Empathy is an essential factor for establishing therapeutic relationship. Especially for pediatric nursing, the nurses need to know how to perceive children's feeling and thought and to express her understanding about them affectively. So, empathy is considered as an important concept in pediatric nursing. This study was attempted to measure the empathic ability of pediatric nurses by pediatric nurse and mothers of hospitalized children. The subject of this study consisted of 83 pediatric nurses and 106 mothers of hospitalized children in 4 hospitals in Seoul and 1 hospital in Kyung-Gi. Data were collected from Jan. 14 to Feb. 6, 1997, by the questionnaire method. The instrument for this study was the Empathic Construct Rating Scale : ECRS(60-item, 5 point scale). Data Were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. Result of this study are summarized as follows : 1. Pediatric nurses perceived their empathic ability to be moderately high(Mn=3.71) The level of perceived empathic ability of the pediatric nurses showed no significance by general characteristics. 2. The mothers of hospitalized children perceived nurses' empathic ability to be moderate(Mn=3.27). The level of perceived nurses' empathic ability of the mothers of hospitalized children showed significant differences by the experience of hospitalization of the children and the age of the mothers. 3. The perceived nurses' empathic ability of the mothers was significantly low than of the pediatric nurses(t=6.50, P<.001). From the above results, it can be concluded. that the empathic ability of the pediatric nurses is not sufficient for caring children and mothers efficiently. So, the pediatric nurses' empathic ability is needed to improve through facilitative relationship training as refreshment in-service education program.
Child ; Child, Hospitalized ; Education ; Empathy* ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Mothers ; Pediatric Nursing ; Seoul ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The differential diagnosis of clonal and reactive thrombocytosis is clinically relevant because course and treatment are different between them. Several clinical assessments and laboratory tests (degree of such as splenomegaly, duration and degree of thrombocytosis, bone marrow study, cytogenetic study, and platelet function test) are less discriminative, invasive and not commonly available. Therefore, a well discriminative, simple and convenient diagnositic assay is needed. Recently animal experiments demonstrated that recombinant IL-6 administration increased platelets counts by stimulating megakaryocyte maturation and increased hepatic CRP synthesis. So, in this study, we evaluated the usefulness of measurements of IL-6 and CRP levels to distinguish reactive thrombocytosis from clonal thrombocytosis. METHODS: Included in this study were 88 patients with marked thromobocytosis (>600 x10(9)/L) at Asan Medical Center between September, 1995 and March, 1996. The cause of thrombocytosis was determined by reviewing the medical histories. Sixteen patients had clonal thrombocytosis and 72 patients had reactive thrombocytosis. IL-6 was measured by ELISA (Quantikine(TM), R&D system, Inc., Minneapolis, USA) and CRP was assayed by rate immunonephelometry (Array 360 system, Beckman Instruments Inc., USA). RESULTS: The patients with reactive thrombocytosis had significantly higher plasma levels of IL-6 and CRP than patients with clonal thrombocytosis (p<0.01, p<0.001). In 98.6% (71/72) of the patients with reactive thromobocytosis, levels of either IL-6 or CRP were elevated, and 43.8% (7/16) of the patients with clonal thrombocytosis had both IL-6 and CRP in normal range. Of 9 patients with clonal thrombocytosis (56.2%) whose levels of either IL-6 or CRP increased, 7 patients had concomitant acute phase reaction such as infection or post operative status. There was significant correlation between IL-6 and CRP levels (r2=0.4, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Elevated levels of either IL-6 or CRP were consistent with reactive thrombocytosis and normal ranges of those suggested clonal thrombocytosis. So measurement of plasma IL-6 and CRP levels is a useful marker for differential diagnosis of clonal and reactive thrombocytosis. For the patients with clonal thrombocytosis who had concomitant acute phase reaction, serial measurements are recommended.
Acute-Phase Reaction ; Animal Experimentation ; Blood Platelets ; Bone Marrow ; C-Reactive Protein* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Cytogenetics ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-6* ; Megakaryocytes ; Plasma* ; Reference Values ; Splenomegaly ; Thrombocytosis*

BACKGROUND: It is a routine practice that High Frequency Jet Ventilation (HFJV) is applied through a 14~16 gauge (about 12 French (Fr.)) angiocath. The 14 Fr. suction catheter which is similar to angiocath in its internal diameter is commonly available in the operating room. We evaluated the suction catheter as a carrier of HFJV in point of ventilation, oxygenation and operating field during HFJV at microlaryngeal endoscopic surgery (MES). METHODS: Fifteen adult patients undergoing HFJV via 14 Fr. suction catheter during MES were studied. Time-based arterial blood gas analyses were done before and after HFJV. The movement of operating field was examined using laryngoscopic examination by surgeon and anesthesiologist. We also evaluated complications such as abdominal distension, barotrauma and so on. RESULTS: The mean arterial oxygen tension was maintained above 250 mmHg all the time during HFJV. The mean carbon dioxide tension was less than 51 mmHg. There were no remarkable catheter movement and complications. CONCLUSION: The 14 Fr. suction catheter is a good replacement of angiocath. It provided good operating field, ventilation and oxygenation without complications.
Adult ; Barotrauma ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Carbon Dioxide ; Catheters* ; High-Frequency Jet Ventilation* ; Humans ; Operating Rooms ; Oxygen ; Suction* ; Ventilation

The funding acknowledgment in this article was omitted.

The purpose of the study is to research the side effects of chemotherapy which are experienced by cancer patients, theirself-care behaviors to manage the side effect symptoms, and to for provide the fundamental knowledge basis for nursing intervention and self-care education. The subjects were 15 cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in 2 university hospitals. The side effects and self-care behaviors were categorized into 7 themes. 1) First theme Patients experienced nausea, vomiting, alteration in appetite, constipation, diarrhea, and indigestion. Patients used emetics, ate sweets, fruits, drank alcohol and cold veberages to deal with nausea and vomiting. They took their favorites, and yogurt and medicine, and an easily digestible diet to decrease the side effects on digestive function. 2) Second theme Patients experienced oral-dryness & stomatitis. Patients consumed water, candy a warm food and various beverages. 3) Third theme, To cope with changed sense of taste, patient ate their favorite foods, and to help offset alteration in tactile sense they used massage. Concerning changed sensitivity to decreased temperature, ultraviolet treatment and various means of keeping warm were used. To deal with the changed sense of smell and hearing, they avoided noise and bad odors as much as possible. 4) Fourth theme Patients experienced discoloured skin and alopecia. Patients wore appropriate clothes to hide it. To deal with alopecia, they used hats, head kerchief, and positive thinking. 5) Fifth theme Patients experienced weight loss, URI symptoms, fatigue, pain, insomnia and they took various food health products, medicines, and naps. 6) Sixth theme Patients experienced musculoskeletal changes and decreased amounts and range of activities. They did self-care behaviors such as taking baths, exercising etc. 7) Seventh theme Patients felt varing level of anxiety and for this they had fellowship with support companies and used religion, self-control, and positive thinking. From the above research, it can be concluded that : Patients used self-care behaviors which were not proved in effectiveness and education for the prevention and management of the related side effects of chemotherapy was not effective, either.
Alopecia ; Anxiety ; Appetite ; Baths ; Beverages ; Candy ; Constipation ; Diarrhea ; Diet ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspepsia ; Education ; Emetics ; Fatigue ; Fellowships and Scholarships ; Fruit ; Head ; Hearing ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Massage ; Nausea ; Noise ; Nursing ; Odors ; Self Care* ; Skin ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Smell ; Stomatitis ; Thinking ; Vomiting ; Water ; Weight Loss ; Yogurt

This study aims at the developing of a computer program for the evaluation of nursing care quality. Since the professional nursing care requires a consistent evaluation, the computer program for the measurement of quality of nursing care is necessary. It provides the nursing care with an effective and efficient management of nursing quality. In this study, a computer program is developed as a module. The evaluation criteria are structured in a hierarchical manner. Each evaluation area includes several items, which again have their own indicators. The system consists of 7 evaluation areas, 32 evaluation items, and 71 indicators. Scoring is possible with the evaluation items. The scoring types of the program are of two types, that is, the norm-referenced type(option 1) and the criterion-referenced type(option 2). With this program, an accurate and consistent evaluation of nursing care with the rapid feedback to nursing care practice is expected.
Nursing Care* ; Nursing*

No abstract available.
Aged* ; Erythrocyte Indices* ; Humans ; Korea*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to survey health requirements of middle-aged women and their families and to provide guidelines for developing nursing interventions by describing the process of family health maintenance experienced by middle-aged women and its conceptual system. METHODS: To get saturated data, each of four researchers conducted two or three times of in-depth interview with eight middle-aged women aged between 40-64 years old and living in Seoul and Chuncheon from the 10th to the 30th of October 2004 and each interview was continued one or two hours. The Grounded theory adopted by Strauss & Corbin (1998) is a substantive theory that can explain the experiencing process of middle-aged women. RESULTS: We found that the casual condition of family health maintaining by middle-aged women was "confidence of health belief", and "pouring by body moving" was found to be its phenomenon. A textual condition that might respond to the phenomenon was "fatal roles acceptance", and intervening conditions that promote their family health were "retracing" and "gathering health information". These intervening conditions impacted middle-aged women's confidence in family health and led them to take actions/interactions such as "being a model of health", "adapting to circumstances", "do-it-myself", "taking-care" "harmonious mind" and "the pursuit of cleanness". These actions/interactions produced results such as "being stronger", "being unmanageable" and "being fruitful". CONCLUSIONS: Health confidence and practical health behaviors were observed in the process that the middle-aged female participants experienced unmanageable circumstances but they accepted their roles and responsibilities and recognized that they must be get stronger. The behaviors of health-together-with were divided into enthusiastic type, adaptation type and self-sacrificing type. Therefore middle-aged woman with the understanding of family health maintaining process as well as the theoretical system and practical principals needs to implement the intervention in acceptable level of family health process of preventing psychological and physical problems.
Family Health* ; Female ; Gangwon-do ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Nursing ; Seoul

No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Blood Donors* ; Chemistry* ; Chlamydia* ; Chlamydophila pneumoniae* ; Humans ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma* ; Prevalence*

No abstract available.
Mycobacterium* ; Skin*