[A study to determine the effectiveness of Severance Hospice Home Care Program]

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Severance Hospice Home Care Program was able to meet its objectives. This was done in order to show in detail the effects of hospice home care on the quality of life of terminally ill patients and to provide rationale for setting up more hospice home care programs in korea. The results of the study were as follows: The subjects of the study were 100 terminally ill patients who had died while in the hospice program and 64 family members who were registered with Severance Hospice Home Care Program between march 1988 and Feb. 1990. The nursing needs of these terminally ill patients were assessed by the nursing records of these patients. The need for pain control (82%) was the highest nursing need so far as the physical aspects were concerned. This was followed by poor appetite (37%), 8 dyspnea (34%), nausea and vomiting (30%) in that order of frequency. In regard to spiritual needs, the need for religious support was also high at 72%. Their main psychological symptoms were anxiety and fear (34%). Burn-out was a major problem for 44% of the family members. The psychological process experienced by the terminal ill patients was compared to the dying process, described by Kübler Ross. In comparison of the five stages outlined by kubler Ross with the dying process of the subjects it was found that the subjects not only experienced the five stages but also experienced denial and doubtfulness or denial with acceptance or acceptance with the expectation of a miracle. But rather than acceptance of the dying process, giving up was a frequent end point of the psychological process, of the subjects. However, when the combination of states was observed, most of the patients reached the state of acceptance in the dying process. It was difficult to identify a definite pattern of change in the psychological process of the subjects. Also it was difficult to identify the factors that influenced the psychological process. The symptoms of the terminally ill subjects just before dying, that is, 3-4 days before dying included apparent signs of dying. These were a reduction of intake (77%), reduction of the amount of urination (63%), increase in sleeping time (64%) and acceptance of dying by patients and their families who had been unaccepting before that time (66%). The primary care givers (family member's) degree of satisfaction with the care given to the patient by the hospice was 88.7%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)