Development of an Oral Health Assessment Tool for Critically Ill Patients / 중환자간호학회지

PURPOSE: This methodological study develops an oral health assessment tool for critically ill patients.METHOD: From February 15 to April 30, 2014, this study was conducted to test the validity and reliability of the tool at two general hospitals and three medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in Seoul, Korea.RESULTS: The result of the intraclass correlation coefficient to test the between-observer reliability by analyzing the oral health assessment scores before and after oral nursing care showed that .93 of before oral care and .90 of after oral care. The correlation coefficient values of .68 (p < .001) and .71 (p < .001) before and after providing oral nursing care, respectively, indicated the presence of a statistically significant correlation between the tool and the criterion. Using the paired t-test, the differentiated validity of the tool was tested in patients who had developed pneumonia after entering the ICU. A statistically significant difference in scores was found between the time of entering the ICU and that of developing pneumonia (t=−8.73, p < .001), which provided evidence for the differentiated validity of the tool.CONCLUSION: Since the validity and reliability of the tool developed in this study were verified, this tool can be used to assess the oral health conditions of critically ill patients.

Patient's Cognition toward the Disclosure of Cancer Diagnosis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the actual condition and the general cognition toward the disclosure of diagnosis among cancer patients. METHODS: A survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted with 195 cancer patient from October 18, 2011 to November 19. The data was analyzed with SPSS (version 18.0) for frequency analysis and chi2 test. RESULTS: 88.2% of cancer patients were agreed to the disclosure of cancer diagnosis. Cancer patients had preferences for a doctor to notify the disclosure of their cancer diagnosis (90.8%) and immediate notification of the cancer diagnosis (89.7%). The sequences of disclosing cancer diagnosis were following; the patient and the care-giver notified at the same time (47.2%). the patient notified first (32.3%) and the care-giver notified first (20.5%). Cognition toward disclosure of cancer diagnosis was statistically significant only with age (p=.003). CONCLUSION: These result suggested that cancer patient wanted to notify their cancer diagnosis by doctor, as soon as cancer diagnosis confirmed, before notifying to their family, and to know accurate cancer related information. Therefore, principals and guidelines in disclosing cancer diagnosis are essential to increase the quality of cancer patient care.

Effects of a Balance Taping on Pain and ROM of the Knee Joint in the Elderly with Lower Limbs Arthritis / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of balance taping on pain and Range of Motion (ROM). ROM of the knee joint in the elderly with lower limbs arthritis. METHODS: This study was a nonequivalent pretest-posttest design, quasi-experimental study. An experimental group of 35 elderly and a control group of 35 elderly were assigned. Subjects responses to the Visual analogue Scale (VAS) and range of motion scores as measured by a joint goniometer. Data were analyzed by, t-test and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: In the experimental treatment group, the pain score was significantly decreased from 6.46 to 2.09 after balance taping (p<.001). In addition, knee joint ROM of the experimental group was significantly increased from 114.80 to 121.92 after balance taping (p=.003, p<.001, p<.001). CONCLUSION: This is a very important study as it is an excellent treatment that nurses can utilize and these data support the efficacy of the method.

Effects of Balance Taping Therapy for Elders with Leg Pain / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of balance taping for elders suffering from leg pain. METHOD: This study was a nonequivalent pretest-posttest design, quasi-experimental study. There were 25 elders in the experimental group and 25 in the control group. The degree of leg pain was measured three times. RESULTS: In the experimental group, the leg pain score before taping was 6.28, but 1 hour after the taping was applied it was 3.24, and at 24 hours after the taping was applied, 2.16. The leg pain score for elders in the experimental group decreased significantly but for those in the control group, it hardly changed. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study support the conclusion that balance taping may benefit individuals with leg pain. Also, balance taping therapy can be used as an independent nursing intervention.