INTRODUCTION: Critical thinking involves identifying problem(s), assessing resources, and generating possible solutions and allows clinical nurses to decide which solution is the most reasonable under the given circumstances, taking into consideration the "what ifs" and how they will affect the end result. This research was conducted to further understanding and identification of subjective factors in critical thinking in clinical nurses. METHODS: The research design was a Q-Methodological Approach. Q-population was formulated from a non-structured questionnaire and interviews from 17 experienced clinical nurses. Thirty selected Q-statements were sorted by 30 experienced clinical nurses. RESULTS: Four factors for critical thinking were identified: (1) Deductive reasoning based on causal relation, (2) Construction of an effective model based on patients' responses, (3) Formulating categories based on priorities for effective interventions, and (4) Judging validity of the situational significance on clinical performances. CONCLUSION: Critical thinking is an attitude and reasoning process. From this study, the frame of reference for clinical nurses in formulating critical thinking within the context of clinical settings is identified and indicates the way nurses utilize thinking skills when they care for patients and areas that need further exploration as nurses and faculty develop education systems to advance clinical performance competency.
Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Research Design ; Thinking

For 16 years after the finding of HIV as an agent of AIDS in 1981, HIV therapeutic drugs of reverse transcriptase inhibitors (AZT, ddI, ddC, d4T) and protease inhibitors have been developed. Recent studies also were focused on a combination therapy by using HIV therapeutic drugs or natural compounds. Korean red ginseng (KRG) of natural compounds has been well known as a good reinforcement agent in Asia. The percentage of CD3+CD4+ T cell in nine HIV-infected patients without KRG treatment averaged 17.8% on baseline and decreased 15.8% after 6 months, whereas the percentage of the cell in fifteen HIV-infected patients with KRG treatment averaged 15.3% on baseline and increased up to 18.9% after the same period. The average percentage of CD3+CD8+ T cell of KRG-nontreated and KRG-treated HIV patients increased after 6 months 47.8% to 50.7% and 44.7% to 51.4%, respectively; and the average percentage of B and NK cell in the KRG-nontreated and KRG-treated HIV patients decreased 9.4% to 7.9% and 13.0% to 9.7%, 8.9% to 8.5% and 16.2% to 11.6%, respectively, KRG, therefore, didn't have any effects on the CD3+CD8+ T cell, B cell, and NK cell. However, it seems that KRG has a potential activity for stimulating the
Asia ; HIV ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Lymphocyte Subsets* ; Lymphocytes* ; Panax* ; Protease Inhibitors ; Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Korean women doctors have expanded their activities globally in various fields within the international community. This study conducted face-to-face interviews or e-mail surveys of representatives among internationally active women doctors with experience in working with the Medical Women's International Association and the World Health Organization. Conveying the activities of these senior women doctors will be valuable to the younger generation of doctors who are interested in international health and who aspire to become potential leaders in the international health care scene in the future.

Korean women doctors have expanded their activities globally in various fields within the international community. This study conducted face-to-face interviews or e-mail surveys of representatives among internationally active women doctors with experience in working with the Medical Women's International Association and the World Health Organization. Conveying the activities of these senior women doctors will be valuable to the younger generation of doctors who are interested in international health and who aspire to become potential leaders in the international health care scene in the future.
Delivery of Health Care ; Electronic Mail ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; World Health Organization

The purpose of this study was to describe and understand how diabetics dealt with the result of the various changes of lifestyle. The grounded theory approach of qualitative research methods was used for building a substantive theory about that. The subjects of this study were 10 clients who experienced diabetes from 4 to 30 years. The data was collected from August 1999 to November 1999 through in-depth interviews utilizing home visitation and telephone interview technique then it was and analyzed simultaneously by a constant comparative method in which the new data was continuously coded into categories and properties according to Strauss & Corbin,s methodology. One hundred six concepts were found and they were grouped into 35 categories and then into 14 categories. The results were as follows difficulty, unable to overcome the changes, disposition, disease process, tiredness, supportive environment, perception, handling, concent- ration, mastering, endurance, avoidance, giving up and tailoring. The core phenomenon was 'tiredness' and these categories were synthesized into one core concept, the process of tailoring. The process of tailoring in diabetics consisted of: 1) going through difficulty of disease management 2) experiencing tiredness from the difficulty of disease management 3) perception of disease from tiredness 4) undergoing various self-management 5) controlling the process of tailoring by one's own method. Six hypotheses were derived from the relation of these concepts and four types were from intensity of tiredness, direction of disposition, type of disease process and the level of supportive environment and perception. This study offers better understanding on diabetic experiences and may facilitate more appropriate interventive strategies to provide support, information and knowledge. The nurses should utilize the results to help diabetics enjoy their lives without any trouble and must continuously develop nursing knowledges and skills.
Disease Management ; House Calls ; Interviews as Topic ; Life Style ; Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Self Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide a basis for improvement and enhancement of nursing education by investigating learning outcomes that apply to fundamentals of nursing and teaching methods used in classes. METHODS: Data were collected from 111 professors of fundamentals of nursing who responded to the self-report questionnaire. Data were analyzed using chi-square test. RESULTS: For learning outcomes in fundamentals of nursing the most frequent number of outcomes was two (35.2%), or three (32.4%). For learning outcomes in fundamentals of nursing practicum, the most frequent number of outcomes was two (32.4%), or three (31.6%). In fundamental nursing classes, teaching methods used most frequently were lectures (98.2%) and videos (60.4%), and in practice classes, demonstration (98.2) and open laboratory (90.9%). Constructivist teaching methods that were utilized in fundamental nursing were team-based learning (19.8%) and case-based learning (19.8%), and for practice classes, objective structured clinical examination (29.7%). In the cross analysis, 28.8% of the nursing professor used the constructivist teaching methods in fundamental nursing and in practice classes. CONCLUSION: There is a need to continue to improve teaching methods for new nurse-educators and professors and to discuss learning outcomes of fundamental nursing.
Education ; Education, Nursing ; Learning* ; Lectures ; Nursing* ; Teaching*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to assess the methodological quality of non-randomized studies published in the Journal of Korean Fundamentals of Nursing. METHODS: A search of non-randomized studies assessing intervention effects was conducted among all articles published in the Journal of Korean Fundamentals of Nursing between 2011 and 2013. Articles were assessed for quality using the Methodological Index for Non Randomized Studies (MINORS). For each index item, the frequency and percentage of articles meeting the criteria were calculated, along with mean scores by research method, publication year, and research topic. RESULTS: A total of 22 studies were included. The mean score for studies without control groups was 11.75 (range 0-16), and for those with control groups, 19.27 (range 0-24). Results show that improvement is needed on several items: "endpoints appropriate to the aim of the study," "unbiased assessment of the study endpoint," "follow-up period appropriate to the aim of the study," "loss to follow up less than 5%," and "contemporary groups." CONCLUSION: Although the quality of articles published in the Journal of Korean Fundamentals of Nursing has consistently increased, more emphasis should be placed on using rigorous research methods.
Follow-Up Studies ; Clinical Trial ; Nursing* ; Publications

Traditionally, total parenteral nutrition(TPN) has been used when patients with hypaemesis gravidarum failed to respond to conservative management, but now many physicians attempt to enteral feeding via nasogastric tube because TPN is expensive and has many complications. Recently, we experienced 2 cases of hyperemesis gravidarum successfully managed by enteral feeding via nasogastric tube, therefore we think that this method may be carefully considered to the patients with hyperemesis gravidarum failed to respond to conservative management. So we report them with brief review of the literatures.
Enteral Nutrition* ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperemesis Gravidarum* ; Pregnancy

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to suggest direction and strategy of safety education proper to elementary school children. METHOD: The subject of this survey consisted of 313 3rd-5th grade from 4 elementary schools in Kyungi-Do and Kwangwon-Do. Data were collected from March to May, 2002 using a questionnaire about "safety education needs", "knowledge about injury prevention", "attitude about injury prevention. RESULT: 1. The degree of safety education needs showed averaged 77.50 on the basis of 100 points. 2. The degree of knowledge and attitude about injury prevention showed averaged 72.81 and 81.74 seperately on the basis of 100 points. 3. With the respect to the demographic characteristics, there were stastically significant differences in safety education need according to children's grade(F=8.692, p=.003), sex(t=-2.059, p=.040), family type(t=-2.229, p=.027) and in knowledge & attitude about injury prevention, there statiscally significant difference according to experience of injury prevention education(t=3.058, p=.003; t=5.308, p=.000) each. 4. The level of safety education needs is correlated at signficant level with knowledge and attitude about injury prevention of childrens(r=.166, p=.048; r=.265, p=.001) and between knowledge and attitude about injury prevention, there was significant correlation (r=.427, p=.000). CONCLUSION: From this results, nurses can plan safety education program appropriate to children's needs, level of knowledge and attitude about injury prevention.
Child* ; Education* ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma arising from a B-cell lineage characterized by the formation of malignant effusion in body cavities without evidence of a detectable tumor. The effusion contains tumor cells universally infected with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), which is the critical factor differentiating PEL from HHV8-unrelated PEL-like lymphoma (PEL-LL). This report describes a 77-year-old male patient with pleural effusion and ascites, containing lymphoma cells expressing a B-cell phenotype, but without markers of HHV8 in immunocytochemical analysis. The patient was diagnosed with PEL-LL and treated with six cycles of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CHOP), which resulted in a complete remission. The patient is currently disease-free 15 months post-treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on administration of R-CHOP in a PEL-LL patient in South Korea.
Aged* ; Ascites ; B-Lymphocytes ; Cyclophosphamide* ; Doxorubicin* ; Herpesvirus 8, Human ; Humans* ; Korea ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, Primary Effusion ; Male ; Phenotype ; Pleural Effusion ; Prednisolone* ; Rituximab* ; Vincristine*