J Korean Acad Soc Nurs Educ.  2020 Nov;26(4):383-392. 10.5977/jkasne.2020.26.4.383.

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

• Kim MS

• KMID: 2511049
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5977/jkasne.2020.26.4.383

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, p<.001) and perception of patients’ rights (r=.32, p<.001). The factors affecting participants’ attitude toward life-sustaining treatment were awareness of good death (β=.35, p<.001) and their own view of death (β=.24, p=.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.

Keyword

Euthanasia (involuntary); Death; Long-term care; Nurses; Patient rights; 안락사(소극적); 죽음; 요양병원; 간호사; 환자권리