• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2015

Purpose: This study is aimed to investigate the relationship among terminal care stress, job satisfaction and terminal care performance nurses in internal medicine wards and to provide a basis to improve terminal care performance. Methods: This is a descriptive study performed with 201 nurses who have at least one year of experience and are stationed at the internal medicine department of three general hospitals and three university hospitals in P city of a metropolitan city B. The nurses also had an experience with a dying patient. Data were collected from March 1 through March 31, 2014. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Kosin University. Results: Job satisfaction was negatively correlated with stress in end-of-life care (r=-212, P=0.003) and positively correlated with terminal care performance (r=0.383, P<0.001). There was no correlation between terminal care stress and terminal care performance. Conclusion: Appropriate programs are needed to improve job satisfaction for high quality terminal care performance.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.243-249
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• 2019

This study examined the patient's advantage and respect self-decision to protect human dignity and values, who are on the pathway of the hospice palliative care and death process. The study subjects were the elderly who had signed the advance medical directives at C Christian religious facilities in S region. The survey period was started on July 1st, 2019 and lasted for ten days. The study resulted in four topics and eight sub-topics on the motivation for preparing advanced medical directives. The four topics were 'for children', 'fear of pain', 'want to clear my life', 'felt the necessity', and the sub-topics were 'don't want to make a burden to children', 'don't want to make a worry of medical expenses', 'fear of pain', 'have experience of taking caring of painful death process', 'relaxed mind', 'importance of self-decision', 'have known it before but now decided', and 'it is the new information and decided'. This research is meaningful in that it can form the basis for improving well-dying education programs for the good death of the elderly and supplementing effective systems for preparing advance medical directives.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 1999

Purpose : Cancer, one of the major causes of death in Korea, tends to become chronic due to the rapid development of diagnostic and therapeutic methods. As a result, the number of home-based cancer patients is in the increasing trend. However, on account of the insufficiency of continuous and comprehensive cancer patient management system, a number of cancer patients are left in a defenseless state. This study was designed for need assessment of home-based cancer patient to establish the community-based health care system for the comprehensive and continuous health care service to improve the quality of life of cancer patients and reduce rare burdens of their families. Methods : Through making a survey for needs assessment toward the health care service, the 455 respondents among home-based cancer patients answered the given enquetes to analyze the management status and problems of home-based cancer patients Results : 1) Unsatisfaction rates of pain control is 25.5 percent for mild cases, 46.5 percent for severe cases. 2) According to the needs assessment of home-based cancer patients, most of the respondents want to receive economical support, alleviation for the pain and symptoms, and the information of health care and consultation. So these needs account for the main contents of the home-based cancer patient management plan. 3) In the aspect of the satisfaction rate for basic care need, most items account for $20{\sim}30%$ of satisfaction. And the proportion of need for special case is under 5%, satisfaction rate for special care need is about 50% of satisfaction. So the home-based cancer patients are not being cared sufficiently. Conclusion : According to the result of need assessment, many home-based cancer patients received inadequate pain and symptom management. And Satisfaction rate for basic and special care need is low. So development of comprehensive and continuous health care service to improve the quality of life of cancer patients and reduce care burdens of their families is very necessary.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.51-57
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• 2018

Purpose: End-of-life (EoL) decisions are challenging and multifaceted for patients and physicians. This study was aimed to explore how EoL care is practiced for patients with a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of patients who died after agreeing to a DNR order in 2016 at a university hospital. Characteristics including cause of death, intensity of EoL care, and other factors were reviewed and statistically analyzed. Results: Of total 375 patients, 170 patients (45.3%) died with malignancies, and 205 patients (54.6%) with other causes involving the central nervous system (19.2%), pulmonary (14.7%), cardiologic (6.7%) and infectious (6.4%) conditions. Both the cancer and non-cancer patient groups showed a short duration from DNR to death (median 3 days vs 2 days, P=0.629). An intensive care group comprising patients who received one or more intensive treatments such as ventilator (n=205) showed a higher number of non-cancer patients and a shorter duration from DNR to death than a group that withheld treatment before DNR (P<0.05). Conclusion: EoL decisions were made very late by both cancer and non-cancer patients. About half of the patients did not have cancer, and two-thirds of them decided DNR during intensive treatment. To make a good EoL decision, a shared decision making with patients should be done at an earlier stage.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 2001

Purpose : Pain is the most serious symptom that cancer patients experience. About $60{\sim}90%$ of advanced cancer patients and four million patients worldwide, according to the WHO statistics, are reported to suffer from cancer pain. Although about $70{\sim}80%$ of the pain could be controlled according to the pain control principles, to our regret, only $30{\sim}40%$ are managed appropriately. This research was aimed to (1) investigates the prevalence of pain among cancer patients, (2) compare patients' perception of pain with physician's recognition and (3) evaluate appropriateness of the doctor's prescription of analgesic. Materials and Methods : Patients with advanced or terminal cancers admitted at department of internal medicine of Seoul National University Hospital for at least 7 days were enrolled. A questionnaire for the patients and the physicians in charge were given and the answers were compared for each other. We also examined their medical records and the physician's orders. Results : Total 59 patients were enrolled. Among them, 43 patients answered the questionnaire, and 27 patients (62.8%) suffered hem cancer pain. The survey also showed that physicians underestimated the severity of pain, overlooked frequently analgesic prescription principle, and that as the patients' pain became severe, the less adequate was pain managements. Conclusion : For cancer patients, pain was frequently overlooked, and treatment still inadequate. Based on this evidence, it seemed that more active practice and education about evaluation and management of cancer pain are needed.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.169-178
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• 2004

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess changes of the attitudes and opinions about disclosure of cancer diagnosis to patients. Methods: We analyzed the attitudes and opinions of in-patients with metastatic cancer, their families, physicians, nurses, medical students, nursing students. Three questionnaires were used for in-patients, families, and surroundings in hospital. Data was collected in the St. Mary hospital for 3 months from October, 2002. We investigated the preference of disclosure, the reason the patients should be informed of disclosure, when, how and who to tell the cancer diagnosis to patients. 242 persons participated in these questionnaires (50 in-patients, 50 their families, 51 physicians and nurses, 41 medical students, 50 nursing students). Only 34 in-patients with metastatic cancer were enrolled, and so 16 in-patients with lymphoma were added. All in-patients were undergoing anticancer chemotherapy. Results: 89.3% of the participants wanted to be told about disclosure of cancer and terminal illness (in-patients 98.0%, their families 88.0%, physicians and nurses 90.2%, medical students 73.2%, nursing students 94.0%, in-patients with metastatic cancer 97.1%). 79.8% of the respondents hoped that the moment to tell the truth was immediately when the disease was diagnosed (in-patients 94.0%, their families 80.0%, physicians and nurses 68.6%, medical students 68.3%, nursing students 86.0%). 64.4% of all prefered to be told the truth once for alt including patients' diagnosis, present status and prognosis (in-patients 81.6%, their families 66.0%, physicians and nurses 56.0%, medical students 48.8%, nursing students 70.0%). Most indicated the first reason to be told the truth was the possibility to participate in treatment design. 86.4% responded that physicians were the proper persons to disclose the diagnosis. Conclusion: Not only in-patients, families but also physicians, nurses, medical students and nursing students all preferred the disclosure of cancer diagnosis. This preference was increased compared with the previous papers. The first reason to be told the truth was the possibility to participate in treatment design. Most of the participants wanted to be told the truth once for all.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.148-155
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how wish granting influences children with life-threatening medical conditions when it comes to their adaptation to disease with a focus on the mediating effect of resilience and stress caused by disease. Methods: From January 2, 2015 through January 12, 2015, a survey was conducted on 292 children with life-threatening diseases whose wishes were granted through Make-A-Wish Korea. The data were collected using the impact of a wish scale, the Children's Adjustment to Cancer Inventory, the Childhood Cancer Stressor Inventory, and the resilience scale in children with chronic illness. The data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 20.0 and Amos 21.0. Results: Satisfaction with the wish granting program enhances resilience, and resilience affects stress caused by medical conditions as well as adaptation to disease. Also, stress caused by medical conditions influences adaptation to disease. Conclusion: Wish granting is effective in both facilitating chronically ill children to adjust to disease and reduce their stress from disease. Thus, children with life-threatening medical conditions could be assisted or motivated to adjust to disease by improving satisfaction achieved by wish granting.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.93-99
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• 2017

Purpose: This study investigated changes in life-sustaining treatments in terminally ill cancer patients after consenting to a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. Methods: Electronic medical records were reviewed to select terminally ill cancer patients who were treated at the oncology unit of the Asan Medical Center, a tertiary hospital in South Korea and died between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. Results: The median (range) age of the 200 patients was 59 (22~89) years, and 62% (124 persons) were male. Among all patients, 83.5% were aware of their medical condition, and 47.0% of the patients had their DNR order signed by their spouses. The median of the patients' hospital stay was 15 days, and time from admission to DNR decision was 10 days. After signing a DNR order, 35.7~100% of the life-sustaining treatments that had been provided at the time of the DNR decision making were administered. The most commonly discontinued interventions were transfusion (13.5%), blood test (11.5%) and parenteral nutrition (8.5%). Conclusion: It is necessary to define the scope of life-sustaining treatments for DNR patients. Treatment guidelines should be established as well to secure terminal patients' death with dignity after their consent to a DNR order, thereby avoiding meaningless life-sustaining treatments and allowing administration of active terminal care interventions.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.197-203
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• 2011

Purpose: Pain is the most common and influential symptom in cancer patients. Few studies concerning pain intensity in the terminally ill cancer patients have been done. This study aimed to identify factors related with more than moderate pain. Methods: This study used secondary data of 162 terminal cancer inpatients at the palliative ward of six training hospitals in Korea. Physician-assessed pain assessment was by 10 point numeric rating scale. Substantial pain was defined more than moderate intensity by the Korean National Guideline for cancer pain. The Korean version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory was self-administered to assess symptoms. Survival prediction was estimated by the attending physicians at the time of admission. Results: Less than six weeks of predicted survival and more than numeric rating of six for worst drowsiness in the previous 24 h were significantly related to substantial pain (P=0.012 and P=0.046, respectively). The dose of opioid analgesics was positively related to substantial pain (P=0.004). Conclusion: Factors positively related to substantial pain were less than six weeks of predicted survival and considerable drowsiness. Careful monitoring and active preparation for pain are required in terminal cancer patients having those factors.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.224-233
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was conducted to provide basic data for developing an effective strategy for cancer pain management by comparing the levels of barriers to pain management of metastatic or advanced cancer patient and their nurses. Methods: The subject of this study were 155 patients who were treated for metastatic or advanced cancer at one of three hospitals in Seoul from January 2004 to January 2005, and 153 nurses who take care of those patients. The levels of barriers to pain management were measured using a tool developed by Gunnarsdottir et al. (2002), 27 questions on a six point scale. The levels of stresses were measured using a tool modified from a stress response measurement reported by Goh Gyung-bong et al. (2000), 27 questions on a five point scale. The levels of barriers in cancer patients were analyzed using t-test and ANOVA, while the data obtained from patients and nurses were compared by t-test. Results: Higher levels of barriers to pain management were found in three groups: 'less than middle school,' 'not treated with anti-cancer chemotherapy,' and 'ECOG of 2.' The level (2.55) of barriers to pain management in the patient group was higher than that (1.76) of the nurse group. Both of the two groups had high levels of barriers in two variables: 'There is a danger of becoming addicted to pain medicine.' and 'Using pain medicine blocks your ability to know if you have any new pain.' There was not a significant difference in the levels of stresses between the two groups. Conclusion: It was found that, for effective cancer pain management practices, it would be necessary to provide cancer patients and their nurses with education and training about pain management and related barriers.