Demand for high quality medical care has recently been increasing in step with high level of income and education. Patients prefer the use of large general hospitals to small community hospitals. Large hospitals, usually located at urban area, expand their capacities to cope with the increasing demand, therefore, they easily secure revenue necessary for growth and development of hospitals. However, small community hospitals are facing with serious financial difficulties caused from the reduction of patients in one hand and the inflation of cost in another. If small rural hospitals were closed, the closure would have negative impacts on local economies in addition to the decrease in access to medical care. Community leaders should have an insight on the contribution of community hospitals to local economies. They could make a rational decision on the hospital closure only with the understanding of hospital's contribution to the community. This study is designed to develop an economic model to estimate the contribution of rural hospital to local economies, and also to apply this model with a specific hospital. The contribution of a hospital to local economies consists of two elements, direct effect and multiplier effects. The direct impacts include hospital's local purchasing power, employee's local purchasing power, and the consumption of patients coming from outside the community. The direct impact induces multiplication effect in the local economy. The seed money invested to other industries grows through economic activities in the economy. The seed money invested to other industries grows through economic activities in the region. This study estimated the direct effect with the data of expenditure of the case hospital. The total effect was calculated by multiplied the direct effect with a multiplier. The multiplier was drown from the ratio of marginal propensity of income and expenditure. Beside the estimation of the total impacts, the economic effect from the external resources was also analyzed by the use of the ratio of patients coming outside the region. The results are as follows. 1. The direct economic contribution of the hospital to the local economy is 1,104 million won. 2. The value of multiplier in the region is 2.976. 3. The total economic effect is 3,286 million won, and the multiplication effect is 2,182 million won. 4. The economic contribution from the external resources is 245 million won which is 7.5% of the total economic effect.
Education ; Growth and Development ; Hand ; Health Expenditures ; Health Facility Closure ; Hospitals, Community ; Hospitals, General ; Hospitals, Rural* ; Humans ; Inflation, Economic ; Models, Economic

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a prevention program for needle-stick injuries among health care workers who have a high occupational risk of such injuries, and to analyze the effect of the program on the subjects' knowledge regarding such injuries and compliance with protocols, as well as the incidence of needle-stick injuries among subjects. METHODS: The subjects of this study were nurses (RNs) and nurse's aides (NAs) working at a university hospital in Daegu. The data were collected by conducting surveys and determining the incidence of needle-stick injuries during a 1-year period before the application of the program. The program consisted of preventive education on needle-stick injury, the use of standardized boxes to measure blood sugar test, and the use of intravenous catheters with safety needles. Six months after the intervention, surveys were conducted to analyze the incidence of needle-stick injuries. The data on knowledge and compliance related to needle-stick injuries before and after program application were analyzed using the paired t-test, and data on the incidence of injuries were analyzed using the chi-square test. RESULTS: The scores on knowledge (RN, P<0.001; NA, P=0.007) and compliance (RN, P<0.001; NA, P=0.038) were significantly higher after the intervention than before. However, the number of reports on the incidence of needle-stick injuries before and after the intervention were not significantly different (RN, P=0.691; NA, P=0.079). CONCLUSION: The prevention program for needle-stick injuries was effective in improving the knowledge and compliance related to needle-stick injuries among RNs and NAs, but the number of reports on the incidence of injuries showed no difference. Therefore, the prevention program must be reevaluated and further developed after continuously monitoring and analyzing it in a hospital setting in order to decrease the incidence of needle-stick injuries.
Blood Glucose ; Catheters ; Compliance ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Incidence ; Needles ; Needlestick Injuries ; Nurses' Aides ; Plant Extracts

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of anxiety for the mothers of leukemic children and to provide the fundamental data for the better performance of caring to them. The subject were 292 mothers : 100 mothers whose children had a leukemia, 80 mothers whose children had taken a tonsillectomy, 112 mothers whose children with medical disease except cancer. The data were collected through the state-Trait Anxiety Inventory of Spilberger and analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe test. The results were as follows ; 1. The state anxiety mean score of mothers with leukemic children was 54.16. 2. The state anxiety of mothers with leukemic children was higher than that of the rest (F=8.00, P=0.0004). 3. There was no significant difference in anxiety of mothers with leukemic children in relation to leukemic children's and their mother's general characteristics.
Anxiety* ; Child* ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Mothers* ; Tonsillectomy ; Child Health

Plasma carotenoid levels were compared among 64 healthy male subjects (control) and 38 patients of ischemic heart disease(IHD) and 20 ones of cerebral infarction(CI) all of whom were over 50years of age. Another 98 healthy male subjects aged 23 to 58 were selected to compare their plasma carotenoid levels by age groups, Levels of lutein, zeaxanthin and crpytoxanthin were lower in IHD(34+/-2, 13+/-1 and 62+/-7 microgram/dl)and CI(36+/-3, 12+/-2 and 41+/-6 microgram/dl)patient groups than in control group (84+/-5, 16+/-2 and 69+/-3 microgram/dl) while those of lycopene, alpha-and beta-carotene varied little among the three groups. The sum of the six carotenoid levels were levels were, therefore,highest(205+/-14 microgram/dl) in the control group followed by IHD(155+/-15 microgram/dl) and CI(128+/-17 microgram/dl) patient groups, Among the 98 healthy male subject for the age group study, levels of the three major carotenoids increased with age from the twenties to the fifities ; lutein, from 64+/-6 to 89+/-8 microgram/dl, cryptoxanthin, 57+/-8 to 73+/-4 microgram/dl and beta-carotene were more significantly correlated(r=0.30 to 0.61, p<0.01), whereas levels of lycopene and alpha-caroteme were significantly(r=0.21 - 0.23, p<0.05) correlated.
beta Carotene ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Carotenoids ; Cerebral Infarction ; Daegu* ; Heart ; Humans ; Lutein ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Plasma*

Purpose: This year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Society of Nursing Science (KSNS). This study wasaimed to explore development of caring and describe the 50 years of history of KSNS within the sociocultural context of Korea regardingacademic footsteps, meanings, and implications for the future. Methods: This study used a historical research methodology using a literaturereview and bibliometric analysis. Relevant literature was reviewed and the published abstracts in the Journal of Korean Academy ofNursing (JKAN) were analyzed using VOSviewer. Results: Birth control and family planning in the 1970s was the main research topic. In the1980s, the development of nursing concepts, theories, and philosophies was the mission of KSNS to extend the disciplinary boundary. In the1990s, the progress of KSNS to become one of the woman-dominant healthcare professionals was the mission in the given period. Expandingthe frontiers of KSNS to the extent of global standards was the undertaking of the nursing scholars in the 2000s. Lastly, in the 2010s,the quality and quantity improvement of KSNS and JKAN is expected to make our future even prosperous. The map visualization of the 50years of research accumulation showed the comparable opposition of quantitative vs. qualitative research methodologies, equation modeling,and instrument development. Conclusion These clusters of research demonstrates the efforts to make nursing evidence by Koreannursing scholars for the last five decades. The growth in the slope of KSNS and outcomes of JKAN are to carry on to an unimaginable extentin the future.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of job stress, self-efficacy and empowerment of 119 Emergency medical technicians in Jeollanam-do. METHODS: This study used the data collected from 346 respondents working for first aid in a fire station. To answer research questions, this study employed frequency analysis, reliability test, F (t)-test, ANOVA, Scheffe' post-hoc test, and multiple-regression analysis. RESULTS: In terms of demographic characteristics, marital status and age had significant impact on job stress, but sex and education did not. In terms of job characteristics, first placement, rank, and tenure made significant difference on job stress, whereas certificate, department, and area did not. These results address that general characteristics, self-efficacy and job stress are critical variables on empowerment. CONCLUSION: From the research findings, it is concluded that fire fighters' job stress can be reduced if professional development programs are given to them, which is likely to provide better public services such as first aids and welfare, as well as to increase job satisfaction.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Technicians ; Fires ; First Aid ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Marital Status ; Power (Psychology)

PURPOSE: This study aimed to classify nursing interventions by developing a list of interventions for family nursing care. METHODS: A new intervention list was confirmed after the researchers' discussion and professional consult. All possible interventions were re-organized. RESULTS: Five grand categories were identified, which include health education, providing direct nursing care, utilization and referral of community resources, reinforcing family resources, and stress management. The category of health education consists of anticipatory guidance, training and education, providing information, and consult and motivation. The category of providing direct nursing care consists of identifying problem, providing technical nursing, providing family tailored nursing care, family contract, monitoring or evaluation, and collaboration with experts. The utilization and referral of community services includes utilization of health care facilities, utilization of social welfare facilities, use of neighbors, friends, and relatives, connecting to professionals or supporting groups, and utilization of other sources. Reinforcing family resources includes reinforcing economic resources, reinforcing physical resources, and reinforcing human resources. Stress management includes reorganization of perception, resolving conflicts, division of role, preparing communication strategies, time management, creating familiarity, supporting spirituality, and developing sense of humor. CONCLUSION: This study provides useful resources to promote nursing activities by identifying possible family nursing interventions.
Cooperative Behavior ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Family Nursing* ; Friends ; Health Education ; Humans ; Motivation ; Nursing ; Nursing Care ; Recognition (Psychology) ; Referral and Consultation ; Social Welfare ; Spirituality ; Time Management

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the relationship among conflict management style, communication competence and nurse-physician collaboration in hospital nurses and physicians. METHODS: This is a descriptive study. Using a questionnaire, data were collected from 230 nurses and 107 physicians at a university hospital in D city. With SPSS/WIN 22.0 program, data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Physicians scored the highest for communication competence in nurse-physician relationship and the lowest in medical decision making, while nurses scored the highest in patient information sharing and the lowest in nurse-physician relationship. Physicians with problem solving tendency scored higher in communication competence than those with avoiding tendency. Among the nurses, those with avoiding tendency scored the lowest. For both physicians and nurses, communication competence showed a significant negative correlation with avoidance. For nurses there was also a significant positive correlation with compromising tendency. Finally, there was a significant correlation between nurse-physician collaboration and communication competence in both groups. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that nurse-physician collaboration and communication competence are correlated with conflict management style. We suggest educational programs at more hospitals in various locations to improve nurse-physician collaboration reflecting conflict management style.
Clinical Decision-Making ; Cooperative Behavior* ; Humans ; Information Dissemination ; Mental Competency* ; Problem Solving

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between job stress and turnover intention and the mediating effect of job embeddedness on the relationship among hospital nurses in rural areas. Methods: This is a descriptive study. A total of 277 registered nurses were enrolled in the study from three hospitals in rural areas of South Korea from April 29 to May 10, 2019. The participants completed self-reporting questionnaires, which measured job stress, turnover intention, and job embeddedness, and collected demographic information. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0, for multiple regression, and a simple mediation model applying the Hayes PROCESS macro with a 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval (5,000 bootstrap resampling). Results: Job stress had a direct effect (c’=0.35, p<.001) on turnover intention. It was also demonstrated that job embeddedness partially mediated the relationship between job stress and turnover intention among the hospital nurses (a ․ b=-0.40 × -0.58=0.23, 95% Boot C). Conclusion The job stress and turnover intention of nurses in rural areas are not higher than those in large cities. Nevertheless, hospital administrators need to provide a nursing workforce policy to increase job embeddedness and reduce nurses’ turnover intention.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze articles published in the Journal of the Korean Academy of Nursing (JKAN) between 2010 and 2019, along with those published in three international nursing journals, to improve JKAN’s international reputation. Methods: The overall characteristics of JKAN’s published papers and keywords, study participants, types of nursing interventions and dependent variables, citations, and cited journals were analyzed. Additionally, the keywords and study designs, publication-related characteristics, journal impact factors (JIF), and Eigenfactor scores of International Journal of Nursing Studies (IJNS), International Nursing Review (INR), Nursing & Health Sciences (NHS), and JKAN were analyzed and compared. Results: Among the four journals, JKAN’s score was the lowest in both the journal impact factor and Eigenfactor score. In particular, while the JIF of INR and NHS has been continuously increasing; JKAN’s JIF has remained static for almost 10 years. The journals which had cited JKAN and those which JKAN had cited were mainly published in Korean. Conclusion JKAN still has a low IF and a low ranking among Social Citation Index (E) journals during the past 10 years, as compared to that of four international journals. To enhance JKAN’s status as an international journal, it is necessary to consider publishing it in English and to continuously improve the conditions of other publications.