Previous main body of research on end-life-care in South Korea has focused on developing services quality in hospital settings or service payment system in National Health Insurance Program. The delivery system of hospice and palliative care services has evolved in diverse ways but there is little research on reviewing the past history of development and whole picture of them so far. So, the aim of this study is to review the old hospice and palliative care system and also to introduce the current one supported by the National Health Insurance Program in South Korea. The palliative care or hospice services in South Korea have been available in diverse settings and provided by different organizations (i.e. catholic hospitals or charity organizations). Finally, it was set up in 2004 that the hospice team or official Palliative Care Units (PCUs) was established in hospitals, in order to meet the end-of-life care for the patients with terminal cancer under the Cancer Control Act. The current hospice and palliative care services such as pain management, bereavement services, and counselling can be reimbursed by National Health Insurance program since 2008. Nevertheless hospice and palliative care services are available to dying patients, yet the utilization rate of hospice and palliative care services or the length of stay in the palliative care unit (PCU) is still relatively short compared to other country systems. South Korea is undergoing several efforts to expand the services in PCU along with the development of quality indicators for PCU. Hospice and palliative care services are still new in the health care system and unfamiliar to the public so it requires raising awareness for medical professionals and the public as well as further research.
References
[1]
Kim, J.S. (2004) Present Status and Future of Hospice Palliative Care in Korea. Korean Journal of Medicine, 67, 327-329.
[2]
Kim, S.H., Chung, B.Y. and Xu, Y. (2009) Evaluation of a Home-Based Hospice and Palliative Care Program in a Community Health Center in Korea. Asian Nursing Research, 3, 24-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1976-1317(09)60013-X
[3]
Yun, Y., Choi, E.S., Lee, I.J., Rhee, Y.S., Lee, J.S., You, C.H., Kim, H.S. and Paek, Y.J. (2002) Survey on Quality of Hospice-Palliative Caere in Korea. Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 5, 31-42.
[4]
Center, N.C. (2015) Cancer Facts and Figures 2014 in the Republic of Korea. Seoul.
[5]
Kim, B. (2011) Current and Future of Hospice and Palliative Care in South Korea. Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 14, 191-196.
[6]
Kim, J., Kim, S.M., Joo, J.S. and Lee, K.S. (2012) Factors Associated with Medical Cost among Patients with Terminal Cancer in Hospice Units. Journal of Palliative Care, 28, 5-12.
[7]
Kim, S. (2006) Development of the Service Mode for Hospice Palliative Care in Terminal Cancer Care. National Cancer Control Planning Board, Seoul.
[8]
Yun, Y., et al. (2002) Survey on the Quality of Hospice Palliative Care Programs in Korea. Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 5, 31-42.
[9]
Center, N.C. (2014) Support for Activation of Palliative Care Service. Seoul.
[10]
Kang, J., Shin, D.W., Hwang, E.J., Kim, H., Ahn, H. and Yoo, Y.S. (2009) Hospice Education among Hospice Professionals and Its Regional Variations in Korea—Outcomes from a 2008 Hospice Palliative Care Institutions Support Project). Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 12, 132-138.
[11]
Yun, Y. (2003) Study for Korean Standardization of Hospice Palliative Care Service. National Cancer Control Planning Board, Seoul.
[12]
Kyung, M.H., Jang, Y.M., Han, K.H. and Yun, Y.H. (2010) Current Status and Activation Plan of Hospice Palliative Care in Korea—Based on Hospice Palliative Care Facilities Survey. Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 13, 143-152.
[13]
Lee, Y.S. (2013) The Past, Present and Future Strategies of Korean Social Work in Hospice and Palliative Care. Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 16, 65-73. http://dx.doi.org/10.14475/kjhpc.2013.16.2.065
[14]
Park, C.-S., Yoon, S. and Jung, Y. (2013) The Status of Home-Based Hospice Care in Korea. Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 16, 98-107. http://dx.doi.org/10.14475/kjhpc.2013.16.2.098
[15]
Emanuel, E. (1996) Cost Saving at the End of Life: What Do the Data Show? Journal of the American Medical Association, 275, 1907-1914. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1996.03530480049040
[16]
Cho, Y., Choi, J.K., Tae, Y.H., Kim, J.Y. and Kim, J.D. (2015) Support for Activation of Hospice and Palliative Care Service. National Health Insurance Services, Seoul.
[17]
Baek, Y.J., Shin, D.W., Choi, J.Y., Kang, J., Mo, H.N., Kim, Y.H., et al. (2011) Late Referral to Palliative Care Services in Korea. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 41, 692-699. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2010.06.019
[18]
Lee, J.K., Yun, Y.H., An, A.R., Heo, D.S., Park, B.-W., Cho, C.-H., et al. (2013) The Understanding of Terminal Cancer and Its Relationship with Attitudes toward End-of-Life Care Issues. Medical Decision Making, 34, 720-730. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0272989X13501883
[19]
Lee, Y.E., Choi, E.J., Park, J.S. and Shin, S.H. (2013) Perception and Knowledge of Hospice Care and Attitude toward Death Held by Medical Professionals from the Same Region in Korea. Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 16, 242-252. http://dx.doi.org/10.14475/kjhpc.2013.16.4.242
[20]
Choi, J., Shin, D.W., Kang, J., Baek, Y., Mo, H.N., Nam, B., Seo, W.S., Park, J.H., Kim, J.H. and Jung, K.T. (2012) Variations in Process and Outcome in Inpatient Palliative Care Services in Korea. Supportive Care in Cancer, 20, 539- 547. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00520-011-1115-y
[21]
Ahlner-Elmqvist, M., Jordhoy, M., Jannert, M., Fayers, P. and Kaasa, S. (2004) Place of Death: Hospital-Based Advanced Home Care versus Conventional Care: A Prospective Study in Palliative Cancer Care. Palliative Medicine, 18, 585-593. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/0269216304pm924oa
[22]
Siden, H., Miller, M., Straatman, L., Omesi, L., Tucker, T. and Collins, J. (2008) A Report on Location of Death in Paediatric Palliative Care between Home, Hospice and Hospital. Palliative Medicine, 22, 831-834. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269216308096527
[23]
Yun, Y.H., Lim, M.K., Choi, K.-S. and Rhee, Y.S. (2006) Predictors Associated with the Place of Death in a Country with Increasing Hospital Deaths. Palliative Medicine, 20, 455-461. http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/0269216306pm1129oa
[24]
Reyniers, T., Deliens, L., Pasman, H.R., Morin, L., Addington-Hall, J., Frova, L., et al. (2015) International Variation in Place of Death of Older People Who Died from Dementia in 14 European and Non-European Countries. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 16, 165-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2014.11.003
[25]
Moens, K., et al. (2015) Where Do People Living with Parkinson’s Disease Die? A Population-Level Study in 11 Countries. BMC Palliative Medicine, in Press.
[26]
Han, B., Remsburg, R.E., McAuley, W.J., Keay, T.J. and Travis, S.S. (2006) National Trends in Adult Hospice Use: 1991-1992 to 1999-2000. Health Affairs, 25, 792-799. http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.25.3.792
[27]
Dy, S., Wolff, J.L. and Frick, K.D. (2007) Patient Characteristics and End-of-Life Health Care Utilization among Medicare Beneficiaries in 1989 and 1999. Medical Care, 45, 926-930. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0b013e31812714a5
[28]
Albrecht, J., Gruber-Baldini, A.L., Fromme, E.K., McGregor, J.C., Lee, D.S. and Furuno, J.P. (2013) Quality of Hospice Care for Individuals with Dementia. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 61, 1060-1065. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12316
[29]
Chung, B., Xu, Y. and Kwak, C. (2005) Hospice and Hospice Care in Korea: Evolution, Current Status, and Challenges. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 18, 73-77.
