Researchers have rarely explored menopausal experience in the context of the totality of women's lives, subsequently making the picture of menopause incomplete, discrete and fragmented. Respecting the totality of women's lives, this study addressed how a vulnerable group of women-low income Korean immigrant women-experience menopause within a context of multiple transitions. This is a cross- sectional study using methodological triangulation. A sample of 119 first-generation Korean immigrant women aged 40 to 60 years, who were in low-income jobs, was recruited using convenience sampling methods. From the total sample, 21 peri- or post- menopausal women were recruited for in-depth interviews following the collection of the survey data. Questionnaires, short interviews, and in- depth interviews were used to collect data. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Thematic analysis was used to interpret interview data. The findings indicate that menopause was given the lowest priority amidst women's multiple and demanding roles within a gendered multiple transitional (immigration, work and menopause) context. The lack of language clarity to describe women's experience, cultural background, inadequate knowledge, and lack of social supports made menopause hidden, invisible, and inaudible. Conclusions and implications for nursing practice are guided by the goal of understanding women's experiences and meanings of menopause and supporting women through reflecting these experiences into their health care.
Delivery of Health Care ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause* ; Nursing ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to measure the workload of home visit care activities and their relative values. This study examined also factors that affect the workload of home visit care activities. METHODS: The participants of this study were 126 homehelpers of 50 home visit care agencies at the 2nd Longterm Care Insurance Demonstration Project. The workload of home visit care activities was divided into total work and four dimensions ; physical efforts, mental efforts, stress and time. Home visit care activities consisted of four categories with 24 items. We used magnitude estimation method to measure their relative values of the four dimensions. The participants answered the relative values of each activities based on the reference service. We used the activity for supporting their elderly's evacuation as the reference service. RESULTS: Most of the respondents were over 40 years old female. They consumed most their time supporting elderly's going out. They consumed their highest physical, mental efforts, and stress for activities of coping with emergency situation. The Pearson correlation coefficients showed significant relationships between workload and each dimensions. This study showed that all four dimensions are statistically significant predictors of workload of home visit care activities. Also, we found that the home-helper's career affects the workload of home visit care activities. CONCLUSIONS: The workload of home visit care activities could be explained by physical efforts, mental efforts, stress and time.
Adult ; Female ; Geriatric Nursing/*organization & administration ; Home Care Services ; *House Calls ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Workload

PURPOSE: To explore the current trends in theoretical works related to transcultural nursing through an integrated literature review. METHODS: The literature on theoretical works related to transcultural nursing during the past 10 years was searched through multiple databases and reviewed to determine themes reflecting the current trends in theoretical works related to transcultural nursing. RESULTS: Through the review and analysis process, four themes reflecting the current trends in theoretical works related to transcultural nursing were found: (a) purposes of exploring, defining and clarifying, and reflecting; (b) various theorizing methods; (c) multiple sources of theorizing; and (d) clear linkages to nursing practice and research. CONCLUSION: Continuous efforts need to be made to further develop the theoretical works related to transcultural nursing to reflect changes in this ever-changing nursing world.
Nursing ; Nursing Research ; Nursing Theory ; Transcultural Nursing*

PURPOSE: Recent advances in computer and mobile technologies have brought increasing usages of IT technology in nursing research across nursing fields. Despite the increasing usages, there has been little discussion on methodological issues involved in nursing research using IT technology. This is a discussion paper to identify methodological issues in IT technology-based nursing research.METHODS: An analysis was done using content analysis on research team meeting minutes and research team members' research diaries in a clinical trial that tested the efficacy of a technology-based intervention. First, several major categories of IT technology-based nursing research are concisely summarized. Then, the method that was used for this analysis is presented.RESULTS: The findings are presented as themes reflecting methodological issues in IT technology-based research: (a) difficulties in recruitment due to necessary technology literacy; (b) facilitating recruitment through allowing the use of multiple languages; (c) participants' preferences for specific IT technology; (d) efforts needed to ensure technological security; (e) participants' preferences for design; and (f) necessary considerations on timing.CONCLUSION: Finally, future directions for nursing research using IT technology are proposed based on the identified issues.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyse researches on nursing intervention for elderly health promotion. METHOD: A literature review of 38 researches was carried out using guidelines developed by the present researchers. RESULT: The research papers studied in this research were theses written for doctoral or master's degree and published between 1994 to 2004. These researches applied nursing intervention for health promotion of elders and used experimental study design. The average period of nursing intervention was about 9 weeks and the average frequency was three times per week. As for major characteristics of subject groups, most of them were over 65 years old (76.3%) and resided in community (65.8%), and each group consisted of 10 to 29 elders. The dependent variables used in these studies included physiological variables (blood pressure, blood cholesterol level, pulmonary function, fasting blood sugar, blood cortisol level, body mass etc.), psychologic variables (depression, quality of life, life satisfaction, loneliness, anxiety etc.), cognitive variables (perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, self-concept, subjective health status etc.), activities of daily livings, health promotion behavior, pain, risks of fall, and variables related to Trans Theoretical Model. The majority of these studies (78.9%) applied exercise programs for health promotion including exercise motivating programs (15.8%). CONCLUSION: We suggest that more various nursing interventions must be applied to promote elders' health and to take care of their chronic diseases.
Aged* ; Anxiety ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Chronic Disease ; Fasting ; Health Promotion* ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Loneliness ; Models, Theoretical ; Nursing* ; Quality of Life