PURPOSE: This study developed and evaluated a systematic intervention among medical ICU nurses for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia (hereafter VAP). METHODS: A VAP prevention program was proposed based on a literature review, revised to fit the target situation, and validated. It was composed of one-time interventions including education, pamphlets, hand cultures, and a quiz event, as well as repeated interventions such as posters, reminders, posting hand culture results, and performance feedback. A simulated control group pretest-posttest design was used to verify the effectiveness of the VAP control program. The incidence of VAP among ICU patients was measured both during 3 months before (n = 80) and during 3 months after (n = 75) intervention. RESULTS: The VAP prevention program's effectiveness, with a pre-intervention VAP rate of 17.38 and post-intervention rate of 11.04 per 1,000 ventilator days, showed a clinical tendency to decrease, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = .750). CONCLUSION: A VAP prevention program of multiple interventions can be useful in decreasing the VAP rate. Given that the monthly decrease in the VAP rate was not considered statistically significant, long-term research needs to be done. Additionally, since this study targeted only nurses, it is suggested that future research targets other health care workers who can influence VAP rates.
Delivery of Health Care ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units ; Pamphlets ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated ; Program Evaluation ; Ventilators, Mechanical

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to identify the relationships between family function and successful aging of vulnerable elderly using the circumplex model. METHODS: The participants were the elderly (N=401) who were over 65 years old living in H city under the National Livelihood Security Act. Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III and Successful Aging Instrument were used. RESULTS: The family function perceived by the study subjects was average 43.20 +/- 16.62 out of maximum 100 points. According to the analysis on family types suggested by circumplex model, there were 183 people for balance family (45.6%) and 218 people (54.4%) for extreme family. The total points on successful aging were 1.67 +/- 0.37 out of 3 points. When the difference in points on the Successful Aging instrument were analyzed according to the scores on the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale those points of the balanced family were statistically significant (t=2.087, p=.038). CONCLUSION: In case of the balanced family type, the level of perceiving successful aging was relatively higher. For the improvement of family function, it is advised that the successful aging perception among vulnerable elderly can be uplifted through a program that enables effective communication with other family members.
Aged ; Aging ; Humans

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the types of family function and mental health in low-income middle aged women using the circumplex model. METHOD: A descriptive research design was used. A sample of 116 low income middle aged women participated in the study. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III was used to measure the types of family function. Mental health was measured by the SCL. RESULTS: The types of family function identified were balance family (59.4%), extreme family (25.9%), and mid-range family (14.7%). Significant differences were found in mental health by the family cohesion (F=3.44, p=.019) and family adaptability (F=3.31, p=.023). The mental health status of extreme family was better than mid-range family and balanced family, but such result was not statistically significant (F=0.25, p=.783). CONCLUSION: The Circumplex model's main hypothesis was not empirically supported that extreme family has more problematic than mid-range family and balance family. These findings emphasize the need for the development of a family system model for Korean family.
Female ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Middle Aged ; Research Design