Japanese Attitude Toward Terminal Illness and End-of-Life Care:Analysis of Questionnaire Responses-Part II / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

　　Using the results of a questionnaire survey, a study was made to ascertain whether or not the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake influenced the attitude of survivors toward terminal illness and end-of-life care. The survey was taken one year after the devastating earthquake with the cooperation of 76 hospitals affiliated with the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives for health and Welfare. A total of 7,811 people ranging in age from 14 to 91 (M/F＝1/1.9) responded to the survey. They consisted of high school students, nursing school students, staffs of hospitals, and people with other types of occupation.　　Respondents from the two hardest hit regions (Fukushima and Ibaraki Prefectures FIP) and three neighboring ones (Akita, Niigata and Nagano Prefectures ANNP) were devided into the suffered and the non-suffered. The average suffering rate was 11% throughout the areas covered by the survey, which was compared with about 55% in FIP and 14-3.2% in ANNP.　　Analyses of sufferings of the respondents, broken down by age, sex, studentship and occupation, revealed that female sufferers outnumbered male sufferers and were younger in FIP than in ANNP. It was also found that female sufferers included many nursing students and medical staffs. A large number of male medical progessionals also fell victim to the quake.　　Interesting to note are the findings that a large number of male respondents from Fukushima and Ibaraki replied that they had religious faith, would prefer to be told the truth if they were terminally ill, had pondered over death, would like to see a man of religion when they realized their days were numbered, would desire the use of an optimum dose of opium to ease pain, and wished to deepen their knowledge of terminal illness. By contrast, more women than men said that they would choose to stay at home when they realized their days were numbered.　　These findings showed that the Great East Japan Earthquake significantly influenced the attitude toward terminal (care) with striking differences between men and women.