• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.15-21
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the perception of cancer in aspirants for hospice volunteer. Methods: Aspirants for hospice volunteer were surveyed by questionnaire before education of hospice program in September 2005 at Pyongan Hospice Center of Sam Anyang Hospital. The questionnaire was composed of total 28 items. Ten items were general characteristics and the remaining 18 items knowledge, attitude and practice of cancer and cancer pain. The data were analyzed by SPSS WIN 11.0 program using frequency, mean, percentage. Results: Eighty nine questionnaires were returned. There were 6 males and 83 females, and median age of aspirants was 46 years. Forty five aspirants(51%) had a cancer patient in th family or relatives and the others 44(49%) not. Forty eight(54%) had favorable attitude about modern clinical medicine for cancer treatment and the others 39(44%) unfavorable. Fifty eight(65%) had favorable attitude about complementary and alternative medicine for cancer treatment and the others 20(23%). In response to the question about 'How illness is a cancer', 25 aspirants(25%) responded to chronic disease, 42(47%) suffering incurable disease, the others 17(19%) death sentence, respectively. A number of aspirants had wrong knowledge and understanding of cancer, cancer pain and opioid analgesics. Seventy one percent aspirants feared cancer pain. Conclusion: The credibility to modern clinical medicine for cancer treatment was relatively low in aspirants for hospice volunteer compared with complementary and alternative medicine. They recognized a cancer as suffering incurable disease and death sentence than chronic disease. A number of aspirants had wrong knowledge of cancer, cancer pain and opioid analgesics. Therefore, further studies and trial will be warranted to evaluated the causes of these results and improve the credibility of modern clinical medicine for cancer treatment in general population.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.393-399
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• 2019

This is a descriptive study on the perception and attitude toward DNR in adults. Structured questionnaires were used and 210 subjects were studied. In recognition of DNR, DNR was helpful for 'a comfortable dying(64.3%)'. The need for DNR in situation investigated 'For dignified dying (41.3%)' and 'to alleviate patient suffering(23.9%)'. Respondents who do not agree with DNR are shown 'Because legal issues can arise(61.7%)', 'Because human dignity is the life-sustaining priority(16.7%)'. In the attitude toward DNR, the most significant result was 'I want to know if I have an incurable disease (4.21).' There was no difference in attitudes toward DNR among adults. The DNR is not a method of Withdrawing in lifeprolonging treatment, It should be addressed in a comprehensive context in which human beings exercise autonomy over the process of dying and death.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.134-144
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• 2022

Purpose: A descriptive correlational survey was conducted to examine nurses' attitudes and stress related to perinatal bereavement care (PBC) and their relationships, with the ultimate goal of improving nurses' capabilities related to PBC. Methods: Korean nurses (N=136) who had experienced perinatal death at least once were recruited from seven hospitals. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Korean version of Nurses' Attitudes towards Perinatal Bereavement Support was assessed in terms of three subdomains (attitudes to PBC, importance of policies related to PBC, and importance of training related to PBC), and nurses' stress was measured. Results: The participants gave high scores for the attitude-related items of "giving sufficient time to bereaved parents to mourn for their dead baby" (4.54 points) and "nurses should treat bereaved parents with respect and dignity" (4.51 points), and they perceived a high level of importance for the policy-related items of "every staff member in the hospital should understand the policies relevant for PBC" and "when nurses feel emotional exhaustion, they should seek support" (4.58 points). Nurses' attitude toward PBC was associated with the perceived importance of policies (r=.40, p<.001), the perceived importance of PBC-related training (r=.61, p<.001), and stress related to PBC (r=.29, p<.001). Nurses' perceived importance of PBC-related training was associated with stress related to PBC (r=.38, p<.001). Conclusion: Establishing hospital policies related to PBC and providing PBC training for nurses could positively affect nurses' attitudes toward PBC. A stress management program for nurses could reduce the stress caused by PBC.

• 한국노년학
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.785-808
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• 2016

This study portraits the way of self-preparation for death among the elderly and examines the meaning and values attached to the elderly-care by their family and friends through the analysis of Kyung-ran Jo's novels. First, the author describes the difficulties and inner conflict of women who provide care for the elderly, especially those facing death in the near future. She also describes how the acceptance of death and self-discovery among the caregivers can be developed from the experience of long term care. These are consistent with the arguments by Ecofemnist on positive sides of providing caregiving in an aging society. In her novels, caregiving from young women is not described as the consequences of internalized gender norms of traditional Confucian culture. Rather, it is depicted as attitude toward a life in a commune where the meaning of life and death of elderly is shared between generations. In addition, struggles of the elderly figures against diseases and the process of their death provide an opportunity for young caregivers to overcome the trauma of other's death witnessed in their childhood. They lead the young caregivers to reflect themselves by raising ontologistic questions on life and death. The author shows the communication between generations presenting the self-preparation of death from the old generation undergoing irreversible aging and caregiving activities of significant others from the young generation. In doing so, the author points out the ethical grounds for diseases and death in old age given the condition of personalization of death in the modern society.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.154-162
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• 2016

Purpose: This descriptive study was aimed at identifying the relations among geriatric nurses' terminal care performance, death anxiety and self-esteem and the factors that affect nurses' terminal care stress. Methods: Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire completed by 212 geriatric hospital nurses working in 10 hospitals in K city and B metropolitan city. Results: The survey results showed that the stress factors were terminal care performance and death anxiety. Significant predictors for terminal care stress were death anxiety and terminal care performance. (And the higher the level of death anxiety and terminal care performance were, the heavier the stress was.) These factors explained 32.5% of the variance in terminal care stress. Conclusion: The results of the study suggested that terminal care performance was an important factor of terminal care stress for geriatric nurses. Therefore, it seems that it is necessary to develop an educational intervention program to improve nurses' terminal care performance to reduce their terminal care stress.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.251-262
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which in-hospital-based home health nurses' perceptions and anxiety about death following terminal care, affects their attitudes toward terminal care. Methods: The subjects were 128 advanced practice nurses working in hospital-based facilities for home health care, located in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Incheon Metropolitan City. Data were collected from May 3, 2019, to June 3, 2019, using structured questionnaires, on terminal care and related variables based on the literature. Data were analyzed by performing the Student's t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multivariable stepwise regression using the SPSS Version 25.0 program. Results: The scores of the attitudes toward terminal care of home health care nurses was 3.25 points out of a possible 4 points. Factors affecting nurses' attitudes toward terminal care were their concern about death(β=0.45, p<0.001), religion(β=-0.26, p=0.001) and the anxiety of others about dying(β=-0.23, p=0.003), which explained 32.0% of the observed variance concerning the factors affecting nurses' attitudes toward terminal care. Conclusion: Through this study, concern about death, anxiety about how other people process dying, and religion, were found to be associated factors. The more concerned the nurses were about death and the less their anxiety about how others process dying, the better the home health care nurses' attitude toward implementing terminal care.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.612-623
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to explore children's reactions in the process of reading books dealing with death. As a result, there was a reflection of their religious assumptions. The participants interpreted the stories based on their belief systems. If the stories did not match with their assumptions, they used another strategy. Also, it is indicated that they recalled death-related memories and applied those stories to their own loss experiences and social events. Furthermore, they recognized the importance of their own everyday lives rather than immersing in death itself. It means that death-related stories help the participants express their passion towards life and resolve to live their lives to the utmost. Contrary to their first drawings before reading books, their second drawings contained the joy of living and reflected the details of death they developed while reading books. Also, the colors they used in their second drawings were brighter than the previous ones. Their passionate attitude towards life above was equally shown in their poems as well. In conclusion, reading death stories turned out to be a process in which children develop and reflect on their understanding of death. Abundant opportunities to express their own feelings are offered. Furthermore, it is showed that death stories can help the children love their lives and provide a strong will for their living sincerely. Based on the results, some educational suggestions were provided.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.5501-5507
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• 2015

This study seeks to identify the duties and tasks of a social welfare worker when developing a combined death education program for welfare workers using DACUM method. The program would adopt both a medical and humanistic perspective that can be applied to real life. The study period was between March 2 to March 10, 2015. The study was conducted on eight DACUM committee members who are professors in the field of healthcare or humanities and social sciences. Their medical, humanistic and social viewpoints were investigated. The results show that the focus of the education needs to be on 'the acceptance and understanding of death' and 'healing the stress from loss and suicide prevention'as tasks under the duty of 'loss and mourning'. The tasks for the duty 'the need for death education'were identified as 'death in traditional society and death in contemporary society' as well as 'understanding of issues related to death'. The results show that there is a need to develop death education programs that emphasize healing for the acceptance and understanding of death from a humanistic perspective.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.60-63
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• 2019

The rate of suicide is the 5th leading cause of death in Korea. Moreover, suicide is the 1st cause of death in from 2nd to 4th decade. In order to treat suicide attempters who have visited the emergency room and to prevent retries, it is necessary to understand the nature of the suicide and to take the right approach. Suicide is more than doubled in women, and retry rates are high among patients with a history of suicide. Suicidal means are throat, fall, gas poisoning, poisoning and drowning. All suicide attempters should suspect and treat cervical spine injury and airway management, and rapid hyperbaric oxygen therapy is recommended for carbon monoxide addicts. Interviewing a suicide attempter requires a sympathetic attitude and examines the underlying depression or adaptation disorders. Interdisciplinary care with mental health departments is necessary, and interventions in emergency roombased suicide attempt management work can be helpful to connect with the community.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.142-150
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the role of nurses with regard to the perception of good death, knowledge of advance directives, and stress and attitude toward withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. Methods: Data were collected from 102 nurses working at a general hospital. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression using the SPSS 28.0.1.0 program. Results: Educational level (β=.37, p=.001 for bachelor; β=.33, p=.005 for master or higher) and good death perception (β=.22, p=.024) were significant factors of the role of nurses associated with withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. Conclusion: Based on the result of this study, information about awareness of good death should be included in development of an educational program in order to strengthen the role of nurses in withdrawing life-sustaining treatment of patients.