Improving quality of life can be achieved by rehabilitating one socially and restoring their sexual life. Holistic care for persons with disabilities means the rehabilitation nurse intervenes when problems of sexual function are discovered, observed, or expressed. However, most people with chronic illnesses and disabilities must confront prevalent myths about their sexual nature and abilities. These myths often have their basis in the notion, common in our society, that the only people who are sexual are those who are young and beautiful. People who are obese, old, or do not conform to current standards of sexual attractiveness are usually deemed as asexual or undesirable. These narrow stereotypes have been particularly damaging to physically or mentally disabled people. People with chronic illnesses and disabilities often have special needs regarding their sexual behavior. Most of us will confront chronic illness or disability in our own lives to some degree. In addition, illness or disability can occur at any age. In this study, I discuss some of the special needs of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities and the methods of coping with those needs. I also discuss some of the sexual concerns that people with chronic illnesses and disabilities have in common, and the assessment of sexual function and nursing strategies through literature review.
Chronic Disease* ; Disabled Persons ; Humans ; Mentally Disabled Persons ; Nursing ; Quality of Life ; Rehabilitation ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexuality

PURPOSE: This study was to evaluate effect of an educational program based upon experiment for smoking prevention in middle school students. METHOD: A quasi-experimental design was used. The participants were 107 middle school students (53 in the experimental group, 54 in the control group). Students in the experimental group participated in three 45-minute educational programs over a period of 2 weeks. The dependent variables were measured before and 2 & 4 weeks after the treatment. The data were analyzed using 2 test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA. SPSS was used to aid analysis. RESULTS: 1) The experimental group showed higher levels of knowledge of smoking prevention compared to the control group. However this program did not affect their attitude towards smoking. 2) There was a higher possibility of smoking in the future among the students who had smoked than those who had not. 3) The majority (84.9%) of the experimental group said that the program was effective. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of smoking for the experimental group was increased, so it is assumed that the program itself had a positive effect on the students. To change attitudes regarding smoking, smoking prevention programs need to be conducted repeatedly, not just temporarily.
Humans ; Smoke* ; Smoking*

PURPOSE: This study was done to compare the perceived nursing needs as reported by admitted patients and nurses in a general hospital. METHOD: The participants were 194 patients and 183 nurses in a general hospital in Seoul. The instruments were constructed based on a prior study review and revised after a pilot study with 3 patients. The questionnaire for nursing needs included questions on physical, therapeutic, emotional, educational and socioeconomic domains. Data were collected between February 29 and March 26 for patients and between February 19 and 26, 2002 for nurses. The data were analyzed with frequencies, percentiles, means and t-test. RESULTS: The results were as follow: 1. The total score for perceived nursing needs by nurses was higher than that reported by patients except for socioeconomic needs. 2. There were significant differences between patients and nurses only in the emotional domain (t=3.50, p=.001). 3. The highest score was for therapeutic needs and the next was for educational needs. 4. Relatively higher scored items were for comfort care, prevention of nosocomial infections, immediate treatment, monitoring health condition, kindness, and explanation of tests and treatments. CONCLUSION: Nurses generally understand patients' nursing needs but have to be more interested in patients' needs in order to prevent nosocomial infections, to provide care in a good relationship with the doctors and to encourage the patients.
Cross Infection ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, General* ; Humans ; Needs Assessment ; Nursing Services ; Nursing* ; Pilot Projects ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a protocol that would help prevent accidents, apply physical restraints properly, and reduce the use of physical restraints in nursing homes. METHOD: A review of the literature and analysis of existing statutes and regulations were used to develop the preliminary protocol. To test the validity of this preliminary protocol, ten experts were selected from academia and clinical practice to review the protocol. The initial protocol was finalized after it had been reviewed by experts and tested for clinical validity in five different nursing homes. RESULT: The protocol consists of objectives, definitions and accident probability assessment, principle of using physical restraints, monitoring and documentation of physical restraints. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study can be used as guidelines to focus on preventing accidents arising out of use of physical restraints, assessing the probability of accidents, and reducing the use of physical restraints through preventive interventions. This will be helpful to prevent ethical, physical, or psychological problems arising from use of physical restraints and to protect the rights of elderly people in nursing homes.
Aged ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Nursing Homes* ; Nursing* ; Restraint, Physical* ; Social Control, Formal

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine the awareness and management practice of operating room nurses, to prevent nosocomial infection, to identify problems and to propose solutions. METHOD: The research tools used were the hospital infection control guideline and a modified version of the measurment tools used in the study of Cho (1998). The questionnaire consisted of questions on hand washing, personal hygiene and clothes control, cleaning and environment control, sterilizing supplies and disposal of contaminated materials. The collected data were analysed with the SPSS program. RESULTS: The mean score for domain-specific awareness of nosocomial infection control was 4.81 out of a possible 5 points. The highest score was for sterilizing supplies and disposal of contaminated materials. The mean score for domain-specific practices of nosocomial infection control was 4.40, out of a possible 5 points. Sterilizing supplies and disposal of contaminated materials had the highest scores. The mean score for awareness in all domains was higher than mean score for practice. Among the general characteristics of the nurses, high awareness was found only in the provision of infection control guidelines and it had shown statistically significant difference. Examination of relation of general characteristics to practice showed that for age, career, the provision of infection control guidelines, and experience in infection control education there were statistically significant differences in the scores. For the relation between awareness of nosocomial infection control and practice, positive correlation was found in all domains, thus high awareness leads to high practice. CONCLUSION: Considering the result of this research, plans are needed that promote virtual practice of hospital infection control.
Cross Infection* ; Education ; Equipment and Supplies ; Hand Disinfection ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Infection Control ; Operating Rooms* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify correlations between fatigue and quality of life in clinical nurses. METHOD: A sample of 294 nurses working in 3 general hospitals answered a questionnaire containing Yoshitake's fatigue scale and WHOQOL-BREF. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficients. The SPSS/WIN 11.0 version program was used. RESULTS: The score for level of fatigue was 2.11 (52.7%) and quality of life, 2.89 (57.8%). The level of fatigue was highest in the physical domain followed by psychical and nervous-sensual domain in that order. There were statistically significant differences in scores of fatigue depending on the nurse's age, marital status, career, position, health status and present illness. Quality of life had the highest score in the social domain followed by physical, overall, psychological, and environmental domain in that order. There were statistically significant differences in scores on quality of life depending on nurse's age, marital status, career, position, health status and present illness. CONCLUSION: The relationship between fatigue and quality of life revealed a significant negative correlation. Based on this study, nursing administrators need to reduce the level of nurse fatigue by providing various programs, which improve quality of life.
Administrative Personnel ; Fatigue* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Nursing ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions and attitudes of nurses toward euthanasia. METHOD: In this descriptive study, data were collected from 485 nurses using a self-report questionnaire. The attitudes toward euthanasia scales were composed of four sub dimensions; quality of life, client's right, respect for life and medical ethics. The data were analyzed with descriptive and parametric statistics using SPSS WIN program. RESULTS: Of the nurses, 84.7% were in agreement with constituting a law for euthanasia and 57.6% accepted passive euthanasia. Further, 80.1% would accept euthanasia for their own end-of-life situation. The most frequent reason for pro euthanasia was pain relief, and for con, respect for life. The mean attitude score was 54.64 and that of sub dimensions were 2.81 for quality of life, 3.21 for client's right, 2.87 for respect for life, and 2.84 for medical ethics. The nurses who were positive in their thinking about euthanasia had higher attitude scores. Among general characteristics of the nurses, attitudes scores were significantly different according to religion. CONCLUSION: Although many nurses had a positive concept of euthanasia, they still have ethical dilemmas in life-sustaining care. Therefore training programs on moral rights are necessary to provide guidelines for end-of-life care.
Education ; Ethics, Medical ; Euthanasia* ; Euthanasia, Passive ; Human Rights ; Jurisprudence ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Thinking ; Value of Life ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the effects of self-administered hand reflexology on level of fatigue in college student nurses during clinical practice. METHOD: A non-equivalent control group, quasi-experimental research with pre and post-test design was used. Forty-seven student nurses in clinical practice were assigned to either an experimental or control group. The experimental group performed self-hand reflexology for 10 minutes once a day during the 5 days of clinical practice. RESULTS: 1. While there was a significant difference in degree of fatigue and fatigue scores in the experimental group over time, there was no significant difference between the two groups. 2. Vigor score for the experimental group was significantly higher than those of the control group during the 5 days except for day 5, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. 3. Levels of fatigue for the experimental group increased after 1 hour in the 1st post time, but there was no significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: Self-administered hand reflexology was not found to be an effective method for relieving fatigue for student nurses in clinical practice. Also physiological effects were not identified in this study, and so further research is needed.
Complementary Therapies ; Fatigue* ; Hand* ; Humans ; Massage* ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: this study was to describe patient learning needs and the relationship between health promoting behavior and health concept with women with disabilities. METHODS: A descriptive survey design was used and the SPSS 11.0 program was used for data analysis, which included t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficients. The women (n=50) were in-patients in a rehabilitation center. RESULTS: The study results indicate that they had high levels of patient learning needs and the most important information for patient learning needs was support and care. Patient learning need was correlated with health promoting behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study give useful information to construct further studies in educational programs and rehabilitation nursing care and to support a healthcare system for women with disabilities.
Delivery of Health Care ; Disabled Persons ; Female ; Health Behavior* ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Learning* ; Patient Education as Topic ; Rehabilitation Centers ; Rehabilitation Nursing ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: This study was done to investigate the effects of a rehabilitation program including Koryo Hand-Acupuncture on physical function, self-esteem, and quality of life of post-stroke elderly patients. METHOD: A nonequivalent control group pre-post test research design was used. Participants in the study were 44 post-stroke elderly people (22 in an experimental group, 22 in a control group) enrolled in a social welfare center and a hospital in K city. Data were collected from April 6 to August 20, 2004. The program consisted of Koryo Hand-Acupuncture, ROM exercise, health education and supportive care. The analyses were carried using frequencies, percentages, x -test, Fisher exact and t-test with SPSS 10.0. RESULTS: The patients in the experimental group, who took part in the 10-weeks rehabilitation program including Koryo Hand-Acupuncture, had significant increases in shoulder joint flexion, shoulder joint abduction, elbow joint flexion, hip joint flexion, knee joint flexion, knee joint extension, flexibility, self-esteem and quality of life as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a rehabilitation program including Koryo Hand-Acupuncture may be utilized as an effective nursing program to improve physical function, self-esteem and quality of life for post-stroke elderly patients.
Aged* ; Elbow Joint ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Health Education ; Hip Joint ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Nursing ; Pliability ; Quality of Life ; Rehabilitation* ; Research Design ; Shoulder Joint ; Social Welfare ; Stroke