• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.239-274
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• 2010

Advance directive refers to a description of the treatment method a patient wants to be provided with in case where the person is unconscious or lacks an ability to decision making in a future period or a declaration of intention that delegates and appoints another person who makes a decision regarding a treatment method on behalf of the person. Advance directive is usually a document form, but oral statement is acceptable as well. Advance directive may have a variety of forms though, it basically consists of two basic forms. That is, one is a living will, and the other is a surrogate decision making. Though the importance of advance directive has been emphasized, and the necessity of adopting the system has been strongly argued for so far, the debates on criteria, method, and procedure alike have not yet reached an agreement. It is because even the concept of advance directive is more or less ambiguous, and each specific method has its own theoretical limitations and practical constraints. Thus the inquiries on advance directive raised in the study are summarized as the meaning, practicability, and philosophical foundation of the advance directive. Firstly, the theoretical limitations of Advance directive may be categorized into conceptual and moral limitations. In case of conceptual limitations, authors of advance directives may not be well aware, in advance, of the particular situation in which he or her will experience in the future, and patients may experience the change in his or her values and lack the understanding and information about the future situation due to the changes in treatment methods. In case of moral limitations, a patient has a limited moral autonomy right and self identity that have an impact on his or her preference. Secondly, in case of practical constraints for advance directive, there exist cultural features, low ratio of documentation, as patients themselves admit, and low predictability and stability of patient's own preference regarding life-sustaining care. And the problem of validity and accuracy in proxy's decision making is also raised. Those who administer a living will, especially, may have a difficulty in understanding the directive by a patient, so that the accuracy of execution cannot be secured. In the sense, it is needed to implement a legal device in order to solve such problems. In summary, it is urgently required to understand the limitations and explore desired alternatives to overcome the relevant problems in advance, which must contribute to successfully adopting and effectively operating the advance directive system in Korea.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2016

As advance care planning is taking center stage in the field of end-of-life care, various tools have been developed to aid in the often emotional and difficult decision-making process. Video decision support tools are one of the most promising means of assistance, of which the modus operandi is to provide more comprehensive and precise information of medical procedures to patients and their families, allowing them to make better informed decisions. Despite such value, some are concerned about its potential negative impact. For example, video footages of some procedures may be shocking and unpalatable to non-medical professionals, and patients and families may refuse the procedures. One approach to soften the sometimes unpleasant visual of medical procedures is to show less aggressive or more relaxing scenes. Yet another potential issue is that the objectivity of video decision support tools might be vulnerable to the very stakeholders who were involved in the development. Some might argue that having multiple stakeholders may function as checks and balances and provide collective wisdom, but we should provide more systematic guarantee on the objectivity of the visual decision aids. Because the decision of the modality of an individual's death is the last and most significant choice in one's life, no party should exert their influence on such a delicate decision. With carefully designed video decision support tools, our patients will live the last moments of their lives with dignity, as they deserve.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.144-153
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• 2021

Purpose: Advance care planning (ACP) is widely understood to improve end-of-life care. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the effects of ACP interventions on decision conflict and psychological distress. Methods: A search of PubMed, CINAHL, CENTRAL, EMBASE, KISS, KoreaMed, and RISS was conducted in November 2020. The study included randomized controlled trials. Data were pooled using fixed- and random-effects models. Results: Fourteen studies were identified that cumulatively included 1,548 participants. ACP interventions were effective in alleviating decision conflict (d=-0.53; 95% CI: -0.83 to -0.23), depression (d=-1.22; 95% CI: -1.71 to -0.74) and anxiety (d=-0.76; 95% CI: -1.12 to -0.39). Conclusion: ACP interventions have significant positive effects on reducing decision conflict and psychological distress. A high level of bias was shown related to allocation concealment and blinding. The results of this study are expected to be useful for end-of-life care providers to improve the effectiveness of ACP interventions.

• 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 Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.77-90
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• 2010

Purpose: The aim of this study is to carry out research on nurses regarding end of life decision and advance directives (ADs) and their attitude, experience and confidence towards them in order to define the role of nurses. Methods: In this research, questionnaire was distributed and data were collected and analyzed after receiving a written consent from 332 nurses. The survey was conducted from the $14^{th}$ to $30^{th}$ of September, 2009. The instrument used for conducting the study was revised version of KAESAD (The Knowledge, Attitudinal, Experiential Survey on Advance Directives). Results: We have come to a conclusion that nurses have positive attitude towards ADs. However, they hardly had any experience regarding them which leads to low confidence in assisting preparing ADs. Also, attitude towards ADs had no correlation with experience and confidence. Conclusion: In order to bring about the confidence level from positive attitude that nurses have, there needs to be a systematic change in nursing education. For that, it requires an education system that emphasizes the role of nurses which incorporates Korean culture and characteristics regarding death issue.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.355-401
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• 2013

The first legislation for terminal health-care decision was California's Natural Death Act (NDA) of 1976 that permitted any adult person to execute a directive directing the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining procedures. Advance directive legislation has subsequently progressed on a state-by-state basis. By 1992, all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, had passed legislation to legalize some form of advance directive. This state legislation, however, has resulted in an often fragmented, incomplete, and sometimes inconsistent set of rules. Statutes enacted within a state often conflict and conflicts between statutes of different states are common. In an increasingly mobile society where an advance health-care directive given in one state must frequently be implemented in another, there is a need for greater uniformity. In 1993, the Uniform Law Commissioners approved the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act (UHCDA) in order to bring order to the existing chaos. Unfortunately, the Commissioners waited too long to act. By the time the UHCDA was approved, nearly all states had passed legislation governing advance directives. Consequently, the UHCDA has achieved only a limited success, picking up but one or two enactments a year. The UHCDA is currently in effect in around 10 states: Alabama, Alaska, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, Wyoming. In these states the previous laws related to the subjects have been all repealed. The overall objective of the UHCDA is to encourage the making and enforcement of advance health care directives including living will or individual instruction, power of health-care attorney and to provide a means for making health care decisions for those who have failed to plan. The U. S. House of Representatives in 1991 enacted the Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA). The Act stipulates that all hospitals receiving Medicaid or Medicare reimbursement must ascertain whether patients have or wish to have advance directives. The Patient Self- Determination Act does not create or legalize advance directives; rather it validates their existence in each of the states. Now in America, terminal health-care decision or advance directive for health care is common and universal system. The problem, however, is how to let more people use these good tools to make their lives more beautiful and honorable.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this literature review was to describe the roles of advanced practice nurses related to advance directives. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted utilizing Pubmed, Ovid, and CINAHL. The key words for search were 'advance directives', 'living wills', 'durable power of attorney', 'advanced practice nursing', 'advanced practice nurse', 'nurse practitioner', and 'nurse specialist'. Research articles published between January 1990 and September 2010 and written in English were included. Review papers and expert's opinion were excluded. Results: Five articles were yielded and analyzed. Among them, two focused on the advanced practice nurses' role during the process of advance directives. The other three presented the outcomes depending on the type of nurses' involvement in each health care delivery system. Conclusion: Recently, Korea established advance directives and expanded to diverse sites. Advanced practice nurses' role in the advance directive decision-making process should be examined and developed in research and practice.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.42-49
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• 2022

As population aging increases the burden of cancer, the quality of death of patients with cancer is emerging as an important issue alongside their quality of life. To improve the quality of death, it is necessary to prepare for death, allowing patients to die comfortably and with dignity at the end. Considering these issues, I aim to discuss the practical aspects of notifying the patient of the terminal phase of cancer and planning for end-of-life care (i.e., advance care planning). When cancer treatment that can extend the patent's lifespan becomes difficult, the patient enters a treatment transition period. Treatment is shifted from life-prolonging care to life-enhancing care, and end-of-life care must be well planned. Medical providers often worry too much about whether the patient will be disappointed or psychologically traumatized when notified of the terminal phase of their cancer, thus delaying plans for end-of-life care. In fact, patients can accept their condition and prepare for end-of-life care better than we expect. During the treatment transition period, notification of terminal status should be given, and a well-prepared advance care plan should be established early when the patient has decision-making ability. In addition to conveying information, it is always necessary to be sensitive to whether the patient and caregiver understand the information and respond to their emotions.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.181-191
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• 2019

Purpose : This narrative research study aimed to identify the degree of correlation between hospice awareness and knowledge of and attitude toward advance directives. Methods : A survey was conducted from July 5 to July 15, 2018 with 210 adults in C city, Gyeongsangnam-do. Using the SPSS 21.0 program, the data analysis methods utilized were the independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe, and Pearson's correlation coefficients. Results : The degree of hospice awareness was measured according to the general characteristics of the subjects, which were as follows: heard about economic level, importance of religion, heard of hospice, heard about advance directives, and intention to execute advance directives. The knowledge of advance directives had significant differences by age, hospitalization experience, religion, and being the final decision maker for a family problem. The attitude toward advance directives differed significantly by marriage status and the intention to write an advance directives. The relationship between hospice awareness and knowledge and attitude toward advance directives showed a positive significant correlation (r=.47, p<001). The relationship between knowledge of and attitude toward advance directives also indicated a positive significant correlation (r=.20, p=.005). Conclusion : This study provided basic data to inform promotion of hospice awareness and an educational intervention about advance directives.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify university students' willingness to write advance directives and factors related to this willingness. Method: A cross-sectional survey design was used and 400 nursing students and 287 non-nursing students participated in the study. Data were collected by convenience sampling using self-report questionnaires. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, correlation, and multiple regression. Results: The mean score for willingness to write advance directives was 4.09. From the multiple regression analysis, predictors of willingness to write advance directives were found to be majoring in nursing, awareness of advance directives, preference for autonomous decision making related to the end of life care, family preference related to the end of life care, and self esteem. Conclusion: The study results indicate that various factors are related to willingness to write advance directives and nurses need to consider client characteristics, knowledge, and own values when taking care of issues on advance directives.