• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.193-204
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• 2012

Purpose: This correlation study was performed to examine Korean adults' perceptions and attitudes towards death with dignity and the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment and to identify factors that predict their attitude towards death with dignity. Methods: The study was conducted using convenience sampling of 291 adults from three towns of a metropolitan city in Korea. Data were collected using structured questionnaires which surveyed people's perception about and attitudes towards withdrawal of life sustaining treatment and scaled their attitude towards death with dignity. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression. Results: The attitude towards the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment and death with dignity showed a significant positive correlation (r=0.49, P<0.001). For attitudes towards death with dignity, significant predictors were attitudes towards the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment, age, religion, a proper withdrawal process and advanced medical directives, which explained 49.3% of total variance. Conclusion: The results of this study may contribute to development of a new medical decision-making system including nurses' appropriate roles in the process of withdrawing life sustaining treatment and advanced medical directives.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.25-41
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• 2022

Purpose: This study investigated trends of nursing research on life-sustaining treatment in South Korea. Methods: The period for data search was set from January 2018 to December 2020. The major search terms used were advance directives and life-sustaining treatment. Of the 492 records identified in the initial search, 461 articles were excluded for various reasons. A total of 31 records were included in the final qualitative analysis. Results: Sixteen studies had nursing students as study subjects, while nine studies had nurses as study subjects. The majority of the studies employed cross-sectional descriptive surveys as their research design. The major themes that emerged from the studies were as follows: attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, knowledge of and attitudes toward advance directives, perceptions of a good death, and nurses' attitude toward life support care. Most of the studies reviewed concluded that attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment significantly impacted both knowledge of and attitudes toward advance directives and perceptions of a good death. Conclusion: To date, Korea still lacks extensive nursing research concerning life support care. Further research is needed to provide systematic education for nursing ethics and life support care, as well as the introduction of a specialist course. Furthermore, a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to provide diverse support systems and policy measures. In particular, since nurses are directly responsible for providing life support care, nurses' roles should be expanded in accordance with the Act on Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.71-78
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of good death recognition, self-esteem, attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatmenton the consciousness of biomedical ethics in nursing students. Data were collected from 154 nursing students in B city and analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression using SPSS/WIN 22.0. The degree of consciousness of biomedical ethics in nursing students was 2.87±0.26. There were significant differences in consciousness of biomedical ethics with respect to religion(t=-2.90, p=.004). There was positive correlation between consciousness of biomedical ethics and good death recognition(r=.27, p=.001), self-esteem(r=.36, p<.001), negative correlation between consciousness of biomedical ethics and attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment(r=-.29, p<.001). The factors affecting consciousness of biomedical ethics of the study subjects were good death recognition(β=.26, p<.001), self-esteem(β=.29, p<.001), attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment(β=-.30, p<.001), religion(β=-.20, p=.004), with an explanatory power of 28.7%. Through this research requires the fellow study to determine the factors affecting consciousness of biomedical ethics of nursing students.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.8
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• pp.335-344
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• 2019

This study is a descriptive research to measure the awareness and attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment (WLSMT) among medical and nursing students. The data collection was conducted between 8 October and 15 November 2018, and the responses of 240 students were analyzed. The analysis results are as follows. More than 95 percent of medical and nursing students said the WLSMT was necessary. The medical students answered that 'patient's will' is important and nursing student answered that 'patient and family's will' is important. The nursing student showed that "family will and decision" was more important than the medical student in deciding to discontinue life care. Based on the results of the study, continuous discussion on the development and application of education programs to form attitudes and awareness of the discontinuation of life-saving treatments based on correct values is needed for prospective medical students and nursing students.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.82-91
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the factors influencing attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in adolescents. Methods: This study used a descriptive research design. A structured questionnaire was administered to 185 adolescents. Data were analyzed based on t-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression using the IBM SPSS 20.0. Statistical package. Results: There was a negative correlation between attitudes toward WLST and respect for life (r=-.188, p=.010). Knowing about life-sustaining treatment (β=-0.30, p<.001), experience of WLST education (β=0.21, p=.003), experience of respect for life education (β=-0.16, p=.021), and experience of death (family or acquaintance) (β=-0.13, p=.039) explained 16.7% (F=8.39, p<.001) of the variance in attitudes toward WLST. The respect for life did not affect attitudes toward WLST (β=-0.07, p=.347). Conclusion: The study findings suggest that WLST in adolescents is different from that of adults. Further research is needed to develop strategies for sound and positive attitudes toward WLST in adolescents.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.92-103
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• 2018

Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to examine factors that affect hospital workers in their decision to withdraw from life-sustaining treatment, such as knowledge, attitude, and perception of organ donation, transplantation, death and hospice palliative care. Methods: A questionnaire was completed by 228 workers of a tertiary general hospital, and data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation by using SPSS 21.0. Results: The subjects' knowledge of biomedical ethics awareness differed by age, education level, occupation, affiliated department, and biomedical ethics education. Their knowledge of brain death, organ donation and transplantation was positively correlated with attitudes toward tissue donation and transplantation, knowledge of hospice palliative care, and perception of hospice palliative care. Their attitudes toward tissue donation and transplantation were significantly correlated with knowledge of hospice palliative care, perception of hospice palliative care, and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. Their awareness of death was significantly correlated with knowledge of hospice palliative care, perception of hospice palliative care and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. The perception of hospice palliative care was significantly correlated with withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. Factors associated with their withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment were work at the hospice ward (32.5%), attitudes toward tissue donation and transplantation and perception of hospice palliative care. Conclusion: This study has shown that work at the hospice ward, attitudes toward tissue donation and transplantation and perception of hospice palliative care were related to attitudes toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. More research is needed to further develop various curriculums based on biomedical methods.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.136-144
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• 2016

Purpose: To provide practical data for bioethics education, we identified correlations between recognition of good death, attitude towards withdrawal of meaningless life-sustaining treatment, and attitude towards euthanasia in nurses. Methods: Using convenience sampling, we recruited 218 nurses who had at least six-month work experience in one of the six general hospitals with 500 or more beds in Seoul, Busan, and Gyeongsang province. All participants understood the purpose of the study and agreed to take part in the study. The research tools used included the Concept of Good Death Measure (CoGD), the measurement tool for attitudes towards withdrawal of meaningless life-sustaining treatment (WoMLST), and the measurement tool for attitudes towards euthanasia. Data were analyzed using an Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient using SPSS 21 for Windows. Results: Nurses had normal levels on CoGD, WoMLST, and attitudes towards euthanasia. Nurses' CoGD, WoMLST, and euthanasia scores significantly differed depending on their education level, working period, and the importance of religion to them. A negative correlation was found between the CoGD and WoMLST scores, and WoMLST and euthanasia scores were positively correlated. Conclusion: Nurses should be trained to deal with ethical issues that may arise while caring for terminal patients. It is necessary for nurses to understand the concepts related to CoGD, WoMLST, and euthanasia, and to promote bioethics education with focus on decision-making and problem-solving ability in ethically conflicting situations.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.10
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• pp.359-369
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• 2017

The purpose of the study was to identify the factors affecting the consciousness of biomedical ethics of the nursing students before clinical practice. Data were collected among 183 nursing students in G city, from June 12 to 30, 2017. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 22.0 WIN program. The level of attitude on the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment was $3.20{\pm}0.35$, ethical values was $3.55{\pm}0.27$, consciousness of biomedical ethics was $2.69{\pm}0.20$. Models including the variables, ethical values(${\beta}=.52$, p<.001), major satisfaction(${\beta}=.21$, p=.001), attitude on the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment(${\beta}=-.01$ p=.031), explained 36.6% of the variance in the consciousness of biomedical ethics. Based on the outcome of this study, steps should be taken to design intervention programs that emphasize a improve consciousness of biomedical ethics for nursing students in convergence era.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.49-55
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• 2021

This study attempted to review the research on biomedical ethics of nursing students published in Korea. Keywords included 'nursing students', and 'biomedical ethics', and a total of 26 studies were collected via databases such as KISS, NDSL, RISS. The biomedical ethics awareness was the main concept of biomedical ethics, consisted of right to life of fetus, artificial insemination, organ transplantation, and so on. There were differences in biomedical ethics awareness by ethical education experience, grade, clinical practice experience, and ethical education willingness to attend. Also, major keywords analysed with biomedical ethics were withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, critical thinking, sexual attitude, nursing professionalism, and death perception. Study results can be used to provide basic data for preparing nursing ethics education in the future.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.166-174
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• 2013

Purpose: This study aims to identify factors that influence middle-aged men's attitude towards death. Methods: The study enrolled 204 middle-aged (range=40~59 years) male residents of Daegu in Korea. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected in October 4~30, 2010. For data analysis, we used descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheff$\grave{e}$'s test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS WIN 14.0. Results: Participants' attitude towards death significantly differed according to educational level, religion, volunteer activities, and perceived health status. Moreover, their attitude towards death was negatively correlated with life stress and depression and positively correlated with self-esteem, life satisfaction, and coping behavior. The factors influencing the attitude towards death were life satisfaction, daily stress, religion, and depression, which explained approximately 25.7% of the total variance. Conclusion: Middle-aged men perform a crucial role in our society, and their attitude toward death affects how they cope with a situational crisis such as a terminal cancer or withdrawal of life sustaining treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and implement a support program for middle-aged men, which offers them with various strategies to better manage their daily stress and improve their life satisfaction and coping skills.