• Title/Summary/Keyword: End-of-Life Care

Search Result 349, Processing Time 0.026 seconds

The Use of Antibiotics in Hospice and Palliative Care Settings

  • Shekhar, Aditya C.
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
    • /
    • v.25 no.1
    • /
    • pp.50-54
    • /
    • 2022
  • Antibiotics are commonly prescribed medications in the hospice and palliative care setting, as well as in many other healthcare settings. The overuse or negligent use of antibiotics is associated with the harmful consequence of fostering the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Thus, there is an urgent need to critically examine and audit antibiotic use in all aspects of healthcare. In the status quo, there is a lack of consistent standards and guidelines surrounding the use of antibiotics in hospice and palliative care settings, leading to significant variations in how antibiotics are prescribed and administered in end-of-life care. It is apparent that greater thought needs to go into antibiotic decisions for patients receiving hospice or palliative care, especially considering the harmful consequences of the overprescription of antibiotics. The literature suggests that many clinicians prescribe antibiotics inappropriately for patients who would not benefit from their use or prescribe them without adequate documentation. Clinicians should be deliberate about when they prescribe antibiotics and adhere to the appropriate documentation standards and procedures within their institution or community. Future research should seek to generate generalizable knowledge about which patients will benefit most from antibiotic therapy during end-of-life care.

Knowledge and Perceptions of the End of Life among Tunisian Medical and Paramedical Staff

  • Nayssem Khessairi;Dhouha Bacha;Rania Aouadi;Rym Ennaifer;Ahlem Lahmar;Sana Ben Slama
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
    • /
    • v.27 no.2
    • /
    • pp.64-76
    • /
    • 2024
  • Purpose: End-of-life (EOL) care is a vulnerable period in an individual's life. Healthcare professionals (HPs) strive to balance the preservation of human life with respect for the patient's wishes. The aims of our study were to assess HPs' knowledge and perceptions of EOL care and to propose areas of improvement to improve the quality of care. Methods: We conducted a single-center, cross-sectional study involving HPs from a university hospital who encountered EOL care situations. We used a questionnaire divided into four sections: knowledge, practice, perception, and training. We calculated the rate of correct answers and the collective competence index. Results: Eighty-six questionnaires were analyzed, with 82.5% (71/86) completed by medical respondents and 17.5% (15/86) by paramedical respondents. Most of the respondents, 71.8% (51/71), were interns and residents. The study focused on palliative care, medical assistance in dying, aggressive medical treatment, and euthanasia, finding adequate knowledge in the first three areas. Respondents assigned to the intensive care unit and those with more than 8 years of experience had significantly higher correct answer rates than their counterparts. Seventy-five percent of respondents (65/86) reported feeling that they had little or no mastery of EOL care, primarily attributing this to insufficient training and the unavailability of trainers. Conclusion: Based on the findings of our study, which we believe to be the first of its kind in Tunisia, we can conclude that HPs possess an acceptable level of knowledge regarding EOL care. However, they require more exposure and training to develop expertise in this area.

Good Death Awareness, Attitudes toward Advance Directives and Preferences for Care Near the End of Life among Hospitalized Elders in Long-term Care Hospitals (요양병원 입원 노인의 좋은 죽음 인식, 사전의료의향서에 대한 태도 및 임종치료선호도)

  • Kim, Eunju;Lee, Yoonju
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
    • /
    • v.26 no.3
    • /
    • pp.197-209
    • /
    • 2019
  • Purpose: This study was done to examine good death awareness, attitudes toward advance directives (ADs), and preference for care near the end-of-life (PCEOL) of hospitalized elders in long-term care hospitals. Relevant characteristics were investigated as well as correlation of the variables. Methods: This descriptive research study involved 161 hospitalized elderly patients in long-term care hospitals. A self-report questionnaire was used to measure Good Death Scale, ADs Survey, PCEOL Scale, and general characteristics. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation with SPSS/WIN 23.0. Results: In terms of good death awareness, a significant difference was observed; in according to age (F=3.35, p=.037), payer of treatment costs (F=3.98, p=.021), mobility (F=3.97, p=.021), heard discussion about ADs (t=-3.89, p<.001), and willing to complete ADs (t=2.12, p=.036). As far as attitudes toward ADs, the participants presented significant difference depending on religion (t=2.38, p=.018), average monthly income (F=3.91, p=.022), duration of hospital admission (F=5.33, p=.006), person to discuss ADs (t=-2.76, p=.006). On PCEOL, there was a significant difference, depending on religion (t=-3.59, p<.001) and perceived health status (F=3.93, p=.022). Finally, as for how the variables were related to each other, good death awareness and attitudes toward ADs had a weak positive correlation with PCEOL. Conclusion: To help seniors staying in nursing homes face a good death and enjoy autonomy, there should be educational and support systems that reflect each individual's sociodemographic characteristics so that the seniors can choose what kind of care they want to receive near the end-of-life.

Comparison of Education Programs for Hospice Volunteer Workers (호스피스 자원봉사자교육의 비교)

  • Huh, Jung-Sik;Kim, Hyeon-Ju
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
    • /
    • v.11 no.2
    • /
    • pp.78-81
    • /
    • 2008
  • Purpose: The end of one's life can be one of the most important times in human life. However, physicians, nurses and volunteer workers are not sufficiently trained to understand the end-life care with competence and confidence. The purpose of this study was to compare various education programs currently carried out for volunteer workers. Methods: Nine curricula of hospice and palliative cares for volunteer workers at hospital and palliative care settings. Results: The mean time duration of theory education at nine institutes was 21.56 hours (range; 14-30). The common curricula of hospice and palliative cares for volunteer workers included 'Understanding of hospice and palliative care', 'Understanding of life and death', and 'Understanding of psychologic problem of end-of-life'. The education method comprised lectures, off-line 8 institutes and on-line 1 instiutute. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop the standard curriculum as well as regularly updated education program for volunteer workers.

  • PDF

Attitudes, Perceptions, and Experiences toward End-of-Life Care Decision-Making among Intensive Care Unit Nurses in Korea: An Integrative Review (생애말 치료결정 과정에 대한 중환자실 간호사의 인식, 태도, 경험: 국내 연구논문의 통합적 고찰)

  • Choi, JiYeon;Son, Youn-Jung;Lee, Kyounghoon
    • Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
    • /
    • v.13 no.1
    • /
    • pp.27-43
    • /
    • 2020
  • Purpose : This integrative review aimed to synthesize studies on intensive care unit (ICU) nurses' attitude, perceptions, and experiences toward end-of-life care decision-making. Methods : Using Whittermore and Knafl (2005)'s methods, we identified and synthesized research articles published in domestic journals between the years 2003 and 2019 and evaluated the quality of selected articles using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results : In the 13 studies reviewed, 12 were published prior to enactment of the "The Act for Hospice and Palliative Care and Decision-Making about Life-Sustaining Treatment (2018)." All nine quantitative studies identified were based on cross-sectional descriptive survey. In four qualitative studies, content analysis (n=2) and phenomenology (n=2) were used. Overall, ICU nurses were well-aware of the necessity of communicating and limiting life-sustaining treatments. Many ICU nurses had positive attitude towards limiting life-sustaining treatments to promote patients' comfort and dignity. Although nurses were willing to take active roles, they also reported having experienced high stress in the process of decision-making and implementation. Conclusions : It is important to prepare ICU nurses with proper knowledge and attitude regarding the topic area. It is also equally important to develop systems to support nurses' emotional stress and moral distress during communication, decision-making, and implementation.

Practical Considerations in Providing End-of-Life Care for Dying Patients and Their Family in the Era of COVID-19

  • Kim, Yejin;Yoo, Shin Hye;Shin, Jeong Mi;Han, Hyoung Suk;Hong, Jinui;Kim, Hyun Jee;Choi, Wonho;Kim, Min Sun;Park, Hye Yoon;Keam, Bhumsuk
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
    • /
    • v.24 no.2
    • /
    • pp.130-134
    • /
    • 2021
  • In the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), social distancing and strict visitation policies at hospitals have made it difficult for medical staff to provide high-quality end-of-life (EOL) care to dying patients and their families. There are various issues related to EOL care, including psychological problems of patients and their families, difficulties in EOL decision-making, the complicated grief of the bereaved family, moral distress, and exhaustion of medical staff. In relation to these issues, we aimed to discuss practical considerations in providing high-quality EOL care in the COVID-19 pandemic. First, medical staff should discuss advance care planning as early as possible and use the parallel planning strategy. Second, medical staff should play a role in facilitating patient-family communication. Third, medical staff should actively and proactively evaluate and alleviate dying patients' symptoms using non-verbal communication. Lastly, medical staff should provide care for family members of the dying patient, who may be particularly vulnerable to post-bereavement problems in the COVID-19 era. Establishing a system of screening high-risk individuals for complicated grief and connecting them to bereavement support services might be considered. Despite the challenging and limited environment, providing EOL care is essential for patients to die with dignity in peace and for the remaining family to return to life after the loved one's death. Efforts considering the practical issues faced by all medical staff and healthcare institutions caring for dying patients should be made.

The Process of Accepting Patient Deaths among Korean Nurses: Grieving over Dying

  • Yi, Mi Joung
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
    • /
    • v.24 no.1
    • /
    • pp.56-65
    • /
    • 2021
  • Purpose: Nurses' acceptance of patient deaths enables them to practice holistic end-of-life care and pursue positive living. The place where most deaths occur in Korea has changed from home to medical institutions, making it necessary to understand the process through which nurses who practice end-of-life care accept patient deaths. This study aimed to obtain insight into nurses' experiences of accepting patient deaths and to develop a practical theory regarding the context of this process. Methods: This qualitative study investigated nurses' process of acceptance of patient deaths based on grounded theory. Results: A core category of this process was found to be "grieving over dying", which consisted of the following steps: "being close by", "being attentive", "acknowledging together", and "accompanying." Conclusion: This study established that nurses' attentiveness toward dying people is due to their grief over patient deaths, and clarified Korean nurses' process of accepting patient deaths and its related factors.

End-of-Life Planning and the Influence of Socioeconomic Status among Black Americans: A Systematic Review

  • Chesney Ward;Katherine Montgomery
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
    • /
    • v.27 no.1
    • /
    • pp.21-30
    • /
    • 2024
  • Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review is to explore end-of-life (EOL) care planning and the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) among people who identify as Black or African American. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) were used to guide and inform this systematic review process. The following academic electronic databases with publications that reflected the interdisciplinary fields related to the research objective were searched: APA PsycINFO, CINHAL, PubMed, Scopus, and Social Work Abstracts. Results: After the authors conducted the search, 14 articles (from 13 studies) ultimately met the criteria for inclusion. The results substantiated significant concerns highlighted in previous literature regarding SES and its relation to EOL planning, but also revealed an absence of original work and interventions to increase engagement in EOL planning among Black and African American populations. Conclusion: Black individuals deserve an equitable EOL experience. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers need to move towards advocacy and action to meet this important need.

A Legal Study on 「the Act on Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment for Patient's in Hospice and Palliative Care or at the End of Life」 (연명의료결정법의 법적 고찰)

  • Park, Kwang-Hyun
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Computer Information Conference
    • /
    • 2019.07a
    • /
    • pp.195-198
    • /
    • 2019
  • 연명의료결정법의 정식 명칭은 '호스피스 완화의료 및 임종 과정에 있는 환자의 연명의료 결정에 관한 법'이다. 이 법은 호스피스 완화의료에 대한 것과 환자의 연명의료 결정에 대한 것을 규정하고 있다. 특히, 후자의 연명의료결정에 관한 부분은 법제정 과정에서 법 종교 의료 윤리 등 다양한 분야에서 논박이 있었지만 2018년 2월 4일부터 시행되고 있다. 법학에서는 이 법이 생명이라는 법익과 관련되어 있어 형사법적, 민사법적으로 중요한 의미를 갖는다. 이 법이 탄생되기 위해 두 번의 변곡점이 있었다. 첫째, 1997년 '보라매병원 사건'에서 의사를 작위에 의한 살인방조죄로 판결한 사건 둘째, 2009년 '김 할머니' 사건에서 회생할 수 없을 경우 가족 등이 진술한 환자 의사에 따라 연명 의료를 중단할 수 있다는 대법원 판결이다. 연명의료결정법은 헌법상 생명권과 자기운명결정권이라는 기본권 충돌이 발생한다. 두 기본권이 서로 상충 할 때에는 어떠한 기본권을 우선해야 하는지가 실질적으로 문제되는데, 이익형량을 통한 규범의 조화로운 해석을 통해 해결해야 한다. 또한 이 법의 흠결과 문제점을 고찰하여 개정작업이 진행되어야 한다.

  • PDF

Development and Evaluation of Death Education Program for Nursing Students (간호대학생을 위한 죽음교육 프로그램 개발 및 효과)

  • Kim, Soon-Hee;Kim, Dong-Hee
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
    • /
    • v.22 no.3
    • /
    • pp.277-286
    • /
    • 2015
  • Purpose: This study was done to develop a death education program for nursing students and evaluate the effects of the program. Methods: The education program was developed based on ADDIE model. The death education program was developed on the base of educational needs, a comprehensive review of the literature and focus group interviews and then evaluated with 53 nursing students, 27 in the experimental and 26 in the control group. Measurement was done for the meaning of life using the tool by Choi et al (2005) for attitudes concerning death, the tool Thorson and Powell (1998) revised by Kim (2006) and for attitude to end-of-life patient care, the Attitudes toward Nursing Care of the Dying Scale by Frommelt (1991) translated by Cho and Kim (2005). Results: The program consisted of five sessions: Understanding of death, Family bereavement care, Communication and End-of-life patient care, Professional role, and Ethics and legal issues There was a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest for the meaning of life in the experimental group compared to the control group. About 82% of students in the experimental group were satisfied with the program. Conclusion: The results indicate that this program can be used to educate nursing students.