PURPOSE: This paper was written to introduce methods of using the research ethics committee (RES) from requesting the initial review to reporting the close-out for nursing researchers. METHODS: General ethical principles were described by reviewing the 'Bioethics and Safety Act' and other related guidelines, and constructing some questions and answers. RESULTS: The results were composed of three parts; definition of RES, steps in using RES, and archiving. The 7 steps for using RES were; identifying whether the study needed to be reviewed, by the RES identifying whether the study could be exempted, requesting the initial review after preparing documents, requesting the re-review, requesting an amendment review, requesting a continuing review and reporting the close-out. CONCLUSION: Nursing researchers need to receive RES approval before starting nursing research involving human subjects. Nursing researchers are urged to use the steps reported in this paper to receive RES approval easily and quickly.
Ethics Committees, Research/*organization & administration ; Guidelines as Topic ; Humans ; Nursing Research/*ethics

PURPOSE: This study identifies challenges to the first nurse training program for undergraduate nursing students at a nursing and midwifery school in Iran using a collaborative approach in order to improve the program. METHODS: Action research was used as a research strategy with qualitative content analysis and quantitative evaluation. The participants were 148 individuals from nursing academic and clinical settings, including administrators, faculty members, students, and staff nurses. We obtained approval from the research deputy and ethics committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran for this study. RESULTS: Lack of coherence in the educational program and implementation of the program, inadequate communication between management inside and outside the organization, insufficient understanding of situations by students, and improper control of inhibitors and use of facilitators in teaching and in practice were among the major challenges in the first training process in the context of this study. After classification of problems, the educational decision-making authorities of the school developed an operational program with stakeholder cooperation to plan initial reforms, implementation of reforms, reflection about the actions, and evaluation. Comparison of student satisfaction with the collaborative learning process versus the traditional method showed that except for the atmosphere in the clinical learning environment (p > .05), the mean differences for all dimensions were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm the overall success of the revised partnership program, but stressed the need for further modification of some details for its implementation in future rounds.
Attitude of Health Personnel ; Education, Nursing/*organization & administration ; Educational Measurement/methods ; Health Services Research/organization & administration ; Humans ; Iran ; Midwifery/*education ; Nurse's Role ; Nursing Education Research/organization & administration ; Personal Satisfaction ; Reproducibility of Results ; Students, Nursing/psychology ; Teaching ; Trust

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the therapeutic communication experience of nurses in psychiatric wards.METHODS: Data were collected from 9 mental health nurses working at psychiatric wards in three university hospitals in Seoul and Gyeongju, South Korea. The study involved in-depth individual interviews, which were recorded and transcribed as they were spoken, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.RESULTS: Therapeutic communication experiences of psychiatric ward nurses were categorized into 4 categories, 12 subcategories, and 24 codes. The four categories were ‘therapeutic communication practiced as a nurse’, ‘therapeutic communication delivered to patients’, ‘power revealed between patients and nurses’, and ‘environment surrounding therapeutic communication’. The twelve subcategories were ‘approaching with interest’, ‘with all one's heart and soul’, ‘learning and grow from peers’, ‘understanding the true meaning of mental health nursing’, ‘boosting in strength’, ‘providing a sense of security’, ‘formation of rapport’, ‘lead to recovery’, ‘variability of interaction’, ‘powerful energy originating from sparklet’, ‘lack of physical time’, and ‘absence of supervision’.CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate the need to develop and apply therapeutic communication interventions for psychiatric nurses. Supervision is needed to promote therapeutic communication among psychiatric nurses and requires institutional support.
Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Heart ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Organization and Administration ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Seoul

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine characteristics of nursing science and identify expected outcomes from baccalaureate graduates, and to develop accreditation standards and criteria reflecting the characteristics of the nursing profession. METHODS: A methodological research design was utilized in this study. Related literature reviews and the nursing education program goals and objectives of the 99 nursing schools in Korea were analyzed. A cross-sectional survey research design was utilized to test the validity of the developed characteristics of the nursing profession and their accreditation criteria and standards. The face validity was from the advisory committee and public committee hearing. RESULTS: The characteristics of nursing science were defined with five concepts including humanity, scientific knowledge, professionalism, therapeutic relationship, and facilitating well-being. The expected outcomes from graduates were identified as providing holistic nursing, critical thinking, establishing professionalism and leadership, construction of a therapeutic relationship, and skilled nursing practice. Finally6 standards and 14 criteria reflecting the unique characteristics of the nursing profession were developed for accreditation. These proposed accreditation standards and criteria are a challenge to promote the quality of nursing science.
Accreditation/organization & administration/*standards ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Curriculum/standards ; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/organization & administration/*standards ; Humans ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Organizational Objectives

PURPOSE: This study was to determine the mediator or moderator role of empowerment in the relationship between the head nurse's transformational leadership and organizational commitment as perceived by staff nurses. METHODS: Data was collected from 451 nurses in a tertiary hospital located in B city by means of structured questionnaires. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and hierarchial multiple regression using the SPSS program. RESULTS: Empowerment showed mediating effects between the head nurse's transformational leadership and organizational commitment as perceived by staff nurses. However, empowerment did not show moderating effects. CONCLUSION: Nurses' perception of empowerment, the head nurse's transformational leadership and organizational commitment have a strong relationship. This finding suggests the importance of empowering nurses to increase organizational commitment.
Adult ; Decision Making, Organizational ; Female ; Humans ; *Leadership ; Nurse Administrators/organization & administration/*psychology ; Nursing Administration Research ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration/*psychology ; Personnel Loyalty ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify the role adaptation process experienced by head nurses. METHODS: Data were collected from 10 head nurses with in-depth interviews about their actual experiences. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed. The collected data were analyzed by the grounded theory methodology of Strauss and Corbin. RESULTS: The core category was identified as "weighing and balancing," and the role adaptation process was divided into six stages by time sequence: inquiring, approaching to others, bringing people into their fold, working with conviction, avoiding conflicts, and settling. CONCLUSION: The results of this study yield useful information for top mangers of nursing to identify, by stages, the demands of the head nurses in their role adaptation process. The findings of this study contributes to developing programs that facilitates the head nurses' role adaptation.
*Adaptation, Psychological ; Adult ; *Attitude of Health Personnel/ethnology ; Avoidance Learning ; Conflict (Psychology) ; Female ; *Hospitals, General/organization & administration ; Humans ; Interprofessional Relations ; Korea ; Leadership ; Models, Nursing ; Models, Psychological ; Needs Assessment ; Nurse Administrators/education/organization & administration/*psychology ; *Nurse's Role ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration/psychology ; Nursing, Supervisory/organization & administration ; Philosophy, Nursing ; Power (Psychology) ; Professional Competence/standards ; Qualitative Research ; Questionnaires ; Self Efficacy

Nursing research in the United States (US) spans several decades. Many of the priorities/trends have stayed through the years. Today, the goal of producing evidence to support nursing care interventions coupled with the drive for Magnet Recognition has encouraged academic nurses (faculty) to work with nurse clinicians to form research teams. Interdisciplinary research teams have also formed to address growing concerns over patient safety and quality care. These issues are not just US issues but global ones. This article addresses US trends with the link to global research trends. The role that organizations such as the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Inc. (COINN) pay in shaping research agendas and promoting nursing research is highlighted. It emphasizes the key role that nurses, especially nurse leaders/administrators play in changing health outcomes through support of nursing research.
Delivery of Health Care* ; Humans ; International Council of Nurses ; Nurse Clinicians ; Nursing Care ; Nursing Research* ; Nursing* ; Patient Safety ; United States ; World Health Organization

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of Taegyo-focused prenatal classes on maternal-fetal attachment and self-efficacy related to childbirth. METHODS: Over 4 weeks, 49 women, 20 to 36 weeks of gestation participated in a prenatal program led by the nurse who developed it. In addition to Lamaze content it included; understanding ability of fetus to respond, sharing motivation, purpose of pregnancy, and preconceptions of experiencing childbirth, training in maternal- fetal interaction, writing letters and making a declaration of love to unborn baby. Using a pre- experimental design, data were collected by self-report, before and after program, using Cranley's Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale (1981), and Shin's (1997) Labor Self-Efficacy Measurement. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Paired t-test showed significant changes in scores of maternal-fetal attachment (t=6.91. p<.001) and self-efficacy related to childbirth (t=10.19, p<.001). Taegyo opens the possibility of integrating Western ideas with Korean traditional health behavior. Incorporation of Taegyo into existing prenatal classes is recommended.
Adult ; Attitude to Health/ethnology ; Curriculum ; Female ; Health Education/organization & administration ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Love ; Maternal-Child Nursing/organization & administration ; Maternal-Fetal Relations/*ethnology ; *Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; *Mothers/education/psychology ; Motivation ; Nurse Midwives/organization & administration ; Nursing Evaluation Research ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Object Attachment ; Parturition/*ethnology ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Care/*organization & administration ; Program Evaluation ; Questionnaires ; *Self Efficacy ; Writing

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to develop a PBL program for continuing nurse education and to evaluate the program after its implementation. METHODS: The PBL program was developed in the core cardio-pulmonary nursing concepts through a collaborative approach with a nursing school and a hospital. The PBL packages with simulation on ACLS were implemented to 40 clinical nurses. The entire PBL program consisted of six 3-hour weekly classes and was evaluated by the participants' subjective responses. RESULTS: Two PBL packages in cardio-pulmonary system including clinical cases and tutorial guidelines were developed. The 57.5% of the participants responded positively about the use of PBL as continuing nurse education in terms of self-motivated and cooperative learning, whereas 20.0% of the participants answered that the PBL method was not suitable for clinical nurses. Some modifications were suggested in grouping participants and program contents for PBL. CONCLUSION: The PBL method could be utilized to promote nurses' clinical competencies as well as self-learning abilities. Further research is needed in the implementation strategies of PBL-based continuing education in order to improve its effectiveness.
Adult ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Cardiology/education ; *Clinical Competence ; Computer Simulation ; Curriculum ; Education, Nursing, Continuing/*organization & administration ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Heart Diseases/nursing ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Lung Diseases/nursing ; Manikins ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Education Research ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*education/psychology ; Organizational Objectives ; Pilot Projects ; Problem-Based Learning/*organization & administration ; Program Development ; Program Evaluation ; Pulmonary Medicine/education

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a balanced scorecard (BSC) for performance measurement of a Korean hospital nursing organization and to evaluate the validity and reliability of performance measurement indicators. METHOD: Two hundred fifty-nine nurses in a Korean hospital participated in a survey questionnaire that included 29-item performance evaluation indicators developed by investigators of this study based on the Kaplan and Norton's BSC (1992). Cronbach's alpha was used to test the reliability of the BSC. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with a structure equation model (SEM) was applied to assess the construct validity of the BSC. RESULT: Cronbach's alpha of 29 items was .948. Factor analysis of the BSC showed 5 principal components (eigen value >1.0) which explained 62.7% of the total variance, and it included a new one, community service. The SEM analysis results showed that 5 components were significant for the hospital BSC tool. CONCLUSION: High degree of reliability and validity of this BSC suggests that it may be used for performance measurements of a Korean hospital nursing organization. Future studies may consider including a balanced number of nurse managers and staff nurses in the study. Further data analysis on the relationships among factors is recommended.
Adult ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nursing Evaluation Research ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/organization & administration/*standards ; Questionnaires ; Task Performance and Analysis ; Young Adult