BACKGROUND: Supporting the mental health of researchers is essential to maintaining human resources and advancing science. This study investigated the association between Japanese medical researchers' perceptions of research evaluation processes and their psychological well-being. METHODS: We performed a web-based self-administered questionnaire survey. The questionnaires were distributed to each academic society through the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences from December 2022 to January 2023. These questionnaires targeted medical researchers. Exposure was the medical researchers' perceptions of quantitative indicators for evaluating medical research and researchers. The outcome was psychological well-being, measured using the Japanese version of the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Multivariable-adjusted logistic regressions were conducted to investigate the association between individual attitudes toward research evaluation and psychological well-being. Stratified analyses by research fields, i.e., clinical, basic, and social medicine, were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 3,139 valid responses were collected. After excluding 176 responses from research fields of other than clinical, basic, or social medicine, 2,963 researchers (2,185 male, 737 female, and 41 other) were analyzed. Prevalence of poor well-being (WHO-5 score <13) was 28.3% in the researchers. The highest number of medical researchers was in clinical medicine (n = 500) followed by basic medicine (n = 217) and social medicine (n = 121). Medical researchers who considered research funding slightly important/not important for researcher evaluation had poorer psychological well-being than those who considered it especially important (slightly important: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.71; not important: aOR 1.53, 95%CI 1.10-2.12). This tendency was stronger among basic medical researchers than clinical or social medical researchers. The research field significantly modified the relationship between research funding received and interaction with poor psychological well-being both additively (P = 0.030) and multiplicatively (P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS The discrepancy between medical researchers' attitudes toward research evaluation and the current state of research evaluation in their research community may worsen their psychological well-being. The influence of this discrepancy differs among clinical, basic, and social medicine. Appropriate evaluation of medical research and researchers in each field can facilitate improving their psychological well-being via the resolution of this discrepancy.
Humans ; Japan ; Female ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Research Personnel/statistics & numerical data* ; Middle Aged ; Biomedical Research ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Mental Health ; Psychological Well-Being ; East Asian People

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore ethical problems that cause moral distress in nurses and affects the quality of care provided by community mental health nurses working in community mental health settings. METHODS: Three focus group interviews were held with 14 nurses working in 3 community mental health centers in Korea. Qualitative descriptive methods and qualitative content analysis were used. RESULTS: Data analysis found 5 domains (decision making, communication, resources, safety, advocacy), 9 categories (personal information sharing issues, ethical insensibility, collisions between principles and practice, institutions unprepared in ethical problems, ethical dilemma in interactions with clients, problems with the evaluation system, problems with the budget structure, problems with the lack of safety measure, and problems with role limitation as a professional) and 11 subcategories. CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest a) a need for further research on identifying ethical conflicts arising in community mental health fields, and b) on what nurses actually do when they deal with ethical conflicts, c) efforts to develop ethics support programs such as ethics education, training and reflection meetings to enhance nurses' ethical sensitivity, d) consideration of a supportive environment and culture that prioritizes ethical concerns in practitioners as well as administrators.
Administrative Personnel ; Budgets ; Community Mental Health Centers ; Education ; Ethics ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Information Dissemination ; Korea* ; Mental Health Services ; Mental Health* ; Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Statistics as Topic

The purpose of this study was to examine trends in duplicate publication in Korean medical articles indexed in the KoreaMed database from 2004 to 2009, before and after a campaign against scientific misconduct launched by the Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors in 2006. The study covered period from 2007 to 2012; and 5% of the articles indexed in KoreaMed were retrieved by random sampling. Three authors reviewed full texts of the retrieved articles. The pattern of duplicate publication, such as copy, salami slicing (fragmentation), and aggregation (imalas), was also determined. Before the launching ethics campaign, the national duplication rate in medical journals was relatively high: 5.9% in 2004, 6.0% in 2005, and 7.2% in 2006. However, duplication rate steadily declined to 4.5% in 2007, 2.8% in 2008, and 1.2 % in 2009. Of all duplicated articles, 53.4% were classified as copies, 27.8% as salami slicing, and 18.8% as aggregation (imalas). The decline in duplicate publication rate took place as a result of nationwide campaigns and monitoring by KoreaMed and KoreaMed Synapse, starting from 2006.
Databases, Factual ; *Duplicate Publication as Topic ; Humans ; Journalism, Medical ; Publishing/ethics/*statistics & numerical data/trends ; Republic of Korea ; Research Personnel/ethics

PURPOSE: This preliminary study is aimed at developing standardized tools for psycho-social assessment of patients in needs for hospice/palliative care. To accomplish the purpose, investigators examined effects of perceptions of social workers on the importance of psycho-social domains of assessment in hospice/palliative care settings. Moreover, investigators paid attention to variances of perceptions of social workers' along with types of institution and credentials of those family settings. METHODS: A form of questionnaire was first explored from an initial interview assessment of 10 government-certified hospice care providers and a literature review, second constructed with eight domains and 80 items, and sent by e-mail to 55 institutions and hospitals providing hospice/palliative cares in Korea. Lastly, a total of 31 agencies returned with a completed responses and consent form (56% response rate). SPSS program (version 18.0) was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Study found that social workers perceived patients' family background (m=4.53, 5-point scale) as the most important assessment domain, whereas economic conditions (4.06 point) the least important. Social workers' perception varied by credentials (i.e., license types, training, full-time position, types of care facility). CONCLUSION: Based upon study findings, investigators can conclude strong needs for developing a assessment tool that measures multiple domains (i.e., psychological, social and ecological aspects) of patients. A standardized assessment tool should be structured with 2 axis (center/core and expanded/peripheral) and tailored for institution type. Second, professional trainings must be provided by strengthening legal institutionalization and fostering qualified social workers with full responsibilities of hospice and palliative care patients.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Consent Forms ; Electronic Mail ; Foster Home Care ; Hospice Care ; Hospices* ; Humans ; Institutionalization ; Korea ; Licensure ; Palliative Care* ; Psychology ; Research Personnel ; Self-Assessment ; Social Workers* ; Statistics as Topic ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to understand and describe the hospital workers' experience related to the hospital evaluation program implemented in Korea between 2004 and 2009. METHODS: During 2010, data were collected using focus group interviews. Four focus group interviews were held with a total of 28 hospital workers participating. All interviews were recorded and transcribed as they were spoken, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Nine themes emerged from the analysis: 1) Positive change in the necessity of the evaluation; 2) Improvement in the hospital system, facilities, and human resources; 3) Unity through cooperation among departments; 4) Nursing work overload; 5) Lack of physicians' awareness and responsibilities; 6) Unfair and unrealistic evaluation items; 7) Lack of credibility of the outcome; 8) Shifting responsibility for negative outcomes to the workers; 9) Lack of pragmatic utility. CONCLUSION: The results of the study demonstrate that the hospital evaluation program played a key role in improving some work environments and communication among departments. At the same time, they show various negative themes resulting from the context of very authoritarian hospital systems and a connection-oriented society in Korea.
Adult ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Female ; Focus Groups ; Hospitals/*standards/*statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*statistics & numerical data ; Qualitative Research ; Tape Recording

BACKGROUND: It is important to assess the level of consciousness in patients with brain injuries to determine modes of treatment and prognosis. We evaluated the Bispectral Index (BIS) to determine if it could be used as an objective tool for evaluation of the level of consciousness in brain-injured patients. We also compared the BIS values to clinical sedation scales such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS), and the Reaction Level Scale (RLS). METHODS: Thirty eight patients with brain injuries that were admitted to the neurosurgery intensive care unit (NSICU) were enrolled in this study. An investigator evaluated the clinical sedation scales (GCS, RASS, RLS), while a blind observer noted the BIS in the same patient. The BIS score was obtained three times at an interval of 5 hours. The BISs were measured for 1 minute at 5 min prior to the nursing assessment, during the nursing assessment, and at 5 min after the nursing assessment. The BISs used in the data analysis were the maximal, minimal, and mean values obtained during 1 min, which were defined as BISmax, BISmin, and BISmean. A Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to determine if the clinical sedation scales were correlated with the BIS scores. RESULTS: In 38 patients, the BISmax, BISmin, and BISmean were found to be significantly correlated with the GCS, RASS, and RLS. The BISmean had the highest correlation with GCS (r = 0.445, P < 0.01), while the BIS min had the lowest correlation with RLS (r = -0.278, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The results of BIS monitoring were found to be significantly correlated with sedation scales in patients with brain injuries. These findings suggest that BIS can be used as an objective and continuous method for assessment of the level of consciousness in patients with brain injury.
Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Consciousness ; Consciousness Monitors ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Neurosurgery ; Nursing Assessment ; Prognosis ; Research Personnel ; Statistics as Topic ; Weights and Measures

Vivax malaria was endemic on the Korean peninsula for many centuries until the late 1970's when the Republic of Korea (ROK) was declared "malaria free". Since its re-emergence in 1993, the number of malaria cases in the military increased exponentially through 2000 near the demilitarized zone. Chemoprophylaxis with chloroquine and primaquine has been used in the ROK Army since 1997 in an attempt to reduce the number of the malaria cases throughout the ROK. Data show that chemoprophylaxis contributed, in part, to the decrease in the number of malaria cases among military personnel. However, mass chemoprophylaxis on a large scale in the ROK Army is unprecedented and extensive supervision and monitoring is warranted to determine its effectiveness and to monitor the appearance of chloroquine tolerant/resistant strains of Plasmodium vivax.
Antimalarials/therapeutic use ; Chemoprevention/methods/statistics and numerical data ; Chloroquine/*therapeutic use ; Disease Outbreaks/*prevention and control/*statistics and numerical data ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea/epidemiology ; Malaria, Vivax/*epidemiology/*prevention and control ; Military Personnel/*statistics and numerical data ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Prevalence ; Primaquine/*therapeutic use ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Risk Assessment/methods ; Risk Factors ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study was to reexamine underlying dimensions of attitudes toward the elderly held by undergraduate nursing students. A secondary purpose was to investigate characteristics of nursing students associated with attitudes toward elders. METHODS: A survey was performed using self-report questionnaire completed by nursing students from a total of 10 nursing schools or departments each selected randomly from one province of Korea. Students' responses (N=366) were analyzed using factor analysis, correlation coefficients, t-test, and ANOVA. RESULTS: Three attitudinal dimensions explaining 35.29% of the variance were extracted: vitality, generosity and flexibility. From a neutral point of 4.0 in the range of 1 to 7, only generosity (4.47) was evaluated positively, whereas vitality (3.31) and flexibility (2.91) were evaluated negatively. The mean scores of the vitality and generosity dimensions were significantly different by students' level of communication with the elderly, experience living with the elderly, and interest in elders or in issues related to elders. Interest in elders/elder issues was the only characteristic affecting significant mean score difference in flexibility. CONCLUSION: Educational process should increase students' exposure to healthy elderly to modify negative attitudes toward the elderly among nursing students.
Adolescent ; Adult ; *Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; *Attitude of Health Personnel ; Communication ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/standards ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Geriatric Nursing/education ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Negativism ; Nursing Education Research ; Nursing Methodology Research ; *Prejudice ; Questionnaires ; Residence Characteristics/statistics & numerical data ; Stereotyping ; Students, Nursing/*psychology

PURPOSE: This study was to describe nurses' research activities, perceptions and performances of evidence-based practice and barriers to the use of research evidence in nursing practice in Korea. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey design was used. A questionnaire, except for Barriers Scale, was developed for the study. Data was collected from a convenient sample of 437 registered nurses working at research and education oriented university hospitals. RESULT: Nurses' research-related activities were relatively low compared to previous studies. Also perceptions and performances of evidence based nursing practice were low. Preferred informational resources for clinical decision making were identified as ward manuals/clinical guidelines, manager/senior nurses, and literature/research. The major barriers to research utilization were a lack of implication for practice along with inadequate facilitation to implement research evidence and difficulty understanding research written in English. Priorities of barriers factor were Administrator, Communication, Adopter, and Research. CONCLUSION: The findings provide directions for future training, education, and managerial policy to achieve successful evidence based nursing practice.
Adult ; *Attitude of Health Personnel ; *Diffusion of Innovation ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Nursing Research/statistics & numerical data ; *Nursing Staff, Hospital ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was to describe nurses' research activities, perceptions and performances of evidence-based practice and barriers to the use of research evidence in nursing practice in Korea. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey design was used. A questionnaire, except for Barriers Scale, was developed for the study. Data was collected from a convenient sample of 437 registered nurses working at research and education oriented university hospitals. RESULT: Nurses' research-related activities were relatively low compared to previous studies. Also perceptions and performances of evidence based nursing practice were low. Preferred informational resources for clinical decision making were identified as ward manuals/clinical guidelines, manager/senior nurses, and literature/research. The major barriers to research utilization were a lack of implication for practice along with inadequate facilitation to implement research evidence and difficulty understanding research written in English. Priorities of barriers factor were Administrator, Communication, Adopter, and Research. CONCLUSION: The findings provide directions for future training, education, and managerial policy to achieve successful evidence based nursing practice.
Adult ; *Attitude of Health Personnel ; *Diffusion of Innovation ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Nursing Research/statistics & numerical data ; *Nursing Staff, Hospital ; Questionnaires