This study was conducted to evaluate the perception level of hospice volunteers to the hospice program in order to design a more efficient education program for hospice volunteers. A total of 112 adults were questioned who have participated in hospice education program run by the Catholic Kwang-ju Diocese from March 22 to April 6, 2000. The results obtained by questionnaires can be summarized as follows; 1. In terms of demographic characters of subjects, nearly half of subjects(42.9%) were housewives with an average age of 40 years (48.2%) Fighty-three percent of the volunteers had completed high school education and most of them(91.1%) were affiliated with the Catholic church. Married respondents were 62.4%.
2. In term of perception of death, nearly three fourths of respondents(70.5%) had often thought about their death and were afraid of death because of pain(70%). Over half of the volunteers regarded a hospice as their death place.
3. Most of the respondents(95.5%) favored the establishment of hospice for terminal patients in university hospitals. However, the lack of people’s awareness about hospice (49.1%), and the lack of awareness by medical doctors about hospice (17.9%), and the priority of profitability in the management of hospitals(17.9%) has been thought to contribute to not operating hospice in university hospitals. to activate the hospice program, half of the subject(52.7%) favored the management system of religious organizations with the governmental support. From the medical doctors who are treating the terminal patients were requested, 1 ) a full explanation about prognosis to patient’s (91.6%), and 2) the open mind ness to talk about the present arid ongoing condition of patients(67,0%). over half of the respondents (598%) regarded the extension of patient’s life by chemotherapy or other curative treatment as meaningless and most of the subjects favored the transfer to hospice care for those terminal patients who will not benefited by further curative treatment.
4. The motivation for participation in the hospice education program was 1) for the perparation of their role as hospice volunteers(49.l%) and 2) personal interest (47.3%) Respondents knew about hospice from neighbors(43.8%). church bulletin and diocese-broadcast(3l.2%). Most of them(89.3%) have responded that they would recommend the hospice volunteers to their neighbors. The topics which were requested from the hospice education program were 1) cancers and the physical condition of patients(40.2%) the practice in the hospice ward(39.3%). 3) physical care of terminal patients(36.6%) and 4) spiritual care (33.0%).
From the results described above, the tollowing conclusions can be made:
Most of the respondents were aware of the necessity for the establishment of hospice care for terminal patients and well willing to act as volunteers. I he awareness and deepening of medical doctor’s interest in hospice would contribute to responding to the people’s demand for hospice. In addition, the hospice education program should be run by a university hospital rather than by religious organizations for enhancement of volunteer’s qualities and the program contents.
|