• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 2003

Background: The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of family support on the quality of life in patients admitted to the hospice facility at Saemmul Hospice. Method: The subjects of this study were 152 terminal cancer patients that were admitted to the hospice facility at Saemmul hospice between January 2002 and February 2003. Their each quality of life were assessed at admission, one, three, five and seven weeks at Saemmul Hospice using a questionnaire prepared by the Saemmul hospice and were anlalyzed by means of T-test. Result: There was no difference in the quality of life score between patients with family support and patients without family support in terms of physical, psychosocial, and spiritual aspects in the admission. There was no difference in the quality of life score between the patients with frequent family member's visit(>=8) and less frequent family visit(<=7), and between the patients whose family members stayed at the facility for 24hrs and the patients without staying family members. There was no difference in the quality of life score between the patients in low-middle and low-high class among 9 classes of familial economic status(high-high, high-middle, high-low, middle-high, middle-middle, middle-low, low-high, low-middle, low-low). There was no difference in the quality of life score between the patients whose familial religion were Christianity and the patients with other religions. After 1, 3, 5, 7 weeks assessment, the scores in the physical, psychosocial, spiritual aspect of quality of life were increased. Conclusion: The results suggest that family support is important to improve the quality of life in hospice patients and hospice care team is needed to replace 24 hours of family care. There is a urgent need of trained hospice care teams, so training programs for physicians, nurses, clergies, social workers, and volunteers are necessary.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.145-153
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate patients' characteristics and actual conditions of home-based services offered by a free-standing hospice center. Methods: A retrospective review was performed with the medical records of 75 patients who received home-based hospice care from a free-standing hospice center from January 2014 through December 2014. Results: Most patients (54.7%) were enrolled via self-directed referral. The reason for the service termination was death at home 25.3%, admission to a hospice ward 50.7%, hospitalization 22.6% and patients' refusal 2.7%. Seventy three patients had cancer, and two patients had ALS. Among all, 58.7% were in a dying phase, and 34.7% were almost completely bedfast at the time of their enrollment in this study. When they enrolled, the patients' physical symptoms were characterized as pain (89.4%), sleep disturbance (71.2%), urinary difficulties (35.8%) and defecation difficulties (47.8%). Among all, 77.4% terminated the home visit service within one month. The mean frequency of the home visits was 3.25 (${\pm}3.98$), and less than five in 82.7% of patients. The mean frequency of the phone service was 3.40 (${\pm}3.12$). The frequency of doctor's home visits was $1.21{\pm}0.79$ on average, and the figure increased when patients' conditions turned unstable. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop a home-based hospice care model with consideration of patients' characteristics and the actual service conditions delivered by free-standing hospice facilities.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.493-502
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aroma hand massage on pain, state anxiety and depression in hospice patients with terminal cancer. Methods: This study was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects were 58 hospice patients with terminal cancer who were hospitalized. Twenty eight hospice patients with terminal cancer were assigned to the experimental group (aroma hand massage), and 30 hospice patients with terminal cancer were assigned to the control group (general oil hand massage). As for the experimental treatment, the experimental group went through aroma hand massage on each hand for 5 min for 7 days with blended oil-a mixture of Bergamot, Lavender, and Frankincense in the ratio of 1:1:1, which was diluted 1.5% with sweet almond carrier oil 50 ml. The control group went through general oil hand massage by only sweet almond carrier oil-on each hand for 5 min for 7 days. Results: The aroma hand massage experimental group showed more significant differences in the changes of pain score (t=-3.52, p=.001) and depression (t=-8.99, p=.000) than the control group. Conclusion: Aroma hand massage had a positive effect on pain and depression in hospice patients with terminal cancer.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.307-316
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the influence of family support and death preparation on the quality of life in home care hospice patients. Methods: The study recruited 117 patients in home care hospice in four general tertiary hospitals and three general hospitals in three cities. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires from September 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 and analyzed using the statistical package IBM SPSS software version 22.0. Results: The quality of life according to the participants' general characteristics of the subjects shows a statistically significant difference between patients who live with supporters and those who do not(Z=2.96, p=.003). A statistically significant correlation was found between predictors such as family support, death preparation, and quality of life. Family support and death preparation affect the quality of life in home care hospice patients and these variables could explain 33.7% of it. Conclusion: To improve the quality of life in home care hospice patients, we should develop an intervention to enhance family support and death preparation.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2002

Hospice can not only help the dying persons to maintain the high quality of life and facing the death in comfortable and peaceful state, but also the bereaved family to relieve the grief and sufferings. We investigated the work of hospice performed by church base from March 2000 until recently and reported the results dividing them into three parts. 1)The application of resources in church to administration, education, nursing delivery of hospice in the aspects of management. 2)Spiritual and postmortal management relating hospice nursing and funeral in hospice practice. 3)Case report of hospice and the patients situation(5 in average a month). The expected effects of hospice practice using the resources in church are as follows. 1)Hospice practice can provide the highly qualified persons with the opportunities to do voluntary services and find their lives worth living. Consequently hospice contributes to the spreading of the volunteering culture. 2)The volunteers in hospice can grow mature spiritually and get interpersonal relationships among the volunteers. Doyle. D., Geoflrey.W.C., & Macdonald. N.(1988). Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine(2nd ed). New York :Oxford University Press. Woodruff. R.(1996). Palliative Medicine(2nd ed). Melburn: Asperula Pty Ltd. 3)Through the hospice activity, church can practice and show the moral. 4)The volunteers in hospice can make a organization with a hope to be a beautiful community in church. 5)The patients and their families can enjoy the high quality of life through the holistic care provided by 33 nursing practical items of hospice. 6)'Hospice newsletter' can be a useful vehicle to provide readers with hope and encouragement through the stories of the patient and the volunteers. The persons unaware of the hospice can be contacted with hospice by this 'Hospice newsletter'. 7)Irrespective of the economic status, all patients are served equally that hospice can contribute to dying with dignity and the equality of human being.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.49-57
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• 2002

Background: The purpose of this study is to find out to how much influence religion had on the quality of life in patients admitted to the hospice facility at Saemmul's House. Terminal cancer patients were assessed one to two weeks after admittance to Saemmul's House. Metohd: The subjects of this study were numbered at 75 patients and were admitted to the hospice facility at Sammul's house between January 2002 and July 2002. The data regarding quality of life was collected using a questionnaire prepared by the sammul Hospice and were analyzed by means of ANOVA and T-test. Result: As a result of this study, there was no noticeable difference in quality of physical, psychosocial life between the patients with conviction of salvation and the other patients. However, it shows that the former enjoyed a higher spiritual quality of life than the latter. In case of baptized patients and unbaptized patients, there were no differences in terms of physical and psychosocial quality of life, but the baptized patients demonstrated a higher spiritual quality of life. After admittance, patients were grouped by duration of conviction of salvation I.e., those that believed more than 5 years and those that believed less than 5 years. In terms of physical, psychosocial quality of life, there was little difference between the two groups. However, those who believed more than 5 years demonstrated a higher spiritual quality of life. However, there was no difference in quality of life among patients, regardless of their belief in God, after receiving spiritual care at the hospice. Conclusion: We got a few conclusions in accordance with result gained by this study. First, spiritual support is very important to improving quality of patients' lives in hospices. Second, hospice programs are needed keenly and spiritual support for patients from trained experts is needed 24 hours a day. Third, because trained experts(ministry) are urgently needed to lend spiritual support, hospice courses must be taught at all colleges of theology. Fourth, a hospice program must provide a proper atmosphere that can give spiritual support and therefore all hospices must build such as environment. Fifth, a tool for spiritual support of hospice must be developed.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.576-584
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to develop an education program for hospice care and to examine the effect of the program. The education program for hospice care was developed based on the philosophy and principle of Hospice and integrated with various professional areas related to the problems with which terminal patients and their family might be associated. The program was continued for 16 weeks and consisted of lectures and practices. The courses of this program were The Concept and Principle of Hospice, The Role of the Hospice Nurse, The Characteristics of Terminal Disease, Physical Care in Terminal Patients, Death Orientation, Psychological care for Terminal Patients, Spiritual care for Terminal Patients, and Care for the Family. To identify the effect of the education program for hospice care, the difference in death orientation of subjects between the pre and post performance of the education program was examined using the t-test. The finding of this statistic indicated that this education program for hospice care was effective in terms of changing the death orientation of subjects with positive direction. The education program for hospice care was performed several times at Kwangrim Hospice Missionary, Chungbuk University Hospital, and Wooam Church. Case studies were reported for a description of content of hospice care experienced by subjects after the performance of education, put this at the beginning 8 the sentence. In conclusion, the education program for hospice care was developed effectively. Therefore, this program should be used to educate and activate the subjects in community to be participants in hospice care.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to show the differences of medical cost between hospice and non-hospice care for terminally ill patients. This information provides basic data to nationally institutionalize hospice care for decreasing costs and enhancing quality of life for terminally ill patients. Methods: Participants of this study were 114 terminally ill cancer patients who were diagnosed and died with stomach cancer and lung cancer at the K hospital of the C university. The study was a retrospective survey design that analyzed the medical costs for two weeks before they died. The cost analysis was done according to 11 items form the medical cost bill. Results: Patients enrolled in hospice care had significantly lower medical costs (53%) than did non-hospice patients especially in use of TPN, narcotic analgesics, nursing care, radiology tests, and blood tests. Among patients enrolled/admitted in the hospice unit, there was a significant cost difference only in use of analgesics whether the hospice specialized doctor was in charge of care or not. The cost was significantly lower when a hospice specialized doctor was in charge of care although the total medical cost was the same. Conclusion: This study identified lower medical costs for patients cared for in the hospice unit. Thus, we urge institutionalizing hospice care without delay to insure cost benefits as well as quality care.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.75-86
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• 2002

Prupose: The purpose of this study was to identify signs and symptoms of hospice patients during their dying processes. Method: The subjects of this study were 76 patients who received hospice care services in 2 different hospice care programs in Seoul area. Data was obtained from January, 1999 to June, 2001 by hospice nurse's observation, interviews with patient's primary caregiver and hospice volunteers, patient's self report, nursing records and questionnaires which had been developed by selecting from various references and refining them based on the result of preliminay studies. The collected data were analyzed with the SPSS PC+ program and content analysis. Results: Mean lengths of hospice patient's dying process were 3.6 days. Physical signs and symptoms of hospice patients during their dying processes were 'increased sleep'(89.5%), 'decreased oral intake of food'(88.2%) and 'liquids'(86.8%), 'change of respiration'(82.9%), 'decreased urine output'(80.3%), 'cold extremities'(69.7%), 'death rattle'(67.1%), 'cyanosis'(57.9%), 'restlessness'(55.3%), etc. And psychological, spiritual and social signs and symptoms were 'decreased interpersonal relationships'(61.8%), 'panorama of memories from childhood'(60.5%), 'experiences as like hallucination'(56.5%), 'saying bye with family'(69.7%), 'forgiveness', 'make a will', etc. Experiences as like hallucination were seemed not as dream but reality were shown by 43 dying patients. They had experienced to see and to talk with their deceased mother(18.6%) and/or relatives(30.2%), angels(20.9%), heaven(11.6%), old house in which they had lived, someone from the world beyond with black clothes, etc. Conclusion: The above results indicate that death of hospice patients is ongoing process with dying signs and symptoms during several days contains not only in physical aspects but also among psychological, spiritual and social aspects including family dynamics.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.49-66
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• 2019

Along with the advances in medical technology and the economic development, more terminally ill patients are receiving hospice and palliative care services. Moreover, hospice and palliative care clinicians have been showing considerable interest in studies that aim to improve the quality of said care for patients and their families. Meanwhile, after the government has strengthened its policy to protect research participants, the institutional review boards (IRBs) are more closely examining various ethical issues related to patients' vulnerability when reviewing protocols for hospice and palliative care research. However, terminally ill patients should be provided with guaranteed qualities of hospice and palliative care to improve and maintain their quality of life. To that end, support should be provided for efforts to conduct ethical and safe studies with hospice and palliative care patients. Thus, this review paper proposes ethical guidelines for hospice and palliative care research. The guidelines could be appropriately used as a reference for researchers who should prepare for ethically safe and scientifically valued research protocols and the IRBs that will review the protocols.