PURPOSE: With a sample of cognitively impaired nursing home residents and nursing staff, the following were examined 1) the proportion and nature of aggressive behavior, 2) the frequency and types of aggressive behavior, 3) the difference between the residents who demonstrate aggressive behavior and those who do not demonstrate aggressive behavior (age, mental status, functional status, and pain, length of nursing home stay), and 4) nursing staff responses to aggressive behavior by residents. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. Data were collected from cognitively impaired nursing home residents (N=205) and nursing staff (N=60) at two nursing homes using Ryden Aggression Scale I and II, Mini-Mental State Exam, Modified Barthel Index, Verbal Descriptor Scale, and aggressive behavior management questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including t-test. RESULTS: About 62.9% residents were found to be aggressive and 38.5% were both physically and verbally aggressive. Pushing, making threatening gestures, hitting, slapping, cursing/obscene/vulgar languages, making verbal threats were occurred frequently. Aggressive residents were significantly older, had more cognitive impairment, had more pain, and stayed longer in the nursing home when compared with non-aggressive residents. Considerable proportion of nursing staff responded to aggressive behaviors inadequately. CONCLUSION: Aggressive behavior among cognitively impaired nursing home residents is prevalent thus needs to be prevented and reduced. Along with environmental modification, educational programs for nursing staff and family caregivers need to be developed and implemented so that they can have extensive knowledge and skills to manage aggressive behaviors.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Aggression/psychology ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Case-Control Studies ; Clinical Competence/standards ; Cognition Disorders/*complications/nursing ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education, Nursing, Continuing ; Female ; Geriatric Assessment ; Geriatric Nursing/education/organization & administration ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Inservice Training ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Mental Competency ; *Nursing Homes ; Nursing Staff/education/psychology ; Prevalence ; Psychomotor Agitation/epidemiology/*etiology/prevention & control/psychology ; Questionnaires ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: The purpose of study was to compare perceived nursing needs between patients having spinal surgery and the nurses caring for them. METHOD: The participants were from three general hospitals, 71 patients who were having spinal surgery and 63 nurses. Data were collected from September 18 to November 17, 2006. Frequencies, mean, and t-test with the SPSS PC 14.0 program were used to analyze the collected data. RESULTS: The score for perceived nursing needs during pre-op care was significantly different between the patients and nurses (t= -2.515, p= .013). The perceived nursing needs did not show significant differences in scores of perceived nursing needs at post-op or discharge. CONCLUSION: The results provide primary data to improve the quality of nursing care, plan, and implement appropriate nursing care for patients undergoing spinal surgery.
Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Nursing Care ; Spine

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for falls and to suggest data for developing a program for preventing falls. METHODS: This was a case-control study in five university hospitals and a general hospital. In total, 216 patients over the age of 18 yr admitted from January 1 to December 31, 2007 participated. One hundred eight patients with experience of falling were matched by gender, age level, diagnosis, and length of stay with 108 patents with no experience of falling admitted on the same unit. A quality assurance coordinator nurse in each hospital examined 35 fall risk factors developed by researchers. RESULTS: In acute hospitals, history of falls, orientation ability, dizziness or vertigo, general weakness, urination problems, transfer/mobility difficulty, walking dependency, impatience, benzodiazepines, diuretics, and vasodilators showed significance on adjusted-odds ratios for fall. Logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate the factors that influence falls. The probability of falls was increased by dizziness/vertigo, general weakness, and impatience/agitation. CONCLUSION: This finding can be used as a useful resource in developing nursing intervention programs to predict and prevent the falls of inpatients.
Accidental Falls/*prevention & control ; Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Dizziness ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, General ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Inpatients/psychology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Regression Analysis ; *Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: This study was done to explore the relationship between circadian types, depressive mood, and sleep quality and to identify the mediating effect of depression between circadian types and sleep quality in shift work nurses. METHODS: Participants were 510 females selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected from October to November 2008 using the Composite Scale for Morningness, Beck Depression Inventory, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Korean. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, logistic regression and multiple regression. RESULTS: There were significant relationships between sleep quality and circadian types(r=-0.160, p<0.001), and depressive mood (r=0.438, p<0.001). In addition, the circadian types was significantly correlated with depressive mood (r=-0.236, p<0.001). Depressive mood showed mediating effect between circadian types and sleep quality (beta=0.424, p<0.001). Evening type subjects showed higher scores in depressive mood and sleep quality than morning type ones. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that depression and circadian rhythm management in nurses with evening type would contribute to the prevention of sleep disturbance.
Circadian Rhythm ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Negotiating

PURPOSE: The purpose of study was to identify violence episodes by patients and/or their guardians and responses from emergency room nurses. METHOD: A convenient sample of 172 emergency nurses was selected from general hospitals with more than 200 beds. A survey design was used and data were collected from October 2 to October 11, 2006. using self-report questionnaires which were developed by the authors. Descriptive statistics, with the SPSS PC program were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The majority of nurses (97.1%) had experienced violence by patients or their guardians in the previous month. Violence offenders who were drunk comprised 68.6% of total offenders. Causes of violence were delays in examination and treatment (59.9%). The major coping behavior in dealing with violence episodes was ignoring (40.1%). Responses to violence experienced by emergency nurses were rated as 2.39. Response to violence according to general characteristics of the nurses showed no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSION: Considering the high prevalence of violence experienced by emergency nurses, hospitals must develop and manage preventive education programs and policy.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Criminals ; Education ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Violence*

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to 1) describe the type and frequency of aggressive behavior of cognitively impaired nursing home resident, 2) develop a caregiver training program on prevention and management of aggressive behavior, 3) examine the effects of caregiver training program on the incidence of aggressive behavior of cognitively impaired nursing home resident, and 4) examine the effects of caregiver training program on nursing staff's aggressive behavior management skills. METHODS: One-group, time series, quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and two post-tests was used. Data were collected from cognitively impaired home residents (N=32) and nursing staff (N=36) in a proprietary nursing home using Ryden Aggression Scale I, II, and Aggressive Behavior Management Scale. Data were entered and analyzed by descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Incidence of aggressive behavior was high with a mean score of 3.09 (SD=3.11) at baseline. Caregiver training program was developed based on Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold (PLST) model and gerontological and psychiatric literature. The mean scores of aggressive behavior at baseline, Post I, and II did not differ significantly although the difference approached to the significant level (F=2.925, p=.066). Nursing staff's aggressive behavior management skills increased at Post I, and at Post II when compared to baseline, and the difference was significant (F=12.736, p=<.001). CONCLUSION: Caregiver training program showed potential impact on reduction of aggressive behavior in elders with cognitive impairment and was effective in increasing nursing staff's aggressive behavior management skills.
Nursing Staff/*education ; *Nursing Homes ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Korea ; *Inservice Training ; Humans ; Female ; Dementia/*nursing/psychology ; Cognition Disorders/*nursing/psychology ; Analysis of Variance ; *Aggression/psychology ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged ; Adult

PURPOSE: In this study the present status of the practicum in Fundamentals of Nursing and test for student competency in nursing skills were surveyed. METHOD: Participants included 72 nursing schools. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection and SPSS 17.0 for data analysis. RESULTS: Credits for Fundamentals of Nursing, credits for practicum and hours per credit were 2.93, 7.34, and 2.14 respectively. Number of students per practice unit, full time assistants and students per assistant were 28.6, 0.6, and 20.2 respectively. Utilization of CPX room and OSCE room for practice was 5.6%, and 9.7% respectively. Of the school, 32.0% included clinical practice in the practicum. 90.3% provided an open lab but only 48.4% had full-time assistants for these clinical practice areas. Testing for nursing skill competency was performed twice a semester in most schools. Utilization of standard patients and high fidelity models for testing was 8.3%, and 23.6% respectively. The test was thought to be inappropriate in 33.4% of the schools. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that to improve the outcomes, the practicum for Fundamentals of Nursing needs to be changed to include expansion of facilities and human resources, utilization of standard patients and high fidelity models and development of appropriate test methods.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Humans ; Pyridines ; Schools, Nursing ; Statistics as Topic ; Thiazoles