• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2005

The purpose of this study was to promote the popularization of hospice services by providing the information about the influences of hospice training on participants. We compared differences of attitudes toward death between those of pre-training and post-training by use of questionnaire. This study involved 137 volunteers participating in the hospice training held by one hospice center located in K-city. The questionnaire was composed of 46 items, 21 items of general information and 25 items of information about attitudes toward death. We applied Park's translated version(1992), originally distributed by Thorson and Powell(1988), in the assessment of participants' changed attitudes toward death. Participants were asked to fill out the questionnaire before and after the hospice training. The data were analged by frequency. ANOVA t-test, paired t-test. The results were as follows, 1.Pre-training items holding a high rank were 'The subject about the future life after death is distressing'(F=5.20), 'No worry about any occurrences around the body after a funeral'(F=4.75), 'Having little interest in being laid in a coffin after death'(F=4.56); items holding a low rank were 'Having little interest in any occurrences around the body after death'(F=2.22), 'Willing to deal with the aftermath of the death in detail'(F=1.94), 'No fear to have an idea to be cancerous'(F=1.72). 2.Post-training items holding a high rank were 'No fear to be dead as a result of sufferings from long-lasting illness'(F=3.18), 'No fear to have an idea to be cancerous'(F=3.16)', Having little interest in the future life after death'(F=3.09); items holding a low rank were 'Unpleasant to be not able to move after death(F=1.74), 'Distressing not to know about the future life after death'(F=1.61), 'The subject about the future life after death is distressing'(F=1.60). 3.There were significant difference in participants' attitudes toward death. Compared with pretraining(F=3.97), more positive were developed in post training(F=2.30). The results of this study indicate that hospice training renders positive regards toward death to the participants. Therefore every human being, who is able to speculate about the meaning of death, has to be exposed to the hospice training. In conclusion, hospice training should be popularized in the near future.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.283-299
• /
• 2013

This study has been performed to identify meanings of good deaths among 350 old people aged 65 from September, 2010 until February, 2011. In this study, the subjects were asked about good meanings of death based on qualitative study of free format, and their statements were categorized into similar content areas. The results show that first, the subjects felt that the good death is a dignity death not weighing burdens to others, memorized as a good life, until th end of my life, a death receiving at home, comfortable death, a death like a sleep, with out pain, not long, a prepared process, a death after doing my best, receiving after doing my best, death after offering benevolence to others, within my beliefs, and finally a good death is after seeing good life of my descendent. These 16 free answers were also categorized into 6 meaningful areas such as considering others, at my home, comfortable scene, prepared, and death after living my wanted time.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.213-219
• /
• 2004

Purpose: This study was done for the purpose of comparing death orientation scores of nurses before and after a hospice training program. Method: The participants were 56 nurses who completed the hospice training program at C university in Kwang Ju city. The data were gathered from October 2001 to December 2002 by questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using frequency, paired t-test, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficients. Results: The mean scores for death orientation before and after hospice training were mid range scores of 57.2 and 57.0 respectively and this difference was not significant. The death orientation score before hospice training was significantly different according to the 'work place (F=3.16, p=.033)' of nurses but after the hospice training there was no significant difference for any of the general characteristics. The death orientation scores before and after hospice training showed no correlation with the religiosity score either. Conclusion: Considering the mid range scores and the lack of significant difference after the intervention, this study shows that there is a need to analyze the content of hospice education programs and the need to change death orientation. This is especially true when the participants are professional hospice nurses who are being prepared to give care to people who are dying. In order to develop more appropriate programs there is a need to examine the process by which nurses come to view death more positively.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.75-85
• /
• 2005

The objective of this research is to provide the basic material for effective hospice care by analyzing the recognition of families who have terminally ill patients over death. To do so, this research is designed to investigate the general tendency toward death and changes after hospice care. To analyse the initial status of the recognition about the death, questionnaires were provided to the families of the terminally ill patients who were taken hospice care from June 1st, 2005 to September 10th, 2005 at Saemmul Hospice. The same questionnaires were distributed to research some changes of the recognition of the death after 3 weeks. As the Data Analysis Methodology, SPSS v.10.0 statistics program were utilized. The summary of this research is as follows. First, by gender, it is analyzed that women have more fear than men in terms of incompetence sense after death. By religion, Christians have less fear than other religious people in terms of fear toward after death and general sense of death. Second, those who experienced deaths of close family members, relatives, friends for the past 3 years have more fear toward the moment of death than those who did not experience it. Third, statistically valid difference was found in terms of fear toward the moment of death, fear toward incompetence, fear toward after death, and fear toward death before and after the hospice care was taken. Based on the result of this research, terminally ill patients' families facing death have shown significant differences on fear and incompetence before and after hospice care was offered. It is necessary that the hospice care should be settled more professionally by expanding the opportunities of hospice care and institutionalizing the system. In addition, hospice activities which are focused on providing hope after death and facing death with dignity and peace should be expanded increasingly as the family members who experienced deaths showed higher degree of fear and powerlessness and Christians have less fear toward death with the help of biblical influence. It is also required that hospice care specialized in recognizing the importance of terminal cancer patients and their families at the same time.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.424-433
• /
• 2002

This study was done to compare death orientation scores for student nurses before and after studying a major. The participants were 130 student nurses before the major and 123 student nurses after the major at C university in Kwang Ju city. The data were gathered from March, 1998 to September, 2001 using a questionnaire. The data were analysed by Chi square test, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficients. The results of this study are summarized as follows ; 1 The mean scores for death orientation before and after the major were 57.8 and 60.2 respectively. The mean score of death orientation after the major tended to be higher than before but they were not significantly different. 2. There were significant differences in death orientation scores between the two groups before the major for 'physical function (F=3.83, p=.023)' and 'attending a lecture on spiritual nursing (F=2.58, p=.010)'. After the major there were significant difference for 'feeling of health (F=4.76, p= .001)'. 3. The death orientation scores before the major showed an inverse correlation with religiosity score (r=-.239, p=.006). After the major there was no correlation with religion.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.46-55
• /
• 2021

Purpose: This pilot study aimed to examine the influence of death counseling on perceptions, preparedness, and anxiety regarding death and dying among family caregivers of hospice patients. Methods: Death counseling developed based on the SPIKES model was provided to 37 family caregivers in a hospice and palliative care unit. Perceptions, preparedness, and anxiety regarding death were assessed with a self-administered structured questionnaire, and participants' scores before and after counseling were compared using the paired t-test. Results: Significant changes were found in perceptions, preparedness, and anxiety regarding death after counseling. Compared to before counseling, the scores for perceptions of death (t=-4.90, P<0.001) and preparedness for death and dying (t=-16.23, P<0.001) improved, while anxiety (t=3.72, P=0.001) decreased after counseling. Some changes were also found in the types of support that family caregivers needed to prepare for the death of their family members in the hospice care unit. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that death counseling could help family caregivers prepare for the death of their loved ones. Hospice and palliative care providers should play a key role in supporting family caregivers of hospice patients by developing strategies for counseling.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.529-550
• /
• 2018

Objective: This study investigated the most common errors on death certificates written by resident trainees of the emergency department and evaluated the effects of education on how to write a death certificate. Methods: A casebook of 31 deaths was prepared based on actual death cases in the emergency room in 2016. Ten residents completed 31 death certificates for the death casebook without any prior notice and then received education on 'How to write the death certificate.' They completed the death certificates again for the same casebook after receiving the education and the number of errors on all death certificates was again determined and divided into major and minor errors. The average number of error types was compared before and after the education. Results: Major errors occurred in 55% of all death certificates, but decreased to 32% after education. Minor errors decreased from 81% before education to 54% after education. The most common major error was 'unacceptable cause of death' (mean${\pm}$standard deviation [SD], $10.2{\pm}8.2$), and the most common minor error was 'absence of time interval' (mean${\pm}$SD, $24.0{\pm}7.7$), followed by 'absence of other significant conditions' (mean${\pm}$SD, $14.6{\pm}6.1$) before education. Conclusion: Education on 'how to write a death certificate' can help reduce errors on death certificates and improve the quality of death certificates.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.74-79
• /
• 2020

It is necessary to expand organ donations of the deceased, as more ethical problems are emerging from the increase in organ donations from the living. As the legal and ethical discussions on donation after circulatory death (DCD) as a field with the potential to expand such domestic organ donation are being held, the need for a social consensus is increasingly highlighted. Organ DCD refers to the donation of an organ from a patient whose spontaneous blood circulation has stopped due to cardiac death. In this study, we aimed to examine whether there are legal and ethical obstacles or medical uncertainties for expanding the practice of DCD. By law, death is recognized as cardiac death, and brain death is recognized as an exception for organ transplantation. Although circulatory death precedes brain death, this paper presents a discussion to begin the process of reaching an ethical and legal agreement on whether or not circulatory death can be recognized as death. Successful implementations of DCD, including Category III DCD, in other countries are currently being reviewed to introduce Category III DCD in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.237-256
• /
• 1998

Death and dying of human being is a comprehensive system, and death orientation, the subjective meaning related to every component of the death system is developed throughout life. This study was designed and carried out to identify, describe and classify the orientations of Korean adult towards the death system. In an attempt to measure the subjective meaning of death and dying, unstructured Q-methodology was used. The 65 Q-statements developed by Kim(1994), used by Kim(1994) and Park(1996) were adopted as Q-population and 39 Q-statements were selected by the three researchers for Q-items for this study. Thirty-three P-samples were sampled from P-population of literate Korean men and women, 35 and 55 years of age, lived in urban Korea for the last 10 years. Sortings of the 39 Q-items according to the level of personal agreement, and a forced normal distribution into the 9 levels were carried out by the P-samples. The Z-scores of the Q-sort data were computed, and the principal components factor analysis by PC-QUANL Program were carried out. The demographic, socio-cultural and health-related attributes of the P-samples were descriptively analysed. Eight types of death orientation were identified ; Type I ; 'naturalist'. Six P-samples. Death is a natural phenomena, to be accepted as it is and to follow its natural course. Prefer to be informed of all facts and possibilities concernig the course of dying and death to occur to self. Type II ; 'life-after-life negator'. Three P-samples. Time and process of death is the destiny of each person. Death means 'darkness' and 'end to every thing, the absolute end'. Yet, wish physical integrity at the dying and after death. Type III ; 'life-after-life believer'. Six P-samples. Men are travellers passing by this life bound to the life-after-life. Priority concerns are on the activities to prepare self for the eternal life ahead. Disregard premature and sudden death. Type IV ; 'here-now believer' Five P-samples. Positive regard to the cremation of the body and donation of the organs on death. Regard religious and customary post-motem rituals meaningless. Negate life-after life. Type V; 'believer of rituals'. Five P-samples. Death being accepted as a part of, a natural end to, and destiny of human life. Concerned to ensure a dignified end to personal life and dignified post-mortem rituals. Type VI ; 'Realist'(derived from Type I). Two P-samples. Life and death as universal reality. The abrupt death at golden age at the peak of happiness is favored to avoid inevitable physical and mental distress of self and the family. Agreed to the cremation of the body. Disregard rituals. Type VII : 'Fatalist' (derived from Type II). Five P-samples. Not favored, yet, all man are destined to death, the inevitable end of all living beings. To ensure dignified end by personal consummation, information on one's dying and imminent death are to be shared. Type VIII ; 'reality avoider'(derived from Type III). One P-sample. Negative to longevity, artificial prolongation of, meaningless and distressful life. Highly positive to postmortem organ donation.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.75-84
• /
• 2023

Purpose: This study developed a protocol for nursing care after death for adult patients in hospitals. Methods: This was a methodological study to develop a care after death protocol. The preliminary protocol was developed based on a literature review, guidelines, and practice recommendations from groups of experts and clinical nurses. Content validity was evaluated by a group of experts (n=6) and nurses (n=30) in two hospitals. Results: The preliminary protocol recommendations were modified by validation and the open-question analysis results. The final protocol comprised three general recommendations and 43 recommendations in five steps that are verification and notification of a death, personal care of the body, viewing the patient, patient transfer, and documentation and self-care. Conclusion: This study result provides nurses with a consensus information on patient care after death and family support in a hospital setting. This nursing protocol is expected to improve the quality of care after death for adult patients and their families, and can be used for developing educational and emotional support for nurses to accomplish their important role.