“End of life” is a difficult topic of conversation in East Asian cultures, even among patients and doctors who share a good rapport. In 2016, the Hospice, Palliative Care, and Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision-Making Act, which took the form of “Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment,” was introduced in South Korea. This study was conducted to investigate the completion rate of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment in patients with advanced cancer on the active recommendation of physicians, as well as patients’ general attitudes toward end-of-life care. We conducted a preliminary, cross-sectional descriptive survey on patients with advanced cancer. A total of 101 patients with advanced solid cancer agreed to participate in the study. The primary endpoint was the rate of completion of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment based on a doctor’s suggestion. Written interviews were conducted to understand the perceptions and factors influencing patients’ decisions. Of the 101 patients, 72 (71.3%) agreed to prepare Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. Patients who had an educational level of high school or higher were more likely to agree to complete Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment documentation as compared to the lower educational status group. More than half of the respondents who completed Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment documentation reported that they had more than a fair understanding of “life-sustaining care” or “Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment.” Participants’ reasons for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment completion were diverse. We found that highly educated patients, who understood the concept behind the policy well, tended to accept Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment without hesitation. Better education, information shared through the media, and conversations with health care providers might improve understanding of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment in patients with cancer.

中文翻译：

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转移性或复发性癌症患者维持生命治疗的医师命令完成率：一项初步的横断面研究

在东亚文化中，“生命终结”是一个艰难的话题话题，即使在有着良好融洽关系的患者和医生中也是如此。2016年，韩国引入了《临终关怀，姑息治疗和维持生命的治疗决策法》，其形式为“维持生命治疗的医师令”。这项研究的目的是在医生的积极推荐下，调查晚期癌症患者的《维持生命的医师命令》的完成率，以及患者对临终护理的一般态度。我们对晚期癌症患者进行了初步的横断面描述性调查。共有101名晚期实体癌患者同意参加该研究。主要终点是根据医生的建议执行的维持生命治疗医师命令的完成率。进行了书面访谈，以了解影响患者决策的观念和因素。在101位患者中，有72位（71.3％）同意制定《医师生命维持治疗令》。与低学历组相比，具有高中或更高学历的患者更有可能同意完成《医师维持生命治疗令》的文件。超过一半的完成了《维持生命治疗医师命令》文档的受访者表示，他们对“维持生命的护理”或“维持生命治疗的医师命令”有相当的了解。参与者完成维持生命治疗的内科医生命令的原因是多种多样的。我们发现，受过良好教育的患者对政策背后的概念有很好的理解，他们倾向于毫不犹豫地接受《医师维持生命的治疗令》。更好的教育，通过媒体共享的信息以及与医疗保健提供者的对话可能会增进对癌症患者维持生命治疗的医师命令的了解。