• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.171-184
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• 2023

Purpose: The study explored the meaning of experiences within a family art therapy process among terminal cancer patients and their families. Methods: Ten participants, including four terminal cancer patients currently admitted to the hospice ward at an inpatient hospice facility in S City and four caregiving family members, engaged in four cycles of family art therapy sessions. The sessions were conducted weekly or bi-weekly, and each lasted approximately 50 minutes. Results: Nine cross-case themes emerged: "feeling unfamiliar and intimidated by the idea of expressing my thoughts through art," "trying to accept the present and positively overcome sadness," "expressing hope through emotional bonds during the process of parting," "conveying and preserving personal and family beliefs," "feeling upset about family imbalances caused by deteriorating health," "valuing togetherness and striving for stability amidst the current challenges," "art as a medium of empowerment for patients and facilitator of family conversations, even amidst difficulties," "sharing a range of emotions-not just joy, but concerns and sorrow-through art," and "gratitude for art' s role in improving family communication and connection through artwork. Conclusion: The findings of this study lead to several conclusions. First, patients and their families faced psychological challenges when confronted with impending death, yet they strove to remain optimistic by seeking meaning in their struggles. Second, families practiced open and expressive communication, sharing a spectrum of complex emotions with one another. Third, even as the patient's condition worsened, resulting in family fatigue, their support and cohesion strengthened.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6311-6316
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• 2015

Background: In mainland China, awareness of disease of elderly cancer patients largely relies on the patients' families. We developed a staged procedure to improve their awareness of disease. Materials and Methods: Participants were 224 elderly cancer patients from 9 leading hospitals across Southern China. A questionnaire was given to the oncologists in charge of each patient to evaluate the interaction between family and patients, patient awareness of their disease and participation in medical decision-making. After first cycles of treatment, increased information of disease was given to patients with cooperation of the family. Then patient awareness of their disease and participation in medical decision-making was documented. Results: Among the 224 cancer elderly patients, 26 (11.6%) made decisions by themselves and 125 (55.8%) delegated their rights of decision-making to their family. Subordinate family members tended to play a passive role in decision-making significantly. Patients participating more in medical decision-making tended to know more about their disease. However, in contrast to the awareness of disease, patient awareness of violation of medical recommendations was reversely associated with their participation in medical decision-making. Improvement in awareness of diagnosis, stages and prognosis was achieved in about 20% elderly cancer patients. About 5% participated more actively in medical decision-making. Conclusions: Chinese elderly cancer patient awareness of disease and participation in medical decision-making is limited and relies on their family status. The staged procedure we developed to improve patient awareness of disease proved effective.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.22 no.1 s.25
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• pp.162-168
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• 1989

This study was conducted to analyse attitudes to a new health care system in a rural community. The specific purpose of this thesis was to classify attitudes to the patient referral system in Kangwha county, and to identify factors affecting the attitudes. Sampling was done by a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method from the population. The data were collected in Kangwha county through a structured interview survey for two weeks in June, 1957. Attitudes to the patient referral system were classified into four types based upon answers to questions about awareness of the system, the recognition for the necessity of the system, and opinions on the improvement of the system. The four types of attitudes were active acceptance(10.2%), partial acceptance (27.2%), refusal(35.8%), and indifference(26.7%). The respondent's age, educational level, age of head of household, medical insurance fee, the number of ill family members, and the percentage of medical utilization by the family were the variables which affected the attitudes. The medical insurance fee, respondent's age, age of head of household, and the percentage of medical utilization by the family were the statistically significant discriminant factors of the four types of attitudes.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2012

Objective: We propose empathy as a user research method for service design. Background: We argue that empathy will enable user researchers to go beyond the conceptual knowledge to the design knowledge of user experience. Method: We tested our hypothesis by conducting an experiment in which subjects were required to propose solutions to improve the experience of a family member of a patient hospitalized in an emergency department. Results: We found that the subjects who empathized with the family member of a patient tended to suggest the solutions based on design knowledge rather than the solutions based on conceptual knowledge compared to the subjects who did not empathize. Conclusion: Data support our hypothesis that empathy enables people to focus on design knowledge rather than conceptual knowledge. Application: These findings provide practical implications for user researchers in service design.

• Korean Journal of Family Medicine
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.375-378
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• 2018

Benign acute childhood myositis (BACM) is a rare transient condition that occurs in children during the early convalescent phase of a viral upper respiratory infection. BACM is self-limiting and characterized by sudden-onset bilateral calf pain that leads to difficulty in walking. We report a case of a 5-year-old boy with BACM who presented with acute-onset bilateral calf pain after a resolved episode of viral pharyngitis and subsequently refused to walk. With conservative treatment, the patient recovered completely after approximately 1 week. Although perplexing and challenging for clinicians unfamiliar with BACM, awareness of this rare clinical condition is essential to preventing unnecessary investigations and reassuring the patient and parents of its excellent prognosis.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.94-98
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• 2023

A forty-three-year-old male patient was diagnosed with an acute abscess in the dorsum of the right hand. On the 5th day of conventional pharmacological therapy the patient was still suffering, and was referred to the Outpatient department (OPD) to evacuate and drain the abscess and treat the edema around the area with Hijama (wet cupping therapy, WCT). The hand abscess was successfully cured within a week using an integrative approach of wet cupping therapy together with conventional drug therapy.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.104-113
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• 2009

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate pain management knowledge and attitude in cancer patients and their family caregivers. Methods: The subjects were 52 hospitalized cancer patients and 52 their family caregivers in a hematooncologic unit in one general hospital. Data were collected via self-reported questionnaires and interviews in 2008. Results: 46.2% of the patient participants reported pain and 50% of them were taking opioid analgesics. Levels of knowledge about cancer pain and its management in both patient and caregiver participants were low, whereas, the scores of knowledge of the caregivers were significantly higher than that of the patients. The attitudes toward cancer pain were not significantly different between patients and caregivers. Both cancer patients and caregivers had some misconcepts in using opioid analgesics and about cancer pain. Patients' and caregivers' level of knowledge about cancer pain and its mangement demonstrated positive correlation. Conclusion: Education about cancer pain and its management should target both cancer patients and their family caregivers. Also the education should focus on intervening the misconceptions that patients and their caregivers have regarding cancer pain and its management.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2004

Purpose: This research aims to assess the effect of group education of hospice and palliative care program on recognition of home hospice care for terminal cancer patients and their family members. Methods: The terminal cancer patients or their family members who have visited Sam Anyang Hospital from January to September in 2004 participated in group education of hospice and palliative care program on one time a week. Of those, 32 patients or family members who were called education group has participated in group education more than 4 times and responded to a questionnaire. Sixty three patients or family members who were called non-education group have never participated in group education of hospice and palliative care program during the same period. Data were collected and done comparative analysis about both group. Results: A knowledge difference on definition of hospice and palliative care come out 29 people(91%) in education group and 26 people(41%) in non-education group. The recognition of home hospice care in education group(32 people, 100%) was significantly higher than non-education group(15 people,24%). A intention to home hospice care in education group(23 people, 72%) was significantly higher than non-education group(10 people,16%) and practically number of home hospice care was 15 people(50%) in education group and 8(13%) in non-education group. The recognition about cancer of patients was not significant differences in both group. People that the response to the question about 'Did you let your patient know to be the terminal cancer patient?' is 'yes' was 12 people(38%) in education group and 13(21%) in non-education group. Patients in education group had insight about terminal cancer significantly higher than non-education group. Conclusion: If we educated effective hospice and palliative care program in terminal cancer patients or their family members, we think the recognition of cancer and hospice and palliative care improve, and the home hospice care be activated more and more.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.130-134
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• 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 Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.320-331
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• 2016

This study was conducted to find a practical implication regarding efficient and smooth service utilization including care burden reduction of family caregivers by empirically analyzing the factors influencing the dementia patient home care intention of family caregivers, based on Anderson's behavior model. For this study, the subjects and characteristics suitable for the study purpose were selected using the source data of "A Survey on the Dementia Recognition and Needs" targeting 26 cities and countries in Gyeonggi-do and then secondary analysis was conducted. This study targeted 539 dementia families, and based on Anderson's behavior model, variables related to predisposing factors, enabling factors and need factors were inserted, and hierarchical regression analysis was applied. The analysis result showed that at a significance level of 5%, the home care intention was high when family caregivers were not living in cities, they were spouses or children and their economic level was high as predisposing factors, and the dementia-related attitude was positive as a enabling factor, and the degree of dementia was mild and care burden was low as need factors. Moreover, need factors were relatively important variables among the three factors mentioned above. These findings demonstrate that for improving the home care intention, there is a need to construct a support strategy, which considers the degree of dementia and economic characteristics and develop diverse counseling and education programs for a positive attitude towards dementia and a differentiated strategy depending on regional and family characteristics.