• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.139-146
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• 2009

This study was designed to examine the effect of aroma massage therapy on lower extremity edema of terminal cancer patients. Methods: A total of thirty-six terminal cancer patients with lower extremity edema were divided into two groups: the aroma massage group received massage with blending oil which was applied from toes to 10 cm above the knee of the subject for 15 to 20 minutes in each turn, while the control group received sham aroma massage (applied with carrier oil only). The circumferences of the fore-foot, ankle and calf were measured before massage and 30 minutes, 2 hours, and 12 hours after massage. The blood pressure, pulse and body temperature were also measured to find the change of subject's physiologic conditions. Results: There were no significant differences in blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and lower extremity circumferences between two groups. However, edema at each site was slightly improved in the treatment group after the aroma massage therapy, compared to baseline data (P<0.05). In addition, the reduction of lower extremity circumference was maximal at 2 hours in foot, 30 min in right ankle and 12 hours in right calf after aroma massage therapy (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our results suggest that aroma massage therapy is not effective on the lower extremity edema of terminal cancer patients.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.41-61
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• 1979

Two interview surveys (1976 for 800 patients, 1978 for 200 patients) and an inventory survey through medical records(1978) for epileptic patients who have registered with the Korean Epilepsy Association (Rose Club) since 1971 were carried out by trained health workers in advance of survey. The data obtained from the analysis showed as follows: 1) 35.2% of patients were born in Seoul and 70. 6% of patients born elsewhere have lived in Seoul. 2) 50-60% of patients were 15-30 years cid. 3) 33.4%, 24,6 and 24.6 of all pupils and students went to elementary, junior and senior high schools respectively. 4) 21.2% of all pupils and students had dropped out of school and 51.4% of them were away from school because of epilepsy. 5) 3.1% of all patients had no job at all and students comprised 20.9% of patients followed by clerical work, commercial business and farming with about 6% in each group.6) Reasons given for unemployment such as dismissal (4.3%), quit (27.7%), hesitation to employ (42.5%)and discontinuance of job (25.5%) were basically due to epilepsy. 7) About half(46.2%) of all patients have become Christian since the Rose Club was a voluntary agency which has been sponsored by Christians. 8) 82. 6% of patients were diagnosed as having grand mal as the most. 9) 29.4% of patients explained aura with psychomotor disturbances and 13.8% with sensory disorders. 10) 46.3% of patients were attacked with seizures when they were tired and others(11.6% and 4.9%) after excessive eating and hunger. 11) Patients suffered more seizures in spring and summer rather than in autumn and winter and most patients had attacks 1-5 times a month. 12) For etiologic reasons of epilepsy, 35.5% of patients considered it was caused by psychological stress and 11.5% by trauma. Only 1.1% of patients considered it as having hereditary components. 13) 51% of patients were slow in caring for their own illnesses. They started to reat epilepsy after spending 5 years of time from the initial seizure. Only 5.4% of patients had received the modern anti-epileptic therapy right after the nitial seizure. 14) 62.1% of patients had no therapy or irregular or incomplete treatment before registration at the Rose Club Clinic. 15) Before registration at the Rose Club, 42.4% of patients received medical care. On the other hand, 25.6% went to herb doctors and 12.5% used to go to the drugstore in order to get anti-epileptic drugs. 16) 41. 6% of patients who took anti-epileptic drugs had more or less side-effects. Indigestion was the most common. 17) For continuation of treatment, 30.3% have received treatment for more than 5 years and the evident showed that epilepsy took a longer time to be cured. 18) Regarding the medical care received 44.2% of patients were very satisfied with effective care and 26.5% felt as good. 19) For attitudes toward epilepsy. 27.0% of patients and 68.2% of patients family were pessimistic. 20) 65.9% of patients had optimistic attitudes toward effectiveness of medical care of epilepsy. 21) 64.8% of wives and husbands had better understanding and cooperative for their spouses who had epilepsy. 22) 33.3% of patients were under-treated at the place of work. 23) 70.2% of patients wished to marry when they reach childbearing age and 63% wished to have children. Through the above results it is recommended for nation-wide epilepsy control that the sound and correct health education not only from health aspect but also from welfare aspect should be planned and implemented as soon as possible.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.257-279
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• 2016

Recently, the Well-dying Act was legislated in Korea, and it will come into effect in August 4, 2017. This Act allows to withdraw the life sustaining treatment from impending death patients and also provide the hospice and palliative treatment to terminal patients. In the Supreme Court's case so called "Madam Kim", medical condition of Madam Kim was a persistent vegetative status owing to brain damage and her family members wanted to remove the artificial ventilation. In 2009, the Supreme Court allowed to withdraw the artificial ventilation under the specific conditions. We applied this new Well-dying Act to the Madam Kim's case hypothetically in order to know this Act can reasonably solve the problem of life sustaining treatment for dying or terminal patients. For the impending patients, the Well-dying Act has the problem not to withdraw the futile treatment due to the advance directives of patients. Vice versa, the terminal patients have no chance to withdraw the life sustaining treatment due to the this Act impose the duty to provide the hospice and palliative treatment despite of advance directives. We need to ruke out the persistent vegetative patients from the terminal patients caused by the cancer, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, chronic obstructive lung disease and chronic liver cirrhosis, In addition, we have to discuss the effect of the advance directives of terminal patients in view of self determination right.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.213-233
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• 1996

This study was made on 274 apoplectics patients who received the rehabilitation therapy and tests on physical, psychological and social adaptations as outpatients in 23 general hospitals in the Seoul and Kyungi area. The basic data on degree of improvement of apoplectic patients studied from rehabilitation therapy. Data was collected over a period of 63 days, from February 21st till April, 23, 1996. The assigned physical therapist conducted direct interviews with patients after he answered the distributed questionnaires for each individual patient. The colleted data was processed by the $SPCC/C^+$ method. The results of the tests conducted to meascne the the degree of ADL dependency, depression and social activity corresponding to the physical, psychological, and social adaptation. The details are ; 1) The test to meascne the degree of ADL dependency, corresponding to the study of physical adaptation of CVA patients, indicated a mean score of 2.57(ideal score is 1.0) with a standard deviation of ${\pm}0.75$. The worst score was 3.95 while the best score was a perfect 1.0, representing a severe range of dependency. The distribution was centered with a median of 2.65 and a mode of 2.68. 2) The test to meascne the degree of depression which corresponds to the level of psychological adaptation yielded a mean of 2.99 which is higher than the normal limit of 2.45. The standard deviation was ${\pm}0.52$ and the worst score and the best score were 4.35 and Respectirdy. The distribution was centered with a median of 3.00 and a mode of 3.00. 3) The test to meascne the degree of social activities for the level of social adaptation indicated a very low mean score of 26.52 (perfect score is 144), with the standard deviation of ${\pm}16.23$. Some patients scored as high as 100, but others scored as low as 3. The distribution of social activities at a very low level was shifted to the left with a median of 24.00 and a mode of 20.00. 4) Factors influencing the level of physical, psychological and social adaptation are as follows : Factors significantly influencing the level of physical adaptation measured by ADL dependency are age, personal guardian, payer of medical expenses, and paralysis of the right arm, right leg and facial paralysis. Factors significantly influencing the level of psychological adaptation measured by the degree of depression, are age, marital status, education, medical history of individual and family, speech impediment, and facial paralysis. Factors significantly influencing the level of social adaptation measured by the degree of social activity are age, marital status, education, employment status, and the burden of medical expense. 5) The Corelationship is significant(9.00), between ADL dependeing as degree of physical adaptation and depreseion as degree of psychologial adaptation. ADL dependency is proportional to depression. But social activity is inversely protional to ADL dependeny and depression. In conclusion, the increased care for physical function of the patients is not the only necessary means to better facilitate the appropriate adaptation of CVA patients. The introduction of a solid rehabilitation program for psychological and social adaptation will also play the integral part of the treatment of CVA patients.