• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.207-218
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• 2019

Purpose: Physician competency in end-of-life (EOL) care is becoming increasingly important. This study investigated the EOL care curricula in Korean medical schools. Methods: Questionnaires were issued to the faculty members responsible for the EOL care curricula at each of the medical schools. These included questions on the structure and content of the curricula, teaching methods, and faculty members' attitudes to the curricula. Results: Characteristics of the EOL care curricula were compiled from 27 (66%) of the 41 medical schools. All of the medical schools taught essential aspects of the EOL care curriculum either as a separate course or embedded within other medical education courses. The mean time spent on EOL care teaching was 10 hrs (range, 2~32 hrs). The most frequently taught topics were delivering bad news (100%) and symptom management (74%). When the palliative care education assessment tool (PEAT) was used to evaluate the curricula, a median of 11 PEAT objectives was met (range, 2~26; maximum, 83). More than two teaching methods were used in most of the curricula. However, lectures were the only teaching method used by three medical schools. 78% of faculty members who were responsible for curriculum reported dissatisfaction with it, whereas 18% believed that the time allotted to it was adequate. Only 7% of these faculty members believed that their students were adequately prepared to practice EOL care. Conclusion: There is a need to improve EOL care education in basic medical curricula and to take a more systematic approach to achieving learning outcomes.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.71-84
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the effects of advance care planning on end-of-life decision-making. Methods: Databases including RISS, KISS, KMbase, KoreaMed, PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, and CINAHL were searched for studies that examined the effects of advance care planning interventions. The inclusion criteria were original studies in English or Korean; adults ≥18 years of age (population); advance care planning (intervention); completion of advance directives (AD) or advance care planning (ACP) (outcomes); and randomized or non-randomized controlled trials (RCTs and non-RCTs, respectively) (design). Study quality was measured using the checklists of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Meta-analyses were conducted with the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program. Results: Nine RCTs and nine non-RCTs were selected for the final analysis. The effect sizes (ES) of the outcome variables in nine RCTs were meta-analyzed, and found to range from 0.142 to 0.496 for the completion of AD and ACP (ES=0.496, 95% CI: 0.157~0.836), discussion of end-of-life care (ES=0.429, 95% CI: -0.027~0.885), quality of communication (ES=0.413, 95% CI: 0.008~0.818), decisional conflict (ES=0.349, 95% CI: -0.059~0.758), and congruence between preferences for care and delivered care (ES=0.142, 95% CI: -0.267~0.552). Conclusion: ACP interventions had a positive effect on the completion of AD and ACP. To apply AD or ACP in Korea, it is necessary to develop ACP interventions that reflect aspects of Korean culture.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.162-165
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• 2020

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought the world to a standstill and has exposed the lack of preparedness of most nations' health care systems. Even in usual times, palliative care has not received its fair share of recognition as an important component of patient care; instead, the emphasis is often placed on aggressive patient management. Now, with the entire medical community and decision-making committees focussed on intensive patient care, end-of-life care has taken a backseat. Methods: This article is a brief communication. Results: COVID 19 infection has been shown to lead to greater mortality and morbidity in patients with pre-existing illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, renal failure, and cancer. Patients typically in need of end-of-life care, such as those with late-stage cancer or heart failure, are therefore at a higher risk of both contracting COVID-19 and suffering a more severe disease course. The strict nationwide lockdowns being imposed in most countries have deterred patients from seeking medical attention or hospice care. Every day new research is coming to light regarding COVID 19. This has helped significantly in creating awareness and limiting the spread of disease. However, misinformation is also rampant, leading to discrimination and mistreatment of infected patients. Conclusion: This pandemic has been a terrifying ordeal for all and has exposed our entire population physically, psychologically, emotionally, and financially to unimaginable stresses. In the present scenario, EOL care is as much a necessity as intensive care and should be given at least a fraction of its importance.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.11 no.7
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• pp.288-297
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to provide basic data for the development of end-of-life care program by analyzing the importance and performance of end-of-life care. Data were collected from 127 hospice team members currently working in hospice and palliative care units from six different university hospitals, general hospitals and hospice clinics. The data was collected throughout the time span of Dec. 1, 2020 to Feb. 15, 2021. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, & IPA matrix. As a result of this study, 'physical care' and 'psychological care' were part of the first quadrant that requires maintenance and continuous enhancement. The 'spiritual care' appeared to be in the third quadrant area which entails long-term improvement. Based on the outcome of the study, it is evident that strategies are needed to continuously maintain and enhance physical and psychological care as well establish long-term plans for spiritual care when organizing the hospice team's end-of-life care performance training program.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.145-148
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• 2023

Preserving dignity is a significant concern for individuals approaching the end of their lives, as they face an increasing number of conditions that can potentially compromise their dignity. This article discusses dignity therapy as one intervention method aimed at enhancing the psychological and spiritual well-being of patients with terminal illnesses. Dignity therapy is an empirically supported therapeutic intervention that interviews patients with nine questions about what is important to them and what they want to remember, culminating in the production of a document based on these conversations. This intervention serves as a valuable tool and framework, enabling clinical professionals to reflect on dignity. It also provides clinicians with a medium to connect with patients on a deeply human level.

• 한국호스피스완화의료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.218-226
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• 2002

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2021

This study was a retrospective descriptive study to identify frequency and change of palliative care provided for older patients with terminal stage of cardiopulmonary disease before and after life-sustaining treatment (LST) decision making. As a result of chart review of 124 older patients in a university hospital, oral analgesics medication, cold and hot therapy for pain management, antibiotics medication and urine culture for urinary infection, oral care, hair wash, and partial bath were provided significantly less after LST decision making. Provision of praying and relaxation therapy for pain control, oral and nasal care, and emotional care were not changed before and after LST decision making. Spiritual care was the least provided care. Therefore, non-pharmacological pain management, emotional care, and spiritual care need to be improved for older patients with terminal cardiopulmonary disease at the end of life.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.488-498
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore clinical nurse's reported conflict experience toward end-of-life medical decision making. Methods: Data were collected by in-depth interviews with eight nurses from three different wards of university hospital in D city of Korea. Conventional qualitative analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Results were three major themes and twelve categories from the analysis. The three major themes were prioritization of treatment, non-disclosure of diagnosis, and hierarchical and power relations. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that shared decision making in end of life among patient, family members, physician, and nurse may contribute to improve end-of-life care performance as well as dignified dying of patient in end of life.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.50-54
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• 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.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.64-76
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• 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.