• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 2005

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.209-215
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• 2010

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.139-142
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• 2010

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.139-197
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• 2022

Patients with terminal cancer experience very severe symptoms during the end of life, and palliative sedation (PS) may be considered if those symptoms are refractory to any other treatment. This brief report presents ethical considerations, practices, and recent concerns on PS. PS is quite different from euthanasia. There is a lack of consensus and standards on protocols, but its notable effects have been reported in hospice care settings. Most studies to date have reported no difference in survival between patients receiving PS and those not, and PS must be conducted proportionally with the lightest level of sedation. The most common indication for PS is delirium, and midazolam is the main sedative used. It is recommended that information regarding PS should be provided to patients and their caregivers repeatedly as early as possible. Existential suffering alone is not an indication for PS, and there is a lack of evidence on bispectral analysis. Additional research on PS is needed in Korea.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.214-224
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the differences in preference for terminal care between hospitalized patients and nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used in 79 patients and 107 nurses. The data were collected from August to October 2011, using the Preference for Care near the End of life Scale - Korean Version (PCEOL-K) with 5-point scale of 26 items. The reliability of the tool was Cronbach's ${\alpha}=.74$. Results: The mean score (SD) of PCEOL-K's sub-dimensions in nurses' priority was: (a) pain $3.70{\pm}0.63$, (b) spirituality $3.63{\pm}0.61$, (c) family $3.40{\pm}0.70$, (d) autonomous decision making $2.30{\pm}0.66$, and (e) decision making by healthcare professionals $2.14{\pm}0.64$. In patients' priority, the $M{\pm}SD$ score of each sub-dimension was: (a) pain $3.86{\pm}0.65$, (b) family $3.83{\pm}0.57$, (c) decision making by healthcare professionals $3.37{\pm}0.85$, (d) spirituality $3.01{\pm}0.80$, and (e) autonomous decision making $2.43{\pm}0.63$. Results indicated significant differences between nurses and patients regarding decision making by healthcare professionals (t=-11.28, p<.001), family (t=-4.66, p<.001), and spirituality (t=5.71, p<.001). Conclusion: The PCEOL-K of patients was higher than nurses'. A terminal care program for hospitalized patients at the end of life should be planned according to the results of PCEOL-K in nurses and patients.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.183-197
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• 2020

Purpose: In this study, the researchers closely investigated the psychosocial problems faced by terminal cancer patients and their family members in hospice palliative care units. Methods: The investigators conducted four sessions of art therapy intervention programs for the terminal cancer patients and their family members, carried out in-depth interviews about the influence of the cancer experience on their family function and quality of life, and analyzed their experiences using grounded theory methodology. Results: After providing autonomous written informed consent, six pairs of terminally ill cancer patients and their family members, accounting for a total of 17 participants with the inclusion of additional family members who took part sporadically, took part in the art therapy intervention and interviews. The raw data, in the form of verbatim records, were analyzed according to the procedures of grounded theory (open, axial, and selective coding). Through these processes, a total of 154 concepts, 56 subcategories, and 13 categories were identified. Families were classified into four types according to their family function, quality of life, and attitude toward death. Though the art therapy intervention, patients and their family members experienced three stages over time. Conclusion: This research focused on essential aspects of the family relationships and the art therapy experiences of terminal cancer patients and their family members through an art therapy intervention in the context of hospice palliative care. Based on these observations, the researchers constructed a theoretical rationale for art therapy interventions delivered to patients and their family members in the process of hospice palliative care.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.57-68
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• 2005

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to develop a tool to assess the need for hospice care in families of patients with cancer. Method : Research design was a methodological study. The tool was developed in 3 stages : first, preliminary items were developed based on a questionnaire about the needs for hospice care that was given to 8 families of patients with cancer; second, a panel of specialists reduced the number of preliminary items using 2 validity tests on the contents. Finally, reliability and validity were tested by a sample of 98 families who have a patient with cancer from April 2003 to July 2004. Result: Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was .94 for the final total 22 items. Using the factor analysis, 4 factors with eigenvalue of more than 1.0 were extracted and these factors explained 65% of the total variance. The four factors were labeled as 'control of terminal physical problems', 'emotional care', 'spiritual care for preparing for death', and 'family support'. The final items of the tool developed on the need of hospice care consisted of 22 items. Conclusion : The instrument, for accessing the need for hospice care in families of patients with cancer, developed in this study was identified as a tool with a high degree of reliability and validity. In this sense, this tool can be effectively utilized for implementing and improving hospice care for patients with terminal cancer.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.171-184
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• 2023

Purpose: The study explored the meaning of experiences within a family art therapy process among terminal cancer patients and their families. Methods: Ten participants, including four terminal cancer patients currently admitted to the hospice ward at an inpatient hospice facility in S City and four caregiving family members, engaged in four cycles of family art therapy sessions. The sessions were conducted weekly or bi-weekly, and each lasted approximately 50 minutes. Results: Nine cross-case themes emerged: "feeling unfamiliar and intimidated by the idea of expressing my thoughts through art," "trying to accept the present and positively overcome sadness," "expressing hope through emotional bonds during the process of parting," "conveying and preserving personal and family beliefs," "feeling upset about family imbalances caused by deteriorating health," "valuing togetherness and striving for stability amidst the current challenges," "art as a medium of empowerment for patients and facilitator of family conversations, even amidst difficulties," "sharing a range of emotions-not just joy, but concerns and sorrow-through art," and "gratitude for art' s role in improving family communication and connection through artwork. Conclusion: The findings of this study lead to several conclusions. First, patients and their families faced psychological challenges when confronted with impending death, yet they strove to remain optimistic by seeking meaning in their struggles. Second, families practiced open and expressive communication, sharing a spectrum of complex emotions with one another. Third, even as the patient's condition worsened, resulting in family fatigue, their support and cohesion strengthened.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.136-147
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of integrated palliative care intervention on quality of life in terminally ill patients. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed via PubMed, Cochrane Library CENTRAL, LWW (Ovid), CINAHL and several Korean databases. The main search strategy was to combine terms indicating palliative care intervention, presence of terminal illness and study design. Methodological quality was assessed using Cochrane's Risk of Bias for randomized studies and Risk of Bias Assessment tool for non-randomized studies. Data were analyzed by the Stata 10 program. Results: Eight clinical trials met the inclusion criteria with a total of 356 participants. Integrated palliative care interventions were administered for a mean of 6.5 weeks, 5.6 sessions and an average of 47.8 minutes per session. Effect sizes were heterogeneous, and subgroup analysis was done. Integrated palliative care interventions had a significant effect on quality of life (ES=1.83, P=0.018, $l^2=92%$), spiritual well-being (ES=0.78, P=0.040, $l^2=0$), depression (ES=0.86, P<0.001, $l^2=32$) and anxiety (ES=0.69, P=0.041, $l^2=71.1$). But integrated palliative care interventions had no significant effect on pain (ES=0.365, P=0.230, $l^2=69.8$). Conclusion: Results support findings that integrated palliative care interventions were helpful in lessening depression and anxiety and improving quality of life and spiritual well-being, however, the interventions did not assist pain management in terminal cancer patients. These findings suggest that various integrated palliative care interventions can assist terminal cancer patients with better quality of life in the socio-psycho-spiritual dimension.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was designed to understand the doctor's attitude toward hospice and palliative care for terminal cancer patients. Methods: Specialists who work at general hospital were surveyed with questionnaires about hospice and palliative care for terminal cancer patients. The questionnaires comprise 17 items. The data were statistically analyzed. Results: Eighty one doctors responded. Their median age was 35 years old. Thirty six doctors (44.4%) were from internal medicine. The median of specialist's experience was 4 years. Forty three respondents (53.2%) have rarely examined and treated cancer patients even a week. Thirty seven respondents (45.6%) knew the exact definition of hospice and palliative care. Eighty respondents (98.8%) felt that hospice and palliative care is necessary, and 91.2% of them responded the necessity of palliative medicine specialist. As to the question 'Do you positively referred terminal cancer patient to hospice and palliative care?', 55 respondents (67.9%) responded 'Yes' and 22 (27.2%) 'No'. Among the 'Yes' respondents 17 (30.9%) had an experience of hesitation for referring patients to hospice and palliative care; the most common reason was the disagreement of family members (6, 35.3%). As for the reasons of responding 'No', 6 doctors (27.2%) did so because of their 'feeling of abandoning the patients' and the other f for the 'lack of information on the referral procedure for hospice and palliative care'. Thirty seven specialists (45.7%) thought it is most desirable for the patients to have hospice and palliative care for 3 months before death. Fifty eight specialists (71.6%) responded that hospice and palliative care help controlling the patient's psychological symptoms before all. Conclusion: While most doctors recognize the need of hospice and palliative care for patients with terminal ranter, their attitude toward hospice and palliative care was rather reserved. We suggest that continuing education, information and promotion for hospice and palliative care should be provided for doctors.