Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2012
Is patient autonomy a critical determinant of quality of life in Korea? End-of-life decision making from the perspective of the patient.
We aimed to investigate the current practice of the involvement in decision making from the perspectives of terminal cancer patients, and to explore its possible associations with quality of life and quality of death in Korea. ⋯ in Korea, patient autonomy is not a universally accepted value from the perspectives of terminal cancer patients, nor is patient involvement in decision making always conducive to high quality of life or quality of death. The level of information and the pace at which it is provided should be tailored to each individual's ability, preference, need, and culture.