Journal List > J Korean Med Assoc > v.52(9) > 1042204

Yun: Hospice-Palliative Care and Social Strategies for Improvement of the Quality of End-of-Life

Abstract

Despite of various efforts for high quality care at the end-of -life (EOL), there are still gaps between hope and reality of patients with terminal illness and their caregivers. Together with establishment of hospice-palliative care, we need to make strategies to reduce burden and suffering among the patients and their family members, such as social consensus on ideal dying, practice guideline for care of a dying patient, comprehensive governmental plan for EOL care, and the enactments of necessary laws. These efforts would make people accept the process of dying as a completion of life.

Figures and Tables

Figure 1
Change of attitude about end-of-life decision maker according to socioeconomic burden (adapted from reference 5)
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Table 1
Response to family impact survey (N = 187)*
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*adapted from reference (4)

References

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3. Yun YH, Rhee YS, Nam SY, Chae YM, Heo DS, Lee SW, Hong YS, Kim SY, Lee KS. Public attitudes toward dying with dignity and hospice palliative care. J Hospice & Palliat Med. 2004. 7:17–28.
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8. Choi KS, You CH, Lee KH, Kim CY, Heo DS, Yun YH. Comparison of medical care cost between hospice care and conventional care in the last year of life. Korean J Health Policy Adm. 2005. 15:1–15.
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9. Yun YH, Kim SH, Lee KM, Park SM, Lee CG, Choi YS, Lee WS, Kim SY, Heo DS. Patient-reported assessment of quality care at end of life: development and validation of Quality Care Questionnaire-End of Life (QCQ-EOL). Eur J Cancer. 2006. 42:2310–2317.
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