Conflicts Experienced by the Nurses in Hospital Nursing Organizations / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The present research was done to examine the fundamental significance and structure of conflict experience of nurses in hospital nursing organizations.METHODS: This qualitative research was conducted by analyzing data collected through in-depth interviews based on Colaizzi's (1978) method of analysis, one of the phenomenological methods of analysis.RESULTS: Statements from the 12 study participants demonstrate two key topics “accumulation of conflicts” and “manifestation of new conflicts” as well as seven sub-topics including “being forced to comply”, “Lack of respect and consideration”, “unsatisfactory conflict management by the leaders”, “continuous and overwhelming vicious cycle”, “prevalence of self-defensive egotism”, “difficult to accept differences”, and “incapable of responding to the structural changes of nursing workforce”.CONCLUSION: Resolving the dysfunctional conflicts in hospital nursing organizations requires not only improvement in the organizational culture of individuals and nursing organizations, but also legal and institutional measures in addition to new attempts to integrate education and research findings from relevant fields of studies.

Effects of Horticultural Therapy for the Korean Elderly : A Systematic Literature Review

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of horticultural therapy by analyzing researches on horticultural therapy applied to elderly Koreans. METHODS: We evaluated 401 research papers including dissertations on horticultural therapy applied to elderly Koreans from Jan. 2000 to Feb. 2016. We reviewed the appropriate 12 papers among them for the final analysis. RESULTS: Horticultural therapy had physiological and psychosocial effects. First of all, it showed the physiological effects of reducing stress hormones. Outdoor horticultural therapy improved the gross motor movements of the body. Indoor horticulture therapy improved delicate cognitive & operating functions. Second, horticultural therapy showed the psychosocial effects of reducing depression and improving cognitive functions, language abilities, comprehension, daily activity, life satisfaction and sociality. But the effects appeared differently dependent on the implementation protocol & period of horticultural therapy, as well as the professionalism of the therapists. Therefore, if horticultural therapy were to be administered through nursing, it should be based on its key principle, in other words, the principle of action-interaction-response of horticultural therapy. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will be useful for developing therapeutic interventions through nursing. Also they will be helpful in applying horticultural therapy programs in nursing practice.

Job Analysis of Clinical Research Coordinators Using the DACUM Process

PURPOSE: This study was done to analyze the job of clinical research coordinators (CRCs). METHODS: Through the "developing a curriculum (DACUM)" workshop, the definition of CRCs' role was described and CRCs' duties and tasks were identified. Finally, the developed duties and tasks were validated for importance, difficulty, and frequency. RESULTS: A CRC is defined as the one who coordinates and performs tasks related to clinical research/trials among investigators, participants, and sponsors according to the Good Clinical Practice at institutions conducting clinical trials. Twelve duties and 78 tasks were identified on the DACUM chart which represented the importance, difficulty, and frequency of tasks represented as A, B, and C respectively. Based on determinant coefficient (DC) of the task, the highest ranked task was confirming the eligibility of participants for research (DC=8.03) and the lowest was inventory management for clinical study materials (3.95). CONCLUSION: In this study, the job of a CRC was analyzed through the DACUM process and it was found that CRCs were doing various duties and tasks. Based on these results, it is suggested that it is necessary to develop CRC education programs considering the career ladder of CRCs.

Boarding High School Students' Life Stress and Coping Skills / 정신간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was done to explore life stress and coping skills of boarding high school students. METHODS: Triangulation (quantitative and qualitative) research method was used through three stages. First, 47 high school students were interviewed to identify life stressors. Second, 208 students were surveyed via internet questionnaires to assess stress level for each stressor. Lastly, in order to survey stress coping skills, 61 students answered 10 subjective questions orally or in writing. RESULTS: Thirty-seven life stressors in five categories were identified through thematic content analysis of the interviews: dormitory life, appearance and self management, human relations, study, and other areas. Stresses from schoolwork were highest and participants also experienced stress from their dormitory life. The overall stress level was higher in girls than in boys, and students in their 2nd year perceived their stress as higher than those in other grades. Various stress coping skills were being used, and positive coping skills were commonly used. CONCLUSION: To improve quality of life of boarding high school students, various strategies are needed to reduce their life stress. Especially, girls are in need of special concern and care because of their vulnerability to stress.

Evaluation of the Korean Formal Educational Program for Training Care Workers for Frail Elderly

PURPOSE: This study was done to evaluate the formal education program provided by the Korean government for care workers for frail elderly people. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional survey in which 438 certified care workers who had completed the education program participated. Data were collected from June to October 2009, using a self-report questionnaire consisting of satisfaction with, and understanding of the education program. RESULTS: The participants had a mean age of 46.7 yr, 87.9% were female and 58.2% were high school graduates. For the theory part of the education, the highest score for understanding was for 'supporting household & activities of daily living' while the lowest score for understanding was for 'care for death and dying'. For the practical education, the highest score for understanding was for 'talking with the client' and the lowest score was for 'first aid & basic life support'. There was a significant difference in satisfaction and understanding of the theoretical and practical parts according to educational level. CONCLUSION: Continuing education programs are needed for care workers for elders, both in the theoretical and practical areas. Also the content of programs should address the weak points of this formal education program.

Analysis of Importance, Difficulty, and Frequency of Nurses' Job in Outpatient Departments / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the importance, difficulty, and frequency of work (duties and tasks) done by nurses' in Outpatient Departments (OPD). METHOD: Data were collected using structured questionnaires, which included 11 duties and 92 tasks making up the OPD nurse's job. Questionnaires were completed by 286 nurses. Each duty and task was analyzed for importance, difficulty, and frequency (range 1-3). RESULTS: The mean score for importance was 2.58+/-0.29, for difficulty, 2.11+/-0.31, and for frequency, 2.18+/-0.31. OPD nurses recognized'patient education and consultation' as important and difficult. However, in practice OPD nurses reported the most frequent task as'support for medical services'. There was a significant difference in importance and difficulty of duties according to OPD nurses' university degree (F=3.693, p= .026; F=4.089, p= .018) and hospital size (F=4.274, p= .006; F=3.154, p= .025). However there were no differences in importance, difficulty, or frequency according to clinical experience in OPD. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that OPD nurses must be able to do important and difficult duties and tasks, especially patient education and consultation. To have time for these uniquely nursing tasks, OPD nurses need to delegate'preparation for medical service', and'management of facility and environment' to nonmedical health-care workers.

The Determinants of Job Satisfaction of Nurses: Focused on Work Rewards

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of job satisfaction of hospital nurses. The focus was on work rewards. A causal model of job satisfaction of hospital nurses was constructed based on situational perspectives. METHODS: The sample for this study consisted of 505 nurses from 2 general hospitals located in Seoul and Kyeonggi Province, Korea. Data were collected with self-administrated questionnaires and analyzed by hierarchical multiple regression. RESULTS: All variables except workload were positively correlated with job satisfaction. It was found that three task reward variables (workload, meaning, and participation), two organizational reward variables (security and promotional chances) and one social reward variable (family support) had significant influence on nurses' job satisfaction. The explained variance for job satisfaction was 41.4%. The data further indicate that task rewards were the most significant determinants of nurse job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Theses findings provide strong empirical evidence for importance of task, organizational and social reward variables in explaining job satisfaction of nurses. The model used for this study will be useful for predicting nurse job satisfaction.

Coping with Experiences in Multiple Chronic Diseases in the Rural Elderly

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe how the rural elderly cope with experiences in multiple chronic diseases. METHOD: Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth interview using ethnography. The participants were 9 women and 2 men who aged over 65, were living in rural community, and had experienced two or more chronic diseases. RESULTS: According to the results of this study, those who had experienced multiple chronic diseases went through the stages of 'recognizing of revealed symptoms', 'discovering of disease', 'overcoming', 'neglecting', 'discovering another disease', 'being frustrated' and 'living with suffering'. CONCLUSION: The results of this study are expected to be utilized as basic materials to develop a nursing intervention program for effective management of chronic diseases.

Comparison of Student Nurses Graduating from a Junior College or a University on Observation and Performance of Nursing Roles / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify observation and performance of nursing role activities by student nurses graduating from 3 year junior colleges or 4 year universities. METHOD: A descriptive design was used and the participants were 295 student nurses who were graduating. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The average score for observation of nursing role activity was 2.16+/-0.29, and for performance 1.61+/-0.29. Among the college students, the mean item score for observation was highest for medication administrator and lowest for provider of spiritual & bereavement care, while for the university students the highest was for provider of care during surgery and lowest for provider of spiritual & bereavement care. The college students had higher scores for observation, and the university students for performance. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that standardized practice learning programs need to be designed in schools and in clinical practice areas, in order to further develop adaptability to nursing roles.

Predictive Factors of Aspects of the Transtheoretical Model on Smoking Cessation in a Rural Community / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was done to evaluate the predictive value of aspects of the Transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavior change as applied to smoking cessation in a rural population. METHOD: A convenience sample was recruited from a public health center in a community. A total of 484 participants were recruited, including 319 smokers, 116 ex-smokers and 49 non-smokers. A cross-sectional and descriptive design was used in this study. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency statistics, ANOVA and Logistic regression. RESULT: The major findings were 1) The participants were assessed at baseline for their current Stage of Change resulting in a distribution with 42.1% in Precontemplation, 24.1% in Contemplation, 9.7% in Preparation, 6.2% in Active, and 17.9% in the Maintenance stage. 2) There were statistically significant differences of processes of change, decisional balance and situational temptation across the stages of change. 3) The main factors that affect smoking cessation were age, number of years smoking, age when began smoking, self-liberation and negative/affective situations, which combined explained 33.2% of the smoking cessation. CONCLUSION: TTM variables measured prior to a smoking cessation program added little predictive value for cessation outcome beyond that explained by demographic and smoking history variables.

Comparison on Perceived Importance and Frequency of Nurse's Role Behaviors between Medical and Surgical Nurses / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the perceived importance and frequency of nurse role behaviors for medical and surgical nurses and to examine the relationship between perceived importance and frequency of nurse role behaviors in the two groups. METHOD: A descriptive design was used with convenience sampling of 351 medical and surgical nurses in the 40 hospitals with over 500 beds. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: 1) The total score for perceived importance of nurse role behaviors was 4.09+/-.53 for medical nurses and 4.13+/-.53 for surgical nurses. 2) The total score for frequency was 3.15+/-.54 for medical nurses and 3.24+/-.56 for surgical nurses. 3) The perceived importance of nurse role behaviors was higher than the frequency, but the difference between two groups was not significant. 4) The perceived importance of nurse role behaviors was highly correlated with frequency (r=.579, p=.000) for the two groups. CONCLUSION: Medical and surgical nurses perceived the importance nurse role behavior but the frequency of the behavior is lower. Therefore, further research is needed to develop strategies to increase the frequency of nurse role behaviors.

Development and Application of Web-based Nursing Informatics Education Program for Graduate Students / 대한의료정보학회지

The Purpose of this study was to obtain data needed for nursing informatics education through analysis of experiences about application of WBI Nursing Informatics Education Program for Graduate Students which was developed by software engineering and nursing educators. This study was conducted on WBI Graduate Nursing Informatics Education Program which was developed for nursing informatics course, dept. of nursing, C university. The WBI Graduate Nursing Informatics Education Program was developed and operated after taking consideration into the level of computer skills and needs about 3 credits nursing informatics course of 28 graduate nursing students. It was identified that most of graduate nursing students were satisfied with WBI Nursing Informatics Education Program, especially system features of this program that were consisted of system approach and interface design. In conclusion, it is considered that CAUNMCC-WBI System is useful teaching-learning program for graduate nursing informatics course. And also it is suggested that this WBI graduate nursing informatics course provided by interdisciplinary faculties could be a alternative for graduate nursing informatics education.

The Nurses' Experiences of Clinical Practice / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to describe qualitatively the entities of nurse's experiences in general hospitals and to suggest basic data guiding research on developing Standards of clinical nursing practice in Korea. METHOD: Fourteen nurses working at general hospitals with over 300 beds in Seoul were interviewed in-depth until saturation using tape-recorders and transcription. RESULT: The central theme of clinical nursing practice experienced by subjects was "being with clients" that means accepting client's personal character, solving client's needs and providing client-centered nursing. A also "being with clients" was felt to be the responsibility of nurses which was learned from their nursing schools. The nursing strategies performed in order to be with patients were proving skillful nursing techniques, accepting, educating, emotional support, advocating, and self-reflecting, the subjects experienced somewhat problematic affects such as difficulties in interpersonal relationship, work overload, negative image of nursing, deficit of self-confidence for nursing actions, poor working conditions, and unfair treatment. Nurses at the hospital practiced with pride when they felt that they were accepted by clients. CONCLUSION: Further research is needed to analysis problems in clinical practice and the comparison of nurses' experiences of clinical practice, with nurses' experiences in various settings.

Content Analysis of Quality Nursing Care Perceived by Nurses / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore the perceptions of quality nursing care among nurses. METHOD: The data were analyzed using content analysis. The data were collected from 19 nurses who worked at diverse clinical areas in 8 general and university hospitals with over 400 beds. RESULT: 1. The attributes of quality nursing care were categorized into 7 hierarchies in the order of 'caring' (40.65%), 'specialty' (29.03%), 'nurse attainments' (15.48%), 'patient- centered nursing management' (6.45%), 'sincerity' (5.16%), 'kindness' (2.58%), 'satisfaction' (0.65%). 2. The concept of quality nursing care were defined as 'giving a satisfaction both to patients and nurses through patient-centered nursing management with specialty and caring in the ground of the kindness and sincerity'. CONCLUSION: Based on there findings, we suggest that the study results should be used for development of a quality assurance tool in nursing practice, patient care in hospital setting, education of nurses and nursing students. In addition, further repeated studies need to be conducted.

Investigation of Espoused Theories in Nursing Practice / 성인간호학회지

As a nursing practice involves nurses'actions in a specific context of health care, this study has focused on exploring the espoused theories in nursing practice within the action science perspectives. Espoused theories are the belief, principles, and rationale expressed by the practitioner as guiding her/his actions in a situation of practice. The data were analysed qualitatively and 25 elements of espoused theories of nursing action were identified and clustered into 6 categories. The 25 elements of espoused theories are as follows: The clinical nurse worked in wholistic and individual nursing, focussed on the patient's needed, comfort and supportive nursing (5 theories of nursing goal); excellent skills, knowledge based, assessment and data collection, explaining, educating or a scientific basis(6 theories of nursing intervention): advocacy, value oriented, treatment, accountability and commitment(4 theories of nursing ethics); human respect, partnership, trust(3 theories of patient-nurse relationship) : knowledgable, accumulated clinical experiences and personally lived experiences, positive perspectives(4 theories of nurse), role of intervention, rewarding, peer relationship(3 theories of situations). The above mentioned espoused theories are similar to that of nursing textbooks which students learned through basic nursing education and almost the same as the Acts ofa Nurse in Korean. However, we are doubtful whether nurses actually do as they think. Therefore, it is recommended to review the theories-in-use in order to find any discrepancies between the espoused theories and the reality of nursing actions.