PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the patient safety culture in Korean nursing homes using the Nursing Home Survey Patient Safety Culture (NHS-PC), a valid tool, provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and to compare the results with AHRQ data. METHODS: Administrators and staff (N=151) of six nursing homes in Seoul, Busan, Kyeonggi Province and Gyeongsangnam Province completed the survey in July, 2010. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, positive response rate, t-test, ANOVA, DUNCAN, Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The total mean (SD) positive response rate for patient safety culture was not significantly different from the AHRQ data. For composite levels, the results of 'handoffs' were significantly higher, and the results of 'feedback and communication about incidents' and 'nonpunitive responses to mistakes' were significantly lower than the AHRQ data. CONCLUSION: More effective strategies related to nonpunitive responses to mistakes and management activities for patient safety are needed to improve patient safety culture in nursing homes.
Administrative Personnel ; Health Services Research ; Humans ; Nursing Homes ; Patient Safety

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze factors affecting burnout among clinical nurses according to Positive Psychological Capital. METHODS: The study design was a descriptive survey and questionnaires were collected from 412 clinical nurses who worked in a general hospital in "J" city. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, One-way ANOVA, Scheffe test, Pearson Correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression. RESULTS: In Model individual characteristics accounted for 27.8% of the influence on burnout. In model II with the addition of the 4 factors; Self-efficacy, Hope, Resilience, Optimism, individual characteristics accounted for 48.5% of the influence on burnout. Optimism and Resilience of the Positive Psychological Capital sub-variables were statistically useful as factors influencing burnout. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that it is necessary to develop active human resource management and educational programs to decrease burnout and strengthen the Positive Psychological Capital of the nurses.
Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' experience of evidence-based nursing practice in general hospitals. METHODS: Data were collected from 13 nurses through in-depth interviews about their experiences with evidence-based practice. The research questions were "What kind of evidence are you using in your practice?" and "What are the barriers to and enablers of evidence-based practice that you have experienced?" Qualitative data from field and transcribed notes were analyzed using qualitative content analysis methodology. RESULTS: Major themes of using evidence were identified as 'research as primary valid evidence', 'information from local context and internet as realistic evidence', and 'clinical experience as pragmatic evidence'. Patient experience was not used as evidence in solving nursing problems. Barriers to and enablers of evidence-based practice were linked. They included both external, organizational factors and individual factors. Main issues were 'lack of evidence and poor work environment', and major facilitating factors were 'improving knowledge and skills related to evidence-based practice' and 'communicating and sharing evidence'. CONCLUSION: The study findings provide useful information for understanding nurses' experience of using external and internal evidence along with their meaning. A multidimensional approach is needed to overcome barriers to and implement evidence-based practice.
Evidence-Based Nursing ; Evidence-Based Practice ; Humans ; Internet

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify clusters of nursing competency, and investigate the influence of reflective thinking, team learning climate, and learning organization building according to nursing competency clusters. METHODS: Participants were 244 clinical nurses who worked in 4 general hospitals in Gwangju Metropolitan City. Data were collected by self-report questionnaires during June and July, 2011. Nursing competency, levels of reflection hierarchy, team learning climate, and learning organization building were measured. Data were analyzed using frequencies, means, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and K-means cluster analysis with SPSS/WIN 20.0 version. RESULTS: Nursing competency correlated positively with intensive reflection, reflection, team learning climate, and learning organization building (p<.001). There were three clusters of nursing competency in a clinical ladder, which were derived from cluster analysis, grouped as high, middle, and low competency. Intensive reflection, reflection, team learning climate, and learning organization building showed significant differences according to grouping of nursing competency. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that developing intensive reflection, reflection, team learning climate, and learning organization building would be useful strategies for enhancement of nursing competency.
Career Mobility ; Climate ; Hospitals, General ; Learning ; Professional Competence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Thinking

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship among cognitive style, creative action, and challenging work and then determine whether challenging work has a mediating effect between cognitive style and creative action. METHODS: Data were collected from a convenience sample of 275 clinical nurses who graduated from 3-year nursing schools and worked in hospitals in Seoul or Kyungki Province. The questionnaire included measurements of cognitive style, creative action and challenging work. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, T-test, ANOVA, Duncan test, and hierarchical multiple regression. RESULTS: Mean scores for cognitive style, creative style, and challenging work were 3.28+/-0.42, 3.22+/-0.57, 3.40+/-0.63, respectively. Significant correlations were found between cognitive style and challenging work, cognitive style and creative action, and challenging work and creative action. Cognitive style was significantly different according to years in clinical career, and in hospital size. Challenging work was significantly different according to age and position. Creative action was significantly different according to years in clinical career. Finally challenging work had a mediating effect between cognitive style and creative action. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study provide a comprehensive understanding of challenging work for clinical nurses and indicate related factors and importance.
Health Facility Size ; Negotiating ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Schools, Nursing

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the effects and relationships of humor, job satisfaction, job stress and intent to turnover for nurses and suggest a theoretical structural path diagram among the variables. METHODS: Data were collected at 6 hospitals located in Seoul, and Gyeonggi Province, from June to September, 2010. Participants were 275 nurses. Data were analyzed using Amos 19.0 for Structural Equation Modeling. RESULTS: Humor had significant effects on job satisfaction (beta=.15, t=2.29, p=.022) and indirect effects on the intent to turnover in this model (chi2=44.18, df=23, RMSEA=0.05, TLI=0.97). But humor did not affect job stress unlike results of previous studies (t=-.02, p=.771). CONCLUSION: Humor may not affect job stress under the very stressful conditions of the health care environment. The model showed the effect of humor contributed to increases in job satisfaction but did not decrease job stress. Higher levels of job satisfaction could decrease the intent to turnover. Consequently, humor would be helpful in increasing job satisfaction to diminish nurse turnover. Further studies are suggested to investigate causal relationships among humor, burnout, and other emotional and organizational variables.
Delivery of Health Care ; Intention ; Job Satisfaction

No abstract available.
Career Mobility ; Power (Psychology)

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify job tasks and task elements of Korean nurse anesthetists according to type of medical institution. METHODS: A job task scale which consisted of 9 job tasks and 40 task elements was developed. Data were collected from December, 2009 to February, 2010 from 182 nurse anesthetists who were working in medical institutions (response rate: 75.8%). RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of nurse anesthetists were independent from anesthesiologists in anesthetic practice. Preanesthetic nursing assessment was much more frequent in small hospitals than in general hospitals (p<.05), and anesthetic nursing intervention, administering the anesthetics, monitoring the patient's status during anesthesia, and provision of safety and compliance with anesthetic ethics were much more frequent in general hospitals than medical centers (p<.001). There were no differences among the medical institutions for job tasks in post-anesthetic nursing interventions (p=.229), administering anesthetics (p=.354) and monitoring patients' status during anesthesia (p=.099), providing safe anesthetic environment (p=.896), and management of ancillary personnel/equipment (p=.617). CONCLUSION: Results indicate that nurse anesthetists contribute significantly to anesthetic practice in small hospitals and general hospitals. Therefore, it recommended that nursing leaders make efforts to enact legal nurse anesthetist-related policies for safe and high quality anesthetic nursing care.
Anesthesia ; Anesthetics ; Compliance ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Job Description ; Nurse Anesthetists ; Nurse Practitioners ; Nursing Assessment ; Nursing Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of new graduate nurses in personal life and in clinical setting during their first year. METHODS: Eleven new graduate nurses were interviewed and the data were analyzed using the Giorgi's phenomenological method. RESULTS: The main results of this research were negative experiences such as poor nursing skills, inability to enjoy personal life, physical exhaustion and health problems, and uncertainty of nursing values. On the other hand, there were some positive aspects on their minds: adjustmental/developmental needs, sense of responsibility, receptive capability, and proficiency with their work. They gradually found themselves being endured and changing to adapt. CONCLUSION: Transition from students to staff nurses is a very stressful experience for new graduate nurses. It may negatively affect their personal lives as well. However they tried to keep themselves positive to overcome their difficulties. It is necessary for them to be given time, a systematic program, and a supportive environment to adapt.
Hand ; Humans ; Qualitative Research ; Uncertainty

PURPOSE: Purpose of this research was to identify effects of application of a modified primary nursing system. METHODS: Measurement was done of direct nursing time and satisfaction of nurses and patients before and after one month of the modified primary nursing system in a surgery unit in C university hospital, Seoul. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between average for patient satisfaction (4.24) before and (4.11) after application of the modified primary nursing system. Total average for nurse satisfaction with the nursing delivery system was 2.89 before application and, 3.34 after, indicating some significant differences (t=-4.06, p<.001). The KPCS-1 was 10.19 before application of the modified primary nursing system and 9.52 after application. Recalculated into direct nursing time, the average direct nursing time for one patient was 92 minutes before application, and 85.98 minutes after, indicating no significant difference. CONCLUSION: Through this research an attempt was made to build and test a modified primary nursing system. Results indicate that the most important thing is to clearly regulate office work and safely implement the new system.
Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Models, Nursing ; Patient Satisfaction ; Primary Nursing