• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.208-224
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• 2002

Objective : Gastic cancer has become major cancers which cause nausea, vomiting. Especially patients with terminal stage of gastric cancer may suffer from nausea, vomiting and other symptoms that can keep patients from taking medicine or food. In those cases, there may be no use of taking herbal medicine to treat or palliate symptoms. So we wanted to know the potential efficiency of Acupuncture and Moxibustion whether they could control the symptoms of terminal stage of Gastric cancer without herbal medicine. Methods : Under the assumption that Acupuncture and Moxibustion may be effective for palliating nausea, vomiting on terminal stage of Gastric cancer, the following points were administrated SaGwan(Hapkok($LI_4$), Taechung($LR_3$)), Chok-Samli($ST_{36}$), Kongson($SP_4$), Naegwan($PC_6$) for Acupuncture, Chungwan($CV_{12}$) for Moxibustion. This observation was carried out on 11 patients with terminal stage of Gastric cancer. We reviewed medical records, specifically intake/output check with vomiting, nausea. Results : After therapy of Acupunture and Moxibustion, there were 22% of complete responses, 46% of major responses and 32% of failures. Therapy resulted in 2 cases of goodness, 4 cases of fairness, 5 cases of badness as satisfaction degree. Unfortunately 2 cases of badness expired. Conclusion : We have concluded that Acupunture and Moxibusiton therapy were effective to palliate the nasea, vomiting of terminal Gastric cancer. So if Gastric cancer develop difficulties of taking medicine with patients, to consider using the methods of Acupunture and Moxibution is worthy to palliate the nausea, vomiting and so on.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.229-239
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• 2005

Purpose: The objective of this study was to provide an understanding of the difficulties for facing parents of children with terminal cancer. Method: The design of this study was an inductive and descriptive study. Thirty???]one parents of children with terminal cancer participated in???]depth were interviewed s. C in depth and content analysis was used for analyzing the data. Results: The main categories in the findings were 'difficulties in coping', 'physical and psychological suffering of children', 'suffering of family', 'bereavement with children', 'economic problems', 'incurable situation', 'preparation of death', 'social isolation', 'coping after a child dies', 'spiritual problems', receiving active treatment', 'informing children of their condition', 'a sense of meaninglessness', 'emotional iunstability', and 'giving up hope'. Conclusion: The main point identified from this result in this study was that parents who have a child with terminal cancer don't never give up the hope of recovery for their child even when the child is in by the terminal stage of their children, even though and they are unwillingly to prepare for their child's death. This is a unique characteristic in the attitude of the families' attitude in child hospice care and differs from that found in adult hospice care. This result can be used as an important guide for nurses to in assessing the parents' needs in the terminal care setting.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.97-108
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the life-sustaining treatment decisions of terminal cancer patients. Methods: Data on 10 terminal cancer patients who decided to withhold or withdraw from treatment were collected using in-depth interviews conducted from February 8 to October 30, 2019. Data were collected until saturation was reached and then analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. Results: In this study, six thematic clusters were identified: "having complicated feelings", "making choices to protect everyone", "accepting and preparing for death", "feeling distress", "pursuing spiritual wellbeing", and "evaluating the new system". Conclusion: When facing death, terminal cancer patients often made choices to protect their family and their dignity with uneasiness of mind when deciding to withdraw from life-sustaining treatments. Though many patients had accepted and prepared for death, they experienced distress about leaving children behind after death. They also pursued spiritual well-being to find peace after deciding to withdraw from life-sustaining treatment. In addition, participants evaluated the new system of policies pertaining to decisions on life-sustaining treatment. Thus, various approaches regarding acceptance and preparation for death, communication with family, hope, and spiritual comfort should be taken in educational interventions to assist terminal cancer patients as they decide whether to withdraw from life-sustaining treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.209-215
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• 2013

Objectives: Terminal cancer patients and their caregivers often experience traumatic stress and need many types of assistance. In the present study we interviewed terminally ill cancer patients and caregivers to determine how much burden they experienced and to find out what factors are most important for satisfaction. Design: We constructed a questionnaire including overall care burden and needs experienced, and administered it to 659 terminal cancer patients and 659 important caregivers at 11 university hospitals and 1 national cancer center in Korea. Results: Finally, 481 terminal cancer patients and 381 caregivers completed the questionnaire. Care burden was not insubstantial in both and the caregiver group felt more burden than the patient group (P<0.001). While the patient group needed financial support most (39.0%), the caregiver group placed greatest emphasis on discussion about further treatment plans (44.8%). Stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses showed that in the patient group, patient's health status (OR, 2.03; 95%CI, 1.16-3.56) and burden (OR, 2.82; 95%CI, 1.76-4.50) influenced satisfaction about overall care, while in the caregiver group, high education level (OR, 1.84; 95%CI, 1.76-4.50), burden (OR, 2.94; 95%CI, 1.75-4.93) and good family function (OR, 1.94; 95%CI, 1.24-3.04) were important. Conclusions: Our study showed that burden was great in both terminal cancer patients and their caregivers and was perceived to be more severe by caregivers. Our study also showed that burden was the factor most predicting satisfaction about overall care in both groups.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 2009

Purpose: This exploratory study was undertaken to analyze the information needs of family members of terminal cancer patients, collected through the telephone counselling service by National Cancer Information Center. Methods: The study included 113 family members of terminal cancer patients who had enrolled at the National Cancer Information Center for the period from June, 2007 through March, 2008 and had agreed to the survey. Results: The subjects (n=113) consisted of grown-up children (n=82) and spouses (n=8) of patients'. Those in their 40's (n=40) and 30's (n=36) accounted for the majority of the sample. The questions raised most were about the information on treatment methods (n=117), management of terminal cancer patients (n=46), terminal cancer patients' life (n=27), deathbed and prediction of remaining life (n=18), hospitalization (n=16), and financial support (n=15). Most of the subjects were satisfied with the telephone counseling services, and 69% of the subjects had come to know about the telephone counseling service via Internet, and 10.6% of them stated that the PR for the service was poor. Conclusion: It is deemed essential for the government to use the mass media for PR of the hospice services, since family members of terminal cancer patients' are less aware of the hospice conducive to enhancement of patients' remaining quality of life, being involued too deeply in their treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.6173-6180
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• 2013

Background: Our objective was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of Thai generalists (general physicians) toward palliative terminal cancer care (PC) in a primary care setting. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional descriptive survey using a self-administered questionnaire. The total number of completed and returned questionnaires was 63, giving a 56% response rate. Data analysis was based on these (Cronbach's alpha=0.82) and percentages and mean values were assessed using the Fisher's exact test to determine the correlation of variables. Results: Overall, attitude and knowledge levels were slightly satisfactory. Results indicated that general physicians had moderate scores in both attitudes (84.1%) and knowledge (55.7%) regarding palliative terminal cancer care. However, they had insufficient knowledge regarding truth telling, pain control and management with morphine, emergency management in terminal cancer care and treatment of fluid intake in terminal stages. Attitude and knowledge scores were statistically correlated (p=0.036). Knowledge scores were further positively associated with being taught palliative care in their medical curriculum (p=0.042). Conclusions: Formal education in palliative care and development of palliative care services are very much needed in Thailand to provide holistic care to terminally ill patients.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.61-70
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the influences of death perception, terminal care attitude on clinical nurses' terminal care performance for cancer patients. Methods: Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires filled by 526 nurses at a General Hospital in Seoul. Data were analyzed using a multiple regression analysis. Results: Death perception showed a positive correlation with terminal care attitude (r = .45, p < .001), while there was no correlation with terminal care performance. Additionally, terminal care attitude had a positive correlation with terminal care performance (r = .18, p < .001). The explanatory power of nurses' death perception and terminal care attitude toward terminal care performance was 14%. Conclusions: The study results imply that nurses' death perception and terminal care attitude are significant variables affecting terminal care performance.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2009

Purpose: This study utilized a non-equivalent control group pre-post design to assess the effects of spiritual nursing care on loneliness and spiritual well-being of terminal cancer patients. Method: Forty-one terminal cancer patients in a general hospital, were divided into an experimental group of 20 patients and a control group of 21 patients. Those in the experimental group received four weeks of treatment three times a week for about 45 minutes each session. The treatment included nurses' spiritual care involving five instruments of spiritual nursing intervention, each of which was used according to the six types of spiritual need assessment. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics including real number, percentage, $X^2$-test, t-test, and ANCOVA. Result: There were significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the level of loneliness and spiritual well-being. Conclusion: Spiritual nursing care was verified as an effective program that can lessen the loneliness and improve the spiritual well-being of patients with terminal cancer.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2004

Purpose: This research aims to assess the effect of group education of hospice and palliative care program on recognition of home hospice care for terminal cancer patients and their family members. Methods: The terminal cancer patients or their family members who have visited Sam Anyang Hospital from January to September in 2004 participated in group education of hospice and palliative care program on one time a week. Of those, 32 patients or family members who were called education group has participated in group education more than 4 times and responded to a questionnaire. Sixty three patients or family members who were called non-education group have never participated in group education of hospice and palliative care program during the same period. Data were collected and done comparative analysis about both group. Results: A knowledge difference on definition of hospice and palliative care come out 29 people(91%) in education group and 26 people(41%) in non-education group. The recognition of home hospice care in education group(32 people, 100%) was significantly higher than non-education group(15 people,24%). A intention to home hospice care in education group(23 people, 72%) was significantly higher than non-education group(10 people,16%) and practically number of home hospice care was 15 people(50%) in education group and 8(13%) in non-education group. The recognition about cancer of patients was not significant differences in both group. People that the response to the question about 'Did you let your patient know to be the terminal cancer patient?' is 'yes' was 12 people(38%) in education group and 13(21%) in non-education group. Patients in education group had insight about terminal cancer significantly higher than non-education group. Conclusion: If we educated effective hospice and palliative care program in terminal cancer patients or their family members, we think the recognition of cancer and hospice and palliative care improve, and the home hospice care be activated more and more.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.101-107
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• 1999

Background : In order to improve the quality of life of dying patients, they need to receive not only the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual care, but also systematic and continuous care to die with dignity. However, no adequate medical services are available for these terminal cancer patients. We studied their behavior patterns of health care utilization to understand more of their medical and social needs. Methods : We investigated 108 bereaved families through the telephone interview with structured questionnaires. They were randomly selected through the retrospective chart review of the terminal patients who passed away due to cancer. Results : Most of the terminal cancer patients received their care from proper medical services including admission to hospital (45.4%), outpatient clinic (22.2%), emergency room (16.7%), and oriental medicine (12.0%). But during the terminal phase of their illness, 32.4% of patients never received medical care including oriental medicine, and 28.7% received alterative natural care. 26 bereaved families (24.1%) pointed out the indifference of medical staff as a problem receiving proper hospital care, and 22 (20.4%) emphasized emotional strain of their helplessness with the patients' suffering as a problem of caring at home. Over 90% suggested availability of continuous care, hospice care, home care, and 24 hour telephone service to be improved. Conclusions : Due to various reasons, adequate medical care is not delivered to the terminal cancer patients in our present medical system. These problems can be approached with the establishment of proper education and medical delivery system. The role of comprehensive medical specialty cannot be overly emphasized to accomplish this most effectively.