• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• 제26권1호
• /
• pp.7-17
• /
• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze end-of-life care practices in lung disease patients with physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLSTs). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from medical records regarding the end-of-life care practices of POLST decisions for patients with lung disease hospitalized at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea. Data were collected from January 1 to June 30, 2021. Results: Of 300 total patients, 198 had lung cancer (66.0%) and 102 had non-malignant lung diseases (34.0%). A POLST was written for 187 patients (62.3%), and an advance directive was written for 20 patients (6.7%). Subsequent treatments were hemodialysis in 13 patients (4.3%), surgery in 3 patients (1.0%), and cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation in 1 patient (0.3%). Among cancer patients, chemotherapy was performed in 11 patients (3.7%), targeted therapy in 11 patients (3.7%), immunotherapy in 6 patients (2.0%), and radiation therapy in 13 patients (4.3%). Depending on the type of lung disease, types of treatment differed, including hemodialysis, ventilators, bilevel positive airway pressure, high-flow nasal cannulas, nebulizers, enteral nutrition, central line, inotropic agents, and opioids. Conclusion: Although the goals of hospice care are the same whether a patient has lung cancer or a non-malignant lung disease, because the characteristics of the respective diseases differ, end-of-life care practices and hospice approaches must be considered differently.

• 의료법학
• /
• 제24권4호
• /
• pp.103-128
• /
• 2023

현행 연명의료결정법에 따르면 연명의료를 시행하지 않거나 중단하는 결정은 임종과정에 있는 환자의 의사가 우선적으로 적용된다. 이러한 환자를 대상으로 하는 연명의료의 의사결정은 환자가 의식이 있는 경우에는 환자 본인이 연명의료에 대한 의사를 직접 서면이나 구두로 표시하거나 사전연명의료의향서와 연명의료계획서를 작성하는 것으로 자기결정을 행사할 수 있다. 반면에, 환자가 사전연명의료의향서나 연명의료계획서를 작성하지 않은 경우에는 환자 가족의 진술로 환자의 의사를 확인하거나 환자가족 전원의 동의로 연명의료중단등결정을 할 수 있다. 그러나 가족이 없거나 가족을 알 수 없는 무연고 환자인 경우에는 입원하기 전에 사전연명의료의향서와 연명의료계획서를 작성하지 않은 상태에서 의사표현을 할 수 없는 의학적 상태로 되면 환자의 의사를 알 수가 없어 환자에 대한 연명의료를 지속해야 할지 중단해야 할지에 대한 결정을 해야 하는 상황이 발생한다. 본 연구는 무연고환자의 경우에 연명의료결정을 위한 정책적 방안을 제시하고자 현행법상 무연고 환자에 대한 논의와 방안 검토했다. 첫째로, 성년후견인제도의 적용을 살펴보았지만, 성년후견인은 신체를 침해하는 의료행위에 대한 동의를 대신할 수 있지만 의료행위의 직접적인 결과로 사망할 수 있는 경우에는 가정법원의 허가를 필요로 하기 때문에 임종과정에 있는 급박한 환자에게는 적절한 방안이라고 할 수 없다. 둘째로, 연명의료결정법 제14조에 따라 의료기관윤리위원회에서 무연고 환자에 대한 연명의료중단등결정에 관한 심의에 대해 살펴보았다. 현행법상에서는 의료기관윤리위원회에서 무연고 환자에 대한 연명의료중단등결정을 할 수 없기 때문에, 개정을 통하여 무연고 환자에 대한 연명의료중단등결정에 대한 사항을 동법 제14조에 반영하거나 무연고 환자에 대한 규정을 따로 신설하여 개정하는 것이 필요하다. 또한 의료기관윤리위원회에서 무연고 환자에 대한 결정해야 하지만, 그런 결정을 하는 것에 대해서 해당 의료기관에서 할 수 없다면, 공용윤리위원회에서 무연고환자의 연명의료중단등결정을 할 수 있도록 법률을 개정할 필요가 있다.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• 제22권1호
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2019

한국에서 호스피스의 기원은 11세기 초, 고려시대의 동서대비원(東西大悲院)에서 그 유래를 찾을 수 있다. 한국에 호스피스가 도입된 이후, 50여년이 흘렀고, 초기에는 종교적 배경과 민간차원의 활동이 더디게 발전해왔으나, 1990년대에 각 종교단체가 구성되고 학회가 출범한 이후, 2000년대 초기부터 정부의 개입으로 제도화가 진행되면서 본격적인 성장기를 맞게 되었다. 비록 말기암환자와 그 가족들의 고통이 경감되고 삶의 질과 서비스의 질은 향상되었으나, 안정적인 재정기반을 보장할 수 있는 현실적인 보상체계는 마련되지 못했었다. 그러나, 2015년에 호스피스 완화의료 서비스에 대한 국민건강보험 급여수가가 인정되었고, 2016년에 "호스피스 완화의료 및 임종과정에 있는 환자의 연명의료결정에 관한 법률"이 제정되어 말기환자의 무의미한 연명치료를 거부할 수 있게 되었으며, 호스피스 완화의료 서비스의 대상 질환이 확대되면서 서비스제공자들에게는 더 많은 도전과 과제들이 남아있다.

• 성인간호학회지
• /
• 제29권2호
• /
• pp.131-142
• /
• 2017

Purpose: The aims of the study were to investigate relationships among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses' attitude, role perception, and nursing stress related to life sustaining treatment (LST), and secondly, to identify factors influencing nursing stress about LST. Methods: Participants were 202 conveniently sampled ICU nurses from general hospitals in Korea with over 300 beds. From December 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016, data were collected using structured questionnaires. The questionnaire was designed to measure nursing stress related to LST. Content validity and reliability was established for the instrument. Results: Relationships were found between attitude and role perception, and between role perception and nursing stress about LST. Participants' role perception, gender, education level, and the experience of dealing with family members of patients receiving LST accounted for 13% of variance in nursing stress about LST. Conclusion: Results confirmed that ICU nurses' role perception affects nursing stress about LST. Accordingly, the nursing education programs related to LST should aim to enhance role perception of nurses, and strategies to reduce the nursing stress about LST of the nurses in ICU need to be further developed.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• 제15권4호
• /
• pp.193-204
• /
• 2012

목적: 본 상관관계 연구는 품위 있는 죽음과 연명치료중단에 대한 일개도시 성인 남녀의 인식과 태도를 조사하는 한편, 품위 있는 죽음에 대한 그들의 태도를 예측할 수 있는 요인을 확인하기 위해 시도되었다. 방법: 일개 대도시 중 3개 마을의 성인남녀 총 291명을 편의 표출하였다. 구조화된 설문지 문항에는 연명치료중단에 대한 인식, 연명치료중단에 대한 태도, 품위 있는 죽음 척도에 대한 태도 등을 포함하였다. 자료는 기술통계, 피어슨 상관계수 및 다중회귀분석을 이용하여 분석하였다. 결과: 연명치료중단 및 품위 있는 죽음에 대한 태도는 통계학적으로 유의미한 양의 상관관계(r=0.49, P<0.001)를 보였다. 연명치료중단에 대한 태도, 연령, 종교, 연명치료중단의 적절한 프로세스 및 사전의료의향서(Advanced Medical Directives) 등은 품위 있는 죽음에 대한 태도의 중요한 예측 변수들로, 총 분산의 49.3%를 설명할 수 있었다. 결론: 본 연구 결과는 연명치료중단 및 사전의료의향서 프로세스 상에서 간호사의 적절한 역할 등 새로운 의학적 의사결정 시스템을 개발하는 데에 활용될 수 있다.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• 제26권2호
• /
• pp.69-79
• /
• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the involvement of patients who died from hematologic neoplasms in the decision-making process surrounding the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (LST). Methods: A total of 255 patients diagnosed with hematologic neoplasms who ultimately died following decisions related to LST during their end-of-life period at a university hospital were included in the study. Data were retrospectively obtained from electronic medical records and analyzed utilizing the chi-square test, independent t-test, and logistic regression. Results: In total, 42.0% of patients participated in the decision-making process regarding LST for their hematologic neoplasms, while 58.0% of decisions were made with family involvement. Among these patients, 65.1% died in general wards and 34.9% in intensive care units (ICUs) as a result of decisions such as the suspension of LST. The period from the LST decision to death was longer when the decision was made by the patient (average, 27.15 days) than when it was made by the family (average, 7.48 days). Most decisions were made by doctors and family members in the ICU, where only 20.6% of patients exercised their right to make decisions regarding LST, a rate considerably lower than 79.4% observed in general wards. Decisions to withhold or withdraw LST were more commonly made by patients themselves than by their families. Conclusion: The key to discussing the decision to suspend hospice care and LST is respecting the patient's self-determination. If a patient is lucid prior to admission to the ICU, considerations about suspending LST should involve the patient input.

• 의학교육논단
• /
• 제22권3호
• /
• pp.146-152
• /
• 2020

Hospice and palliative care (HPC) education is an essential component of undergraduate medical education. Since February 4th, 2018, withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment at the end of life (EOL) has been permitted in Korea as put forth by law, the "Act on Hospice and Palliative Care and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment for Patients at the End of Life." Therefore, Korean medical schools have faced a challenge in providing comprehensive HPC education in order to better prepare medical students to be competent physicians in fulfilling their role in caring for patients at the EOL. There have been considerable variations in the evolution and organization of HPC education across Korean medical schools for the past 20 years. In 2016, all medical schools taught HPC curriculum as a separate course or integrated courses, with the most frequently taught topics including: delivering bad news, pain management, and the concept of palliative medicine. However, the content, time allocation, learning format, and clinical skills practice training of HPC education have been insufficient, inconsistent, and diverse. For this reason, we propose a HPC curriculum containing seven domains with 60 learning objectives in a course duration of over 20 hours based on the Palliative Education Assessment Tool (PEAT) as standard HPC curriculum. Furthermore, we recommend development of a national curriculum for HPC/EOL care education to be organized by the HPC board and managed under the accreditation criteria of the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation.

• 디지털융복합연구
• /
• 제18권7호
• /
• pp.347-355
• /
• 2020

본 연구의 목적은 간호사의 연명의료에 대한 태도, 역할 인식 및 간호 스트레스에 대하여 조사하고 관련 요인을 파악하는 것이다. 연구 대상자는 P시에 소재한 G 병원에 근무하는 간호사 160명이며, 구조화된 설문지를 이용하여 자료를 수집하였다. 연명의료에 대한 태도는 5점 만점에 3.33점, 역할 인식은 3.94점 그리고 간호 스트레스는 3.78점이었다. 연명의료에 대한 태도는 근무 병동 그리고 간호 스트레스는 성별, 결혼 상태, 근무 병동에서 유의한 차이가 있었다. 간호 스트레스는 역할 인식과 양의 상관관계가 있었으며, 간호 스트레스에 영향을 미치는 요인은 성별, 내과 병동, 중환자실, 역할 인식이었다. 그러므로 간호사의 연명의료 간호 스트레스 감소를 위한 교육프로그램의 개발과 효과를 확인하는 연구가 필요하다.

• 의료법학
• /
• 제9권1호
• /
• pp.413-459
• /
• 2008

The Law has intervened to define rare circumstances in which a person should choose continuing life in United States. On the one hand, the law has traditionally acted to preservelife and to respect the sanctity of life. On the other hand, one's control over one's own body, and the right to determine what kind of medical care one will receive, is equally well respected and historically grounded. The competent patients have the right to forgo life-sustaining treatment, courts in United States have left many unanswered questions about the nature of that right. The right to choose to forgo life-sustaining treatment is a manifestation of a patient's autonomy interest. In United States, The Karen Quilan case gave rise to legislative activity in the host of state capitals, and several states had adopted statutes that formally recognized some forms of written directives describing some circumstances in which certain kinds of medical care could be terminated. These statues were sometimes dominated 'living will' acts, sometimes 'right to die' acts and ocasionally 'natural death' acts. Today virtually every state has produced a living will statue. In Korea, courts do not permit a terminally ill person to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment. Living wills apply in case of terminal illness owing to a defect in legislation. Now In Korea, these lively dispute of legal policy on the preconditions and concrete procedure of living will act and natural death act. Through the legislation of living will act and natural death act, we should prepare some circumstances to respect patient's autonomy on the right to die. We should frame the cultural standard to make a decision of forgoing life-sustainin1g treatment under the discreet procedure.

• 동서간호학연구지
• /
• 제23권2호
• /
• pp.171-179
• /
• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of current study was to investigate nurses and physicians' attitudes towards withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (LST) and knowledge about withdrawal of LST guideline by Korean Medical Association. Methods: Data were collected from 345 nurses and 88 physicians using a self-report questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test or ${\chi}2$ test. Results: Participants' attitudes towards withdrawal of LST were positive and there was no significant difference between nurses and physicians. Nurses' knowledge of the guideline for withdrawal of LST was significantly higher than that of physicians, whereas physicians' knowledge of the purpose of the guideline was significantly higher than that of nurses. Conclusions: Nurses and physicians' knowledge of and attitudes toward withdrawal of LST may affect the quality of life of patients and their families. The result of this study may be helpful to design a program for improving the perception on LST of healthcare providers.