• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.25-41
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• 2022

Purpose: This study investigated trends of nursing research on life-sustaining treatment in South Korea. Methods: The period for data search was set from January 2018 to December 2020. The major search terms used were advance directives and life-sustaining treatment. Of the 492 records identified in the initial search, 461 articles were excluded for various reasons. A total of 31 records were included in the final qualitative analysis. Results: Sixteen studies had nursing students as study subjects, while nine studies had nurses as study subjects. The majority of the studies employed cross-sectional descriptive surveys as their research design. The major themes that emerged from the studies were as follows: attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, knowledge of and attitudes toward advance directives, perceptions of a good death, and nurses' attitude toward life support care. Most of the studies reviewed concluded that attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment significantly impacted both knowledge of and attitudes toward advance directives and perceptions of a good death. Conclusion: To date, Korea still lacks extensive nursing research concerning life support care. Further research is needed to provide systematic education for nursing ethics and life support care, as well as the introduction of a specialist course. Furthermore, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to provide diverse support systems and policy measures. In particular, since nurses are directly responsible for providing life support care, nurses' roles should be expanded in accordance with the Act on Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.55-72
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this study was to construct and verify a structural equation model of advance directive intent among a Korean group in their middle-age. Methods: Data were collected between May 1 and 30, 2017, from 398 people. The endogenous and exogenous variables of the hypothetical model consisted of elderly parents' care burden, health status, attitude towards withdrawal of life sustaining treatment, advance directive efficacy, and advance directive intent. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 24.0 and Mplus 7.4. Results: The hypothetical model demonstrated a good fit: χ2=223.79(df=109, p<.001), CMIN/df=2.05 CFI=.96, TLI=.96, RMSEA=.05, SRMR=.06. Elderly parents' care burden and health status showed statistically significant direct effects with attitude toward withdrawal of life sustaining treatment(β=.17, p=.001; β=.21, p<.001) and advance directive efficacy(β=.11, p=.040; β=.19, p=.002), respectively. Attitude toward withdrawal of life sustaining treatment and advance directive efficacy showed statistically significant direct effects on advance directive intent(β=.15, p=.007; β=.48, p<.001). Elderly parents' care burden and health status had a significant indirect effect on advance directive intent through attitude toward withdrawal of life sustaining treatment(β=.01, p=.041; β=.05, p=.036) and advance directive efficacy(β=.06, p=.049; β=.16, p=.006), respectively. The variables accounted for 26.1% of advance directive intent of the Korean group in their middle-age. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop an advance directive education program based on variables affecting advance directive intent for individuals in their middle-age.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.139-161
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• 2017

In this paper, The Supreme Court of Korea 2016. 1. 28. 2015Da9769 was reviewed. In the previous case, Korean Supreme Court 2009Da17417 for the element to requirement for permission of the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments, the patient's consent for withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments was assumed a declaration of intention to terminate the contract. But the consent for withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments corresponds not to those. The consent for medical treatments is not the juristic acts but the real acts. If the presumptive intention about these withdrawal regards as the termination of medical contract, the contract must be up to the starting the civil proceedings. According to this case, although the partial cancellation of medical contract is admitted, on the other hand medical expenses obligation ist exempted only after the final decision. At the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments the medical obligation ist exempted because of the inability to providing the medical payment, which confirmed by the final decision about the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments. Therefore the judgement of this case ist appropriate in that sense, the medical obligation ist waived only after the final decision. However that legal basis lies not at the partial cancel but at the partial inability.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.429-437
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• 2019

This study was a descriptive study to investigate the factors influencing on attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment of nursing students' consciousness of biomedical ethics, good death recognition and meaning of life. The subjects of this study were 293 nursing students attending college at P city. Data were collected for two weeks from May 1, 2018 to May 11, 2018. The statistical method was performed with SPSS WIN 22.0 using a complex sampling analysis, pearson's correlation coefficients, and a multiple regression analysis. The result of this study was significant positive correlation between attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment and consciousness of biomedical ethics(r=.266, p<.001), good death recognition(r=.373, p<.001), meaning of life(r=.122, p=.037). The meaning of life was significant positive correlation consciousness of biomedical ethics(r=.294, p<.001), good death recognition(r=.230, p<.001). The good death recognition was significant positive correlation consciousness of biomedical ethics(r=.306, p<.001). Factors Influencing on the attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment was good death recognition(${\beta}=.32$, p<.001) and consciousness of biomedical ethics(${\beta}=.16$, p=.004). These factors explained about 16% of the variance. Therefore it is necessary to develop an educational program to positively raise the attitude of consciousness of biomedical ethics and good death recognition.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.334-342
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify factors that influence on self-determination for withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in the community dwelling elderly. Methods: This study used a descriptive correlational design. A convenience sample of 201 elderly were recruited from a welfare center located in Seoul, Korea. Data collection was done from September 1 to September 18, 2015. Four survey questionnaires were used: Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Life Satisfaction Index-Z (LSI-Z), Attitude on Do Not Resuscitate (DNR), and Self-determination for Withdrawing Life-sustaining Treatment. Data analysis was done by t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and hierrarchical multiple regression. Results: Hierarchial multiple regression showed that the factors predicting the level of self-determination for withdrawing life-sustaining treatment were educational level, DNR experience in family, life satisfaction, and DNR attitude. These factors explained 44% of the self-determination for withdrawing life-sustaining treatment in community dwelling elderly. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest developing educational programs aiming at changing elderly's DNR attitude positive ways so that they can enhance self-determination for withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. Further study is needed with more elderly population in extended areas.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.82-91
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the factors influencing attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in adolescents. Methods: This study used a descriptive research design. A structured questionnaire was administered to 185 adolescents. Data were analyzed based on t-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression using the IBM SPSS 20.0. Statistical package. Results: There was a negative correlation between attitudes toward WLST and respect for life (r=-.188, p=.010). Knowing about life-sustaining treatment (β=-0.30, p<.001), experience of WLST education (β=0.21, p=.003), experience of respect for life education (β=-0.16, p=.021), and experience of death (family or acquaintance) (β=-0.13, p=.039) explained 16.7% (F=8.39, p<.001) of the variance in attitudes toward WLST. The respect for life did not affect attitudes toward WLST (β=-0.07, p=.347). Conclusion: The study findings suggest that WLST in adolescents is different from that of adults. Further research is needed to develop strategies for sound and positive attitudes toward WLST in adolescents.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.193-204
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• 2012

Purpose: This correlation study was performed to examine Korean adults' perceptions and attitudes towards death with dignity and the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment and to identify factors that predict their attitude towards death with dignity. Methods: The study was conducted using convenience sampling of 291 adults from three towns of a metropolitan city in Korea. Data were collected using structured questionnaires which surveyed people's perception about and attitudes towards withdrawal of life sustaining treatment and scaled their attitude towards death with dignity. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression. Results: The attitude towards the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment and death with dignity showed a significant positive correlation (r=0.49, P<0.001). For attitudes towards death with dignity, significant predictors were attitudes towards the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment, age, religion, a proper withdrawal process and advanced medical directives, which explained 49.3% of total variance. Conclusion: The results of this study may contribute to development of a new medical decision-making system including nurses' appropriate roles in the process of withdrawing life sustaining treatment and advanced medical directives.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.383-392
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was a descriptive study to identify factors affecting the attitude toward life-sustaining treatment of nurses working at long-term care hospitals. Methods: Data were collected through structured questionnaires from August 2nd to 27th, 2019. Study participants consisted of 163 nurses who were working for at least 6 months from 7 long-term care hospitals in B and K city. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe' test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression with SPSS WIN v 21.0. Results: There were significantly positive correlations between awareness of good death (r=.46, p<.001) and perception of patients' rights (r=.32, p<.001). The factors affecting participants' attitude toward life-sustaining treatment were awareness of good death (β=.35, p<.001) and their own view of death (β=.24, p=.001), which explained about 27.0% of the attitude toward life-sustaining treatment. Conclusion: Based on these results, it is necessary to develop nursing educational materials that can establish values for deaths, and cultivate legal and ethical knowledge related to attitude toward life-sustaining treatment. In addition, since the severity of a patient's condition varies and the characteristics of the institution vary depending on the type of hospital, a study is needed on the relevance of variables considering the hospital environment.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.71-78
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of good death recognition, self-esteem, attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatmenton the consciousness of biomedical ethics in nursing students. Data were collected from 154 nursing students in B city and analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression using SPSS/WIN 22.0. The degree of consciousness of biomedical ethics in nursing students was 2.87±0.26. There were significant differences in consciousness of biomedical ethics with respect to religion(t=-2.90, p=.004). There was positive correlation between consciousness of biomedical ethics and good death recognition(r=.27, p=.001), self-esteem(r=.36, p<.001), negative correlation between consciousness of biomedical ethics and attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment(r=-.29, p<.001). The factors affecting consciousness of biomedical ethics of the study subjects were good death recognition(β=.26, p<.001), self-esteem(β=.29, p<.001), attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment(β=-.30, p<.001), religion(β=-.20, p=.004), with an explanatory power of 28.7%. Through this research requires the fellow study to determine the factors affecting consciousness of biomedical ethics of nursing students.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.92-103
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• 2018

Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to examine factors that affect hospital workers in their decision to withdraw from life-sustaining treatment, such as knowledge, attitude, and perception of organ donation, transplantation, death and hospice palliative care. Methods: A questionnaire was completed by 228 workers of a tertiary general hospital, and data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation by using SPSS 21.0. Results: The subjects' knowledge of biomedical ethics awareness differed by age, education level, occupation, affiliated department, and biomedical ethics education. Their knowledge of brain death, organ donation and transplantation was positively correlated with attitudes toward tissue donation and transplantation, knowledge of hospice palliative care, and perception of hospice palliative care. Their attitudes toward tissue donation and transplantation were significantly correlated with knowledge of hospice palliative care, perception of hospice palliative care, and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. Their awareness of death was significantly correlated with knowledge of hospice palliative care, perception of hospice palliative care and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. The perception of hospice palliative care was significantly correlated with withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. Factors associated with their withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment were work at the hospice ward (32.5%), attitudes toward tissue donation and transplantation and perception of hospice palliative care. Conclusion: This study has shown that work at the hospice ward, attitudes toward tissue donation and transplantation and perception of hospice palliative care were related to attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. More research is needed to further develop various curriculums based on biomedical methods.