ABSTRACT
The health industry is moving toward ambulatory-and community-based care in multiple settings and there is an increased awareness and obligation to support quality of life and peaceful death at the end of life. Some of the factors that have necessitated increased attention by the nursing profession to the provision of care at the end of life include (1) the demands of the aging population, (2) the social demand for improved end-of-life (EOL) care which has been expressed to some degree by attempts at national legislation on assisted suicide and euthanasia, (3) a burdened health care system, and (4) prevalence of diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and other chronic diseases.
