The purpose of this study is to shed light on the general awareness and attitude of nurses and nursing students toward nursing care for dying patients. The study used Winget´s questionaire designed to investigate the medical personnel´s understanding the dying person and his families. Specifically the questions were classified into three subdivisions as identified by Kwon in her dissertation, "An. Analytical Study in The Major Obstacles in Nursing Care for The Dying Patients
The major findings of this study are as follows:
The subjects of the study disclosed the emotions of fear, sadness, helplessness, and agony toward death and dying, while the sentiments of dying patients were characterized by depression and sadness. The correlation- was significantly high (p<0.001).
As for the interaction between medical personnel and terminal patients, significantlyhigh pro-portion of subjects indicated that they should inform the patients of their diagnosis so that they can prepare themselves for impending death. Yet they express the concern that their relations with the patients and their families will be undermined when they find their disease is incurable. To resolve the problem, they indicated that it is important to discuss the patients´ feelings toward death´ and dying with them (p-0.001).
In the area of nursing environment, the correlation was relatively high between the preference of houses to hospitals for death and dying and the response that the dying patients do not find family members and relatives´ visit inconvenient but that it is highly undesirable totalk in whispers in front of the patients (p<0.001).
In view of these findings, it is apparant that the subjects of the study have a fair understanding of dying patients and their families; yet their approach to the solution of the practical problems in their emotion toward death and dying and their interactons with the patients.
To resolve the aforesaid problem, it is recommended that a system of medical personnel be set up in an effort to emotionally support the nurses engaged in nursing care for dying patients.
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