ABSTRACT
The “Act on Decision on Life-Sustaining Treatment for Patients in Hospice and Palliative Care or at the End of Life” is a special law, and it was partially revised. The Act guarantees patients’ advance decisions on end-of-life care to patients aged at least 19 years old. Korean society has not openly discussed death culture as it has shifted from traditional burial rituals to hospital-based cremation rituals since the “Act on Funeral Services, ETC”. Social workers must work with people who are in a vulnerable or difficult state and represent their standpoint and must consider whether or not they are performing their tasks based on the ethical values and standards as a professional. Social workers must have professional knowledge regarding medical care for life prolongation and improve their practice so that they can participate in end-of-life care planning, and must continuously provide services through training and supervision.
