The national hospice care service development in Korea

This study project looked at the current status of the hospice care services by conducting a survey. In Korea hospice care is still in its infancy. As of now it is merely a type of community service provided by volunteers religious organizations and some medical professionals. Given the rapid aging of the population with a large number of chronically and terminally ill patients suffering from illnesses left at their homes it is urgently necessary to build a national hospice care system suitable for the local environment in Korea by: (1) defining Korean-style institutionalized hospice care practices; (2) building a Korean-style hospice care service delivery and referral system; (3) defining the local standard of hospice care; (4) developing training programs for developing hospice talents; (5) building hospice information network; and (6)presenting pilot projects. (excerpt)