Effect of a New Developed Physical Restraint to Reduce Skin Injury in Intensive Care Units / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study were to develop a new restraint for the intensive care units (ICU) and to investigate the application effect in comparison with a control group using existing restraints. METHOD: A non-equivalent control group non-synchronized quasi-experimental research design was used. The participants were 40 (control 20, experimental 20) patients who were recruited by convenience sampling the ICU of a university hospital. To avoid contamination of the experiment, data for the control group were collected prior to the experimental group. Measurement variables were edema and skin damage (redness and abrasion) at the application site, and nurses' perceived convenience in applying restraints. RESULTS: Three days after applying the restraint, amount of edema at the application site was small and incidence of skin damage decreased in the experimental group in comparison with the control group. Also, score for application convenience measured by the nurses was higher in for the newly developed restraint than for existing restraints. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that the newly developed restraint has lower effects such as edema and skin damage and is more convenient compared with existing restraints, and is therefore recommended for patients in the ICU.

Sexual Experiences of Women with Breast Cancer / 종양간호학회지

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to describe and interpret the nature of the experience inherent in the sex life of female breast cancer patients after treatment and understand the meaning behind it. METHODS: The participants were 10 female breast cancer patients who were married. Data were collected from March to September 2010. Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenology was adopted in this qualitative study as a research method. RESULTS: There were 4 essential topics in the participants' experience of sex life; 'Sex life alert' was a result of negative changes in sexual relationships with spouse that they had never experienced before the breast cancer diagnosis; 'Precarious situation for pending divorce' was an experience of deteriorated sex life because of the failure to overcome 'sex life alert'; 'Sublimation of the difficulties by discovering an alternative solution' was an experience of discovering a solution to overcome the 'sexlife alert'. 'Leaving it as unsettled' was an experience of a condition in which the participants did not have any intension to resolve the difficulties in sex life due to the lack of appropriate support, thus tried to ignore the challenges faced. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates the necessity to develop proper nursing intervention on the issues related to sex life among breast cancer patients. Given the fact that the sexual topics are often considered taboo in day to day nursing practice, special attention and efforts need to be given in this area to build up nursing knowledge and evidence-based practice.

Attitude of Korean Lawyers toward Withdrawal of Life Sustaining Treatment / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to study the attitude of Korean lawyers toward withdrawal of life sustaining treatment, and compare and analyze different types of their attitudes. METHODS: Research design of this project was Q methodology approach. The study population was 24 lawyers, aged from 32 to 69 years. Q sample to investigate the attitude of the lawyers toward withdrawal of life sustaining treatment included 34 statements obtained from literatures, TV debate, and depth interviews of 5 lawyers among the lawyers included. After listening to the purpose and method of the study, the 24 lawyers agreed to fill out a survey asking sociodemographic information, and the information was distributed in 9 scale Q-sample. RESULTS: The collected data were processed through QUANL PC program and sorted into 5 types as follows: The first type was 'Choosing to withdraw life sustaining treatment', the second 'Withholding life sustaining treatment' regardless of the cost, the third is neutral type that claims that humans have the right to decide the death and life, and demands the proper legalization to protect such rights, the fourth type agrees to withdrawal of life sustaining treatment, nevertheless, admits that one has a rigt to withhold one's own life treatment, categorized as self contradiction type. The fifth type believed that 'Life and death are providential' with the faith, therefore, such authority to decide life and death belongs to God, but not human beings. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the lawyer's attitudes toward withdrawal of life sustaining treatment were grouped into five different types as follows: 'Choosing to withdraw life sustaining treatment', 'Withholding life sustaining treatment', 'Demanding legalization', 'Self contradiction type', and 'Life and death are providential'.