When would I be surprised? Variability in predicted probability of survival for being "surprised" and "not surprised" to the surprise question.

Purpose: The surprise question is commonly used in clinical practice; however, the variability in how "surprise" is defined is unclear. We examined the variability in the predicted probability of survival for being "surprised" and "not surprised" among palliative care physicians across seven timeframes.

Methods: Palliative care specialists completed the surprise question for 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, and 6 months for patients with advanced cancer at an outpatient clinic and concurrently predicted the probability of survival (0-100%).

Reasons for and Congruence Between Preferred and Actual Place of Death Among Cancer Patients Receiving End-of-Life Care: A Cross-Cultural Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study in East Asia.

: The place where a person dies serves as an indicator of end-of-life care quality. This study aims to identify the congruence of place of death (POD) and the reasons behind decision-making among terminally ill cancer patients in East Asia. : We conducted a prospective multicenter cohort study in palliative care units in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

Effects of lifestyle on telomere length: A study on the Korean population.

Telomere length is a known indicator of biological aging, typically decreasing with age. Biological age is a benchmark for assessing an individual's health and aging. Correlations between telomere length and lifestyle factors have primarily been investigated from the perspective of a single variable and predominantly examined in postmenopausal women in Korea.

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physicians Certification Programs across Countries/Regions.

As the demand for end-of-life care increases, the development of a well-structured training and certification system for palliative medicine specialists is becoming increasingly important. In South Korea, a certification system for palliative care physicians has been in place since 2019, managed by the Korean Society for Hospice and Palliative Care. To further develop this certification system and training process, this review aims to describe hospice and palliative medicine certification programs across eight countries/regions-the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea-to identify key differences and draw insights for enhancing Korea's physician training and certification system.

Death Preparation and Quality of Life amongst Family Caregivers of Terminal Cancer Patients: A Multicentre Cross-sectional Study.

Objectives: Caring for ill cancer patients imposes a considerable burden on families, significantly reducing quality of life (QoL). This study examined the association between death preparation and QoL amongst family caregivers (FCs) of terminally ill patients with cancer in South Korea.

Materials And Methods: A multicentre cross-sectional survey using questionnaires was conducted in nine inpatient palliative care units in South Korea.

Patient Acceptance of Death and Symptom Control/Quality of Care Among Terminal Cancer Patients Under Inpatient Hospice Care: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Patient attitude to death is associated with outcomes in hospice care settings. This Korean study investigated the association between terminal cancer patient death acceptance and symptom control and quality of care (QoC) as perceived by family caregivers (FCs).

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted in nine inpatient hospice care units, and the data of 108 dyads (terminal cancer patients who responded to the revised Death Attitude Profile and their primary FCs) were analyzed.

Validity and reliability of the integrated palliative care outcome scale (IPOS) in Korea: a multicenter study of terminally ill cancer patients.

Background: The Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) is a key tool for assessing the quality of palliative care using patient-reported outcomes. This study aimed to culturally adapt and translate the IPOS to Korean and verify its psychometric properties for use in palliative care settings.

Methods: The IPOS was translated and culturally adapted, followed by validation in 119 terminally ill cancer patients and 28 healthcare providers across six Hospice and Palliative Care Units from September 2023 to January 2024.

Advance Care Planning in Palliative Care in Asia: Barriers and Implications.

Advance care planning (ACP) in palliative care is essential for patient autonomy and quality of dying. This review explores ACP practices in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, highlighting how legislation and cultural values shape those practices. In these three sectors, which are influenced by Confucian values, family involvement plays a significant role in decision-making.

Validation of Modified Objective Prognostic Score in Patients with Advanced Cancer in Taiwan.

Background: Modified versions of the Objective Prognostic Score (mOPS) needs to be validated to reflect practical palliative care circumstances in Taiwan.

Objectives: We compared the abilities of an mOPS score of 1.5 or higher versus a Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score of 30 or lower to predict 2-week mortality in patients with advanced cancer in Taiwan.

How different are accuracies of clinicians' prediction of survival by assessment methods?

Background: No standardized method has been established for evaluating the accuracy of a clinicians' prediction of survival (CPS). Till now, no study has compared the accuracy of CPS according to the evaluation methods using the same dataset. We aimed to examine the accuracy of CPS by different statistical approaches in patients with far-advanced cancer.

Improved Symptom Change Enhances Quality of Dying in Patients With Advanced Cancer: An East Asian Cross-Cultural Study.

Background: Symptom burdens tend to increase for patients with cancer and their families over the disease trajectory. There is still a lack of evidence on the associations between symptom changes and the quality of dying and death. In this context, this research investigated how symptom changes influence the quality of dying and death.

Advance Care Planning in South Korea.

South Korea is an Asian country with a very low birth rate and a large elderly population. Nearly half of deaths are in the elderly over the age of 80, and cancer is the leading cause of all deaths. As the aging population increases, interest in end-of-life (EOL) care and quality of death is growing, but South Korea is one of the Asian countries that traditionally feels burdened by discussing death openly.

Should the Surprise Question be Used as a Prognostic Tool for People With Life-limiting Illnesses?

The surprise question screening tool ("Would I be surprised if this person died within the next 12 months?") was initially developed to identify possible palliative care needs. One controversial topic regarding the surprise question is whether it should be used as a prognostic tool (predicting survival) for patients with life-limiting illnesses. In this "Controversies in Palliative Care" article, three groups of expert clinicians independently answered this question.

Validation of Modified Models of Objective Prognostic Score in Patients With Advanced Cancer.

The objective prognostic score (OPS) needs to be modified to reflect practical palliative care circumstances. We aimed to validate modified models of OPS with few or no laboratory tests for patients with advanced cancer. An observational study was performed.

Cross-cultural comparison of continuous deep sedation for advanced cancer patients in East Asian countries: prospective cohort study.

Objective: Cultural, social, and legal factors have been known to affect physicians' practice of continuous deep sedation. There have been few quantitative studies to compare continuous deep sedation practice in Asian countries. We aimed to describe and compare clinical characteristics of continuous deep sedation in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Clinicians' Prediction of Survival and Prognostic Confidence in Patients with Advanced Cancer in Three East Asian Countries.

Little is known about accuracy and confidence of clinicians' prediction of survival (CPS) in East-Asian countries. We aimed to examine accuracy of CPS for 7-, 21-, and 42-day survival in palliative inpatients and its association with prognostic confidence. An international prospective cohort study in Japan (JP), Korea (KR), and Taiwan (TW).

Feasibility of Muscle Endurance Testing in Critically Ill Trauma Patients: A Pilot Study.

Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW) occurs secondary to patients treated for life-threatening conditions in the ICU being diagnosed based on the Medical Research Council sum score (MRC-SS). However, patients often complain of fatigability and poor endurance, which are not evaluated by muscle strength. In this study, we explored the feasibility of assessing muscle quality and endurance in trauma ICU patients.