Over the past decade in Korea, discussions on advance directives
(ADs) have increased. This paper was to systematically review the
concept and current state of ADs in South Korea, Japan, the USA,
and the Netherlands. ADs are one method proposed to facilitate the
process of communication among patients, families, and health care
providers regarding the plan of care of a patient who has lost the
ability to communicate. ADs might be useful in the Korean setting
when an individual wishes to either 1) not provide a lot of leeway
to surrogates and/or caregivers, and/or 2) ensure his or her
directives in the cases of terminal illness, brain death, pain
treatment, and information disclosure. Health care provider roles
are vague in terms of responsibility for ADs discussion and
education in Korea. Further exploration of the attitudes, knowledge,
and practices concerning ADs of nurses and primary health care
providers is recommended to provide focal points for future
research in order to facilitate peace of mind at end-of-life for
patients and families.