PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of laughter therapy on arthralgia, ankylosis, depression and sleep of elderly housebound women suffering from osteoarthritis. METHODS: The study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 48 elderly women: 23 in the experimental group and 25 in the control group. The experimental group received laughter therapy twice a week for 4 weeks. The results were analyzed by using chi2-test, ANCOVA, and t-test with the SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. RESULTS: The results showed that laughter therapy had a significant statistical effective in reducing arthralgia, ankylosis, and depression and improving the quality of sleep as evidenced by the differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that laughter therapy is an effective nursing intervention reducing arthralgia, ankylosis, and depression and improving the quality of sleep in these women. Therefore, it is necessary to develop laughter therapy as an independent nursing intervention for elderly women with osteoarthritis who are housebound.
Aged* ; Ankylosis* ; Arthralgia* ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Laughter Therapy* ; Laughter* ; Nursing ; Osteoarthritis*

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether complications and nursing interventions during hemodialysis could be reduced by using gradient ultrafiltration(GUF) and high sodium dialysate(HSD). METHODS: Thirty outpatients who had been on hemodialysis for more than 3 months were enrolled. Patients received Conventional HD(Na+ 137 mEqX4 hrs, constant UF), GUF(UF 62.5%X2 hrs, UF 37.5 %X2 hrs), HSD(Na+ 145 mEqX2 hrs, Na+ 140 mEqX2 hrs) and HSUF(GUF and HSD). Each methods were prescribed for 2 weeks. The clinical features such as thirst, interdialytic weight gain, postdialytic weight loss and MAP(mean arterial pressure) and the frequency of intradialytic complications and nursing interventions were evaluated. RESULTS: The results were as followings. Interdialytic thirst, weight gain, postdialytic weight loss and MAP(pre/post HD) were not significantly different in each method. On the other hand, there was significant difference between 4 methods in serum sodium, osmolality and Hct. There were significantly fewer episodes of hypotention, muscle cramp and headache when using GUF, HSD and HSUF than CHD. The number of nursing interventions was significantly reduced in GUF, HSD and HSUF than CHD. CONCLUSION: Hemodialysis with gradient ultrafiltration and high sodium dialysate leads fewer complications and nursing interventions, more patient's well being.
Hand ; Headache ; Humans ; Muscle Cramp ; Nursing ; Osmolar Concentration ; Outpatients ; Renal Dialysis* ; Sodium* ; Thirst ; Ultrafiltration* ; Weight Gain ; Weight Loss