A Scoping Review of Life-Sustaining Treatment System in Korea (2018–2022)*

Abstract

This scoping review examines the “System for Decisions to Forgo Life-Sustaining Treatment” in Korea from 2018 to 2022 and is based on an analysis of 285 research studies, published in either domestic or international journals. Of the articles examined, 164 (57.5%) focused on issues related to health science, while 121 (42.5%) addressed ethical and legal aspects of the system. Articles in the former category of health science focused on advance care plans, contemplation on death, decision-making, end-of-life care, biomedical ethics, and psychosocial factors. Articles in the latter category of the ethical and legal aspects of the system focused on legal challenges, the right to self-determination, death with dignity, surrogate decision-making, contemplation of death, biomedical ethics, and legal frameworks. To ensure the system’s stable integration into society during this transitional period, it is crucial to continuously assess its operation in clinical settings. Efforts to establish a societal consensus on dignified end-of-life experiences and to conduct future multidisciplinary research should persist.