PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was designed to identify the effects of heat therapy on dysmenorrhea, heat being provided using a far infrared rays heating element. METHODS: The research design for the study was a non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design. Participants were 22 students for the experimental group, and 26 students for the control group. Data were analyzed using SAS WIN 9.1 program. RESULTS: The experimental group had significantly lower mean scores for menstrual pain, dysmenorrhea, and blood pressure than those in the control group. However, no significant differences were found between two groups for pulse, respiration, and temperature. CONCLUSION: These findings show that thermotherapy was effective for reduction of menstrual pain, dysmenorrhea, and B/P. Therefore, this therapy could be used as a nursing intervention for students with dysmenorrhea.
Abdomen/radiation effects ; Adolescent ; Blood Pressure/physiology ; Body Temperature/physiology ; Child ; Dysmenorrhea/prevention & control/*therapy ; Female ; Heart Rate/physiology ; *Hot Temperature ; Humans ; *Infrared Rays ; Respiration

PURPOSE: This study was done to develop an instrument for measuring intellectual capital and assess its validity and reliability in identifying the components, human capital, structure capital and customer capital of intellectual capital in hospital nursing organizations. METHODS: The participants were 950 regular clinical nurses who had worked for over 13 months in 7 medical hospitals including 4 national university hospitals and 3 private university hospitals. The data were collected through a questionnaire survey done from July 2 to August 25, 2009. Data from 906 nurses were used for the final analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, item analysis, factor analysis (principal component analysis, Varimax rotation) with the SPSS PC+ 17.0 for Windows program. RESULTS: Developing the instrument for measuring intellectual capital in hospital nursing organizations involved a literature review, development of preliminary items, and verification of validity and reliability. The final instrument was in a self-report form on a 5-point Likert scale. There were 29 items on human capital (5 domains), 21 items on customer capital (4 domains), 26 items on structure capital (4 domains). CONCLUSION: The results of this study may be useful to assess the levels of intellectual capital of hospital nursing organizations.
Adult ; Delivery of Health Care/organization & administration ; Health Manpower/organization & administration ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Knowledge Management ; *Nursing Service, Hospital/organization & administration ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology ; Principal Component Analysis ; Questionnaires ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was done to determine the risk factors for recurrent fallers (2+falls) compared to single fallers. METHODS: Participants were 104 community-dwelling people 65 yr of age or older. The data were collected from June 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 using the Residential Assessment Instrument-Home Care. RESULTS: Over the past 90 days, 55.7% of the 104 participants fell once, and 44.2% experienced recurrent falls (2+falls). In comparison of recurrent fallers with single fallers, there were significant differences in scores on the following factors: gender (chi2=4.22, p=.040), age (chi2=5.74, p=.017), educational level (chi2=5.22, p=.022), living arrangements (chi2=35.02, p<.001), cardiovascular diseases (chi2=17.10, p<.001), hypertension (chi2=4.43, p=.035), diabetes mellitus (chi2=4.44, p=.035), glaucoma (chi2=13.95, p<.001), Minimal Data Set (MDS)-Pain (t=-2.56, p=.012), fear of falling (chi2=4.08, p=.034), reduced vision (t=-3.06, p=.003), MDS-activity of daily living (t=3.46, p=.001), MDS-Instrumental Activities of daily living (t=3.24, p=.002), cognition (MDS-Cognition Performance Scale) (t=3.40, p=.001), and 'difficulties entering and leaving the house' (chi2=4.53, p=.033). CONCLUSION: It is important to assess the risk factors for recurrent falls and develop differentiated strategies that will help prevent recurrent falls. Additionally, utilizing a standardized tool, such as RAI-HC, would help health professionals assess multi-variate fall risk factors to facilitate comparisons of different community care settings.
Accidental Falls/*prevention & control/statistics & numerical data ; Activities of Daily Living ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cardiovascular Diseases/complications ; Cognition ; Diabetes Complications ; Educational Status ; Fear ; Female ; Glaucoma/complications ; Home Care Services ; Humans ; Hypertension/complications ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Vision, Low/complications

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of self-foot reflexology on stress (perceived stress, urine cortisol level, and serum cortisol level), fatigue, skin temperature and immune response in female undergraduate students. METHODS: The research design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-post test design. Participants were 60 university students: 30 in the experiment group and 30 in the control group. The period of this study was from April to June 2010. The program was performed for 1 hr a session, three times a week for 6 weeks. The data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 17.0 program. RESULTS: The results showed that self-foot reflexology was effective in reducing perceived stress and fatigue, and raised skin temperature in female undergraduate students. But cortisol levels and immune response were not statistically significant different. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that self-foot reflexology is an effective nursing intervention in reducing perceived stress and fatigue and, in improving skin temperature. Therefore, it is recommended that this be used in clinical practice as an effective nursing intervention for in female undergraduate students.
Demography ; Fatigue/*therapy ; Female ; Foot ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone/blood/urine ; Killer Cells, Natural/immunology ; Lymphocyte Count ; Massage/*methods ; *Skin Temperature ; Stress, Psychological/*therapy ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was done to comparatively analyze the general education curriculum of 4-yr and 3-yr nursing schools in Korea. METHODS: Ten university 4-yr nursing schools were selected based on universities in Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing 2010 or "2009 Korea's Best Universities-Top 10" published by Joong-Ang Daily. Ten college 3-yr nursing schools were selected based on colleges in Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing 2010. RESULTS: 1) Generally 4-yr nursing schools maintained the relationships between organizational philosophy/purposes and subjects in the general education curriculum. But 3-yr nursing schools did not. 2) In 4-yr nursing schools there was a relatively higher credits ratio of general education curriculum and selective courses than in 3-yr nursing schools. 3) In 4-yr nursing schools variety of courses was relatively higher than 3-yr nursing schools. 4) In 4-yr nursing schools, operating conditions were relatively better (number of tenure professors, ratio of professors to students, Identification of exclusive organization in charge of the general education curriculum) for the general education curriculum than 3-yr nursing schools. CONCLUSION: The results identify significant differences in the general education curriculum of 4-yr and 3-yr nursing schools in Korea, indicating that 3-yr nursing schools should make efforts to improve the good quality of general education curriculum.
*Curriculum ; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/*standards/trends ; Education, Nursing, Diploma Programs/*standards/trends ; Humanities/*education ; Humans ; Nursing Education Research ; Republic of Korea

PURPOSE: Mortality Provability Model (MPM) II is a model for predicting mortality probability of patients admitted to ICU. This study was done to test the validity of MPM II for critically ill neurological patients and to determine applicability of MPM II in predicting mortality of neurological ICU patients. METHODS: Data were collected from medical records of 187 neurological patients over 18 yr of age who were admitted to the ICU of C University Hospital during the period from January 2008 to May 2009. Collected data were analyzed through chi2 test, t-test, Mann-Whiteny test, goodness of fit test, and ROC curve. RESULTS: As to mortality according to patients' general and clinically related characteristics, mortality was statistically significantly different for ICU stay, hospital stay, APACHE III score, APACHE predicted death rate, GCS, endotracheal intubation, and central venous catheter. Results of Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test were MPM II0 (chi2=0.02, p=.989), MPM II24 (chi2=0.99 p=.805), MPM II48 (chi2=0.91, p=.822), and MPM II72 (chi2=1.57, p=.457), and results of the discrimination test using the ROC curve were MPM II0, .726 (p<.001), MPM II24, .764 (p<.001), MPM II48, .762 (p<.001), and MPM II72, .809 (p<.001). CONCLUSION: MPM II was found to be a valid mortality prediction model for neurological ICU patients.
APACHE ; Adult ; Aged ; Catheterization, Central Venous ; Critical Illness ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Nervous System Diseases/*mortality ; Predictive Value of Tests ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; *Severity of Illness Index

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to test the effects of a community health promotion project for farmers cultivating garlic. Bandura's self-efficacy theory (1986) and Chaskin's community capacity framework (2001) were used as the theoretical framework. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Study participants were 72 garlic farmers (intervention: 36, control: 36). The community health promotion project consisted of health promotion program and community capacity building strategies and was provided for 12 weeks (8 during farming off-season and 4 during farming season). Data were collected between February 23 and May 31, 2009 and were analyzed using chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, and repeated measure ANOVA using SPSS/WIN 12.0. RESULTS: For the experimental group, significant improvement was found for self-efficacy, farming related health behavior, physical fitness (muscle strength, muscle endurance, upper body flexibility, lower body flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, balance, agility), farmer's syndrome, and health related quality of life as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study indicate that the community health promotion project for garlic farmers is effective and can be recommended as a nursing intervention for health promotion of garlic cultivating farmers.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Agriculture ; *Community Health Services ; Female ; Health Behavior ; *Health Promotion ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Physical Fitness ; Program Evaluation ; Quality of Life ; *Self Efficacy

PURPOSE: The study was done to identify factors influencing Yangsaeng in elders. METHODS: Data were collected by questionnaires from 907 elders in D metropolitan city. Measures were Yangsaeng, perceived health status, self-efficacy, and self esteem. Data were analyzed using frequencies, means and standard deviation, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 13.0 version. RESULTS: The mean score for Yangsaeng the participants was 3.56, out of a possible 5. There were significant differences in Yangsaeng according to age, education level, monthly income, marital status, family structure, and periodic health examination. Yangsaeng correlated positively with perceived health status, self-efficacy and self-esteem. According to the research, factors influencing Yangseng in elders were self-esteem, perceived health status, self-efficacy, family structure, and marital status. CONCLUSION: The positive correlation between Yangsaeng and health promotion behavior and perceived health status, self-efficacy, and self-esteem identified in this study can have an impact on strategies to improve the health of Korean elders. Therefore, the results can be used as a reference for future studies.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Attitude to Health ; Family Relations ; Female ; *Health Promotion/economics ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Marital Status ; Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Self Efficacy

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the meaning and essence of suicide for elderly people who had previously attempted suicide as an older person. METHODS: Giorgi's descriptive phenomenology was used for analysis. The researchers carried out in-depth interviews, recordings and memos individually with four elders. The elders were individuals who had attempted suicide sometime in the past 5 yr. They were interviewed from 5 to 10 times using open-ended questions and a semi-structural format. Demographic data were also collected. RESULTS: The meaning of suicide before a suicide attempt in older people had four core components: conflict with family, powerlessness and despair in their life with a drop in self-esteem, using internal and external resources to resolve their troubles and awareness of imminent crisis. CONCLUSION: These results of this study will increase understanding of suicide in older people by defining their subjective experience of suicide attempts and applying grounded data in the development of programs that provide concrete intervention strategies to prevent suicide in elderly people.
Aged ; Conflict (Psychology) ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Self Concept ; Self Psychology ; Suicide, Attempted/prevention & control/*psychology

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to develop and evaluate a web-based education program for secondary stroke prevention. METHODS: A web-based secondary stroke prevention education program was developed using the system's life cycle methods and evaluated by comparing the effects of education among three groups, a web group, a booklet group and a control group. RESULTS: Knowledge level of both patients and family, as well as some health behavior compliance in the web-based and booklet education groups were significantly higher than those of the control group. Family support in the web-based and booklet education groups was significantly higher than that of the control group after 12 weeks. The urine cotinine level in the web-based education group was significantly lower than that of the control group after 12 weeks. Medication adherence, blood pressure and perceived health status were not statistically different among the three groups at any time. CONCLUSION: Web-based and booklet education programs were equally effective regarding the level of knowledge of patients and their families, family support, health behavior compliance, and urine cotinine level. These results demonstrate the potential use of a web-based education program for secondary stroke prevention.
Aged ; Blood Pressure ; Caregivers/psychology ; Cotinine/urine ; Demography ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; *Internet ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Education as Topic/*methods ; Program Evaluation ; Stroke/*prevention & control/psychology