Korean hospice nursing interventions using the Nursing Interventions Classification system: A comparison with the USA

In this study, nursing interventions used by hospice nurses in Korea were identified and compared with core interventions selected by US end-of-life care nurses in order to determine similarities and differences between the two nations regarding such care. Data were collected from the electronic medical records of 353 hospice patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Korea over a period of two years. First, extracted narrative interventions were mapped onto the Nursing Interventions Classification for comparison with interventions selected by nurses in the USA. A total of 56,712 intervention statements were mapped onto 147 Nursing Interventions Classification interventions. Hospice nurses in Korea performed more nursing interventions in the physiological basic domain, compared to nurses in the USA. The most frequently-used interventions in Korea were related to patient pain management. Among 47 core Nursing Interventions Classification interventions used in the USA, only 18 were used by Korean nurses in this study. This study highlights cultural differences in hospice care nursing interventions between the two countries.