Abstract

• This study aims at providing more qualitative care in family nursing practice. It is designed to analyze the degree of quality of life(QL) among families of the patients. The subjects consisted of 79 families of hospital hospice patients and 74 families of home-based hospice patients. The ages of the subjects were 17-74 years, at five university hospitals in Seoul, Inchon, and Kyung Gi Province, and one clinic in Chunchon. The data were collected from September, 1996 to August, 1997. The instrument used for the study was the Quality of Life Scale(QLS), which was composed of six factors, developed by Ro. You Ja, The analysis was done using t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe test, and Stepwise multiple regression. The results were as follows : 1. There were no statistically significant differences between the families of hospital hospice patients and the families of home-based hospice patients ; however, the mean score of the families of hospital hospice patients was higher than that of the families of home-based hospice patients. The scores on QLS ranged from 75 to 224 with a mean score of 140.58 in the families of hospital hospice patients. In the families of home-based hospice patients, the scores ranged from 79 to 214, showing a mean score of 135.25. Among six factors of QLS, family relationships showed the highest score in the families of hospital patients. Self-esteem and relationship with the neighborhood were significantly higher in the families of hospital hospice patients than the families of home-based hospice patients(t= 2.69, P= 0.008 ; t= 2.04, p= 0.043). 2. In the families of hospital hospice patients, QL had significant relationship with family member's age (F= 2.52, P=0.029), marital status (F= 3.57, P = 0.018), economic state(F= 6.07, P= 0.004), and education level(F =3.77, P=0.014), In the families of home based hospice patients, QL had significant relationship with marital status(F=2.53, P=0.049), education level(F= 4.35, P=0.007), occupation(F=3.93, P=0.002), and patient's age(F=2.73, P=0.020). 3. Economic status accounted for 17% of QL, and diagnosis accounted for an additional 7% of QL in the families of hospital hospice patients by means of stepwise multiple regression analysis, In the families of home-based hospice patients, relationships with patient accounted for 12% of QL. The findings showed that self-esteem and relationship with the neighborhood were significantly higher in the families of hospital hospice patients than the families of homed-based hospice patients and family relationships showed the highest value in QL. These finding should be considered in nursing practice.
• Keywords: Hospice; Family; Quality of life

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