• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.132-138
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• 2009

Proper education of hospice professionals is essential for ensuring quality of end-of-life care. In 2005, 'End-of-life Care Task Force Team' by Ministry of Health and Welfare established '60 hours of hospice education' as basic requirement for hospice professionals. This study is aimed to determine how many of the hospice professionals meet with the criteria and whether there are significant regional variations. Methods: We analyzed the data from 46 hospice organizations, which submitted the application to the 2008 designation program of Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs. Data included details of the educational records of each hospice professionals. Results: Total 673 hospice professionals were included in the analysis. Overall, only 41.5% (279/673) met the requirement. Nurses (46.8%; 177/378) were more likely to meet the requirement than doctors (35.8%; 38/106), social workers (32.0%; 24/75) and clergies (35.1%; 40/114). Hospice professionals of the organizations in metropolitan area received more education than those in small cities or rural area (52.4% vs. 25.0% for doctors, 50.6% vs. 43.9% for nurses, 42.9% vs. 25.5% for social workers). By geographic areas, hospice professionals in southeast regions received less education than other part of Korea (28.1% vs. 43.0${\sim}$48.8%, respectively). Conclusion: Less than half of the Korean hospice professionals has received proper amount of hospice education, and significant regional variations existed. National programs to promote the education of hospice professionals and eliminate its disparities are greatly warranted. Implementation of the 60-hour currirulum for hospice professionals, based on the train-the-trainer model, would be regarded as one potential solution.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.78-81
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• 2008

Purpose: The end of one's life can be one of the most important times in human life. However, physicians, nurses and volunteer workers are not sufficiently trained to understand the end-life care with competence and confidence. The purpose of this study was to compare various education programs currently carried out for volunteer workers. Methods: Nine curricula of hospice and palliative cares for volunteer workers at hospital and palliative care settings. Results: The mean time duration of theory education at nine institutes was 21.56 hours (range; 14-30). The common curricula of hospice and palliative cares for volunteer workers included 'Understanding of hospice and palliative care', 'Understanding of life and death', and 'Understanding of psychologic problem of end-of-life'. The education method comprised lectures, off-line 8 institutes and on-line 1 instiutute. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop the standard curriculum as well as regularly updated education program for volunteer workers.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 2002

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the present status of hospice palliative care programs in Korea as a basic database for standardization of hospice palliative care. Method : The data was collected from July to October, 2001. The instrument used for this study was the questionnaires which was consisted of the general characteristics of organization, recipient of service, manpower, contents of service, financial conditions and facilities. Sixty-four hospice palliative care programs answered the questionnaires, confirmed by telephone. Results : They were 40 hospital-based hospice palliative care programs and 24 nonmedical hospice palliative care programs. 11 Hospital-based hospice palliative programs have isolated unit or hospital affiliated free standing hospice. 6 Non-hospital hospice palliative programs have a free standing hospice. Major subjects of hospice palliative program were terminal cancer patients but patients with non-terminal illness were also included. Only 24 of 64 hospice palliative programs had all of the essential professionals : physicians, nurses, social workers, and clergies. Home hospice palliative care programs have a referral system in hospital based (89.7%) and nonmedical programs (73.7%). 24hr hospice are were provided in 26 hospital-based (65.0%) and 9nonmedical programs (37.5%). There were rooms for family in half of hospital-based programs. 73.9% of hospice palliative care programs have financial problems. 62.0% of Hospice palliative care programs need financial support from government. Conclusion : 64 Hospice palliative care programs provided hospice palliative services but had many problems in manpower, quality of care and facility. For improving the quality of terminal patients' life and promoting the cost effectiveness of health care resources, it is necessary to consider the standardization and institutionalization of hospice palliative care.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.98-107
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate how home-based hospice care is provided in Korea. Methods: From July 2011 through August 2011, 29 hospice facilities that provide home-based hospice care were surveyed using a questionnaire. Items included in the questionnaire were general characteristics of the organization, staff members, service programs, difficulties. Results: Among the surveyed, hospice care was hospital-based for 11 (37.9%) facilities, hospital-independent center-based care for four (13.8%) and home-based care only for 10 (34.5%). Near half the participants were located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Caregivers included nurses for 62.1% of the participants, volunteers 62.0%, pastors 44.8%, social workers 37.9%, coordinators 31.0% and doctors 31.0%. The facilities offered service programs such as family counseling (96.6%), transfer to other facilities (93.1%), psychological support (89.7%), bereavement support (86.2%), dying care (79.3%), clinical care (75.9%) and spiritual support (75.9%). The major obstacles were financial issues (24.1%), lack of trained staff (20.7%) and staff members' lack of awareness of home-based hospice care (13.8%). Conclusion: In Korea, home-based hospice care is provided by an insufficient number of facilities. Moreover, the service providers are experiencing difficulties such as lack of trained staff, insufficient financial resource and staff's lack of awareness of home-based hospice care. It is necessary to increase the number of home-based hospice care facilities with consideration of even distribution across regions and standard staffing and service programs and develop related insurance policies.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.147-155
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• 2008

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the educational needs for nurses who care for terminal cancer patients and their families. To identify top needs along with key issues in consideration to develope hospice training program and provide specific recommendations. Methods: A cross-sectional design with nurses from nine universities' hospice specialist courses and seven cancer centers was used. Data were collected via e-mail or mail service from March to April in 2008. One hundred seventy three questionnaires were returned (return rate: 73.6%), and 156 questionnaires were eventually analyzed. The questionnaire consisted of Mason and Ellershaw's The Self-efficacy in Palliative Care (SEPC) and self-reporting confidence and educational needs in hospice care. Results: The mean age of the participants was 37.94 years, 82.1% were staff nurses, and 44.9% completed over six months hospice education. Mean$\pm$standard deviation score for total SEPC was $2.67{\pm}.62$, which was lower than average (score 3), with communication score being the lowest ($2.49{\pm}.69$). The lowest self-reporting confidence score was $2.03{\pm}.77$ in hospice administration and management, followed by providing complement therapy ($2.34{\pm}.77$), bereavement care ($2.34{\pm}.71$), lymph edema management ($2.35{\pm}.79$), and care planning ($2.36{\pm}.81$). The participants reported that additional education is needed in all topics, with pain management score being the highest ($3.71{\pm}.50$), followed by pain and symptom evaluation ($3.67{\pm}.52$), care for dying ($3.67{\pm}.52$), and communication and counseling ($3.63{\pm}.53$). There were significant subgroup differences in SEPC and self-reporting confidence between groups who completed 6 months hospice education or not, however, no significant difference in educational need between the groups. Conclusion: This study showed the need for developing hospice training program to improve compentency of nurses in hospice palliative care.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 1998

Purpose : Hospice Care is considered as one of the most perfect solutions for the problems brought up as the number of chronically ill patients are increasing rapidly and most of social welfare oriented countries are seeking the quality of life. Our former studies(1996, 1997) were to find out the current status of the hospice care in Korea by surveying terminally ill patients and their family members as well as medical professionals. The former study was also to conduct the operation research by developing an information service system for training of hospice care teams and volunteers, and hospice patients management. The purpose of this study was that hospice information service system was tested by home visiting hospice care through visiting nurses. Methods : From October 1, 1997 to March 31, 1998, Twenty six terminal cancer patients were included in this study from Seoul National University Hospital and other hospital. Databases and homepage, hospice information service system were designed and developed for the information needed for the hospice care before this study by our research team and this services were available through the internet. Visiting nurses were trained about this system and they visited the patients with PC notebook and provided them hospice care with hospice information system. They collected physical, psychiatric, social data of the subjects at the first visit and during hospice care at home. Results : Sixteen subjects(61.5%) died during the study and the mean survival was 20.7 days. Anorexia(96.2%), immobility(88.5%) and pain(84.6%) were the major symptom in the 26 subjects, Altered nutrition(26.1%) and pain(12.4%) were the most frequent diagnoses in 226 nursing diagnoses of the subjects. Families understood and demanded the hospice care more than patients. And most patients and families didn't demand spiritual or social care. Conclusion : Through this demonstration study, it was found that we have to provide the information of pain management and nutritional support for patients by the nurses and visiting hospice nurse. The information service system needs to be upgraded with information and manpower of spiritual and social care according to the findings.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.196-205
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current status of hospice palliative care facilities, and to identify problems and improve hospice palliative care in Korea. Methods: The questionnaire survey was implemented from October to December, 2007. It was consisted of general characteristics of organization, health manpower, facilities & equipments, service programs, and so on. Sixty two (79.5%) out of 78 hospice palliative care facilities returned the questionnaires. Results: They were 42 hospital-based hospice palliative care hospitals and 9 clinics, and most of them are located at central metropolitan areas (Seoul and Gyeonggi Province). more than 80% of hospitals met with the requirements (one doctor per 10 patients and one nurse per 1.5 patients), whereas 42.9% of clinics met the requirements. Approximately 22% of them met the requirement of sick room (4 patients for 1 room). Most of them provided various hospice palliative care programs. The proportion of giving regular education programs to hospice palliative care personnels were about half (41.9%). Thirty two (51.6%) facilities provided home visiting hospice palliative care service. Conclusion: There were lack of enough health manpower, rooms, and programmes and they varied among facilities. It is necessary to increase the number of hospice palliative care facilities with consideration of regional fair distribution and standardization of programmes.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.94-105
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• 2015

Purpose: The study purpose was to describe critical care nurses' attitudes toward hospice and palliative care and their related factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 175 critical care nurses who worked at a general hospital in Seoul participated via self-report survey. The Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale was used to measure their attitudes, and a palliative care quiz for nursing was used to measure their knowledge about hospice and palliative care. Results: Education level, duration of nursing employment, duration of critical care nursing employment, and knowledge about hospice and palliative care were significantly associated with nurses' attitudes. In the multiple regression analysis, education level, and duration of nursing employment were significant predictors of nurses' attitudes. Conclusion: These findings suggest that education programs to improve nurses' knowledge about hospice and palliative care should be developed. These will help critical care nurses obtain a positive attitude toward hospice and palliative care.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.55-67
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was to test the effects of wholistic hospice nursing intervention program on pain and anxiety for in-patient of hospice palliative care unit. This study's design was one-group pre-post test quasi- experimental research. Methods: The subjects of study were 27 patients who were over 18 years old and admitted in hospice palliative care unit of S hospital in P city with agreement in hospice palliative care in their terminal disease. The experimental group subjects participated in holistic hospice nursing program took 120 minutes per session, a total of 1,200 minutes altogether for 10 sessions. The period of data collection was from April 6, 2004 to April 20, 2005. The collected data were analyzed by Paired t-test with SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. A Wholistic Hospice Nursing Intervention Program (named ‘Rainbow Program’) was used as a experimental tool in this study. This was developed by the authors. It was provided by interdisciplinary hospice team (nurses, medical doctors, social worker, pastors, art therapists, and volunteers). In addition, Korean Version of Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-K) by Young-Ho Yun(1998) was used to test degree of pain in physical aspect. And State-Anxiety Inventory was developed by Spielberger(1975) and translated by Kim, Jung-Tack & Shin, Dong-Gyun(1978) was used to test the degree of state-anxiety in emotional aspect. Results: (1) Hypothesis No. 1 "The experimental group which received Wholistic Hospice Nursing Program will have a lower degree of pain than before" was supported (t=-10.585, P= .000). (2) Hypothesis No. 2 "The experimental group which received Wholistic Hospice Nursing Program will have a lower degree of state-anxiety than before" was supported (t=-8.234, P= .000). Conclusion: Our results testified that this Wholistic Hospice Nursing Intervention Program was effective to decrease pain and state-anxiety of the in-patients of hospice palliative care unit. Therefore it can be used and applied actively in practice as a useful model of interdisciplinary team approach by hospice professionals in hospice palliative care unit.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine how nurses' death anxiety and terminal care stress affect their terminal care performance in the clinical setting. Methods: The study enrolled 180 registered nurses with experience of attending dying patients at a university hospital located in Seoul, Korea. Collected data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation using SPSS 18.0 for Windows. Results: Nurses showed significant differences in the level of death anxiety and terminal care stress as well as terminal care performance by working division, marital status, educational background and hospice training. A significant relationship was found between terminal care stress and terminal care performance. Conclusion: The study results showed that efforts to ease nurses' death anxiety and terminal care stress could improve their terminal care performance. Further study should be conducted to investigate other factors that affect nurses' terminal care performance from various perspectives and develop a terminal care manual which can be used as guidance for nurses in charge of terminal patient care.