의대생 및 전공의가 보여준 임종환자에 대한 태도

THE ATTITUDES OF MEDICAL STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS TOWARD THE TERMINALLY ILI

As the medicine advances, chronic diseases, instead of acute ones have become leading causes of death. At the same time the advancement has made the dying process itself Janger than ever before. So the number of patients who are “on dying” is remarkably increased, that the management of dying patient has become an important matter in medical practise. The present research is aimed to investigate the attitudes of medical students and residents toward the terminally ill patients. Thirty medical students and sixty-four residents who major either in Internal Medicine or in General Surgery were interviewed. The results were as follows. 1. Sixty one or (65%) of respondents agreed in telling the prognosis to the patient. 2. About half of the respondents prefer patient’s own home as the place for dying to hospitals. 3. Seventy five% of the residents toJd that they had experienced such patients. 4. In the commentary to their opinions, the respondents disclosed two mutually contradictory attitudes toward the patients who are on dying. One is the attitude which the physician thinks and makes decisions with regard for his patient. The other is the attitude which ‘ physician thinks and decides without regard to both the treatment and psychological problems of the patient.