PURPOSE: This study was done to construct a quality of life (QOL) model for recipients of a liver transplant. METHOD: In consideration of the main factors influencing QOL in recipient of liver transplants, a hypothetical model was constructed with 16 paths. A questionnaire was used to collect data from recipients of liver transplants who were being followed at one of 3 university hospitals. For the final analysis, there were 189 completed questionnaires and the hypothetical model was verified through covariance structure using LISREL program. RESULTS: Overall fitness indices of hypothetical model were GFI= .99, AGFI= .97, NNFI= .96 and RMR=.020. After considering modification indices and paths that proved not to be significant and to improve model fitness, the hypothetical model was modified. In the final model, 3 paths from the hypothetical model were excluded. Overall fitness indices of the final model were GFI= .99, AGFI= .98, NNFI= .98 and RMR= .020. Eleven of fifteen paths proved to be significant. QOL was influenced by duration after transplantation, perceived health status, self-esteem, uncertainty, social support, self efficacy and depression and these variables explained 65% of the variance. CONCLUSION: This study presents a theoretical model for QOL for recipients of a liver transplant. Based on the results of this study and to improve QOL for recipients of a liver transplant, it is suggested that interventions to re-enforce self efficacy and self-help are needed.
Depression ; Hospitals, University ; Liver Transplantation ; Liver* ; Models, Structural* ; Models, Theoretical ; Quality of Life* ; Questionnaires ; Self Efficacy ; Uncertainty

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the risk factors influencing drinking permissiveness in university students. METHOD: The participants in this descriptive survey on causal relations were 219 students enrolled in university who were selected by convenience sampling. The data collected from April to July, 2005 were used in multiple regression analysis to build a prediction model. RESULTS: Differences in drinking permissiveness according to general characteristics were as follows: gender, drinking frequency, drinking in more than one place each time and frequency of excessive drinking. The relationship between drinking permissiveness and amount of alcohol consumption (drinking frequency/month, amount/each time) showed positive correlations. The relationship between drinking permissiveness and motives to drink (social, enhancement, confirmity, coping motives) also showed positive correlations. The causal factors of drinking permissiveness were social motives, capacity/each time and drinking frequency/month. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that board intervention programs should be provided to prevent problems of excessive drinking. It is also recommended that a program be developed that can help control the variables identified in this study along with follow up study to verify the model.
Alcohol Drinking* ; Drinking* ; Humans ; Motivation ; Permissiveness* ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: With the increasing opportunities for students to transfer into nursing from other departments or after graduation, it is important to examine how these students adapt to clinical work in the hospital setting after graduation. This study was done to describe the adaptation experience of older graduate nurses in hospital settings and to understand the meanings and search the nature of their experience. METHOD: For this study, the participants were 6 nurses who entered nursing after having graduated from college or university in another field. The data were collected through in-depth interviews from March to April 2007 and analyzed by Colaizzi's phenomenological method. RESULTS: The essential themes of the adaptation experience for older graduate nurses were the following 6 categories: taking responsibilities for the expected role according to one's age, following the rules of senior-junior hierarchy, being ambivalent about one's older age, expanding one's support system, getting rid of the concept of age difference and establishing the expected position appropriate for one's career. CONCLUSION: For older graduate nurses, interpersonal relationship factors were more important than work related factors. Therefore, it is important to create a more flexible nursing culture to ease the adaptation of these older graduate nurses.
Humans ; Nursing* ; Qualitative Research

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have an influence on the pain which patients recognize when receiving an intravenous injection. METHOD: Participants were 111 patients who were admitting to C University Hospital. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 11.0 program. RESULTS: For the participants, factors related to administration of medication were the following: Phlebitis scale, who administers the IV injection, failure to complete the IV injection, explaination of the IV injection and rate of injection. Level of pain, depression and anxiety in the participants was as follows: Pain (4.86+/-2.09), depression (35.76+/-9.91), anxiety (32.34+/-8.87). There were positive correlations between pain and depression (r= .437, p< .000), between pain and anxiety (r= .478, p< .000), and between depression and anxiety (r= .544, p< .000). CONCLUSION: Such findings provide new insights into the dynamic relationships between depression, anxiety and pain which patients recognize when having an intravenous injection. Further studies should be conducted to establish the causal relation between depression, anxiety and pain and to determine appropriate nursing interventions.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous* ; Nursing ; Phlebitis

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate LDQOL (Liver Disease Quality of Life) and its related factors of patients with Hepatitis B. METHOD: A cross-sectional descriptive study. The LDQOL was formally translated to Korean and reliability was examined. One hundred thirty eight patients following gastroenterology outpatient clinic of S. hospital in Seoul, Korea participated. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 45.43 years and 87.7% were men. The mean score of LDQOL was 77.34, and mean scores of subscale were followed; symptom of liver disease (SxLD) (82.12), effect of liver disease (ELD) (25.50), concentration (Conc) (84.47), memory (Mem) (83.24), health discomfort, (HD) (75.18), sexual function (SFun) (75.71), sexual problem (SProb) (84.70), Loneliness (85.50), Hopeless (67.43), and stigma of liver disease (SLD) (91.64). Women had a lower LDQOL score for Loneliness (p=.034), and over 45 year-old patients had a lower LDQOL overall score (p=.000). Patients who were HBV carriers, or who had Chronic Hepatitis B or Liver Cirrhosis reported lower QOL respectively (p=.032). CONCLUSION: Although the liver disease itself seemed to be stable, patients with HBV experienced poor QOL in ELD, SProb, SFun, and Hopeless. Therefore nursing interventions in these aspects are needed.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Female ; Gastroenterology ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis B, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases ; Loneliness ; Male ; Memory ; Middle Aged ; Nursing ; Quality of Life* ; Seoul

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of three kinds of modes using bolus button of PCA on level of pain and side effects of analgesic and amount of drug consumption in post-operative patients according to whether the medication is controlled by the patient, the caregiver or the nurse. METHOD: The participants were 684 patients using PCA after an operation. The data collection period was from March 19 to April 6, 2007. RESULTS: It was found that there were statistical differences in gender, age, type of surgery, pain on first post-operative day, amount of drug consumption, nausea, and vomiting. The ratio for patient controlled medication was 55.7% for women, and 70.5% for men, and for care-giver controlled medication, 35.1% for women, and 20.0% for men. Average pain scores for the first post-operative day were 3.9+/-2.2 for patient controlled medication and 4.5+/-2.3 for care-giver controlled medication. There were statistical differences according to mode used for PCA for amount of drug consumptions, nausea and vomiting but not for pain, operation day or pruritus. CONCLUSION: This study was carried out to examine risks according to who controls the PCA for post-operative patients. The results can help to develop education program for everyone who is involved in PCA, patients, caregivers, nurses and doctors.
Analgesia, Patient-Controlled* ; Caregivers ; Data Collection ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nausea ; Pain, Postoperative ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Pruritus ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and compliance regarding hand hygiene according to the profession of ICU health care providers. METHOD: Data were collected by questionnaires and by recording of direct observations of 143 health care providers in 4 intensive care units. Wth SPSS/WIN 12.0 t-test, ANOVA, and chi-square-test were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The level of knowledge regarding handwashing among the nurses was higher and a more positive attitude was shown compared to physicians. Overall handwashing compliance was low among all ICU health care providers, but nurses had better compliance than any other health care providers and significantly higher frequency for handwashing before care and after care activities. All of professions had lower scores on the appropriate length of time for handwashing and areas that need to be scrubbed. The level for nurses was medium and for physicians, the lowest of all professions. The appropriate agent for handwashing and the method of drying for handwashing compliance was high in all professions. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that multidisciplinary interventions are needed to develop an environment for appropriate handwashing as well as to reinforce importance of handwashing compliance for health care providers.
Compliance ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Hand Disinfection* ; Hand Hygiene ; Health Personnel* ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe perceived conception of health, family support and health promoting behavior; as well as to assess factors that influence health promoting behavior. METHOD: Study participants were 165 elderly people over the age of 65, living in C city. The instruments were Laffery's health concept scale, the family support scale by Kang, and the health promoting behavior scale by Walker et al. RESULTS: 1. The scores for level of health concept ranged from 28 to 112, and had a mean score of 75.16. The scores for level of family support ranged from 11 to 55, and had a mean score of 41.55. The scores for health promoting behavior ranged from 40 to 160 with mean score of 98.07. For health promoting behavior the participants revealed that the most frequent practices were in nutrition, and the least frequent, in exercise. 2. Higher levels of health conception and family support were correlated with an improving level of health promoting behavior . 3. The factor most influencing health promoting behavior in elderly people was family support. Family support accounted for 11% of the variance in health promoting behavior. A combination of health conception, education level and dwelling pattern accounted for 23% of the variance in health promoting behavior. CONCLUSION: Perceived health conception and family support were identified as important variables for health promoting behavior in elderly people.
Aged* ; Education ; Family Health ; Fertilization* ; Health Status ; Humans

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the difference in knowledge and learning needs of the coronary artery disease according to the general characteristics of the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHOD: The participants were 188 patients who had diabetes mellitus. Data were obtained between January and April 2006 by asking the knowledge and learning needs of the coronary artery disease. Data were analyzed using SAS program. RESULTS: Participants' knowledge level was high in the cause and prevention, but the level was low in the symptom and occurrence of pain. Learning need for "Influence of smoking on heart disease" and "The structure and functions of the heart" was great, but learning need for "Complete diagnosis" and "Management of pain and pressure on the sternum" was little. No significant differences were found in the knowledge level of the coronary artery disease according to the general characteristics. Learning needs were greater in participants under 60 years of age (p=0.011) and in those with low education level (p=0.049). There was a significant correlation between knowledge and learning needs of the coronary artery disease (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: In planing the education programs, the general characteristics of the patients should be considered.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Education ; Heart ; Humans ; Learning* ; Smoke ; Smoking

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify effects of lumbar curve support on back pain and comfort during bed rest after transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). METHOD: A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group was used. All patients were diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia and underwent TURP. Twenty participants were assigned to the experimental group and twenty to the control group. After TURP, the lumbar curve of patients in the experimental group was supported using gel pads for 6 hours while the control group received the usual care with the both leg straight. The intensity of back pain and comfort levels were assessed on immediate return to the unit and for six hours following TURP. Bleeding complications were detected from hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. RESULTS: Support of lumbar curve was found to be significantly effective in reducing back pain. the need for analgesics was significantly less in the experimental group. Comfort levels were not significantly different between the two groups. There were no bleeding complications in either group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that supporting of lumbar curve ameliorates back pain without causing an increased incidence of bleeding complications after TURP and this nursing intervention should help TURP patients to be more comfortable.
Analgesics ; Back Pain* ; Bed Rest* ; Hematocrit ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leg ; Nursing ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate*