PURPOSE: This study was to determine the current trend of nursing research as exploring both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and to provide the explicit direction to improve the quality of published papers. METHODS: Total of 366 articles published between 2004 and 2006 was reviewed using the criteria of analysis. RESULTS: There was more number of quantitative studies than qualitative studies. More studies were conducted with subjects who had health problems, and studies that targeted women and elderly population have been significantly increased. In quantitative methodology, utilization of experimental and quasi-experimental designs has been increased, however descriptive study was dominant as yet. In qualitative methodology, studies using grounded theory and phenomenology were frequently published. It was noted that theoretical framework and rational for sample size were rarely presented in quantitative study. Philosophical position and the process of preparation for study, which guided the research, were not clearly described in qualitative study. CONCLUSION: The findings of this review suggest that published studies have been improved and diversified, however, detailed and clear evaluation tool that assesses study process and method should be developed as a way to further improve the quality of published papers.
Bibliometrics ; Humans ; Korea ; Nursing Methodology Research/*standards ; *Periodicals as Topic ; Qualitative Research

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to study the attitude of Korean lawyers toward withdrawal of life sustaining treatment, and compare and analyze different types of their attitudes. METHODS: Research design of this project was Q methodology approach. The study population was 24 lawyers, aged from 32 to 69 years. Q sample to investigate the attitude of the lawyers toward withdrawal of life sustaining treatment included 34 statements obtained from literatures, TV debate, and depth interviews of 5 lawyers among the lawyers included. After listening to the purpose and method of the study, the 24 lawyers agreed to fill out a survey asking sociodemographic information, and the information was distributed in 9 scale Q-sample. RESULTS: The collected data were processed through QUANL PC program and sorted into 5 types as follows: The first type was 'Choosing to withdraw life sustaining treatment', the second 'Withholding life sustaining treatment' regardless of the cost, the third is neutral type that claims that humans have the right to decide the death and life, and demands the proper legalization to protect such rights, the fourth type agrees to withdrawal of life sustaining treatment, nevertheless, admits that one has a rigt to withhold one's own life treatment, categorized as self contradiction type. The fifth type believed that 'Life and death are providential' with the faith, therefore, such authority to decide life and death belongs to God, but not human beings. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the lawyer's attitudes toward withdrawal of life sustaining treatment were grouped into five different types as follows: 'Choosing to withdraw life sustaining treatment', 'Withholding life sustaining treatment', 'Demanding legalization', 'Self contradiction type', and 'Life and death are providential'.
Aged ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Lawyers ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Q-Sort ; Research Design ; Withholding Treatment

PURPOSE: This study was to analyze the trend of research on intervention for patients with metabolic syndrome. METHOD: Using Pubmed, Medline, and CINAHL search engines, a randomized controlled trial(RCT) researching titles such as "metabolic syndrome", "intervention", "lifestyle modification", or "community-based" were collected. A total of 16 researches were analyzed based on the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel(NCEP-ATP III). RESULTS: 1) The total period of the intervention was from 12 to 24 weeks, the frequency was 3 to 5 times per week, and the duration of each session was from 45 to 60 minutes. The types of intervention included exercise, diet, and medication. Among these types, diet was performed most frequently. 2) The outcomes of the intervention was measured with physical aspects such as anthropometric measures, body composition, or biological markers. No studies have evaluated psychosocial outcomes such as quality of life. 3) In terms of effectiveness of the intervention, anthropometric indicators, body composition, or serological markers showed positive effects, whereas results on endothelial or urine indicators were inconsistent. CONCLUSION: Methodological research developing comprehensive therapeutic lifestyle modification programs and intervention studies are needed for patients with metabolic syndrome. In addition, effects should be evaluated with multidimensional perspectives.
Humans ; Life Style ; Metabolic Syndrome X/*nursing ; *Nursing Methodology Research ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Statistics, Nonparametric

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate of a knowledge scale for lymphedema in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: 34 preliminary items were made according to literature review, then verified content validity, construct validity, and reliability of the scale. 28 items among them were confirmed through content analysis by 4 experts. After a preliminary test, a survey for 156 breast cancer patients was performed for confirming construct validity and reliability. The data were analyzed using factor analysis, independent t-test, and KR-20. RESULTS: This scale had 28 items consisting of 2 categories: prevention and self-care of lymphedema. Construct validity was confirmed by known-group technique because there were some categories consisted of just one or two items, and some mismatches between categories and items in factor analysis. Women who were educated about lymphedema scored significantly higher than women who had not (t=-3.92, p<.001). Reliability was appropriate (KR-20=.81). A percentage of correct answers was 74.6%, but it was from 31.8% to 96.1%. CONCLUSION: The study shows that this scale is reliable and valid to measure the knowledge of lymphedema. This scale can be effective to assess and educate the patients with breast cancer.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphedema ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Reproducibility of Results ; Self Care

PURPOSE: This study was aimed at understanding the nature of the suffering of families with patients in mental health nursing homes and hoped to contribute to the rehabilitation process of those with a chronic mental disorder. METHOD: Research methodology was based upon Parse's human becoming research methodology. RESULTS: a) Despite the despair the family feels by the violence caused by their now-institutionalized relative, they also realize anew the importance of their role as protectors b) Although they fear social stigmatization they also try to be supportive, out of guilt feelings; c) They regret their severe rearing style and wish to be more sympathetic, d) They find courage and hope through family therapy, which leads to a better understanding of the illness, e) With hopes of rehabilitation, the family members feel happy and go through an emotional release, by sharing the pain with each other. CONCLUSION: Families of nursing home residents share a focus on the process of human-health-universe. This is a positive, 'human-becoming' process with which, based on past feelings of despair, fear, resignation, and pain, one can render meaning into his or her experiences in the present in the pursuit of love, conquest, hope, liberty and success.
Caregivers/*psychology ; Chronic Disease ; *Family Nursing ; Family Relations ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Nursing Homes ; Nursing Methodology Research/*methods ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Schizophrenia/*nursing

PURPOSE: Guided by Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness, this study was done to explore the health experience of adolescents having depression. METHODS: The researcher engaged in six to eight in-depth interviews with six adolescents. To begin the dialog, the researcher asked each participant to recount the first important memory he/she had. All the narrative and diagram sharing between the researcher and participants were summarized according to recognized patterns and later elaborated in following interviews based on Newman's praxis methodology. RESULTS: The significant individual pattern of early health experience was during the binding stage. At the turning point, individual patterns for participants revealed a personal journey of self-discovery and then emergence of reflecting behaviors. After the turning point, the participants changed as they evolved from the initial period of disruption and disorganization to organization at a higher level. The results suggest that adolescents who are depressive find new ways of relating to friends, family, healthcare providers, and the community by expanding their consciousness. CONCLUSION: Newman's praxis methodology is a good way of helping and studying adolescents with depression because it emphasizes participant-nurse/researcher partnership and pattern recognition as nursing practice.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Adolescent ; *Adolescent Psychology ; Attitude to Health ; Consciousness ; *Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore problems of clinical nurse performance appraisal system. METHODS: This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. The participants were purposively selected from clinical nurses working across all of the hospital units in a large metropolitan teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran in 2012. Data were collected using five focus group interviews, which were audio taped. The number of participants in each group ranged from 7 to 10. The semi-structured interviews were guided by a set of nondirective questions, and continued until the data reached saturation. Data were analyzed using framework analysis. RESULTS: Four major themes regarding the problems of clinical nurse performance appraisal system emerged from the analysis of textual data. These themes were contextual problems, problems related to performance appraisal structure, problems related to performance appraisal process and those related to performance appraisal results. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study reveal that the nurse performance appraisal system confronts with various problems. Some of these problems are related to organizational context while the others concerned structure, process and results of the performance appraisal system. In order to achieve high quality of patient care as the final goal of performance appraisal, changing and revision of this system is necessary.
Adult ; *Clinical Competence ; Employee Performance Appraisal/*standards ; Female ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Iran ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nurse Clinicians/*standards ; *Nursing Methodology Research ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*standards ; Qualitative Research

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe and to analyze real communication about a patient's discomfort between a patient with cancer and a nurse. METHOD: A dialogue analysis method was utilized. Fifteen patients and 4 nurses who participated in this research gave permission to be videotaped. The data was collected from January, 3 to February 28, 2006. RESULTS: The communication process consisted of 4 functional stages: 'introduction stage', 'assessment stage', 'intervention stage' and 'final stage'. After trying to analyze pattern reconstruction in the 'assessment stage' and 'intervention stage', sequential patterns were identified. In the assessment stage, if the nurse lead the communication, the sequential pattern was 'assessment question-answer' and if the patient lead the communication, it was 'complaint-response'. In the intervention stage, the sequential pattern was 'nursing intervention-acceptance'. CONCLUSION: This research suggests conversation patterns between patients with cancer and nurses. Therefore, this study will provide insight for nurses in cancer units by better understanding communication behaviors.
Adult ; Aged ; *Communication ; Female ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/nursing/*psychology ; Nurse's Role/psychology ; Nurse-Patient Relations ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Tape Recording

PURPOSE: This paper analyzed the historical origins of the Qi concept and assesses its possible contributions to the development of complementary therapy and new nursing practices. METHODS: In order to clarify the Qi concept and measure its theoretical/clinical potentials, this study analyzed both historical data and experimental research that adopt and apply the concept. These include modern/contemporary research measuring its effects in promoting mental and physical health. Using the method of cross-cultural comparison, this study analyzed diverse approaches to the Qi concept and sought to find common features among the approaches. RESULTS: A historical, cross-cultural analysis revealed several fundamental similarities between Qi theories that have developed in the east and the holistic concepts that have evolved in the western traditions. Especially, the analysis of the more recent research on the Qi concept shows ample possibilities of its future contributions to the development of new diagnostic applications and the promotion of overall human health. CONCLUSION: The historical study of the Qi concept found some key common factors in the diverse philosophical traditions in the east and the west. Considering the growing popularity of complementary therapy among health professionals and the general public, the Qi concept and its clinical applications are expected to promote human health. In this context, this research contributes to developing new nursing practices based on the concept by clarifying its philosophical origins and theoretical backgrounds.
Concept Formation ; Humans ; *Mind-Body Relations (Metaphysics) ; Models, Nursing ; Nurses/*psychology ; Nursing Care ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Program Development ; *Qi ; *Yin-Yang

PURPOSE: This study was done to develop and test validity and reliability of on instrument for predicting nursing intention for SARS patient care. METHOD: The psychometric properties of a SARS patient care attrition prediction tool, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, were examined in this study. The Three-phase design involved a) salient beliefs generated from clinical nurses (n=43) b) content validation by expert panel evaluations(n=5) c) face validation by plot testing (n=10) d) and instrument validation in a cross sectional survey (n=299). Psychometric analysis of survey data provided empirical evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the instrument. RESULT: Principal component analysis verified the hypothesized 6-factor solution, explaining 68.2% of variance, and Alpha coefficients of .7538 to .9389 indicated a high internal consistency of the instrument. CONCLUSION: The instrument can be used by nurse administrators and researcher to assess clinical nurses' salient beliefs about caring for SARS patients, guide tailored intervention strategies to effective caring, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome/*nursing ; Reproducibility of Results ; *Questionnaires ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Nursing Care ; Nurses/*psychology ; Humans ; Female ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Adult