PURPOSE: This study aimed to characterize the relationship between parental stress and nurses' communication as perceived by parents of high-risk newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: The participants were 54 parents of high-risk newborns in a NICU. Data were collected from January to March 2018. Parental stress and parents' perceptions of nurses' communication ability and styles were measured using a questionnaire. RESULTS: The average scores for parental stress and nurses' communication ability were 3.39 and 4.38 respectively, on a 5-point scale. Parents most commonly reported that nurses showed a friendly communication style, followed by informative and authoritative styles. Mothers and fathers reported significantly different levels of parental stress. Parental stress showed a negative correlation with nurses' perceived verbal communication ability. Higher scores for nurses' verbal communication ability and for friendly and informative communication styles were associated with lower parental stress induced by the environment, the baby's appearance and behaviors, and treatments in the NICU. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that nurses need to offer proper information for parents and to support parents by encouraging them to express their emotions of stress and by providing parents with therapeutic communication and opportunities to participate in care.
Communication ; Fathers ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Mothers ; Parents ; Stress, Psychological

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated that spirituality has protective effects on depression. However, there are only few studies on the theoretical mechanism showing how spirituality effects on depression. Thus, to find mediating variables explaining the relationship between the spirituality and depression may help to develop appropriate program for reducing depression in elderly cancer patients. In this study, we examined the effect of optimism and pessimism as their mediating effects on depression. METHODS: This study is to verify the relationships between spirituality and depression along with the mediating effects of optimism and pessimism among 600 South Korean elderly cancer patients who participated in a community-based study about their mental health. RESULTS: Optimism and pessimism are linked with spirituality and depression. Higher spirituality levels were associated with increased optimistic thinking, and then optimistic thinking is associated with low possibility of depression, whereas lower spirituality levels were associated with more pessimistic thinking, and in turn pessimistic thinking is associated with high depression scores. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding optimism and pessimism affecting depression level is critical for developing spirituality-based programs to reduce depression in elderly cancer patients.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Negotiating* ; Optimism* ; Pessimism* ; Spirituality* ; Thinking

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the improvement of food habits and eating behavior of cancer patients during treatment through the continuous nutrition counseling and monitoring. METHODS: Thirty cancer patients during treatment were participated in this study, and the first nutrition counseling and the first and second monitoring were conducted after 2-3 week intervals. RESULTS: As a result of the nutrition counseling and monitoring, all patients improved to a great extent to consume 3 meals a day. The frequency of having breakfast was significantly increased with the nutrition counseling and continuous monitoring as well. The meal fixed quantity was stabilized and the eating speed slowed down as more nutrition counseling were done. The snack intakes of patients did not show any significant difference after the nutrition counseling but showed a slight decline after the monitoring. The frequencies of eating out and a late-night meal significantly decreased after the monitoring. The intakes of fish, meat, vegetables, milk and fruits needed for a well-balanced diet significantly increased as more nutrition counseling were done. The intakes of processed food were significantly decreased after the nutrition counseling and the intakes of fast food were significantly decreased as more nutrition counseling were done. The water intake of patients also significantly increased. In the eating behavior related to health, the frequency of drinking alcohol significantly decreased after nutrition counseling consultation and no patients had dietary supplements after the first monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that continuous nutrition counseling is effective in improving eating habits of cancer patients.
Breakfast ; Counseling* ; Diet ; Dietary Supplements ; Drinking ; Eating ; Fast Foods ; Feeding Behavior ; Food Habits ; Fruit ; Humans ; Meals ; Meat ; Milk ; Snacks ; Vegetables

BACKGROUND: The study examined the correlations among the results of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)-Quality of Life Questionnaire, Core 30 (QLQ-C30) completed by elderly cancer patients and their family caregivers and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)-performance status (PS) evaluated by medical doctors. METHODS: The study sample included 269 persons with cancer aged 55 years or older and their family caregivers recruited from hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The results of the ECOG-PS evaluated by medical doctors were obtained from medical records. Intra-class correlation analysis was used to assess rater reliability between the elderly cancer patients and their family caregivers. Correlations among the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the ECOG-PS were tested using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearmen's correlation. RESULTS: The results showed that four subscales of quality of life (physical functioning, emotional functioning, social functioning, and global health status) and three items under symptoms (fatigue, pain, and financial difficulties) in the EORTC QLQ-C30 were highly consistent between patients and their family caregivers. From the EORTC QLQ-C30 results, social functioning, role functioning, health status, fatigue, pain, and appetite loss (patients results) and physical functioning (family caregivers results) were highly consistent with the results of the ECOG-PS by the physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that when the older persons with cancer have difficulty expressing their own thoughts or feelings, the EORTC QLQ-C30 completed by their family caregivers and the results of the ECOG-PS completed by the physicians could be used as substitutes.
Aged ; Appetite ; Caregivers* ; Fatigue ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Medical Staff* ; Quality of Life* ; Seoul

Purpose: Drug-coated devices have been widely accepted as one of the most promising therapies for femoropopliteal artery revascularization. A recent meta-analysis showed increased mortality in patients treated with drug-coated devices. We sought to examine the association between mortality and drug-coated devices after the treatment of the femoropopliteal artery based on the Korea national administrative claims data. Methods: In the National Health Insurance Service database from August 2015 to December 2017, we identified patients with femoropopliteal artery revascularization using percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), bare metal stents (BMS), drug-coated balloon (DCB), or drug-eluting stents (DES). Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate the survival among devices, and log-rank tests were used to evaluate differences between groups. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were computed using the inverse probability of treatment weightings (IPTW). Results: There were 1,724 patients (mean age, 70.9 ± 10.7 years; male, 1,350 [78.3%]) included in the analysis. The median follow-up period was 552 days (interquartile range, 404–688 days). There was a difference in IPTW-adjusted mortality risk among device types (26.3% in PTA, 22.1% in BMS, 17.7% in DCB, and 17.8% in DES; P = 0.004). IPTW-adjusted Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that drug-coated devices were associated with decreased all-cause mortality risk (aHR, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.58–0.86). Conclusion Our real-world analysis showed that there was no evidence of increased all-cause mortality after femoropopliteal artery revascularization with drug-coated devices compared with non-drug-coated devices.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate intervention has not been developed and implemented because depression has been overlooked for older cancer patients. However, because depression is prevalent among this population, the need for the intervention is high. The objective of this study was to verify the effectiveness of the problem-solving therapy program in reducing depression level for older cancer patients. METHODS: The experimental participants were recruited by social workers in five university hospitals in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon. Using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), older cancer patients who scored between 10–19 points are selected. The subjects were assigned to the experimental group (30 patients) and the control group (30 patients) according to their will, and the experimental group participated in the problem solving therapy program for 6 weeks. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression 10 Scale and the Social Problem Solving Ability Scale were used to verify the effectiveness of the problem-solving program. RESULTS: The group homogeneity test indicated that the experimental group and the control group are homogeneous. The results of this study showed that the depression of older cancer patients had a significant positive correlation with the negative attitude toward the problem. The effectiveness of the problem solving program was significantly reduced in the experimental group (Z=−3.534, P < 0.001). And the social problem solving ability of experimental group was significantly improved (Z=−2.908, P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS The problem-solving therapy program is effective for depression in geriatric cancer patients and this result suggests that it can be implemented as an alternative medical treatment.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate intervention has not been developed and implemented because depression has been overlooked for older cancer patients. However, because depression is prevalent among this population, the need for the intervention is high. The objective of this study was to verify the effectiveness of the problem-solving therapy program in reducing depression level for older cancer patients. METHODS: The experimental participants were recruited by social workers in five university hospitals in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon. Using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), older cancer patients who scored between 10–19 points are selected. The subjects were assigned to the experimental group (30 patients) and the control group (30 patients) according to their will, and the experimental group participated in the problem solving therapy program for 6 weeks. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression 10 Scale and the Social Problem Solving Ability Scale were used to verify the effectiveness of the problem-solving program. RESULTS: The group homogeneity test indicated that the experimental group and the control group are homogeneous. The results of this study showed that the depression of older cancer patients had a significant positive correlation with the negative attitude toward the problem. The effectiveness of the problem solving program was significantly reduced in the experimental group (Z=−3.534, P < 0.001). And the social problem solving ability of experimental group was significantly improved (Z=−2.908, P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The problem-solving therapy program is effective for depression in geriatric cancer patients and this result suggests that it can be implemented as an alternative medical treatment.
Depression ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Gangwon-do ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Problem Solving ; Seoul ; Social Problems ; Social Work ; Social Workers

Purpose: Drug-coated devices have been widely accepted as one of the most promising therapies for femoropopliteal artery revascularization. A recent meta-analysis showed increased mortality in patients treated with drug-coated devices. We sought to examine the association between mortality and drug-coated devices after the treatment of the femoropopliteal artery based on the Korea national administrative claims data. Methods: In the National Health Insurance Service database from August 2015 to December 2017, we identified patients with femoropopliteal artery revascularization using percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), bare metal stents (BMS), drug-coated balloon (DCB), or drug-eluting stents (DES). Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate the survival among devices, and log-rank tests were used to evaluate differences between groups. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were computed using the inverse probability of treatment weightings (IPTW). Results: There were 1,724 patients (mean age, 70.9 ± 10.7 years; male, 1,350 [78.3%]) included in the analysis. The median follow-up period was 552 days (interquartile range, 404–688 days). There was a difference in IPTW-adjusted mortality risk among device types (26.3% in PTA, 22.1% in BMS, 17.7% in DCB, and 17.8% in DES; P = 0.004). IPTW-adjusted Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that drug-coated devices were associated with decreased all-cause mortality risk (aHR, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.58–0.86). Conclusion Our real-world analysis showed that there was no evidence of increased all-cause mortality after femoropopliteal artery revascularization with drug-coated devices compared with non-drug-coated devices.

Objective: To compare the incidence of aspiration pneumonia, nausea, and vomiting after intravascular administration of nonionic iodinated contrast media (ICM) between patients who fasted before contrast injection and those who did not. Materials and Methods: Ovid-MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched from their inception dates until September 2022 to identify original articles that met the following criteria: 1) randomized controlled trials or observational studies, 2) separate reports of the incidence of aspiration pneumonia, nausea, and vomiting after intravascular injection of non-ionic ICM, and 3) inclusion of patients undergoing radiological examinations without fasting. A bivariate beta-binomial model was used to compare the risk difference in adverse events between fasting and non-fasting groups. The I2 statistic was used to assess heterogeneity across the studies. Results: Ten studies, encompassing 308013 patients (non-fasting, 158442), were included in this meta-analysis. No cases of aspiration pneumonia were reported. The pooled incidence of nausea was 4.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4%, 7.8%) in the fasting group and 4.6% (95% CI: 1.1%, 8.1%) in the non-fasting group. The pooled incidence of vomiting was 2.1% (95% CI: 0.0%, 4.2%) in the fasting group and 2.5% (95% CI: 0.7%, 4.2%) in the non-fasting group. The risk difference (incidence in the non-fasting group–incidence in the fasting group) in the incidence of nausea and vomiting was 0.0% (95% CI: -4.7%, 4.7%) and 0.4% (95% CI: -2.3%, 3.1%), respectively. Heterogeneity between the studies was low (I2 = 0%–13.5%). Conclusion Lack of fasting before intravascular administration of non-ionic ICM for radiological examinations did not increase the risk of emetic complications significantly. This finding suggests that hospitals can relax fasting policies without compromising patient safety.

BACKGROUND: This research is an exploratory study that is based on previous studies focusing on relationship between the doctors and the elderly cancer patients; moreover, the research focuses on the doctors' negative attitudes and discriminative behaviors towards the elderly cancer patients so that we may be able to suggest the ways to decrease the ageism. METHODS: Qualitative method and quantitative method were applied sequently. In this research, we practiced in-depth interviews with 8 doctors and then the surveys with 274 doctors. The in-depth interview questions were categorized depending on meaningful testimonies and the survey data were analyzed in the descriptive statistic analysis and paired t-test using PASW statistics 18. RESULTS: Through the in-depth interviews, the following is observed: the doctors rarely notify the elderly cancer patients directly; the family members of patients avoids the doctors to do so; and the doctors even show different attitudes or discriminatory actions to the elderly. Based on the in-depth interview results, the questions on notifying methods of the diagnosis and how to explain for treatment were developed and performed as a survey. Through the survey, only 8.4% of the doctors reported they directly notify the elderly cancer patient; moreover, they also reported they provide less information on treatment, side-effects, prognosis, and medical cost to the elderly than the middle-aged. CONCLUSIONS: This research not only discovered the presence of discrimination towards the elderly cancer patients but also suggested the causes of it. In order to resolve the phenomenon, doctors must consider individualized difference and variability of physiological function and should be aware of the psychological change after the cancer diagnosis to better communicate with them. Additionally, the social family culture which overprotects the elderly must be changed.
Aged* ; Ageism* ; Diagnosis* ; Disclosure* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Methods ; Prognosis