This study aimed to identify factors influencing communication competence among hospital nurses. Methods: The participants were 136 nurses working at five general or tertiary hospitals with over 100 beds in Busan, Ulsan, and Geoje Island. Data were collected using structured self-report online questionnaires from July 18 to August 31, 2023. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, the Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and stepwise regression analysis using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Results: Self-awareness (β=.43, p<.001), a relationship-oriented organizational culture (β=.34, p<.001), working in a surgical ward (β=.19, p=.003), communication efficacy (β=.17, p=.011), hierarchy-oriented organizational culture (β=.16, p=.011), and working in a special unit (β=-.14, p=.023) were factors that significantly influenced nurses' communication competence. The model explained 52% of the variance in communication competence (F=28.43, p<.001) Conclusion: To improve communication competence in hospital nurses, healthcare institutions should provide learning opportunities to improve nurses’ self-awareness and communication efficacy. It is also essential to establish rules and order within a hierarchy-oriented organizational culture, while simultaneously promoting a relationship-oriented organizational culture based on trust and respect among colleagues.

Purpose: The study aimed to understand the delirium experience of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Methods: We performed a qualitative study using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. Eleven patients, who experienced delirium according to the Confusion Assessment Method for ICU, participated after transferring to general wards from the ICU. Individual in-depth semi-structured interviews ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours in length were conducted between November 2018 and August 2019. Results: Nine themes and four theme clusters emerged. The four theme clusters were: 1) “Overwhelmed by fear,” which describes the experience of a patient close to death and the feeling of difficulty in understanding disorganized thinking; 2) “Anxious about not understanding the situation,” which means that patients’ sense of time and space were disordered in the ICU; 3) “Being deserted,” which indicates the feeling of being separated from others and yourself; and 4) “Resistance to protect my dignity,” which indicates that the dignity and autonomy of an individual in the patient’s position at the ICU, are ignored. Conclusion Nursing interventions are needed that would enable patients to maintain orientation and self-esteem in the ICU. In addition, healthcare providers need to provide information about the unfamiliar environment in the ICU in advance.

Molecular biomarker testing is the standard of care for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. In 2017, the Korean Cardiopulmonary Pathology Study Group and the Korean Molecular Pathology Study Group co-published a molecular testing guideline which contained almost all known genetic changes that aid in treatment decisions or predict prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Since then there have been significant changes in targeted therapies as well as molecular testing including newly approved targeted drugs and liquid biopsy. In order to reflect these changes, the Korean Cardiopulmonary Pathology Study Group developed a consensus statement on molecular biomarker testing. This consensus statement was crafted to provide guidance on what genes should be tested, as well as methodology, samples, patient selection, reporting and quality control.

Molecular biomarker testing is the standard of care for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. In 2017, the Korean Cardiopulmonary Pathology Study Group and the Korean Molecular Pathology Study Group co-published a molecular testing guideline which contained almost all known genetic changes that aid in treatment decisions or predict prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Since then there have been significant changes in targeted therapies as well as molecular testing including newly approved targeted drugs and liquid biopsy. In order to reflect these changes, the Korean Cardiopulmonary Pathology Study Group developed a consensus statement on molecular biomarker testing. This consensus statement was crafted to provide guidance on what genes should be tested, as well as methodology, samples, patient selection, reporting and quality control.

Targeted therapies guided by molecular diagnostics have become a standard treatment of lung cancer. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements are currently used as the best predictive biomarkers for EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors and ALK inhibitors, respectively. Besides EGFR and ALK, the list of druggable genetic alterations has been growing, including ROS1 rearrangements, RET rearrangements, and MET alterations. In this situation, pathologists should carefully manage clinical samples for molecular testing and should do their best to quickly and accurately identify patients who will benefit from precision therapeutics. Here, we grouped molecular biomarkers of lung cancers into three categories—mutations, gene rearrangements, and amplifications—and propose expanded guidelines on molecular testing of lung cancers.
Biomarkers ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Lymphoma ; Pathology, Molecular ; Phosphotransferases ; Precision Medicine ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor

A 50-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to multiple lung nodules detected incidentally on a chest X-ray. A video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy revealed low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LG-ESS). She had undergone a simple hysterectomy 1 year earlier owing to a diagnosis of adenomyosis. A review of her previous hysterectomy specimen showed not endometriosis but LG-ESS. According to the patient's levels of serum follicle stimulating hormone and estradiol, she was in the premenopausal state with retained and normally functioning ovaries. She then underwent ovarian ablation by radiotherapy, after which she was administered 2.5 mg of letrozole once per day. Three months later, the size of the metastatic nodules in both lungs had decreased. The patient was followed up for 24 months while continuing on letrozole, and maintained a partial remission. We report herein on a case of metastatic LG-ESS treated with letrozole after ovarian ablation by radiotherapy.
Adenomyosis ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Endometrial Stromal Tumors ; Endometriosis ; Estradiol ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Ovary ; Radiotherapy* ; Sarcoma, Endometrial Stromal* ; Thorax

There are many studies on the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and economic burden of diabetes across the past four decades in Korea. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of nationwide study regarding diabetes encompassing all age group. Eight years ago, the Committee on the Epidemiology of Diabetes Mellitus of Korean Diabetes Association collaborated with Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service to evaluate the status of diabetes care and characteristics in diabetic patients in Korea. In 2007, the collaborative task force team published a comprehensive survey titled "Diabetes in Korea 2007." In this review, we reappraise the diabetic epidemics from the joint report and suggest further studies that are needed to be investigated in the future.
Advisory Committees ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Joints ; Korea ; Prevalence

Mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are the strongest predictive factor for response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as gefitinib and erlotinib. EGFR TKIs are approved in Korea as a first-line treatment for lung cancer patients with mutated EGFR. Rapid and accurate EGFR mutation testing is essential for patient selection and establishing targeted therapies with EGFR TKIs. Thus, a standard set of guideline recommendations for EGFR mutation testing suitable for the Korean medical community is necessary. In this article, we propose a set of guideline recommendations for EGFR mutation testing that was discussed and approved by the Cardiopulmonary Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists.
Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Patient Selection ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Quinazolines ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Erlotinib Hydrochloride

This study was conducted to identify factors influencing Health/Functional Foods (HFFs) consumption for women in their 20's based on social cognitive theory. A total of 295 subjects participated in this study and were divided into two groups based on the experience of HFF use. This study compared their personal, environmental and behavioral factors which influence the consumption of HFFs. With regard to personal factors, the expected effectiveness for HFFs was higher in the user group than the nonuser group. For the environmental factors, the subjects' use of HFFs was critically affected by the use of HFFs regarding the family members. In terms of behavioral factors, there were no significant differences between the two groups. For the user group, it was observed that their use of HFFs was closely related to when their interests for health was high and the family's use of HFF was high. On the other hands, for the nonuser group, there were less people around them using HFFs than the user group and they did not feel that HFFs were necessary. Since non-experts including parents and close acquaintances critically affected the HFF ingestion of the subjects, it is essential to educate all citizens as well as HFFs consumers about HFFs information.
Eating ; Female ; Friends ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Morinda ; Parents

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to monitor the use of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments in Korean studies of patients with diabetes. METHODS: Of 86 Korean studies initially identified, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. For each study, a description of the instrument and its psychometric properties were monitored by the Instrument Review Criteria of the Scientific Advisory Committee. These criteria include conceptual definition, attributes, taxonomy, reliability, validity, responsiveness, administrative mode, and language adaptations. RESULTS: Five generic and one diabetes specific type questionnaires were identified from the 17 studies. Of those studies, conceptual definitions with the attributes of multi-dimension and subjectiveness were provided for 11 studies (71%). In the analysis of conceptual taxonomy, only 6 studies were classified as HRQOL, while other studies were done as QOL or health status. In monitoring of psychometric properties, reliability, validity, and responsiveness were reported for 88.2%, 64.7%, and 29.4%, respectively. One generic instrument was developed with a Korean population, while the other instruments were developed for Western countries. However, language adaptations were performed for only a few of the instruments. CONCLUSION: The psychometric properties including responsiveness of most instruments warrants further research, and the development of diabetes-specific HRQOL measurements should be sought to facilitate intervention outcomes across Korean studies of patients with diabetes.
Diabetes Mellitus/*psychology ; Health Status ; Humans ; Psychometrics ; *Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea