The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency, patterns, and factors of reversals in decisions about life-sustaining treatment (LST) among older patients with terminal-stage chronic cardiopulmonary disease.

This was a retrospective correlational descriptive study based on medical chart review. De-identified patient electronic medical record data were collected from 124 deceased older patients with terminal-stage cardiopulmonary disease who had made reversals of LST decisions in an academic tertiary hospital in 2015. Data were extracted about the reversed LST decisions, LST treatments applied before death, and patients’ demographic and clinical factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with the reversal to higher intensity of LST treatment.

The use of inotropic agents was the most frequently reversed LST treatment, followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intubation, ventilator therapy, and hemodialysis. Inconsistency between the last LST decisions and actual treatments occurred most often in hemodialysis. One-third of the reversals in LST decisions were made toward higher intensity of LST treatment. Patients who had lung diseases (vs. heart diseases); were single, divorced, or bereaved (vs. married); and had an acquaintance as a primary decision maker (vs. the patients themselves) were significantly more likely to reverse the LST decisions to higher intensity of LST treatment.

This study demonstrated the complex and turmoil situation of the LST decision-making process among older patients with terminal-stage cardiopulmonary disease and suggests the importance of support for patients and families in their LST decision-making process.

This study aimed to understand the mechanisms of decision regret and stress of family surrogates' end-of-life decision making using an exploratory path model. In particular, the research identified the direct effects of perceptions of uncertainty and effective decisions on decision regret and stress, and examined the indirect effects of being informed, having clear values, and being supported for decision regret and the stress of end-of-life decision making through the mediating variables of perceptions of uncertainty and effective decisions.

Data were collected from 102 family surrogates who had participated in end-of-life decision making for patients with terminal cancer in a tertiary hospital.

Perception of effective decisions was a significant direct predictor of decision regret, and uncertainty was a significant predictor of stress among the participants. Being informed, having clear values, and being supported had a significant indirect influence on decision regret through the perception of effective decisions among family surrogates. However, only having clear values had a significant indirect influence on stress through the perception of uncertainty. The model explained 63.0% of decision regret and 20.0% of stress among the participants and showed a good fit with the data, χ²=12.40 (df=8, p=.134), TLI=.97, and RMSEA=.07.

Nurses can support family surrogates in end-oflife decision-making processes to decrease their decision regret by providing information about end-of-life care choices, clarifying personal values, and supporting the decision-making process, and to relieve their stress by facilitating the clarification of personal values.

The purpose of this study was to investigate variables and construct paths that affect complicated grief.

Participants in this cross-sectional, descriptive study were 164 bereaved spouses of cancer patients at least 12 months before the death. Data were collected from October 2016 to February 2017 using self-report structured questionnaires and were analyzed using IBM SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 20.0.

The variables affecting complicated grief of bereaved spouses of cancer patients were the quality of end-of-life care (g=.15, p<.001), preparedness for death (b=-.06, p=.005), and coping with bereavement (b=-.24, p<.001), whereas the quality of death and dying did not show any effects. Preparedness for death had multiple mediating effects in the relationship between the quality of end-of-life care and complicated grief (z=-2.20, p=.028), and in the relationship between the quality of end-of-life care and coping with bereavement (z=2.11, p=.035). Coping with bereavement had a mediating effect on the relationship between preparedness for death and complicated grief (z=-2.39, p=.017).

This study revealed that preparedness for death and coping with bereavement play a prominent role in complicated grief. Therefore, it is important to help in preparing for death and enhancing coping with bereavement of spouses providing end-of-life care to cancer patients. In addition, investigating cultural differences in the relationship between the quality of end-of-life care and complicated grief is recommended.

To develop a substantive theory that represents hospital nurses' experience on caring for dying patients.

Grounded theory method guided the data collection and analysis. A purposeful sample of 15 hospital nurses participated during the period of 2001-2002. The data were collected by semi-structured individual interviews. All interviews were audio taped and transcribed verbatim. Constant comparative analysis was employed to analyze the data.

“Putting oneself into shape while being faithful to feelings and emotions” emerged as the basic social-psychological process. Three different phases were identified: being faithful to own feelings and behaviors; putting oneself into shape; and mourning death. The first phase includes the categories of “establishing trust relationships” and “sympathizing with dying patients and their family members.” The second phase consists of “controlling feelings,” “adjusting ethical conflicts,” and “providing best patient-care,” and “helping family accept the death.” And the third phase consists of “overcoming sadness” and “releasing other negative feelings.”

The result of this study will help health professionals develop efficient support programs that support nurses caring for dying patients in hospitals. Further study needs to be done to verify findings.

The purposes of this study were to determine the core nursing interventions in nursing notes and the practice which was perceived by nurses of an oncology unit with patients with terminal cancer. Also, comparing interventions in nursing notes with interventions in perceived practice was done.

Subjects were 44 nursing records of patients with terminal cancer who had died from Jan. to Dec. 2002 at C University Hospital and 83 nurses who were working on an oncology unit for more than one year. Data was collected using a Nursing Interventions Classification and analyzed by means of mean and t-test.

The most frequent nursing intervention was ‘nausea management’ in the nursing note and was ‘medication administration : oral’ in perceived practice. The frequency of nursing interventions in the nursing record was lower than in perceived practice.

This study finds that nurses actually practice nursing care, but they may omit records. To correct for omitted nursing records, development of a systematic nursing record system, continuous education and feedback is recommended.