PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the associated factors of the perceived health status of the elderly in Korea and to provide basic data for developing nursing interventions for the elderly's health management. METHODS: This study used a descriptive correlational research design. The subjects of this study were 335 elderly people over 60 yr living in an urban city. Data were collected through personal interviews using questionnaires from September 2006 to March 2007. Empirical indicators of perceived health status were measured by SF-36, nutritional screening initiative (NSI), activities of daily living (ADL) Index, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scale. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical regression. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 72.8 and 57.0% of subjects were female. 41.5% of variance in physical health was explained by nutrition, ADL, IADL, and the number of years attending school. Among them the most important factor was ADL. 13.2% of variance in mental health was explained by the number of family, nutrition, and IADL. Among them the most important factor was nutrition. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to develop supportive interventions for improving the perceived health status of elderly people by considering the most important factors shown in this study.
*Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Frail Elderly/*psychology ; *Health Status ; Homes for the Aged ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Nutritional Status ; Questionnaires ; Urban Population

Purpose: The current study investigated how clinical microbiology courses are conducted at the undergraduate nursing level in South Korea to identify the perceptions of clinical nurses regarding their knowledge and the clinical importance of microbiology and further assess their educational needs. Methods: Curricula presented on the websites of 202 undergraduate nursing institutions were reviewed. In addition, a survey assessing the knowledge and importance of clinical microbiology perceived by nurses was conducted online. A total of 150 nurses participated in the survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, t-tests, analysis of variance, Borich Needs Assessment Model, and Locus for Focus Model. Results: The results indicated that 90% of undergraduate nursing institutions offer clinical microbiology courses under various subject names. The perceived knowledge and importance of clinical microbiology were correlated; however, knowledge was consistently lower than the perceived importance of clinical biology among nurses. The structure and proliferation of novel viruses ranked highest in the educational needs of nurses based on both the Borich Needs Assessment Model and Locus for Focus Model. Conclusion Based on the findings, this study suggests educational opportunities for clinical microbiology in hospital settings to reduce discrepancies between knowledge and the importance of clinical microbiology faced by nurses.

Purpose: This study evaluated the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Face Mask Use Scale (K-FMUS) among community-dwelling adults. Methods: The participants of the study were community-dwelling adults in Korea using face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The English FMUS was translated into Korean using forward and backward translation procedures. The construct validity and reliability of the K-FMUS were evaluated using the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and the internal consistency reliability test. Results: The K-FMUS comprised 6 items divided into 2 factors. The variance of the factors was approximately 79.1%, which suggested that the scale indicated the effectiveness of face mask usage. The two factors were labeled as face mask use in society (4 items) and face mask use at home (2 items). Cronbach’s α value for the overall scale was .88. Conclusion The K-FMUS is a valid and reliable scale that can be used to measure face mask usage among community-dwelling adults in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the actual situation of mask wearing by adults in the early stages of the coronavirus epidemic and to identify factors that influence the transition to mask wearing and establish a management plan for more effective infectious disease prevention. Methods: This study was a multinational study conducted in ten countries. Data collected in Korea were analyzed. Adults over the age of 18 in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas were targeted, and data for 657 adults were analyzed. Results: The average score for mask-wearing compliance was 16.25, ranging from 0 to 24. There was a significant positive correlation between anxiety and depression, as well as anxiety and mask-wearing compliance. There was a significant negative correlation between depression and mask-wearing compliance. Multiple linear regression revealed that mask-wearing compliance was predicted by levels of the anxiety, depression, and education. These explanatory variables explaining the dependent variable mask-wearing compliance was 12%. Conclusion To identify and improve factors influencing mask-wearing compliance, general characteristics including educational background of participants were identified. Psychosocial factors such as anxiety and depression should also be considered. In addition, as the level of anxiety and depression will differ for each person, differentiated interventions according to psychological state should be provided.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the subjects' health status according to the needs of visiting health and the function of the family in home care nursing. SAMPLE AND METHOD: The data collection period was from 07/01/04 to 10/31/04 and the subjects were 488 of those above 60 years of age staying at home or living alone who registered at a visiting health service of public health center at an urban area in Korea. This survey was carried out by visiting health nurses and participation was agreed on by the elderly people. RESULTS: The extent of the subjects' total health status to the general characteristics had differences according to the age, sex, monthly income, perceived health status, known functional disorder, and yes-or-no for disease. At all health status domains, visiting health need care in the group I was very lower than one in II, III, or IV groups. Also the severe dysfunctional family was lower than lightly dysfunctional family and normal functional family in all health status domains. CONCLUSION: Nurses must provide their characteristics considered nursing intervention for the elderly who have high visiting health needs and severe dysfunctional family with vulnerable health care.
Aged ; *Community Health Nursing ; Family/psychology ; Female ; *Health Services for the Aged ; Health Status ; *Home Care Services ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Needs Assessment ; *Vulnerable Populations

BACKGROUND: Bacteria that cause urinary tract infections (UTIs) are found with different frequencies in different regions; moreover, antibiotic susceptibility can also vary by region. We retrospectively studied and compared the species and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial pathogens isolated from patients with UTIs in the northern Gyeonggi-do area. METHODS: We analyzed urine specimens collected from patients who visited the Myongji Hospital between 2007 and 2011. The urine specimens were cultured, and bacteria were identified by biochemical examination with an API kit (bioMerieux Inc., USA). Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the disc diffusion method and the Vitek II system (bioMerieux Inc., USA). RESULTS: A total of 11,818 (31.4%) urine specimens were culture positive. The most common species identified were Escherichia coli (37.1%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.4%), Enterococcus faecium (6.1%), and Candida spp. (5.5%). The proportion of isolates producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases significantly increased during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and E. faecium were the 3 most common organisms identified. Of note, however, was the increasing frequency of Pseudomonas spp. and Proteus spp. isolated during the more recent years. Further studies are required from other centers in the northern Gyeonggi-do area.
Bacteria ; beta-Lactamases ; Candida ; Diffusion ; Enterococcus faecium ; Escherichia coli ; Humans ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Pneumonia ; Proteus ; Pseudomonas ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Tract ; Urinary Tract Infections

BACKGROUND: The demand for platelet concentrates has increased for patients with hemato-oncologic diseases as well as for patients with chronic diseases. As platelet concentrates are preserved at 22~24degrees C, the chance of bacterial contamination exposure is increased, which can cause fatal outcomes. We evaluated various methods for detecting bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates. METHODS: 0.5 MacFarland standard solutions were prepared using the Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 & Escherichia coli ATCC25922 strains. The platelet concentrates were inoculated with various concentrations (10(1)~10(5) CFU/mL) of bacteria and then gram staining, plate culture, broth culture and 16s RNA were used to detect bacteria. RESULTS: The gram stain method was unable to detect bacteria concentrations less than 10(4) CFU/mL. The plate culture method detected bacterial growth concentrations up to 10(3) CFU/mL, but only 1 specimen of S. aureus was detected at the lowest concentration of 10(1) CFU/mL. The broth culture method detected 10(2) CFU/mL concentrations except for samples from S. aureus and E. coli strains. Among the 10(1) CFU/mL lowest concentrations, bacterial growth detected 3 samples from S. aureus and 2 samples from E. coli. For the broth culture method, detection of bacterial growth up to 10(1) CFU/mL took 58.9 hours, it took 57.5 hours for S. aureus and E. coli respectively, and it took 43.9 hours and 49.0 hours for 10(2) CFU/mL concentrations of S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. The PCR method showed all positive results except for 1 specimen of E. coli. CONCLUSION: The broth culture method showed similar sensitivity to PCR except for the 43.9~58.9 hours of an incubation period to show positive RESULTS. Overall, the PCR method was most sensitive and rapid method for detecting bacterial contamination in platelet concentrates.
Bacteria ; Blood Platelets ; Chronic Disease ; Escherichia coli ; Fatal Outcome ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA ; Staphylococcus aureus

We report the case of a 64-year-old man presenting to the hospital for treatment of his anemia. Exact ABO blood typing is an essential step to prevent transfusion reactions. The selection of the wrong blood component for transfusion can be a clinical problem and in this case the patient had a cis-AB blood type that could have caused an ABO discrepancy. In this case neither autologous or directed blood transfusion was possible and O+ red blood cell was transfused without a transfusion reaction.
Anemia ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocytes ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype

Purpose: To determine psychometric properties of the Caring Behaviors Inventory-24 (CBI-24) among Korean clinical nurses. Methods: A methodological design was used. Data were collected from 408 clinical nurses. Construct validity analysis was performed, including factorial, convergent, and discriminant validity. Internal consistency was tested by Cronbach’s ⍺ coefficients, inter-item correlation, and corrected item-total correlation. Results: Exploratory factor analysis produced three factors: ‘empathy and supporting’, ‘knowledge and skills’, and ‘providing comfort’. In confirmatory factor analysis results, model fit indices were acceptable (x2/df=3.50, RMR=.05, RMSEA=.08, CFI=.90). The values obtained for the AVE ranged from .53 to .68, and for the CR ranged from .53 to .68. Convergent validity coefficients were noticeably greater in magnitude than discriminant validity coefficients: .53 (AVE1 value) and .68 (AVE2 value)≥.45 (r122 value) and .68 (AVE2 value) and .63 (AVE3 value)≥.61 (r232 value). Internal consistency (Cronbach’s ⍺) of CBI-K was .95. Conclusion The CBI-K was shown to have acceptable construct validity and good internal consistency. Study findings imply that CBI-K could be a useful instrument for clinical administrators and nursing researchers to assess caring behaviors among Korean clinical nurses. Utilization of CBI-K might contribute to the building of empirical knowledge and the understanding of caring behaviors from nurses’ perspectives.

Antigens, Nuclear ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autoantibodies ; Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Rheumatic Diseases ; Sensitivity and Specificity