PURPOSE: This exploratory study was undertaken to analyze the information needs of family members of terminal cancer patients, collected through the telephone counselling service by National Cancer Information Center. METHODS: The study included 113 family members of terminal cancer patients who had enrolled at the National Cancer Information Center for the period from June, 2007 through March, 2008 and had agreed to the survey. RESULTS: The subjects (n=113) consisted of grown-up children (n=82) and spouses (n=8) of patients'. Those in their 40's (n=40) and 30's (n=36) accounted for the majority of the sample. The questions raised most were about the information on treatment methods (n=117), management of terminal cancer patients (n=46), terminal cancer patients' life (n=27), deathbed and prediction of remaining life (n=18), hospitalization (n=16), and financial support (n=15). Most of the subjects were satisfied with the telephone counseling services, and 69% of the subjects had come to know about the telephone counseling service via Internet, and 10.6% of them stated that the PR for the service was poor. CONCLUSION: It is deemed essential for the government to use the mass media for PR of the hospice services, since family members of terminal cancer patients' are less aware of the hospice conducive to enhancement of patients' remaining quality of life, being involued too deeply in their treatment.
Child ; Counseling ; Financial Support ; Hospices ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Information Centers ; Information Services ; Internet ; Mass Media ; Quality of Life ; Spouses ; Telephone

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study to develop a fringed fall prevention program based on King's goal attainment theory and education. This study is applied to the personal, interpersonal, and social systems of fall high-risk patients to test its effects. METHODS: This study was a nonequivalent control group pre- and post-test design. There were 52 fall high-risk patients in the experimental group and 45 in the control group. The experimental group received six sessions, with the group sessions lasting 60 minutes and the individual sessions lasting 20~30 minutes. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, an χ2-test, a paired sample t-test, and a Wilcoxon signed-ranks test utilizing IBM SPSS software. RESULTS: For the 3-month intervention period, the fall prevention program was found to be particularly effective for patients in the experimental group (from 3.38 to 1.69 per 1000 patient days; p=.044), as opposed to the control group (from 1.94 to 1.49 per 1000 patient days; p=.300). For the 6-month follow up period, the fall prevention program was again found to be effective for patients in the experimental group (from 3.26 to 0.76 per 1000 patient days; p=.049) compared to the control group (from 1.98 to 1.01 per 1000 patient days; p=.368). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the fringed fall prevention program is very effective in reducing falls, not only during the intervention period, but also after the intervention period has ended. We can therefore recommend this program for use concerning fall high-risk patients in long-term care hospitals.
Accidental Falls ; Aged ; Education ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Long-Term Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study to develop a fringed fall prevention program based on King's goal attainment theory and education. This study is applied to the personal, interpersonal, and social systems of fall high-risk patients to test its effects. METHODS: This study was a nonequivalent control group pre- and post-test design. There were 52 fall high-risk patients in the experimental group and 45 in the control group. The experimental group received six sessions, with the group sessions lasting 60 minutes and the individual sessions lasting 20~30 minutes. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, an χ2-test, a paired sample t-test, and a Wilcoxon signed-ranks test utilizing IBM SPSS software. RESULTS: For the 3-month intervention period, the fall prevention program was found to be particularly effective for patients in the experimental group (from 3.38 to 1.69 per 1000 patient days; p=.044), as opposed to the control group (from 1.94 to 1.49 per 1000 patient days; p=.300). For the 6-month follow up period, the fall prevention program was again found to be effective for patients in the experimental group (from 3.26 to 0.76 per 1000 patient days; p=.049) compared to the control group (from 1.98 to 1.01 per 1000 patient days; p=.368). CONCLUSION These resultsindicate that the fringed fall prevention program is very effective in reducing falls, not only during the intervention period, but also after the intervention period has ended. We can therefore recommend this program for use concerning fall high-risk patients in long-term care hospitals.

PURPOSE: This study determined the prenatal and postnatal factors associated with complications and prognosis in premature infants with leukemoid reaction. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of premature infants with gestational ages <37 weeks and low birth weights (<2,500 g) who were admitted immediately after birth to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital between June 2005 and July 2006. A leukemoid reaction was defined as an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) >30,000/mm3. The infants who had leukemoid reaction comprised the study group, while the remainder of infants made up the control group. The relationships between maternal and neonatal variables and ANC were studied. RESULTS: Leukemoid reaction was detected in 3.1% of the study infants (8 of 252). Factors more frequently associated with infants with leukemoid reaction were as follows: maternal chorioamnionitis, high levels of maternal and infant C-reactive protein, gestational age <37 weeks, birth weight <2,500 g, low Apgar score, prolonged ventilator support, and a high incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). However, there were no significant differences with respect to the antenatal usage of steroids, the incidences of patent ductus arteriosus, necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage, retinopathy of prematurity, and mortality between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Leukemoid reaction in premature infants was associated with chorioamnionitis and high levels of serum C-reactive protein in mothers and infants, and BPD in infants. These findings suggest that leukemoid reaction is secondary to inflammation caused by infection.
Apgar Score ; Birth Weight ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; C-Reactive Protein ; Chorioamnionitis ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Inflammation ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Leukemoid Reaction ; Medical Records ; Mothers ; Neutrophils ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroids ; Ventilators, Mechanical

PURPOSE: To investigate levels of severity in dry eye syndrome according to Delphi panel classification. METHODS: Three hundred and twenty-two eyes of 166 patients with dry eye syndrome that did not have coexisting lid margin disease or altered tear distribution and clearance were categorized into 1 of 4 levels of severity, according to the symptoms and signs in the Delphi panel classification. A symptom score was proposed depending on the frequency and impact on the quality of life. Degree of corneal staining using Lissamin green was categorized using the Oxford Scheme. In addition, measurement of the tear film break-up time (BUT) and Schirmer test were performed. RESULTS: According to the levels of severity in the Delphi panel classification, 120 eyes (37.26%) were categorized as level1, 166 eyes (51.55%) as level 2, 30 eyes (9.31%) as level 3, and 6 eyes (1.86%) as level 4. Negative correlations were observed between the levels of severity, BUT, and measurements of the Schirmer test (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Of the 166 eyes with dry eye syndrome that did not have coexisting lid margin disease and altered tear distribution and clearance, 51.55% of eyes were classified as level 2, and 88.81% of eyes were classified as level 1 and level 2.
Dry Eye Syndromes ; Eye ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Tears