Education, Role, and Prospects of Advanced Practice Nurses in Hospice and Palliative Care in South Korea

Hospice palliative care refers to holistic care provided by an interdisciplinary team aimed at improving the quality of life of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases and their families. Among interdisciplinary team members, hospice advanced practice nurses (APNs) trained as master's-level advanced nursing professionals are leaders who play an important role in providing patient-centered care and improving the quality of services. The Medical Service Act revised in 2018 requires the scope of practice of APNs in each field to be specified in the Ordinance of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Accordingly, discussions on the role and scope of practice of hospice APNs are actively underway. In this review, the curriculum of hospice APNs, their work responsibilities and roles, and their current status are reviewed, and the future direction of the hospice APN system is also discussed.