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International comparison study on the primary concerns of terminally ill cancer patients in short-term life review interviews among Japanese, Koreans, and Americans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2009

Michiyo Ando ,
Tatsuya Morita ,
Sung-Hee Ahn ,
Felicia Marquez-Wong  and
Saburo Ide
Michiyo Ando*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, St. Mary's College, Kurume City, Fukuoka, Japan
Tatsuya Morita
Affiliation:
Department of Palliative and Supportive Care, Palliative Care Team, Seirei Hospice, Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan
Sung-Hee Ahn
Affiliation:
Korean College of Nursing, The Catholic Univesity of Korea, Soul, Korea
Felicia Marquez-Wong
Affiliation:
St. Francis Community Health Services, Honolulu, Hawaii
Saburo Ide
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, St. Mary's College, Kurume City, Fukuoka, Japan
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Michiyo Ando, St. Mary's College, Tsubukuhonmachi 422, Kurume City, Fukuoka, Japan. E-mail: andou@st-mary.ac.jp
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Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate the primary concerns of terminally ill cancer patients in a Short-Term Life Review among Japanese, Koreans, and Americans to develop intervention programs to be tailored to patients in other countries.

Method:

Twenty Japanese, 16 Korean, and 7 American terminally ill cancer patients who were in the hospice wards of general Christian hospitals in each country participated in this study. Medical staff members (nurses, social workers, clinical psychologists) performed Short-Term Life Review Interviews with each patient. Patients reviewed their lives in the first session, the interviewers made simple albums for each patient in the week following the first session, and patients and interviewers then confirmed the contents of the album. The treatment period was 1 week. Measurement instruments included the Functional Assessment Chronic Illness Therapy–Spiritual (FACIT-Sp) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The contents of each interview session were transcribed, and correspondence analysis and a significance test were conducted on these data to select characteristic words or phrases.

Results:

Using the FACIT-Sp scores, the following concerns were chosen, in descending order of frequency. In Japan, primary concerns consisted of such ideas as “good human relationships and transcendence,” “achievements and satisfaction,” “good memories and important things,” and “bitter memories.” In Korea, “religious life,” “right behavior for living,” “strong consideration for children and will,” and “life for living” were primary concerns. In the United States, “love, pride, will to children,” “good, sweet memories,” and “regret and a feeling of loss” were primary concerns.

Significance of results:

We clarify the differences among the primary concerns from the Short-Term Life Reviews, arguing that we can improve the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients by focusing on the primary concerns within each country.

Keywords

International comparisonPsychotherapyShort-Term Life ReviewTerminally ill patientsSpiritual well-being
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , September 2009 , pp. 349 - 355
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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