• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.51-57
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• 2018

Purpose: End-of-life (EoL) decisions are challenging and multifaceted for patients and physicians. This study was aimed to explore how EoL care is practiced for patients with a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of patients who died after agreeing to a DNR order in 2016 at a university hospital. Characteristics including cause of death, intensity of EoL care, and other factors were reviewed and statistically analyzed. Results: Of total 375 patients, 170 patients (45.3%) died with malignancies, and 205 patients (54.6%) with other causes involving the central nervous system (19.2%), pulmonary (14.7%), cardiologic (6.7%) and infectious (6.4%) conditions. Both the cancer and non-cancer patient groups showed a short duration from DNR to death (median 3 days vs 2 days, P=0.629). An intensive care group comprising patients who received one or more intensive treatments such as ventilator (n=205) showed a higher number of non-cancer patients and a shorter duration from DNR to death than a group that withheld treatment before DNR (P<0.05). Conclusion: EoL decisions were made very late by both cancer and non-cancer patients. About half of the patients did not have cancer, and two-thirds of them decided DNR during intensive treatment. To make a good EoL decision, a shared decision making with patients should be done at an earlier stage.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.153-160
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate needs and satisfaction on the medical services of cancer patients in Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Methods: Total 174 cancer patients, who visited at the clinic of Jeju National University Hospital, submitted informed consent and participated in this study from July 13 to July 30, 2009. Self questionnaire was used and data were analyzed with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Mann-Whitney U test, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: Participants expressed the needs of most economical support (3.38 out of 4), followed by counseling of treatment plan (3.22), information of disease (3.07), and disease management except cancer (2.97). Participants were satisfied most with religious counseling (3.41), followed by nursing service support (3.39), employment counseling (3.26), and counseling for family or interpersonal relationships (3.26). The satisfaction of economical support was the lowest (1.98). Satisfaction of men was higher than women, and needs in patients who were living with children was the highest. Patients who were living alone or with children showed the lowest satisfaction about the medical services. There were no significant differences in the general characteristics, however, participants who were older than 60 years of age or had higher income showed lower needs and higher satisfaction. There were no significant differences in the medical characteristics, however, thyroid cancer patients and patients who were treated with radiation therapy or transarterial embolization showed low satisfaction. Conclusion: Cancer patients seemed to need more economical support, information of treatment or disease, and symptom management. Furthermore, there were various needs about the services, depending on family formation or economical support of patients. Therefore, it is certain that patients who were suffering from other cancers, except the 5 major cancers, needed more services. In conclusion, continuous and systemic policy to consider patient's characteristics and needs are needed in community as well as health care system.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.489-498
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is a difference in the awareness of death based on happiness (since attitude or way of life differs among the general public, depending on the perception of death), and to investigate whether there is a difference in the interest in hospices between a group with a high happiness index and a group with a low happiness index. A survey was conducted on 200 men and women aged over 20 who participated in a walking event held in a metropolitan city on April 22, 2017. The survey consisted of eight demographic items: gender, age, education, occupation, marital status, family cohabitation, religion, and health status. It included 29 questions regarding happiness and nine questions regarding the perception of death. For the statistical tests, a chi-square test, an independent sample t-test, correlation analysis, and canonical correlation analysis were performed on the items of the survey based on a happiness index. The results of the study showed that, for a suitable place for death, medical institutions was the highest score (46.3%) for the group with a low happiness index, and own house was highest (59.4%) for the group with a high happiness index. This was a significant difference. It is thought that management systems should be supplemented by professional manpower, educating people so as to increase the utilization rates of home-based hospice as a way for patients to die in a comfortable and familiar place because, for Korea, death is much more common in hospitals. It is also necessary to increase the awareness of death and to make effective use of hospices through individual and various other approaches, considering the demographics of the subjects.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.169-178
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• 2004

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess changes of the attitudes and opinions about disclosure of cancer diagnosis to patients. Methods: We analyzed the attitudes and opinions of in-patients with metastatic cancer, their families, physicians, nurses, medical students, nursing students. Three questionnaires were used for in-patients, families, and surroundings in hospital. Data was collected in the St. Mary hospital for 3 months from October, 2002. We investigated the preference of disclosure, the reason the patients should be informed of disclosure, when, how and who to tell the cancer diagnosis to patients. 242 persons participated in these questionnaires (50 in-patients, 50 their families, 51 physicians and nurses, 41 medical students, 50 nursing students). Only 34 in-patients with metastatic cancer were enrolled, and so 16 in-patients with lymphoma were added. All in-patients were undergoing anticancer chemotherapy. Results: 89.3% of the participants wanted to be told about disclosure of cancer and terminal illness (in-patients 98.0%, their families 88.0%, physicians and nurses 90.2%, medical students 73.2%, nursing students 94.0%, in-patients with metastatic cancer 97.1%). 79.8% of the respondents hoped that the moment to tell the truth was immediately when the disease was diagnosed (in-patients 94.0%, their families 80.0%, physicians and nurses 68.6%, medical students 68.3%, nursing students 86.0%). 64.4% of all prefered to be told the truth once for alt including patients' diagnosis, present status and prognosis (in-patients 81.6%, their families 66.0%, physicians and nurses 56.0%, medical students 48.8%, nursing students 70.0%). Most indicated the first reason to be told the truth was the possibility to participate in treatment design. 86.4% responded that physicians were the proper persons to disclose the diagnosis. Conclusion: Not only in-patients, families but also physicians, nurses, medical students and nursing students all preferred the disclosure of cancer diagnosis. This preference was increased compared with the previous papers. The first reason to be told the truth was the possibility to participate in treatment design. Most of the participants wanted to be told the truth once for all.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.75-102
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• 2022

In this article, 「Act on the hospice and palliative care and decisions on life-sustaining treatment for patients at the end of life」, 「Act On The Improvement Of Mental Health And The Support For Welfare Services For Mental Patients」, 「Organs Transplant Act」, 「Safety And Management Of Human Tissue Act」, 「Pharmaceutical Affairs Act」, 「Prevention Of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Act」, 「Tuberculosis Prevention Act」, 「Infectious Disease Control And Prevention Act」 were reviewed. Patients' right to self-determination and consent in these laws are related to civil law. even though they are closely related to the civil law in relation to patients' right to self-determination and consent. In order to consistently operate medical administration, it is necessary to understand the principles of civil law decision-making.

• 한국호스피스완화의료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.07a
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• pp.103-105
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• 2004

Every one experiences death one day, however no one can hows exactly what it is because people can not experience death until it comes, it is therefore impossible to judge correctly on the phenomenon of the death. On the whole, man experiences indirect death through the mass communications such as TV drama, fiction, magazine etc because those methods can easily access by every one. In addition to this, people usually acquire the negative awareness of death through the dramatic change of story like dying of cancer for dramatic effect by giving scare and fear to the cancers. The purpose of this study is to provide basic information on the spiritual care that enables the facing death patients to accept death as a part of life and divert hope from scare about after death by comparing and analyzing of two aspects of death meaning i.e, Korean fiction and the end stage cancer patients. Additionally, for medical staff to understand the facing death cancer patients by making to aware patients correctly and provide the better quality of care. The study was performed from September 28, 2002 to February, 28, 2003. The materials of this study were collected by direct data obtained from observation, interviews, note and diary of end stage of cancer patients and written materials acquired from Korean contemporary fiction. Participants of this study were 4 end stage cancer patients including 2 lung cancer patients, 1 liver cancer patient and 1 esophagus cancer patient. The methodology used in this study was divided into two types; Huberman & Miles methodology was used for fiction to find and categorize subject, and Colaizzi, one of phenomenological methodology was used for end stage cancer patients to find the major meaning, subject and categorization. Every one experiences death one day, however no one can knows exactly what it is because people ran not experience death until it comes, it is therefore impossible to judge correctly on the phenomenon of the death. On the whole, man experiences indirect death through the mass communications such as TV drama, fiction, magazine etc because those methods can easily access by every one. In addition to this, people usually acquire the negative awareness of death through the dramatic change of story like dying of cancer for dramatic effect by giving scare and fear to the cancers. The purpose of this study is to provide basic information on the spiritual care that enables the facing death patients to accept death as a part of life and divert hope from scare about after death by comparing and analyzing of two aspects of death meaning i.e, Korean fiction and the end stage cancer patients. Additionally, for medical staff to understand the facing death cancer patients by making to aware patients correctly and provide the better quality of care. The study was performed from September 28, 2002 to February, 28 2003. The materials of this study were collected by direct data obtained from observation, interviews, note and diary of end stage of cancer patients and written materials acquired from Korean contemporary fiction. Participants of this study were 4 end stage cancer patients including 2 lung lancer patients, 1 liver cancer patient and 1 esophagus cancer patient. The methodology used in this study was divided into two types; Huberman & Miles methodology was used for fiction to find and categorize subject, and Colaizzi, one of phenomenological methodology was used for end stage cancer patients to find the major meaning, subject and categorization.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.18-29
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• 2012

Purpose: We analyzed how clinical nurses in Korea perceive terminally ill patients' medical decision-making. Methods: The Q-methodology which analyzes the subjectivity of each item was used. We selected 34 Q-statements among those provided by each of 37 subjects and grouped them into a shape of normal distribution using a 9 point scale. The collected data were analyzed using a QUANL PC program. Results: Four types of perception toward medical decision-making were identified. Type I focuses on patient participation, and Type II emphasizes the role of health professionals. Type III is characterized by an open-minded culture toward death, and Type IV values the role of family members. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate the need for development of a multi-disciplinary curriculum medical decision-making and death for medical and nursing students.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.28-33
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• 2011

Purpose: Recognition of impending death is crucial not only for efficient communication with the caregiver of the patient, but also determination of the time to refer to a separate room. Current studies simply list the events 'that have already occurred' around 48 hours before the death. This study is to analyze the predictability of each event by comparing the time length from 'change' to death. Methods: Subjects included 160 patients who passed away in a palliative care unit in Incheon. The analysis was limited to 80 patients who had medical records for the last week of their lives. We determined 9 symptoms and 8 signs, and established the standard of 'significant change' of each event before death. Results: The most common symptom was increased sleeping (53.8%) and the most common sign was decreased blood pressure (BP) (87.5%). The mean time to death within 48 hours was 46.8% in the case of resting dyspnea, 13.6% in the ease of low oxygen saturation, and 36.9% in the case of decreased BP. The symptom(s) which had the highest positive predictive value (PV) for death within 48 hours was shown to be resting dyspnea (83%), whereas the combination of resting dyspnea and confusion/delirium (65%) had the highest negative PV. As for the most common signs before death within 48 hours, the positive PVs were more than 95%, and the negative PV was the highest when decreased BP and low oxygen saturation were combined. The difference in survival patterns between symptoms and signs was significant. Conclusion: The most reliable symptoms to predict the impending death are resting dyspnea and confusion/delirium, and decline of oxygen saturation and BP are the reliable signs to predict the event.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.120-127
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• 2015

Purpose: We aimed to investigate how serum vitamin D levels are related to survival of terminally ill cancer patients. Methods: From May 2012 through June 2013, a retrospective chart review was performed on 96 hospice patients. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with severe vitamin D deficiency and Coxcy and Coxional hazard analyses were used to evaluate effects on survival. Results: The mean vitamin D level in patients was $8.60{\pm}7.16ng/ml$. Vitamin D was severely deficient (<10 ng/ml) in 75 patients (78.2%), deficient (10~20 ng/ml) in 13 patients (13.5%), relatively insufficient (21~29 ng/ml) in five patients (8.3%) and sufficient ((t ng/ml) in three patients (3.1%). Hyperbilirubinemia (${\geq}1.2g/dl$) was the only factor associated with severe vitamin D deficiency according to the multiple logistic regression analysis (Odds ratio, OR=18.48, P<0.05). Although hyperbilirubinemia showed a strong association with survival (Hazard ratio, HR=2.25, P<0.01), no association was found between severe vitamin D deficiency and survival (HR=1.15, P>0.05) in Cox's proportional hazard analysis. Conclusion: Although serum vitamin D levels were severely low in terminally ill cancer patients, we found no association between severe vitamin D deficiency and patient survival.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.5107-5110
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• 2014

Background: The incidence rate of thyroid cancer has been increasing worldwide in recent years, and it is also the most prevalent cancer when it comes to the number of patients among Korean women. With it, ultrasonographic screening test has also become very common. However, there is still controversy over the performance of this screening test. Therefore, the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA) organized a Round-table Conference on the issues regarding ultrasonographic screening for thyroid cancer in Korea. The objective of the conference was mainly about delivering worthwhile information reflecting social value for the current situation, which was based on evidence surrounding thyroid cancer screening that relevant experts investigated and agreed on. The significance of this Round-table Conference lies in the fact that we reviewed the current evidence, and we were able to discuss the social value and future direction for ultrasonographic screening in Korea.