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1.A Study on the Improvement of Work Environment to Prevent Plastic House Syndrome in Korea.

Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine 1997;45(5):647-658

We investigated environmental conditions in plastic houses and collected basic physiological data which might help to prevent what is called “plastic house syndrome.” The results of the study is summarized as follows
1. The internal environment is closely related to the changes in external temperarure as well as the size, type, direction of house, and growing crops. Also, physiological responses were defferent according to the conditions of the internal environment and hardness of work. The current investigation confirmed that working conditions in single-type small plastic houses were worse than in multiple-type houses with same crops.
2. A major facter of physiological stress for the greenhouse workers was the sudden change in temperature (16-23°C) between the inside and outside of the plastic house during the winter season.
3. Since the temperature within the single-type small plastic house rises up to 50° during spring months, workers experienced more severe thermal load and mental stress from prolonged work.
4. It was suggested that an improved type with a resting room might help to reduce the physiological stress and buffer the sudden change of working enviroment. Thus, it is recommended to provide a resting room whose temperarure is intermediate between external and internal temperatures, so that workers might be able to adjust themselves to the environment when they follow the safety procedures.
5. It is safe to conclude that the temperature in the resting area should be kept half way between outdoor and room temperatures, even though there must be some variation with the type of house and crops. According to the current investigation, therefore, a resting area should keep the temperature between 13-16°C 28-31°C during winter and spring, respectively.

2.Perceived Powerlessness in Hospitalized Elderly Patients.

Soo Jeong CHOI

Journal of Korean Academy of Adult Nursing 2001;13(4):601-609

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the degree of perceived powerlessness in hospitalized elderly patients of the medical and surgical unit. METHOD: The instrument for this study was the Powerlessness Behavioral Assessment Tool(Miller, 1983). The reliability of the instruments was .85. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA. RESULTS: The results were as follows; 1. The mean score of powerlessness was 35.02(SD=+/-9.24) in a range of 19 to 64, and the mean of powerlessness was total 1.84. Among 4 subscales, the highest score was in the area of verbal response (M=1.98), and the lowest score for powerlessness was in the area of daily activities(M=1.74). In all items, 'verbal expression of fatalism' showed the highest score(M=2.78), and 'verbal expressions of giving up' showed the lowest score(M=1.38). 2. There were significant differences in the level of powerlessness according to hospitalization experience(t=-3.03, p=0.006), medical treatment experience(t=.291, p=.004). Especially, there was significant difference according to the hospitalization experience of the hospital in all sub-scales. CONCLUSION: Based on these conclusions, nursing education for patient's diseases and treatment can be used for proper nursing intervention in reducing the level of powerlessness of hospitalized elderly.
Aged* ; Education, Nursing ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Nursing