• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.207-218
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the chronic patients' preferences for care near the end of life. Methods: This is a descriptive survey research, with subjects of 161 outpatients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus or chronic renal failure. Results: The majority of the subjects do not want meaningless life sustaining treatment and they report thinking positively about family or health care professional to participate in their end of life decision making process. Subjects reported preferring adequate pain management and spiritual support at the end of life. In regard to advance directives (ADs), those subjects with chronic disease report thinking positively about the necessity of ADs and its institutionalization. However, the subjects report not having the detailed information on the proper time and method of writing their ADs. Conclusion: Based on these results, educational programs on end of life decision making for chronic patients need to be developed. Also, the nurse should try to reflect the opinion of chronic patients as much as possible when make an end-of-life decision.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.439-449
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• 2020

This study aimed to identify factors influencing the preferences for end-of-life (EOL) care among undergraduate nursing students. In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from December 2017 to February 2018. This study included 217 undergraduate nursing students. Factors influencing the preference for 'autonomous physiological decision-making' were the following: education level(by grade), having biomedical education, attitude towards death, and attitude towards life-sustaining treatments (LSTs). Preference for 'decision-making by healthcare professionals' was related to having a religion. Factors influencing the preference for 'spirituality' were education level, having a religion, and academic major satisfaction. Preference for 'pain control' was associated with education level, experience with dying patients, bad self-rated health, attitude towards death, and attitude towards LSTs. The study findings suggest that education regarding LSTs, EOL care, and EOL decision-making in nursing curricula is essential.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.197-206
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate end-of-life care preferences of employees working in a university hospital. Methods: Of 650 eligible employees that were approached, 607 employees (386 nurses, 93 physicians, and 128 general staff) completed the Korean version of Preferences for Care Near the End of Life (PCEOL-K). Results: Among 5 dimensions of the PECOL-K, "Pain" was the most preferred care dimension and "Decision making by health care professional" was the least preferred care dimension. The item that received the highest mean score was "I want to let nature guide my dying and I do not want my life to be artificially prolonged in any way", and the lowest item was "I want health care providers to make all decisions about my care". As preferred care near the end of life, nurses gave lower scores to the life sustaining treatment and decision making by health care profession than physicians and general staff. Compared to physicians and nurses, general staff preferred the decision making by health care professional and by family. Conclusion: The results show that adequate pain relief is the most preferred care at the end of life among hospital employees and non-medical personnel preferred decision making by others.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.8-18
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was conducted to better understand the illness experiences and palliative care needs in community-dwelling persons with cardiometabolic diseases. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 11 patients (and three family members) among 28 patients contacted. Interviews were led by the principal investigator in her office or at participants' home depending on their preference. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed by a research assistant. The interviews were analyzed by two independent researchers using a conventional method. Results: Participants' ages ranged from 42 to 82 years (nine men and two women). Three themes were identified: (1) same disease, but different illness experiences; (2) I am in charge of my disease(s); (3) preparation for disease progression. Participants were informed of the name of their disease when they were diagnosed, but not provided with explanation of the diagnosis or meant or how to do self-care to delay the disease progression, which increased the feelings of uncertainty, hopelessness and anxiety. Taking medication was considered to be the primary treatment option and self-care a supplemental one. Advanced care plans were considered when they felt the progression of their disease(s) while refraining from sharing it with their family or health care professionals to save their concerns. All participants were willing to withhold life-sustaining treatment without making any preparation in writing. Conclusion: Education on self-care and advanced care planning should be provided to community-dwelling persons with cardiometabolic diseases. A patient-centered education program needs to be developed for this population.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.99-123
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• 2018

Purpose: This study empirically investigates the utilization and expenditure of health care and long-term care at the last year of life for long-term care beneficiaries in Korea. Methods: This study used National Health Insurance and Long-term Care Insurance claims data of 271,474 LTCI beneficiaries, who died from July 2008 to December 2012. Their cause of death, place of death, health care costs, and the provision of aggressive care were analyzed. Results: Cardio-vascular disease(29.8%) and cancer(15.3%) were reported as their major cause of death, and hospital(64.4%), home(22.0%), social care facility(9.2%) were analyzed as the place of death. 99.3% of subjects used both health care and long-term care during the last 1 year of life. The average survival period were 516.2 days after they were LTCI beneficiaries. The health care expenditure gradually increased near the death, and the last month were three times more rather than the first month. Furthermore, 31.8% experienced some aggressive cares(CPR, blood transfusion, hemo-dialysis, etc.) at the last month of life. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that it is important to develop the end of life care policies(for example, hospice, advanced care directives) for the LTCI beneficiaries. They might contribute to the improvement of quality of life and the reduction of health care expenditure of the elderly at the end-of-life.