Factors affecting the attitude toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment of nurses working at long-term care hospitals

Abstract

Purpose: This study was a descriptive study to identify factors affecting the attitude toward life-sustaining treatment of nurses working at long-term care hospitals. Methods: Data were collected through structured questionnaires from August 2nd to 27th, 2019. Study participants consisted of 163 nurses who were working for at least 6 months from 7 long-term care hospitals in B and K city. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe' test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression with SPSS WIN v 21.0.Results: There were significantly positive correlations between awareness of good death (r=.46, <i>p</i><.001) and perception of patients’ rights (r=.32, <i>p</i><.001). The factors affecting participants’ attitude toward life-sustaining treatment were awareness of good death (<i>β</i>=.35, <i>p</i><.001) and their own view of death (<i>β</i>=.24, <i>p</i>=.001), which explained about 27.0% of the attitude toward life-sustaining treatment.Conclusion: Based on these results, it is necessary to develop nursing educational materials that can establish values for deaths, and cultivate legal and ethical knowledge related to attitude toward life-sustaining treatment. In addition, since the severity of a patient’s condition varies and the characteristics of the institution vary depending on the type of hospital, a study is needed on the relevance of variables considering the hospital environment.

Trends in Nursing Research on Life-Sustaining Treatment in South Korea after the Enforcement of the Act on Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment

“…In order to maintain a patient’s end-of-life quality of life, the decision on life-sustaining treatment is a crucial factor [ 6 ]. In addition, withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment has significant benefits for both patients and their families in terms of reducing stress and the family’s burden and guilt, as well as obviating the need to decide upon life-sustaining treatment in a time of crisis [ 7 ].…”