• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.257-265
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of awareness of the concept of 'hospice palliative medical care' and decision of 'life-prolonging medical care' by the general public subjects. A survey was conducted on 346 participants and officials who participated in an event held in September 2016. As a result of the research, the subjects' responses results to the life-prolonging medical care decision showed that people with religion wanted natural death compared to people without religion, and had more active attitude toward decisions related to dignity death. Religion is an important factor that can influence perceptions of life and death, believing that afterlife is after death, so it is possible to take a more firm stance on the extension of meaningless life at the last minute. Therefore, in order to stabilize the hospice care and prescription medical decision law to the general public and to improve the quality of the death and the dignity of life, it is necessary to develop awareness through various educational programs in consideration of age, education level. In addition, education and promotion should be strengthened so that the general public can fully understand the knowledge of hospice palliative care and health care and government standardization and policies for hospice personnel and breeding programs will be urgent.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.45-49
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• 2024

Purpose: This study investigated palliative care physicians' attitudes regarding social issues related to opioid use. Methods: An email survey was sent to 674 physicians who were members of the Korean Society for Hospice and Palliative Care (KSHPC). Results: Data from 66 physicians were analyzed (response rate, 9.8%). About 70% of participants stated that their prescribing patterns were not influenced by social issues related to opioid use, and 90% of participants thought that additional regulations should be limited to non-cancer pain. Under the current circumstances, pain education for physicians is urgently needed, as well as increased awareness among the public. Half of the respondents identified the KSHPC as the primary organization responsible for providing pain education. Conclusion: Palliative care physicians' prescribing patterns were not influenced by social issues related to opioid use, and these issues also should not affect cancer pain control.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-35
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• 1999

Purpose : The hospice movement began about 30 years ago in Korea. However, basic studies have seldom been conducted about the general public's knowledge concerning hospice care and their needs for it. The purpose of this study was to investigate the general public's knowledge of and attitude toward hospice, and their needs for hospice care, and to analyze the needs for hospice care in relation to their knowledge and attitude in residents from a specific community. Methods : The survey was conducted with 924 people randomly selected from a district in Seoul. The data were collected through a self-reporting questionnaire constructed by the authors. With 30 items given in the questionnaire, the level of hospice needs showed Cronbach's alpha .89 in a pilot study and .92 in this study and the items were classified into four areas by a factor analysis. The data collected were analyzed by means of t-test and ANOVA. Results : 1) The average age of the respondents was 38. The majority of the respondents were well-educated. 2) Regarding awareness of hospice care, 54%(501 people) indicated they have heard of hospice. About 74% thought that people should be able to prepare for death in advance. About 83% wanted to be informed when they have life threatening illnesses such as terminal cancer. Also, about 63% responded that patients with terminal diseases should be provided with physical, spiritual, and psychological care for minimizing pain and peaceful death. Regarding the attitude toward hospice care, 74% responded that they would use hospice care if needed. The number of the respondents who preferred home visitation by the hospice team to care for the terminally ill ranked first with 34%. Concerning needs for hospice care : 1) By needs area, physical need showed highest mean(M=4.37), followed by social need(M=3.96), emotional need(M=3.87), and the spiritual need(M=3.79). The overall need level showed the mean value of 4.00 which reflects a considerable need for hospice care. 2) By demographic characteristics, people age over 50, the married, and the unemployed indicated higher level of needs for hospice care. Women showed higher level of needs than did men, and Catholics demonstrated higher level of needs than believers of other religion(P<0.0001). 3) As for the knowledge of and attitude toward hospice rare, the level of hospice care needs was significantly higher in the following groups: those who have heard of hospice, those who are aware of death preparation, those who want information on terminal diseases, those who want to use every method to sustain life, and those who are aware of hospice needs(P<0.001). Conclusion : It is assumed that the findings of this study on the knowledge, attitude, and needs for hospice care in the public can contribute to planning a successful hospice care program. Furthermore, the findings of this study will serve as useful data for the promotion of home hospice care to improve the quality of life of community residents, and contribute to the development of hospice care as a whole.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.199-203
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• 2021

This paper provides practical suggestions for how palliative care clinicians can address the expressions of spiritual struggle voiced by patients and their loved ones. In addition to practical tips for listening and responding, ethical guidance and opportunities for self-reflection related to spiritual care are briefly discussed. Principles to guide practice when the clinician is listening and responding to a patient expressing spiritual struggle include being non-directive, honoring (vs. judging) the patient's spiritual or religious experience, keeping the conversation patient-centered, focusing on the core theme of what the patient is expressing presently, using the patient's terminology and framing, and responding "heart to heart" or "head to head" to align with the patient. Ultimately, the goal of a healing response from a spiritual care generalist is to allow the patient to "hear" or "see" themselves, to gain self-awareness. To converse with patients about spirituality in an ethical manner, the clinician must first assess the patient's spiritual needs and preferences and then honor these.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.122-133
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• 2014

Purpose: We conducted a descriptive correlational study to determine a relationship between nurses' awareness of good death and attitudes toward terminal care, which in turn could be used as basic data for improvement of the quality of terminal care at geriatric hospitals. Methods: From April 3, 2013 through April 22, 2013, data were collected from 230 nurses working at geriatric hospitals. Results: Nurses' attitudes toward terminal care showed no significant correlation with awareness of good death, but it was positively correlated with a sense of closeness, a subfactor of awareness of good death. There was negative correlation between emotions regarding a deathbed, a subfactor of attitudes of nurses in charge of terminal patients, and awareness of good death. We found positive correlation between terminal care performance and awareness of good death. Conclusion: This study warrants the need for nursing education catered to characteristics of geriatric hospitals and development of diverse intervention strategies to help them to attain a positive attitude toward death by familiarizing themselves with the concept of good death and enhancing job satisfaction.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.232-241
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to do preliminary report of differences and similarities between Koreans residing in Korea and Korean Americans residing in America regarding their awareness of end-of-life care, attitudes toward advance care planning, truth telling, and preferred decision-making model. Methods: Two participating groups were selected: a) Koreans residing in Korea, and b) Koreans Americans who had resided in the United States for at least 20 years. 25 Koreans and 23 Korean Americans who were older than 65 years old participated in this study. They were asked via a self-administered questionnaire that contained demographic questions and questions about end-of-life decision making regarding awareness of end-of-life care, attitudes toward advance care planning, truth telling, and preferred decision-making model. A Chi-square was used to measure differences between Koreans' and Korean Americans planning. A P value of less than 0.5 was considered significant. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 18.0. Results: In some aspects of awareness of end of life care, attitudes toward advance care planning, and truth telling, both groups had similar opinions. However, there were significant differences between groups in the necessity of end of life documentation, preferential informing the truth, and preferred decision making model. Conclusion: There were similarities and differences regarding some end of life issues between the Koreans and the Korean Americans.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.126-135
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• 2000

Purpose : To evaluate the present status of bereavement care in Korean hospice service as a basic database for the effective bereavement care. Method : The data were collected two sets from September to October, 1999 and from November to December, 2000, 55 hospice institutions identified by the Hospice Education Institution, College of Nursing, Catholic University were contacted for a telephone survey. The researchers conducted telephone interviews with hospice administrators for 10 to 30 minutes. Result : 1) Among the 55 Korean Hospice institutions, 38 institutions(69.1%) provided bereavement services. 2) The contents of bereavement services consisted of telephone call 28 institutions(74.5%), bereaved family meeting 26 institutions(69.4%), home visiting 22 institutions(57.9%), mail 16 institutions(42.1%), personal counselling 7 institutions(18.4%). 3) The 26 hospice institutions(68.4%) which provided meetings for bereaved families met with the following frequency : Annually is 11 institutions(42.3%), biannually 6 institutions(23.1%), monthly 6 institutions(23.1%) and bimonthly 3 institutions(11.5%). 4) Only 4 hospice institutions(10.5%) used the assessment tool to screen for high risk of bereaved. 5) The major difficulties of current bereavement services were low attendance for the bereaved family meeting, shortage of professional managers and volunteers, limited accessibility to hospice institutions, little social awareness for the bereaved, and financial difficulties. 6) The hospice administrators expressed the need for the development of bereavement program, the education program for the bereavement services, trained professionals, the sufficient provision of human resource and financial support for more effective bereavement services. Conclusion : Although many hospice institutions(69.1%) provided bereavement services, they generally lacked capable bereavement professionals and various individualized bereavement services. In conclusion, it is required to develop the specified bereavement program and the training program for the staff and volunteers, so as to provide customized bereavement services based on individual needs. Further research will be necessary to evaluate the effects of customized bereavement services in Korea before applying to practice.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.165-173
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the attitudes of nurses and physicians toward neonatal palliative care and identify the barriers to and facilitators of neonatal palliative care, with the goal of improving palliative care for infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the NICUs of seven general hospitals with 112 nurses and 52 physicians participating. Data were collected using the Neonatal Palliative Care Attitude Scale questionnaire. Results: Only 12.5% of nurses and 11.5% of physicians reported that they had sufficient education in neonatal palliative care. In contrast, 89.3% of the nurses and 84.6% of the physicians reported that they needed further education. The common facilitators for both nurses and physicians were: 1) agreement by all members of the department regarding the provision of palliative care and 2) informing parents about palliative care options. The common barriers for both nurses and physicians were: 1) policies or guidelines supporting palliative care were not available, 2) counseling was not available, 3) technological imperatives, and 4) parental demands for continuing life support. Insufficient resources, staff, and time were also identified as barriers for nurses, whereas these were not identified as barriers for physicians. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop hospital or national guidelines and educational programs on neonatal palliative care, and it is equally necessary to spread social awareness of the importance of neonatal palliative care.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.198-211
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy related to palliative care among health care providers (doctors and nurses) in order to provide a basis to develop a training program for health care providers. Methods: A correlational and descriptive study design was used. Participants were recruited from a university-affiliated hospital located in Daejeon and an e-nurse community. After IRB approval, data were collected from July 12, 2018, to September 30, 2018. A total of 169 responses were finally analyzed using version SPSS 24. The data were analyzed in terms of descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage or mean and standard deviation, as appropriate), the t-test, analysis of variance (with the Duncan post hoc test), and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: Knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy were significantly higher in those who had received palliative care training or had been exposed to awareness-raising initiatives. There were positive relationships among knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy, with small to moderate effect sizes. Conclusion: Palliative care training for health care professionals is necessary to meet patients' needs. Such programs should take into account not only knowledge about palliative care, but also ways to improve empathy and resolve ethical dilemmas. Interprofessional training would be an excellent option to share therapeutic goals and develop communication skills among multidisciplinary team members.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.139-149
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to promote awareness of the need for advance directives (ADs) and to provide baseline data for the development of a nurse training program about ADs. Methods: Nurses at eight long-term care hospitals in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province (N=143) were recruited using the random sampling method from December 2018 to January 2019. Data were obtained using a structured self-reported questionnaire to assess their knowledge, experience, and attitudes regarding ADs. Data were analyzed in SPSS 22.0 using descriptive statistics, the t-test, analysis of variance, the Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: The mean scores were 7.79±1.39 points for knowledge, 1.92±2.00 points for experience, and 2.80±0.24 points for attitudes regarding ADs. Knowledge and experience (r=0.32, P<0.001) had a positive correlation with knowledge and attitudes (r=0.17, P=0.39). Conclusion: According to the results, nurses generally had a high level of knowledge regarding ADs, which resulted in a positive attitude toward ADs. However, they had little experience with ADs. Therefore, nurses' must develop both direct and indirect experience with ADs using a practical training program to strengthen their clinical competency regarding ADs.