Signification and Challenges of the Act on Life-Prolongation Determination - With focus on Patient-Oriented Medical Care / 의료커뮤니케이션

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The Purpose of this study is to look into the signification and challenges of the Act on life prolongation determination of a patient who is going under hospice palliative medical care and a deathbed process (hereinafter referred to as “the Well-Dying Act”) from a position of a patient.METHODS: To improve the problems exposed in the process of enforcement of the Well-Dying Act, it's important to find a solution point after looking into improvements from a position of a patient through communication in line with the intent of law enactment. Hereupon, this study intended to look into improvements through the interviews with family members of a patient, and doctors.RESULTS: it was found that improvements include reduction in the domain of family for consent to an interruption of life prolongation medical care, necessity of establishment of a medical institution ethics committee for implementing the Well-Dying Act, simplification of the relevant form, abolition of a criminal penalty clause, and introduction of an authorized agent, etc.CONCLUSION: This study thinks that it stands to reason to limit the domain of family for consent to an interruption of life prolongation medical care to a patient's spouse, parents and children in principle; nevertheless, when all these persons are not existent, reasonable is the way to impose a duty of getting unanimous consent to a patient's well-dying from all direct lineal ascendants and descendants of the patient on a relevant medical institution.