• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.259-262
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• 2000

There are many difficulties in the management of terminal cancer pain. We often encounter difficulties when nerve blocks or epidural injection of drugs do not produce good results. Local anesthetics, opioids and adjunctives, were administered to two patients intrathecally. The results were very satisfactory. It has complications such as hypotension or infection due to intrathecal route. In the first case, the pancreatic cancer patient complicated with severe epigastic pain but unfortunately no management was effective in pain control. Intrathecal injection of bupivacaine and morphine mixture was successful even if syncope which was relieved by bed rest. In the second case, the patient complicated with lower abdominal pain due to ovarian cancer who very well controlled by epidural injection of morphine and clonidine mixture but morphine demand was greatly increased. Intrathecal injection of morphine and ketamine were tried. The patient had comportable analgesic effect. CSF leakage to subcutaneous occurred but resolved by change of the catheter position or retunnelling. There were no significant complications reported in two cases.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was performed to determine the effects of foot reflexology on pain and quality of sleep in patients with terminal cancer. Method: Quai-experimental research design was used. The subjects of this study were consisted of 19 for experimental group and 18 for control group. Visualue Scale(VAS) was used as the measurement tool of pain in this study, Verra & Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale(VSH) and Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) were used as the measurement tool of perceived quality of sleep. Data were analyzed using statistical methods such as frequency, percent, $x^2$-test, t-test using SPSS WIN 12.0 program. Results: The hypothesis 1 that the experimental group with reflexology has less degree of pain than the control group without reflexology was supported (t=5.41, p<.001). The hypothesis 2 that the experimental group with reflexology has higher degree of VSH Scale than the control group without reflexology was supported(t=2.37, p=.02). The hypothesis 3 that the experimental group with reflexology has the difference among the mean of sleep VAS Scale during the 12 measurement periods was not supported(F=1.63, p=.08), and no significant interactions between group and time. Conclusion: It is considered that reflexology is effective for reducing cancer pain and improving quality of sleep in patients with terminal cancer.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.60-73
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• 2000

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to describe a total pain model in patients with terminal cancer and to identify factors relating to total pain using the Twycross Pain Management Model, which included physical, psycho-social and spiritual pain. Method : The study was a retrospective descriptive study. The first stage included 87 patients who received hospice service at Y hospital in 1997. The second stage included five model patients who suffer severe pain as selected by the four hospice nurses. Data collection was from 1) chart analysis and 2) in-depth interviews with the hospice nurses about their selected patients. Data analysis was performed using SPSS-WIN and content analysis. Result : 1) The main problems of 3 patient with terminal cancer were pain(77%), constipation (25.3%), family coping(35.6%), psycho-spiritual distress(17.2%)and other symptoms. 2. The Twycross model was a useful model. However, new items were added; loneliness, depression, and no improvement in condition as depression factors. In anger, new items were anger due to family neglect, at God and in relationships. The case studies identified the followsing; 1) Patient suffer from physical pain as well as multiple other symptoms when cancer is advanced. 2) Body concept, role change, threat to self concept, fear of pain, fear of death, anxiety, family conflict, financial burden, spiritual distress, hope for a cure, are all affected. Conclusion : 1) It is believed that the Twycross model is useful but further tests and revisions are necessary for deciding priorities in the care plan. 2) Pain management must improve culturally appropriate and family support, psychological, spiritual care are imperative for patient with terminal cancer. 3) Further study is recommended to test correlations of depression, anxiety, spiritual distress and family coping using valid instruments. A qualitative study on the spiritual journey of the patient with terminal cancer is also recommended.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2008

The management of malignant ascites can be problematic for physicians and patients. The mass effect of ascites can cause symptoms of painful abdominal distention, nausea, vomiting, and bowel obstruction. Also patients often complain of shortness of breath and lower extremity edema. These symptoms not only are distressing, but also adversely affect quality of life in terminal cancer patients. We will introduce you how to treat ascites based on our cases.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.40-51
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between burden and burnout of the family care-givers for caring of terminal patients with cancer. A total of 99 convenience sample was recruited form hospitals. The data were collected by a direct interview with Questionnaire about family burden and burnout. The mean score of burnout of main care-givers was 2.98, and the mean score of burden was 3.03. The care-givers' burnout was significantly different by age, sex, job, duration of treatment, level of acceptance on the stage of death, and ability of daily living activities. The family care-givers' burden was significantly different by the jobs, complication of patients, level of acceptance on the stage of death, and ability of daily living activities. In conclusions, the burnout of family care-givers was highly and positively correlated with the burden.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.567-573
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• 2008

Cancer is now the leading fatal disease in every developed country. Due to very low efficiency of conventional cancer therapeutics and important aspect of quality of life (QOL), complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) has been accepted worldwide, especially by late-staged cancer patients. Oriental medicine traditionally has stressed not only the tumor itself but the body having cancer, improving cancer-related immunity and extending survival period. Herein, we report one case of a terminal staged rectal cancer patient having spread-metastasis but showing a meaningful clinical course of around four years with Oriental medicine therapies. This study aimed to report the clinical capacity of Oriental medicine for patients with cancerous disease, to help development of Oriental medicine-derived anticancer treatments.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2005

The aim of this study was to compare medical cost of hospice care and that of conventional care during the last year of life, and identify factors that influenced the cost. From January to August 2003 592 terminal cancer patients receiving care from 5 hospice care units and 2 hospice care teams in general hospitals were enrolled to case group. Two hundreds and seventy two terminal cancer patients receiving conventional care from 7 general hospitals were enrolled to hospital-based control group, and 1,636 terminal cancer patients from 122 general hospitals located in same regions with the 7 hospitals were enrolled to community-based control. We used characteristics and medical cost from data of National Health Insurance Cooperation. Total medical cost per beneficiary in cases was about 10 millions won, 14.5 millions in hospital-based controls and 11.1 millions in community-based controls. The hospice care saved $45\%$ over the last year of life compared with hospital-based controls (p<0.0001). Saving of inpatient cost account for approximately $80\%$ of saving per beneficiary. Hospice care saved $29\%$ of medical cost per hospitalization day compared with hospital­based controls and $17\%$ compared with community-based controls (p<0.0001). Multiple regression analyses showed that hospice care significantly saved the medical cost. This study suggest that hospice care save medical cost compared with hospital-based control and community-based control. Most of saving of inpatient cost account for approximately $80\%$ of saving of medical cost.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.30-40
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was done to describe a community health practitioner's nursing case management for a terminal cancer patient registered in the public health post. Methods: For this purpose, data were collected through the patient and family through home visits, health clinic offices, and phone calls. The nursing process was carried out from August to November 2019. Results: The patient suffered the most from anorexia and lack of energy. Also he expressed psychologically uncertainty about disease and death anxiety caused by long-term treatment. In order to reduce the death anxiety, Community Health Practitioner (CHP) asked him to express his life stories and listened to him. CHP provided information of appropriate medications and alternative foods for symptoms such as gastrointestinal disorders and anorexia to the patient and family. Observing the situation of the patient and family, CHP guided the patient and family to prepare for death and has confirmed to them that the process was not with the patient alone. Conclusion: CHP's this experience has shown the possibility for CHP to help the terminal cancer patient and family to prepare peaceful death in their communities.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.36-49
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the pain management education on pain of the terminal cancer patients at home. For evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention modified Patient Outcome Questionnaire (APS, 1995) including patients concerns with cancer pain management, pain intensity, and interference of daily activities related to pain were measured before and after the education in control group and experimental group and the differences were compared with each other. Satisfaction with pain management was measured after the intervention. Pain management education was delivered to 16 experimental group patients by home care nurses, who were provided with 3-hour education on cancer pain management by one of the researchers. Pain management education included common misconceptions about cancer pain control and pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions and emphasis was put on the importance of pain reports and patients' active participation in pain management. The results of the study were as follows. Patients concerns with pain management were decreased more greatly in the experimental group than those of the control group. The worst, average, and present pain intensities during the last 24 hours were decreased more greatly in the experimental group, and total score and each subcategory of the interference of daily living, except walking, were decreased more greatly in the experimental group. And satisfaction score with total pain management and nurses response to the pain reports were higher in the experimental group. The results of this study suggest that pain management education given to the patients by home care nurses is a very useful intervention to improve pain of the cancer patients at home. This positive result is thought to derive from patients' active pain report and participation in pain control and the use of powder form sustained release morphine for breakthrough pain control in part. Further studies with increased sample size from more institutions are recommended and early introduction of short acting morphine is strongly suggested for effective cancer pain control.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.183-187
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• 2012

The importance of palliative care for terminal cancer patients has been emphasized globally. Korea has formulated and implemented its policy for cancer control as it drew up a 10-year plan for cancer patient care. We examined Korea's National Cancer Act and the second 10-year plan for cancer patient care, which are legal grounds for palliative care projects for terminal cancer patients, to check the current status of Korea's efforts to establish a hospice and palliative care system. Institutionalization of hospice and palliative care has been developed within a framework of the national cancer project. Efforts such as expansion of hospice units, experts training and quality improvement should continue after the reimbursement of hospice and palliative care begins in 2013.