 to February, 2005. Data was analyzed using SPSS/Win program by Mean, SD and t-test. Results: The mean score of the need for hospice care in families of children with cancer was greater significantly than in families of adults with cancer (t=-2.126, P=.035). The scores of two factors among the five factors evaluated for the need for hospice care were different significantly. The mean score of control of major terminal physical symptoms' in families of children with cancer was greater significantly than the mean score of adults with cancer (t=-2.165, P=.032). The mean score of 'spiritual care to prepare for death' in families of adults with cancer was greater significantly than the mean score of children with cancer (t=-2.380, P=.018). Conclusion: For improving the quality of life for both patients and families, the hospice service program needs to consider the life cycle of patients.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.188-193
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• 2017

Purpose: There has been very little study on the associations between patient's symptoms themselves and family caregiver (FC)'s depression in the palliative phase. This cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between symptom features of terminally ill cancer patients and their FC's depression. Methods: We performed a multicenter survey using the MD Anderson symptom inventory and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A total of 293 patient-FC pairs were recruited from seven tertiary medical centers. A multivariate regression analysis was applied for identifying the relevant factors associated with FC depression and for estimating adjusted depression score of FCs. Results: Among various psychosocial factors, low FC quality of life, low social support, spouse, and more caregiving time were significantly associated with FCs' depression. According to the presence of FCs' depression, there were significant differences in some symptom characteristics of patients. Even after adjusting for the relevant confounders, depression scores were lower in FCs caring for patients who had negative symptoms (loss of appetite, P=0.005; drowsiness, P=0.024; and dry mouth, P=0.043) than in FCs caring for patients who had not. FCs caring for patients with severe appetite loss had lower depression scores than those with not severe one (P=0.039). Conclusion: Our result suggests that patient's symptom characteristics might be helpful when evaluating a FC's depression.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2006

Purpose: Terminal cancer influences on patients as well as their family members. This research was performed to evaluate the quality of lift of primary family caregivers and to investigate the influencing factors. Methods: The results of survey were collected from 81 family caregivers who were taking care of hospitalized terminal cancer patients at an oncology department of university hospital in Daejeon from March 2005 to January 2006 with questionnaires. The questionnaires were consisted of the general characteristics of the subjects, and 36-items short-form Health Survey (SE-36) Korean version to evaluate the quality of life of family caregivers, the characteristics of patients and family caregivers' caring trait. Results: Family caregivers' mean (${\pm}SD$) SF-36 score was 47.9 (${\pm}20.7$). Influential factors on family caregivers' life quality were daily raring hours, economic burden, type of treatment; only supportive care, caring duration, sex, the numbers of ADLs (activity of daily livings) items that patients needed help in order by stepwised multiple logistic regression analysis (overall $R^2=0.639$, P=0.044). Conclusion: Daily raring hours and economic burden were two influential modifiable factors on family caregivers' quality of life. Therefore, social supportive systems are required to reduce family caregivers' daily caring hour and economic burden.

• 한국호스피스완화의료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.07a
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• pp.106-106
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• 2004

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.190-194
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• 2007

Purpose: Individual cancer patients often experience many symptoms that impair their quality of life at the end of life. Identifying symptoms at the terminal stage of cancer patients and possible imminent death prediction by using that assessment can assist physicians and patients in preparing the 'peaceful death'. This study examines symptom experience during the last 48 hours of life of terminal cancer patients, and determines whether symptom experience change with proximal to death. Methods: The medical records of 89 patients who died with terminal cancer at a hospital between July 1, 2003 and March 31, 2006 were reviewed. Symptom prevalence at the last 48 hours was analyzed along with the change of symptom experience at the admission, $48{\sim}24$ hours, and $24{\sim}0$ hours before death. Results: Median age of all patients was 62 years old (range $16{\sim}97$). During the last 48 hours, symptom prevalence was described as follows; unclear consciousness (57%), pain (30%), fever (22%), and dyspnea (19%). According to the primary site, unclear consciousness was notified the most frequent symptom, but fever was relatively high prevalence in patients of biliary origin cancer rather than other site cancer (P=0.012). As death was Impending, the prevalence of poor appetite and general weakness were decreased, while that of unclear consciousness was increased, which were all statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The presence of unclear consciousness could be regarded as the symptom indicator as imminent death of terminal canter patients.