OBJECTIVE: Currently, preparation for childbirth is becoming an increasingly popular addition to patient education. Because of this interest, it seems advisable to review the evidence on the effect of prepared childbirth. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Lamaze preparation on labor and delivery. METHODS: To investigate whether prepared-childbirth courses offer measurable physical advantages, we compared the labor and delivery characteristics of 80 primiparas who had taken Lamaze-training classes with 76 control patients who had not. We reviewed retrospectively obstetrical records of 156 pregnant women delivered in Ewha Womans University MokDong Hospital from January to December, 1997. RESULT: The length of the first stage of labor in the group that attended childbirth preparation classes was 5.70 hours and 6.93 hours in the comparison group. This difference was statistically significant (P= .040). The mean duration of the second stage of labor in attenders was 42.43 minutes and 41.16 minutes in the nonattenders(P= .719). Average duration of labor in attenders was 1.07 hours shorter than in nonattenders (P= .075). The cesarean section rate in attenders was 25% compared with 36.8% in nonattenders (P= .10920). CONCLUSION: No statistical significance was found in this study. However we need to be aware that the length of first stage of labor was shorter and the rate of cesarean section was lower in prepared group. Childbirth education should be integrated into prenatal health care to be readily available for all women.
Cesarean Section ; Delivery of Health Care ; Female ; Humans ; Parturition ; Patient Education as Topic ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Education ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore the perceptions of quality nursing care among nurses. METHOD: The data were analyzed using content analysis. The data were collected from 19 nurses who worked at diverse clinical areas in 8 general and university hospitals with over 400 beds. RESULT: 1. The attributes of quality nursing care were categorized into 7 hierarchies in the order of 'caring' (40.65%), 'specialty' (29.03%), 'nurse attainments' (15.48%), 'patient- centered nursing management' (6.45%), 'sincerity' (5.16%), 'kindness' (2.58%), 'satisfaction' (0.65%). 2. The concept of quality nursing care were defined as 'giving a satisfaction both to patients and nurses through patient-centered nursing management with specialty and caring in the ground of the kindness and sincerity'. CONCLUSION: Based on there findings, we suggest that the study results should be used for development of a quality assurance tool in nursing practice, patient care in hospital setting, education of nurses and nursing students. In addition, further repeated studies need to be conducted.
Education ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Nursing Care* ; Nursing* ; Patient Care ; Patient-Centered Care ; Students, Nursing

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Some patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) present with fever and cervical lymphadenopathy alone. The purpose of this study was to characterize the clinical features of these unusual KD patients and determine whether this is a severe form of KD associated with increased risks of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance and coronary artery lesions (CALs). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 146 children with KD were reviewed retrospectively, and classified into two groups according to initial clinical features. Those presenting with only fever and cervical lymphadenopathy (LKD) were classified as LKD patients. Other-KD patients included all except the LKD patients. RESULTS: Among 146 KD patients, 13 (8.9%) were classified as LKD patients. The LKD patients were significantly older and admitted earlier. The duration between fever onset and KD diagnosis was significantly longer in the LKD patients (5.9 days vs. 4.9 days, p=0.023). The frequency of IVIG resistance was not different between the two groups., In the LKD patients, the incidence of CALs was significantly higher in the acute phase, and without significant difference in the convalescent phase. The percentage of neutrophils and C-reactive protein, albumin, and total bilirubin levels were significantly higher in LKD patients. CONCLUSION: Even though LKD patients were older, admitted earlier, and had higher inflammatory marker levels, they did not have a greater risk of CALs or IVIG resistance. However, echocardiography may be helpful in the acute stage if patients have only fever and cervical lymphadenopathy and are unresponsive to empirical antibiotics.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bilirubin ; C-Reactive Protein ; Child ; Coronary Vessels ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Fever* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Incidence ; Lymphatic Diseases* ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Neck ; Neutrophils ; Retrospective Studies

Ultrasound (US) elastography is a valuable imaging technique for tissue characterization. Two main types of elastography, strain and shear-wave, are commonly used to image breast tissue. The use of elastography is expected to increase, particularly with the increased use of US for breast screening. Recently, the US elastographic features of breast masses have been incorporated into the 2nd edition of the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) US lexicon as associated findings. This review suggests practical guidelines for breast US elastography in consensus with the Korean Breast Elastography Study Group, which was formed in August 2013 to perform a multicenter prospective study on the use of elastography for US breast screening. This article is focused on the role of elastography in combination with B-mode US for the evaluation of breast masses. Practical tips for adequate data acquisition and the interpretation of elastography results are also presented.
Breast* ; Consensus ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques* ; Information Systems ; Mass Screening ; Ultrasonography*