• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.249-259
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• 2011

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze long-term trends in the contribution of each cause of death to socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality among Korean adults. Methods: Data were collected from death certificates between 1990 and 2004 and from censuses in 1990, 1995, and 2000. Age-standardized death rates by gender were produced according to education as the socioeconomic position indicator, and the slope index of inequality was calculated to evaluate the contribution of each cause of death to socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality. Results: Among adults aged 25-44, accidental injuries with transport accidents, suicide, liver disease and cerebrovascular disease made relatively large contributions to socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause mortality, while, among adults aged 45-64, liver disease, cerebrovascular disease, transport accidents, liver cancer, and lung cancer did so. Ischemic heart disease, a very important contributor to socioeconomic mortality inequality in North America and Western Europe, showed a very low contribution (less than 3%) in both genders of Koreans. Conclusions: Considering the contributions of different causes of death to absolute mortality inequalities, establishing effective strategies to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in mortality is warranted.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.71-82
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• 2015

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate paramedic students' awareness and attitude toward a do not resuscitate (DNR) order and death. Methods: This research was conducted among 421 students from the Department of Emergency Medical Technology in a 4-year college located in the Chungcheong and Daejeon districts, from May 14 to 22, 2014. Data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS 21.0. Results: The mean level of attitude toward death was 2.17. The paramedic students with clinical experience showed a positive attitude toward death, of whom 72.0% answered that a DNR order is necessary. The mean level of attitude toward DNR was 2.88. The paramedic students with clinical experience showed a positive attitude toward a DNR order. They indicated that sanctity of life should be respected rather than extending ineffective treatment and that patients' decisions on DNR should be respected. The students who had more knowledge about DNR and felt the necessity of DNR had a positive attitude about death and DNR. Conclusion: Paramedic students need systematic education for proper recognition and values establishment about death and DNR.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.256-265
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• 2021

Purpose: This study examined the effects of nurses' attitude toward death and their perception of hospice and palliative care on their terminal care stress in long-term care hospitals (LCHs). Methods: Participants included 127 nurses from 6 Incheon LCHs. Data were collected between July and August, 2020. Self-report questionnaires were administered to collect data on their general characteristics, terminal care stress, attitude toward death, and perception of hospice and palliative care. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple linear regression using the SPSS 23.0 statistical program. Results: Nurses' terminal care stress was affected by their attitude toward death (𝛽=.30, p<.001) and perception of hospice and palliative care (𝛽=.28, p=.002) with an explanatory power of 21.6%. Conclusion: Terminal care stress was significantly associated with their attitude toward death and perception of hospice and palliative care. Therefore, educating nurses in LCHs about death and hospice and palliative care is essential to manage their terminal care stress effectively.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.191-202
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing factors university students' will toward brain death organ donation. Methods: Data from 250 students were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using a chi-squared test, independent t-test, and binary logistic regression with the SPSS 23.0 program. Results: Factors influencing will of brain death organ donation were announcing to decision to engage in brain death donation(Confidence interval(CI)=3.02-32.14, p<.001), experience of having discussed brain death organ donation with others(CI=1.26-5.72, p=.011), intention to make advance directives(ADs)(CI=1.90-9.57., p<.001), and positive attitude toward ADs(CI=1.05-1.29, p=.004). Conclusions: The most important factors affecting the will of brain death organ donation were making an informed decision regarding organ donation, intending to make an AD, having engaged in organ donation conversation, and a positive attitude toward ADs.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2021

Several clinical trials are being conducted worldwide to investigate the protective effect of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine against death in healthcare providers who are working directly with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Clinical studies suggested that certain live vaccines, particularly the BCG vaccine, could reduce the mortality due to other diseases caused by non-targeted pathogens, most probably through the nonspecific effects (heterologous effects). By the end of May 2020, the available information on the COVID-19 pandemic indicated the great effect of the BCG vaccine in reducing the number of COVID-19 death cases. The occurrence of death due to COVID-19 was found to be 21-fold lower in countries with a national BCG vaccination policy than in countries without such a policy, based on the medians of COVID-19 death case per 1 million of the population in these two groups of countries (p<0.001, Mann-Whitney test). Therefore, it can be concluded that the early establishment of a BCG vaccination policy in any country is a key element in reducing the number of COVID-19 and tuberculosis death cases.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2023

Purpose: This study developed a protocol for nursing care after death for adult patients in hospitals. Methods: This was a methodological study to develop a care after death protocol. The preliminary protocol was developed based on a literature review, guidelines, and practice recommendations from groups of experts and clinical nurses. Content validity was evaluated by a group of experts (n=6) and nurses (n=30) in two hospitals. Results: The preliminary protocol recommendations were modified by validation and the open-question analysis results. The final protocol comprised three general recommendations and 43 recommendations in five steps that are verification and notification of a death, personal care of the body, viewing the patient, patient transfer, and documentation and self-care. Conclusion: This study result provides nurses with a consensus information on patient care after death and family support in a hospital setting. This nursing protocol is expected to improve the quality of care after death for adult patients and their families, and can be used for developing educational and emotional support for nurses to accomplish their important role.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.162-178
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• 1974

The present study is purported to provide a basic information to be utilized by nurses to care and attend effectively for patients nearing the moment of death. Therefore, the primary purpose of the study has been placed upon grasping an understanding of the trends of death in general. For this purpose: 1. By utilizing the schneidman questionnaire, the trend of death has been categorized by 6 parts and analyzed. 2. A search has been conducted to find out dying patient's needs, nurse's attitudes viewed by the patient, and nurse attitudes to dying patient. The followings are itemized results of analysis: 1. Analysis by the schneidman questionnaire. (1) In general concepts of death. the first sighting of the occurrence of death was experienced upon strangers, grandfather and great grandfather. The death is openly discussed among people of all ages and sex. Ages in which the death is mostly feared were from 12 to well over 70 yews old that are evenly distributed regardless of difference in age. (2) As to the attitudes toward death the occurrence of death to most closely associated person influenced most upon the attitude of their own termination of lives. Among the reading materials, the maximum influence was effected by the Bible. In terms of religion, the thoughts of death were Influenced by religions education in case of the believers of the western religions (36%), and by their own health and physical conditions in case of the believers in the oriental religions (35%). In case of non-believer, their attitude toward death were largely determined through their own thinking meditation (45%). People aged 20 or thereunder revealed that they wished to know the day of their own death to be occurred (58%). However, the older the less thor wanted to know. (3) As to the choosing the time of death, 57% preferred senility, and 30% preferred the time in mediately following the prime period of their lives in general. In terms of religion, 85% of the believer in the oriental religion preferred senility, and 67% in the western religion, 58% in others, Therefore. the desiring of their lives to be terminated in earlier stage, not by the natural senility. sequenced as follows : Others, western religions and oriental religions. (4) Referring to the disposal of the corpse under the assumption that it had already occurred, majority desired the burial system. There has been seen a slight tendency to consider the importance of holding funeral services for the sake of survivors. Concerning the life insurance policy, it showed that the nurse had less belief in it than the patient (5) Upon the subject of life-after-death. religion wise, 72% of western religion believers preferred to have an existence of life-after-death: Among the believers of oriental regions, 35% desired this category, 30% did not mind either way. and 35% did not desire the existence of such a life-after-death. In others, 53% did not mind whether or not such a life existed. (6) In general, serious thoughts were not being attended to the commitment of suicide. 37% emphasized that such an act should be prevented. However, 30% insisted that such commitment should not be bothered, and that society possesses no right to prevented it. More male wished to commit suicide (13%) than females (9%). 2. Nurse's attitudes toward terminal patients and patient's needs. In the instance where the patient realized that their death is imminent, most of them showed desire to discuses mainly on the problems of life. When faced a situation of this nature, it is revealed that 40% of nurses could not furnish appropriate care for them.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.169-180
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was to identify the death recognition, meaning in life, and death attitude of participants in the death education program. Methods: A survey was conducted, and 205 data were collected. Descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2$-test, ANOVA, and Duncan test were used. Results: 1) The followings were the characteristics of death recognition shown by the participants. Over half of the participants said that they had given some thoughts on their deaths, that they had agreeable view on death acceptance, and that diseases and volunteer works made them think about their deaths. Moreover, suffering, parting with family and concerns for them, etc. were the most common reasons for the difficulty of accepting death. As for 'the person whom I discuss my death with', spouse, friend, and son/daughter were the most chosen in this order. Lastly, the funeral type that most of the participants desired was cremation. 2) The means of meaning in life and death attitude were $2.92{\pm}0.29$ and $2.47{\pm}0.25$, respectively. There were significant differences between health status, meaning in life and death attitude. 3) A significant positive corelationship was found between meaning in life and death attitude (r=0.190, P=0.001). Conclusion: For an effective death education program that would fit each individual's situation, an educational content that can make a person understand the meaning of his or her life and death, includes knowledge to lessen the fear and anxiety of death, and helps a person heal from the loss of a family member is absolutely necessary.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.15-25
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to survey the hospital staff's perception of hospice and death and thereby, suggest the ways to help them have a mature attitude towards and a better understanding of death through an effective education on hospice. For this purpose, this study was designed to provide some data useful for the hospital staff not experienced in facing the dying patients to handle the desperate situation skillfully and engage themselves more effectively in their hospice services. For this study, the researcher conducted a questionnaire survey for the staff of 'C' hospital in Seoul about their hospice philosophy, attitudes towards hospice and perception of death for the period from February, 2006 to March, 2006. A total of 751 subjects responded effectively to the survey. The data collected were analyzed using the SF55 11.0 for ANOVA and T-test in order to test the relationships among subjects' perception of death, their demographic variables, their health condition, their hospice philosophy formed from their experiences of patients' death and hospice services and their attitudes towards hospice. Besides, the correlations among their hospice philosophy, perception of death and attitudes towards hospice were tested. The results of this study can be summarized as follows; First, as a result of testing the relationships among subjects' experiences of health consulting. their experiences of patients' death and hospice and their hospice philosophy, it was confirmed that their experiences of health and death consulting and their experiences of having been educated were relevant. Second, it was found that such variables as health condition, death, experience of hospice and attitude towards hospice were not significantly correlated with each other. Third, as a consequence of testing the relationships among health condition, death, experience of hospice and perception of death, it was disclosed that only the physical health condition was significant. Fourth, it was confirmed that subjects' hospice philosophy, perception of death and attitudes towards hospice were at the usual level on average. Fifth, hospice philosophy, perception of death and attitudes towards hospice were found correlated significantly with each other. Sixth, as a result of the stepwise variable adjustment for such variables as hospice philosophy, perception of death, attitudes towards hospice, it was found that the adjusted r-square value was 0.347 when departments, experience of having been requested by dying patient for consulting, experience of having been educated on hospice, religion and marital status were set as independent variables. And the estimated value of each variable was found significant. Seventh, as a consequence of conducting the multiple regression analysis by setting 'religion' as significant independent variable, it was found that the estimated value of physical health condition was not significant statistically. This, as a result of the simple regression analysis for 'religion' only, its explanatory power was found .197, while its adjusted r-square value was 0.20. Eight, it was found that subjects' attitude towards hospice was significantly correlated with such variables of experience of patient's or relative's death, experience of having been requested for consulting about death, gender, marital status and departments. As a result of the multiple regression analysis and the subsequent stepwise adjustment for this variable, it was found that only 'experience of having been requested for consulting' had some explanatory power: its adjusted r-square value was 0.089. As discussed above, this study tested the correlations among various variables including hospital staff's attitude towards hospice and perception of death and thereby, provided for the data useful for their education on hospice. This study may be significant in that it proved that it would be essential to educate hospital staff on hospice for more effective care of hospice patients and their family members at hospital.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.161-169
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was conducted to comprehensively investigate nursing students' experience of their first encounter with death of a patient during clinical practice. Methods: This study took place from January 27 through March 6, 2012 with eight female senior nursing students enrolled at Pusan National University located in Y city who have experienced patient death. We collected their experience of their first death encounter during their clinical rotation by asking, "What is your first experience of patient's death during the clinical practice?" Husserl's phenomenological approach was applied in this study. Results: In this study, 17 themes, 15 clusters of themes and eight categories were derived. The categories included "Desire to avoid the reality of death", "Powerlessness", "Anticipation for recovery shifted to fear of death", "Various interpretations of death", "Limitations in their nursing practice", "Resentment of lack of nurses", "Longing to better understand death", and "Motivation for inner growth". Conclusion: Through their first encounter with death of a patient, nursing students experienced various emotions and viewed their role as hospice caregiver by projecting themselves as fully trained nurses in future. Participants considered terminal care as a part of nursing care. The result of this study indicates the need to include education of death in the nursing school curriculum.