Effects of Head Nurses' Servant Leadership on Organizational Commitment among Clinical Nurses: Focused on the Mediating Effect of Empowerment / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: This study was performed to identify the mediating effect of empowerment in the relationship between head nurses' servant leadership and organizational commitment among clinical nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used. A convenience sample of 249 nurses was recruited from three hospitals located in J province, South Korea. Data were collected by self-report questionnaires, including general characteristics, servant leadership, empowerment, and organizational commitment. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, independent t-test, One-way ANOVA, and linear regression using the SPSS 22.0 program. RESULTS: Head nurses' servant leadership perceived by clinical nurses significantly influenced their organization commitment. Empowerment partly mediated the effect of servant leadership on organizational commitment. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest the importance of improving nurse managers' servant leadership and empowering nurses to increase their organizational commitment.

Renal and Perinephric Abscesses: Ten Years Experience at a Single Center / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: We analyzed the clinical experiences of patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses during the last 10 years in a single center. MATERIALS AND METHOS: We reviewed the medical records of 33 patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses treated at our hospital between January 1998 and March 2008. The medical records, including predisposing conditions, clinical manifestations, physical examination, laboratory and radiologic findings, duration of hospitalization, types of uropathogens, time to clinical improvement, time to laboratory improvement, treatment, and clinical outcomes, were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Renal, perinephric and mixed abscesses occurred in 22(66.7%), 4(12.1%), and 7(21.2%) patients. The most common predisposing conditions were diabetes mellitus(39.4%) and liver disease(27.3%). Flank pain (57.6%) and fever(54.5%) were the most common symptoms. Urine and blood cultures were positive in 23.3 and 19.2% of patients, respectively. The most common isolated uropathogen in the urine, blood, and purulent cultures was E. coli. The time to clinical and laboratory improvement was not significantly different between the patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses. Patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses received antibiotic therapy only in 59.1, 50.0, and 42.9% of cases, respectively. Similarly, patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses underwent percutaneous or surgical drainage in 22.7, 50.0, and 14.3% of cases, respectively. Patients required a nephrectomy in 18.2 and 42.9% of renal and mixed abscess cases, respectively. Most patients were cured(54.5%) or improved(42.4%) at the time of discharge from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses are successfully managed by proper medical or interventional treatment. However, the cases suspicious for renal cancer or with non-functioning kidneys must be evaluated carefully for nephrectomy.