PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine an increase in the number of younger and middle-aged people who have a stroke and the differences in their recovery experience compared with older people. METHODS: The research question for this study was "What is the recovery experience of young adults and middle-aged people who suffer a stroke?". In order to answer the question, the grounded theory method was utilized. The data was collected through individual in-depth interviews of six participants, their age ranged from 36 to 45 years old. RESULTS: After comparative analysis, the core category was "standing up for oneself with limit". The experience process were categorized into four stages: 'Facing Reality stage', 'Motivation stage', 'Desire Recovery stage', 'Self-Overcoming stage'. CONCLUSION: Most of the research for the recovery process was prognostic in nature and the results. This study was demonstrated certain indicators which can be useful in further research.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Recovery of Function ; Stroke ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand the meaning of death experienced by medical and nursing students through end-of-life care practice. METHODS: Data were collected by in-depth interviews with twelve (six nursing and six medical) students. Conventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: This findings were analyzed in three areas: 'feeling from the word of death', 'color association of death', and 'relation between life and death'. Results were three major themes and sixteen categories from the analysis. Three major themes include 'reality of uncertain death', 'have to leave, and 'new perception about death'. Sixteen categories include 'being well', 'fear', 'unknown', 'boundless', 'being with', 'out of sight', 'new start', 'go back to', 'place going by itself', 'place to meet with', 'being transformed', 'a sense of futility', 'the same point', 'a different point', 'continuous line', and 'a crossroad'. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest a number of themes that nursing and medical students reported about the end of life experiences that could be explored as a way of improving end of life care.
Humans ; Life Change Events ; Students, Medical ; Students, Nursing ; Terminal Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an individualized cardiac health education on self-care behavior and serum cholesterol levels patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: Twenty-two patients in the intervention group and 22 in the control group were assigned randomly in this study. The intervention group received an individualized cardiac health education program which consisted of four different sessions for a total of four sessions. Specifically, two sessions occurred during the patients' hospitalization with a third session at the time of discharge with a fourth session scheduled via telephone one week post discharge. Data were collected through a questionnaire for self-care behavior and a blood test for total cholesterol at the time of admission and the two weeks after discharge. The questionnaire for self-care behavior was a standardized instrument and serum cholesterol was measured by Accutrend GC (Roche, Germany). RESULTS: Self-care behavior scores included diet, medication, exercise, risk factor, blood pressure measurement, and visits to hospital were significantly more in the experimental group compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The above findings indicate that the individualized cardiac health education was effective in increasing of self-care behavior.
Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Diet ; Health Education ; Hematologic Tests ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Self Care ; Telephone

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of balance taping on pain and Range of Motion (ROM). ROM of the knee joint in the elderly with lower limbs arthritis. METHODS: This study was a nonequivalent pretest-posttest design, quasi-experimental study. An experimental group of 35 elderly and a control group of 35 elderly were assigned. Subjects responses to the Visual analogue Scale (VAS) and range of motion scores as measured by a joint goniometer. Data were analyzed by, t-test and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: In the experimental treatment group, the pain score was significantly decreased from 6.46 to 2.09 after balance taping (p<.001). In addition, knee joint ROM of the experimental group was significantly increased from 114.80 to 121.92 after balance taping (p=.003, p<.001, p<.001). CONCLUSION: This is a very important study as it is an excellent treatment that nurses can utilize and these data support the efficacy of the method.
Aged ; Arthritis ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Lower Extremity ; Range of Motion, Articular

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of nurses' caring behaviors and to identify the factors influencing of nurses' caring behaviors. METHODS: The participants were 404 nurses who were caring the chronically sick elderly in five H university hospitals. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires on the importance of caring behaviors, nursing professional value and job satisfaction. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe-test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 16.0. RESULTS: The average score for importance of nurses' caring behaviors was 3.38 and the 'professional knowledge and skill' factor was the highest level. The mean score of nursing professional value was 7.53 and job satisfaction, 3.18. Importance of nurses' caring behaviors had a significant positive correlation with nursing professional value, job satisfaction, nurse's age and work experience among demographic variables. Two significant variables influencing importance of nurses' caring behaviors were nursing professional value and job satisfaction. But characteristics of nurses did not influence. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate that importance of nurses' caring behaviors can be improved by intervening factors affecting this importance. Based on the findings of this study, further nursing practice and nursing research for nurses caring the sick elderly should be focused on their nursing professional value and job satisfaction.
Aged ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Nursing Care ; Nursing Research ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was a secondary data analysis aimed at identifying the predictors of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the home-dwelling disabled person by using EQ-5D which is a standardized instrument used as a measure of health outcome. METHODS: Data were drawn from the 3rd Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW). Subjects were 1,021 home-dwelling disabled persons over 19 years of age. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson's correlation, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe test, and Stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: HRQoL (Health Related Quality of Life) is differentiated within age, genders, educational level, employment status, economic status, types and grades of disability, health problems associated with limited mobility, and the limited duration of time. HRQoL is correlated with age, number of cohabiters, educational level, grades of disability, activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental ADL (IADL). HRQoL is significantly associated with ADL, health problems in connection with limited mobility, employment status, types of disability, marital status, grades of disability, and the limited duration of time. These factors explained 63.7% of variance in HRQoL. CONCLUSION: HRQoL among the disabled is related to their characteristics, ADL, and IADL. For this reason, it is necessary to develop health programs to promote those variables required to improve HRQoL.
Activities of Daily Living ; Disabled Persons ; Employment ; Humans ; Korea ; Marital Status ; Quality of Life ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: This purpose of this study was to identify the factors related to the health related quality of life among institutionalized elders. METHODS: The subjects were 247 elders institutionalized among one of the four nursing homes in Busan. Data were collected through interview with four standardized questionnaires from August to October, 2008. Questionnaires were related to health related quality of life (SmithKline Beecham's Quality of Life scale, SBQoL), quality of sleep(Pittsburgh Sleep Quality index, PSQI), activity of daily living (Katz ADL Index), and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form Korea, GDSSF-K). Data were analyzed for descriptive analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression by using SPSS/WIN 17.0 program. RESULTS: The mean HRQoL in the subjects was 6.62 +/- 0.91. Percentage of the respondents reporting sleep disorders were 72.5% and 27.1% reported being vulnerable to depression. The significant predictors of the HRQoL were sleep quality, activity of daily living (ADL), level of education, and depression. The factors accounted for 28.8% of variance in the health related quality of life of institutionalized elders. CONCLUSION: Sleep quality, activity of daily living, and depression need to be considered as the important control factors for improving the health related quality of life in the institutionalized elders.
Activities of Daily Living ; Depression ; Korea ; Nursing Homes ; Quality of Life ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among blood glucose, HbA1c, and self management comparing these with general and illness characteristics of subjects with Type II Diabetes living in the community. METHODS: Using a comprehensive survey developed for the study, data were collected from 82 type II diabetes patients who were registered at five community health departments. The variables of self management, blood glucose and HbA1c were assessed by nurses. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics including t-test, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient to compare self management and level of HbA1c by subject's general and illness characteristics and to examine the relationships among variables. RESULTS: About 73.2% of the subjects' HbA1c were 7.0% or higher and 54.9% of subjects' blood glucose were 200 mg/dL or higher. The level of self management was moderate. Most frequently perceived reasons for failure of blood glucose control were dietary failure (32.9%). There was significant relationship between self management and HbA1c(r=-.223, p=.040). The mean score of self management were higher among female (t=-2.37, p=.021), who are not on diabetes medication (t=6.70, p=.011). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive intervention is needed to improve dietary self management, especially for male and those who is on diabetes medication.
Blood Glucose ; Chronic Disease ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Self Care

PURPOSE: The main question is systematic review of the published in Korea and foreign countries on warming therapy for surgical patients. METHODS: The researchers searched at Medline, CINAHL, KERIS, Adult Nursing Association, Korean Society of Nursing Science, Korean Academy of fundamentals of Nursing, and National Assembly Library web site for the published on warming therapy for surgical patients from 1980 to 2008. Words for search were operation/surgery, warming, operation/surgery and warming. Studies were included randomized controlled trial, and there were no restrictions regarding operative phase and outcome measures. RESULTS: 36 published researches that met the criteria were mostly published in foreign countries between 2000 and 2008 and focused on surgery with general anesthesia. Sample size ranged from 21 to 60 subjects, age range between 21 and 60 years of age. Thirty different warming therapies were reported, fifty-two different dependent variables. Outcome indicators included active external warming, intra-operative, and body temperature. 'Positive effects' and 'no effects' equaled. The most frequently reported 'positive effects' were body temperature, shivering, and acid-base balance. No effects were more likely to be heart rate, blood pressure, and hemodynamics. CONCLUSION: Many types of warming therapy, are reported in the literature with little information about the efficacy of each, many different dependant variables were studied. There were no consistent reports as to length of time used for warming procedures. Overall, the effects of warming therapy are inconsistent. And additional research must be down before any particular method of warming can be used with confidence as to its effectiveness. Attention must be made as to the research design, better measurement of the dependent variables. This review may serve as a base.
Acid-Base Equilibrium ; Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Blood Pressure ; Body Temperature ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Korea ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Research Design ; Sample Size ; Shivering

PURPOSE: This study was examined to identify the relationship among knowledge, attitude, and compliance with preventive behavior on influenza A (H1N1) by University students. METHODS: The sample consisted of 101 students. The data were collected from August to September 2009 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean scores of knowledge (11.89 +/- 1.39), attitude (30.16 +/- 2.87), and compliance with preventive behavior (22.35 +/- 3.51) on influenza A (H1N1) were above the average. The level of knowledge was not significantly different regardless of characteristics. Students' attitude differed according to gender (p<.001), and plan to seasonal influenza vaccination for this year (p=.007). Compliance with preventive behavior was significantly different according to experience of seasonal influenza vaccination during last year (p=.010), experience of obtained information about influenza A (H1N1) (p=.037). Significant correlations were found between knowledge and compliance with preventive behavior (p<.001), attitude and compliance with preventive behavior (p<.001). Knowledge and attitude was a predictor of compliance with preventive behavior (23.4%). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that perceived knowledge and attitude may be necessary to improve compliance with preventive behavior on influenza A (H1N1) among university students. The results of the study can be utilized in educational programs about preventing the occurrence of influenza among university students.
Compliance ; Humans ; Influenza, Human ; Seasons ; Vaccination