PURPOSE: Bedside electrocardiograph (ECG) monitoring is continuously used for assessing patients' cardiac status in intensive care units. However, it has not been explored whether it is used with proper knowledge and nursing practices; if not, its usage will be limited and the risk for compromised patient safety might be significant. This study, therefore, explored knowledge and nursing practices regarding bedside ECG monitoring in nurses working at intensive care units. METHODS: Participants in this survey research were a convenience sample of 156 nurses from 25 intensive care units distributed in five hospitals with more than 1,000 beds each in Seoul, South Korea. RESULTS: Participants showed limited and incorrect knowledge and nursing practices. Only 4 (2.6%) participants correctly answered to all electrode placement sites of RA, LA, LL, and V1. Lead II was the most frequently monitored unit regardless of the main purpose of ECG monitoring, and nursing practices to manage noisy signals did not include skin care at the top priorities. CONCLUSION: Educators and clinicians alike need to make an effort to ensure that a safe level of knowledge and practices for the monitoring is maintained in order to make sure that patient outcomes are not compromised.
Electrocardiography* ; Electrodes ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units* ; Korea ; Nursing* ; Patient Safety ; Seoul ; Skin Care

PURPOSE: Metabolic syndrome is an important cluster of coronary heart disease risk factors. However, it remains unclear to what extent metabolic syndrome is associated with demographic and potentially modifiable lifestyle factors among Korean persons with physical disabilities. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and influencing factors of metabolic syndrome among persons with physical disabilities using the Korean National Health Insurance Service—National Sample Cohort. METHODS: The Adult Treatment Panel III criteria were used to define metabolic syndrome influencing factors and prevalence, which were evaluated in a representative sample from the 2013 Korean National Health Insurance Service—National Sample Cohort database. Characteristics were compared based on frequency using the χ2 test. The associations between metabolic syndrome and its risk factors were estimated using logistic multivariable regression analysis. RESULTS: Metabolic syndrome was detected in 31.5% of the surveyed persons with physical disabilities. Female sex, age of ≥65 years, smoking, greater alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, higher body mass index, and a family history of diabetes were associated with increased risks of metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: The major risk factors for metabolic syndrome among persons with physical disabilities were obesity and older age. Performing physical activity was associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, we recommend using a continuous obesity management program and physical activity to prevent metabolic syndrome among persons with physical disabilities.
Adult ; Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Cohort Studies ; Coronary Disease ; Disabled Persons ; Female ; Humans ; Life Style ; Metabolic Syndrome X ; Motor Activity ; National Health Programs ; Obesity ; Prevalence* ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the effects of Type D personality on compassion fatigue, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and job stress in clinical nurses. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 172 clinical nurses working in two tertiary hospitals. The structured questionnaires included Type D personality scale, compassion fatigue, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and job stress scales. RESULTS: About 79.7% of participants were classified as Type D personality group. The Type D personality was not related to general characteristics of clinical nurses. The Type D personality group showed statistically significant higher compassion fatigue, burnout, and job stress and lower compassion satisfaction compared to the non-Type D personality group. In addition, compassion fatigue and burnout were positively correlated with job stress and compassion fatigue was positively correlated with burnout. However, compassion satisfaction was negatively correlated with burnout. CONCLUSION: As the prevalence of Type D personality is high in clinical nurses, it is necessary to assess stress-related personality. In addition, management for the nurse with Type D personality is required to alleviate compassion fatigue, burnout, and job stress and to improve compassion satisfaction.
Empathy* ; Fatigue* ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Type D Personality* ; Weights and Measures

No abstract available.
Ageusia* ; Humans ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Thymoma

PURPOSE: This study was performed to identify the levels of paclitaxel-containing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in relation to quality of life (QOL) in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 82 breast cancer patients with CIPN participated in this study. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires containing three instruments by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), such as QLQ-C30 for health-related QOL, QLQ-BR23 for breast cancer-related QOL, and QLQ-CIPN20 for CIPN. Scores from all three instruments were transformed into 0 to 100 scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN20 with descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlations. RESULTS: The mean score for each subscale of health-related QOL was 46.14 for global health status, 62.43 for functional scale, and 31.29 for symptom scale. The mean score for each subscale of breast cancer-related QOL was 56.55 for the functional scale and 42.06 for the symptom scale. Also, the CIPN's mean score on the sensory scale was 30.42, 24.03 on the motor scale, and 22.70 on the autonomic scale. There were significant moderate correlations between QOLs and CIPN (r ranged from -.37 to .65). CONCLUSION: There is a need to develop interventions for breast cancer patients to enhance their quality of life and to alleviate chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Humans ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation, according to postnatal age, between plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and echocardiographic parameters for the assessment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in preterm infants with respiratory distress. METHODS: We enrolled 42 preterm infants with respiratory distress who underwent serial echocardiographic evaluation with simultaneous plasma BNP measurements until ductal closure. The correlations between BNP levels and the following 4 representative echocardiographic parameters were studied: diameter of the ductus arteriosus (DA), ratio of the left atrial diameter to the aortic diameter (LA/Ao), ratio of the PDA diameter to the infant's left pulmonary artery diameter (PDA/LPA), and the antegrade diastolic flow of LPA (DFLPA). RESULTS: BNP levels were significantly correlated to the magnitude of the ductal shunt, comprising the DA diameter, PDA/LPA ratio, LA/Ao ratio, and antegrade DFLPA for the overall study period. The earliest significant correlation, starting from postnatal day 2, was observed between the LA/Ao ratio and BNP levels. The PDA/LPA ratio and the antegrade DFLPA showed significant correlations with BNP levels postnatal day 3 onward, and with the DA diameter, postnatal day 5 onward. CONCLUSION: BNP levels and echocardiographic parameters showed a positive correlation, but the significance of the correlations differed according to the postnatal age, especially during the first few days of life.
Ductus Arteriosus ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Echocardiography* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain* ; Plasma ; Pulmonary Artery

PURPOSE: This study was performed to assess the reliability and validity of the Korean version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy 20 items (EORTC QLQ-CIPN20) in patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy. METHODS: A convenience sample of 249 Korean cancer patients, previously or currently, being treated with peripheral neurotoxic chemotherapeutic agents were asked to fill in the questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0. Construct validity, known-group validity, concurrent validity, and internal consistency reliability of the Korean version of the QLQ-CIPN20 were evaluated. RESULTS: Factor analysis confirmed 3 dimensions of CIPN: sensory, motor, and autonomic. The factor loadings of the 20 items on the 3 subscales ranged from .38 to .85. The 3 subscale-model was validated by confirmatory factor analysis (GFI=.90, AGFI=.86, RMSR=.05, NFI=.87, and CFI=.94), and concurrent validity was demonstrated with the EORTC QLQ-C30. Furthermore, the QLQ-CIPN20 established known-group validity. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for internal consistency of the subscales ranged from .73 to .89. CONCLUSION: The Korean version of the EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 showed satisfactory construct, concurrent, and known-group validity, as well as internal reliability.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/drug therapy ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/*etiology ; Pilot Projects ; *Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea ; Research Design ; *Translating

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical factors that could influence the length of hospital stay (LHS) of infants with acute bronchiolitis using the bronchiolitis severity score (BSS). METHODS: The medical records of 105 infants aged 0–12 months with acute bronchiolitis who were admitted to a tertiary hospital between December 2014 and May 2015 were reviewed. The BSS was composed 5 factors, namely general condition, wheezing, chest retraction, respiration rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation, which were evaluated at admission. In addition, the age of the infants, LHS, body weight, birth history, familial history, laboratory test result, chest X-ray, and treatment modalities were reviewed. Subjects were classified into 3 groups according to their BSS, and logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association of the BSS with longer LHS. RESULTS: Among subjects, 62 were studied. Their mean LHS and age were 5.5±2.0 days and 3.9±2.7 months, respectively. Twelve infants were classified as mild (20.3%), 43 as moderate (68.8%), and 7 as severe (10.9%). Venous blood gas pH value and white blood cell count were the best predictors of disease severity. The LHS was associated with the BSS, age, body weight and pCO2 by venous blood gas analysis (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The LHS was associated with the BSS, age, body weight, and pCO₂ by venous blood gas analysis at admission. The BSS could be a useful tool to predict disease severity and decide treatment strategies for infants with acute bronchiolitis who have no known risk factors.
Blood Gas Analysis ; Body Weight ; Bronchiolitis* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Infant* ; Length of Stay* ; Leukocyte Count ; Logistic Models ; Medical Records ; Oxygen ; Reproductive History ; Respiratory Rate ; Respiratory Sounds ; Risk Factors ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Thorax

PURPOSE: This clinical pilot study was performed to determine the effectiveness of dual-energy cone-beam computed tomography (DE-CBCT) in measuring bone mineral density (BMD).MATERIALS AND METHODS: The BMD values obtained using DE-CBCT were compared to those obtained using calibrated multislice computed tomography (MSCT). After BMD calibration with specially designed phantoms, both DE-CBCT and MSCT scanning were performed in 15 adult dental patients. Three-dimensional (3D) Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine data were imported into a dental software program, and the defined regions of interest (ROIs) on the 3-dimensional surface-rendered images were identified. The automatically-measured BMD values of the ROIs (g/cm³), the differences in the measured BMD values of the matched ROIs obtained by DE-CBCT and MSCT 3D images, and the correlation between the BMD values obtained by the 2 devices were statistically analyzed.RESULTS: The mean BMD values of the ROIs for the 15 patients as assessed using DE-CBCT and MSCT were 1.09±0.07 g/cm³ and 1.13±0.08 g/cm³, respectively. The mean of the differences between the BMD values of the matched ROIs as assessed using DE-CBCT and calibrated MSCT images was 0.04±0.02 g/cm³. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the BMD values of DE-CBCT and MSCT images was 0.982 (r=0.982, P<0.001).CONCLUSION: The newly developed DE-CBCT technique could be used to measure jaw BMD in dentistry and may soon replace MSCT, which is expensive and requires special facilities.
Adult ; Bone Density ; Calibration ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Dentistry ; Humans ; Jaw ; Methods ; Miners ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Pilot Projects