earticle

영어

This study was a qualitative research that analyzed college students’ perceptions of life-sustaining treatment. The participants were 30 college students enrolled in a hospice nursing course at G College, divided into five groups of six students each. A total of three interview sessions were conducted between May 19 and May 30, 2025. The interview data were analyzed through content analysis by two researchers with experience in qualitative research, in order to explore the meaning of lived experiences. As a result of the study, a total of 12 themes related to life-sustaining treatment were identified. The general structural description, which represents the meaning of the experience from the perspective of all participants through situational structural statements, was as follows: The participants perceived life-sustaining treatment as merely a way to delay death, but they held a careful and cautious stance toward such treatment. They believed that the self-determination of the patient should be respected. Attitudes and influencing factors toward life-sustaining treatment were found to be shaped by experiences with the death of a family member, religious beliefs and personal values, the social atmosphere surrounding the participants, completion of bioethics-related courses, and clinical practice experience. Additionally, participants suggested that bioethics education should be improved through participatory learning such as ethical dilemmas, case studies, and role plays, experience-based education such as simulations, bioethics-related games and quizzes, and by strengthening communication skills.