• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.95-100
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• 1999

Background: About 75% of terminal cancer patients have severe pain. For the treatment of these patients, physicians usually use potent opioid analgesics. But many of the cancer patients were not controlled by IV or IM injection of opioids. In spite of the untreatable nature of the patient's illness, they should be hospitalized only for pain control. In that case, epidural opioid injection is one of the most effective methods in pain management. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 126 terminal cancer patients who were treated with epidural morphine for pain management from 1993-97. In the routine procedure, an epidural catheter was inserted into the epidural space and tunnelled subcutaneously, exiting out from the anterior chest or abdomen. Morphine was used as the main analgesic and Multiday Infusor$^{(R)}$ (Baxter, 0.5 ml/h) as a continuous infusion system. Results: 1. Mean treatment time was 55 days (range; 3~373). 2. Mean daily epidural start mg dose of morphine was 8 mg (range; 2~20). 3. Mean daily dose at termination was 19 mg (range; 4~60) 4. 94 patients were controlled with continuous infusion but 32 patients needed additional bolus doses of morphine. 5. heter-associated subcutaneous infection occurred in 2 patients (1.6%). Conclusion: Terminal cancer pain management administered by a tunnelled epidural catheter is a simple, inexpensive method with a very small rate of infection.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.57-68
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• 2005

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to develop a tool to assess the need for hospice care in families of patients with cancer. Method : Research design was a methodological study. The tool was developed in 3 stages : first, preliminary items were developed based on a questionnaire about the needs for hospice care that was given to 8 families of patients with cancer; second, a panel of specialists reduced the number of preliminary items using 2 validity tests on the contents. Finally, reliability and validity were tested by a sample of 98 families who have a patient with cancer from April 2003 to July 2004. Result: Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was .94 for the final total 22 items. Using the factor analysis, 4 factors with eigenvalue of more than 1.0 were extracted and these factors explained 65% of the total variance. The four factors were labeled as 'control of terminal physical problems', 'emotional care', 'spiritual care for preparing for death', and 'family support'. The final items of the tool developed on the need of hospice care consisted of 22 items. Conclusion : The instrument, for accessing the need for hospice care in families of patients with cancer, developed in this study was identified as a tool with a high degree of reliability and validity. In this sense, this tool can be effectively utilized for implementing and improving hospice care for patients with terminal cancer.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.958-969
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• 1998

In this study, we attempted to investigate the needs and problems of the terminal cancer patients and their family caregivers to provide them with nursing information to improve their quality of life and prepare for a peaceful death. Data was collected from August 1, 1995 to July 31, 1996 at the internal medicine unit of S hospital in Seoul area with the two groups of participants who were family members of terminal cancer patients seventy four of them were in-patients and 34 were out-patients who were discharged from the same hospital for home care. The research tool used in this study has been developed by selecting the questionnaires from various references, modifying them for our purpose and refining them based on the results of preliminary study. While general background information about the patients was obtained by reviewing their medical records, all other information was collected by interviewing the primary family caregivers of the patients using the questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed with the SPSS PC/sup +/ program. The results of this study are summarized as follows ; 1) Most frequently complained symptoms of the terminal cancer patients were in the order of pain(87%), weakness(86.1%), anorexia(83.3%) and fatigue (80.6%). 2) Main therapies for the terminal cancer patients were pain control (58.3%), hyperalimentation(47.2%) and antibiotics(21.3%). 3) Special medical devices that terminal cancer patients used most were oxygen device (11.1%), and feeding tube(5.6%). Other devices were used by less than 5% of the patients. 4) The mobility of 70.4% of the patients was worse than ECOG 3 level, they had to stay in bed more than 50% of a day. 5) Patients wanted their medical staffs to help relieve pain(45.4%), various physical symptoms(29.6%), and problems associated with their emotion(11.1%). 6) 16.7% of the family caregivers hoped for full recovery of the patients, refusing to admit the status of the patients. Also, 37% wished for the extension of the patient's life at least for 6 months. 7) Only 38.9% of the family members was preparing for the patient's funeral. 8) 45.4% of family caregivers prefer hospital as the place for the patient's death, 39.8% their own home, and 14.8% undetermined. 9) Caregivers of the patients were mostly close family members, i.e., spouse(62%), and sons and daughters or daughter-in-laws(21.3%). 10) 43.5% of the family caregivers were aware of hospice care. 46.8% of them learned about the hospice care from the mass media, 27.7% from health professionals, and the rest from books and other sources. 11) Caregivers were asked about the most difficult problems they encounter in home care, 41 of them pointed out the lack of health professionals they can contact, counsel and get help from in case of emergency, 17 identified the difficulty of finding appropriate transportation to hospital, and 13 stated the difficulty of admission in hospital as needed. 12) 93.6% of family caregivers demanded 24-hour hot line, 80% the visiting nurses and doctors, and 69.4% the volunteer's help. The above results indicate that terminal patients and their family caregivers demand help from qualified health professionals whenever necessary. Hospice care system led by well-trained medical and nursing staffs is one of the viable answers for such demands.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.223-231
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand terminal cancer patient's experiences of home-based hospice care. Methods: The data were collected from July 2011 through September 2010. Data were collected from 10 terminal cancer patients who received home-based hospice care services and by using in-depth interview. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. Results: Data were classified by 25 themes comprising 14 theme clusters and five categories. The five categories were 'life quality deterioration', 'appreciation', 'acceptance of the rest of their lives', 'Prepared for death with religion', 'negative coping'. Conclusion: Systematic hospice care should be provided to understand life experience of patients with terminal cancer who receive home-based hospice care, to help them overcome negative experiences and grow a positive perspective.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.32-38
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• 2013

Background: Intrathecal opioid administration has been used widely in patients suffering from severe cancer pain that is not managed with conventional modalities. However, the potential serious neurological complications from the procedure and the side effects of intrathecal opioids have made many clinicians reluctant to employ continuous intrathecal analgesia as a first-line therapeutic option despite its dramatic effect on intractable pain. We retrospectively investigated the efficacy, side effects, and complications of intrathecal morphine administration through intrathecal catheters connected to a subcutaneous injection port (ICSP) in 22 Korean terminal cancer patients with successful intrathecal morphine trials. Methods: Patient demographic data, the duration of intrathecal opioid administration, preoperative numerical pain rating scales (NRS) and doses of systemic opioids, side effects and complications related to intrathecal opioids and the procedure, and the numerical pain rating scales and doses of intrathecal and systemic opioids on the $1^{st}$, $3^{rd}$, $7^{th}$ and $30^{th}$ postoperative days were determined from medical records. Results: Intrathecal morphine administration for $46.0{\pm}61.3$ days significantly reduced NRS from baseline on all the postoperative days. A significant increase in intrathecal opioids with a nonsignificant decrease in systemic opioids was observed on the $7^{th}$ and $30^{th}$ postoperative days compared to the $1^{st}$ postoperative day. The most common side effects of intrathecal opioids were nausea/vomiting (31.8%) and urinary retention (38.9%), which were managed with conservative therapies. Conclusions: Intrathecal morphine administration using ICSP provided immediate and beneficial effects on pain scores with tolerable side effects in terminal cancer patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.787-795
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• 1997

This descriptive study was conducted to ascertain whether the needs of patients with cancer, their caregivers and their nurses changed according to the illness phases and if the perceived needs of the three groups were different for three categories of nursing needs. At two hospitals in Seoul and Choongnam, three groups of subjects, -patients with cancer(79), caregivers(92), and nurses(72) - responded to a questionnaire consisting of items on educational need(11 items), physical need(8 items), emotional need(9 items) using a 4-point Likert scale. The patients and caregivers were selected according to the phase of the cancer (initial, intermediate or recurred, terminal phases). Finding revealed that the level of perception and degree of satisfaction of the needs were low, just around two points in patients and caregivers. Of the three categories of needs, physical needs were received the highest score and the degree of satisfaction of physical needs was also the highest. There was no significant difference between the level of perception and satisfaction of needs in patients and caregivers according to the phases of the illness and the degree of per reception and the satisfaction of the patients were not significantly different and caregivers showed the same result. There was a significant difference in the level of importance of the needs of nurses according to the phases of the cancer. They perceived emotional needs were the most important in first phase and second phase, physical needs in third phase and the educational needs were more important in the first phase than in any other phase. The degree of importance of needs was significantly lower than the degree to which needs were addressed, according to the nurses response. In a comparison of patient and caregiver's perceived degrees of need, and need satisfaction, and nurse's perceived degree of need provision, patient and caregiver scores were lower than the nurses.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.510-537
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• 1995

Human health is an integral part of experience in the process of Human Becoming. Through continual interaction with the environment human beings freely choose experience and develop as responsible beings. The process of the health experience of patient with terminal cancer is a unique. he objective of this study is to understand the lived experience of patients with terminal cancer in order to provide basic information for nursing care in the clinical setting and to develop a theoretical background for clinical practice. This study is to de-scribe and define the lived experience of patients with terminal cancer in order to provide a foundation for nursing research and education. Data collection has been done between December 1993 and November 1994. The subjects included five persons -four females and one male : one who was in her sixties, one in his fifties, two in their forties, and one who was in her thirties. The researcher has met with these patients 35 times, but at eight times the patient was in a stuporous condition and not able to participate, so these were not included in the data analysis. Parse's "Human Becoming Methodology", an existential phenomenological research methodology is used for this study. Data has been collected using he dialogical engagement process of "I and You", the participant researcher and the participant subject. Dialogical engagement was discontinued when the data was theoretically saturated. Data was analyzed using the extraction - synthesis and heuristic interpretation. The criteria of Guba and Lincoln(1985). and Sandelo wski(1986) : credibility, auditability, fitness and objectivity were used to test the validity and reliability of the data. The following is a description of the structure of the lived experience of patients with terminal cancer as defined by this study : 1. Structure : 1) Suffering through the reminiscence of past experience 2) The appearance of complex emotions related to life and connectedness 3) The increasing importance of significant people and of the Absolute Being 4) The increasing realization of the importance of health and belief 5) Desire for a return to health and a peaceful life or for acceptance of dying and a comfortable death In summary the structure of the lived experience of these patients can be said to be : suffering comes through reminiscence of past experience, and there are complex emotions related to life and connectedness. Significant people and the Absolute Being become increasingly important along with a realization of the importance of health and faith. And finally there is a desire for either a return to health and a peaceful life or for the acceptance of dying and a comfortable death. 2. Heuristic Interpretation : Using Parse's Human Becoming Methodology, the structure of the lived experience of patients with terminal cancer identified in this research is interpreted as. The lived experience of patients with terminal cancer involves the solving of past conflicts, and the experience of the healing and valuing of sorrow and pain. Through the relation of life and health, and the complex emotions that arise, the lived experience of revealing - concealing is of paradoxical emotions. The increasing importance of significant others and of the Absolute Being shows Connecting and Separating an on- going process of nearness and farness. Revision of thoughts about health and faith is interpreted as transforming and desire for restoration to health and a peaceful life or acceptance of dying and a cowfortable death, as powering. In summary, it is possible to see, in the lived experience of patients with terminal cancer, the relationship of the five concepts of Parse's theory : valuing, revealing -concealing, connecting-separating, transforming, and powering. From Parse's theory, the results of this study show that meaning is related to valuing, rhythmicity to revealing-concealing and connect-ing-separating, and cotranscendence to transforming and powering.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.538-543
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the stress and the coping methodes in the cancer patients and their caregivers. Method: The stress method was measured by V AS(Visual Analogue Scale). The coping methodes was measured using the modified Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The phases of patient illness consisted of Ist(initial) stage, and 2nd(recurred) stage and 3rd(terminal) stage based on Lewandowski & Jones(1988) method. The data were collected by a survey of convenience sampling of 257 cancer patients and 196 of their caregivers from two hospitals in Seoul. The data were analyzed using paired t-test, unpaired t-test. Result: The stress level of cancer patients was lower than their caregivers. The cancer patients used emotion-focused coping mode than problem-focused coping mode. The caregivers problem-focused coping mode over emotion-focused coping mode. In the problem-focused coping mode, the caregivers significantly used two coping strategies that were ‘positve cope’, ‘information seeking’ more than patients. In emotion-focused coping mode, the caregivers significantly used one coping strategies that was ‘wish’ more than patients. The patients tended to used two coping strategies that were ‘blame’ and ‘emotion expression’ more than the caregivers. Conclusion: Further study needs to be done to positively identify these coping methods and develop interventions to assist patients and their caregivers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.695-701
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• 2014

The main objective of palliative treatment for cancer patients has been to maintain, if not improve, the quality of life (QoL). There is a lack of local data on satisfaction and QoL among cancer patients receiving palliative treatment in Malaysia. This study covers patients with incurable, progressive cancer disease receiving palliative treatment in a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, comparing the different components of QoL and correlations with patient satisfaction. A cross-sectional survey using Malay validated SF36 QoL and PSQ-18 (Short Form) tools was carried out between July 2012 -January 2013 with 120 cancer patients receiving palliative treatment, recruited into the study after informed consent using convenient sampling. Results showed that highest satisfaction were observed in Communication Aspect ($50.6{\pm}9.07$) and the least in General Satisfaction ($26.4{\pm}5.90$). The Mental Component Summary ($44.9{\pm}6.84$) scored higher when compared with the Physical Component Summary ($42.2{\pm}7.91$). In this study, we found that patient satisfaction was strongly associated with good quality of life among cancer patients from a general satisfaction aspect (r=0.232). A poor significant negative correlation was found in Physical Component (technical quality, r=-0.312). The Mental Component showed there was a poor negative correlation between time spent with doctor (r=-0.192) and accessibility, (r=-0.279). We found that feeling at peace and having a sense of meaning in life were more important to patients than being active or achieving good physical comfort. More studyis needed to investigate patients who score poorly on physical and mental component aspects to understand their needs in order to achieve better cancer care.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.109-113
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• 1999

Purpose : Because we don't have inappropriate health care system for the terminal cancer patients, there were abnormal behavior patterns of health care utilization. So, There were needs to develop the comprehensive care for terminal cancer patients. Increased attention is being paid to the futility of life-sustaining treatment and high cost of management of terminal cancer patients Materials and Methods : This study was performed on cancer patients, registered in 1996 Central Cancer Registry, who were as insured person of Korea Medical Insurance and died from January 1997 to June 1998. We studied the day of medical care and medical expenses of 151 cancer patients evaluable. Results : The mean day of inpatient care was 39 days, and the mean days of outpatient care was 14 days in study subjects. Mean expenses per day of medical care, day of inpatient, and day of outpatients care were 85,392 won, 105,908 won, and 40,173 won. 95% of medical expenses is paid to the general hospital, and 85% of medical expenses was paid for inpatient care. About half of all medical expenses in th last 6 months were incurred in the last 60 days of life, and about 30 percent were incurred in the last 30 days. Expenses of outpatients care increased between 6 month and 3 months, after which they decreased. Expenses of inpatients care increased during all last 6months Conclusion : The distribution or medical expenses during the last 6 months in our study is similar to the distribution of American Medicare costs. We need to study medical expenses during the last year of life with large scale and details in order to develop the plan about the management of terminal cancer patient.