Nursing Care Workers’ Experience of Care Giving Infected Patients in Long-term Care Hospital / 재활간호학회지

Purpose@#The purpose of this study is to explore nursing care worker's experience of care services for infected patients in long-term care hospital. @*Methods@#For this study, the researcher used the convenience sampling method to recruit 9 nursing care workers in long-term care hospitals. Data were collected through in-depth interview with them. The data collected were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. @*Results@#24 codes were extracted, and through the process of organizing the meanings, 8 sub-themes and 4 themes were deduced. The themes deduced were ‘Diversely coexisting psychological responses’, ‘Caring for an infected patient at a given position’, ‘Obstacles to implementation of principled infection control guidelines’, ‘Needs for customized education of caregiver for infected patients’. @*Conclusion@#This study would be deemed significant in that it has provided for some basic data to the education of the nursing care workers and the development of an intervention program.

The Effects of Organizational Culture for Infection Control and Self-Efficacy on Compliance with Standard Precautions of Emergency Room Nurses

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the effects of organizational culture for the infection control and self-efficacy on compliance with standard precautions of emergency room nurses. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from 1st July to 3rd August, 2017. The participants were 200 nurses working in emergency rooms. The data was collected using structured self-report questionnaires. RESULTS: The average scores for the organizational culture for infection control, self-efficacy and compliance with standard precautions were 5.54, 3.65, and 4.31, respectively. The organizational culture for infection control (r=.59, p<.001) and self-efficacy (r=.28, p<.001) were found to have a positive, meaningful correlation with compliance with the standard precautions. Multiple regression analysis showed that compliance with standard precautions was significantly affected by the organizational culture for infection control (β=0.55, p<.001) and self-efficacy (β=0.13, p=.033). CONCLUSION: The results for this study indicate that the organizational culture for infection control and self-efficacy were highly influential factors affecting compliance with standard precautions of emergency room nurses. Therefore, in order to improve the nurses' use of the standard precautions, it was necessary to develop and evaluate a program that considers the environmental factors and self-efficacy.

Relationships between Osteoporosis Knowledge, Outcome Expectations for Exercise, and Self-efficacy for Exercise in Elderly Women with Osteoporosis Aged over 60 / 재활간호학회지

PURPOSE@#This study was conducted to identify the relationships between knowledge about osteoporosis, outcome expectations for exercise, and self-efficacy for exercise in older women with osteoporosis.@*METHODS@#This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Participants were 148 women aged 60 years and older who were diagnosed with osteoporosis. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Pearson's correlation coefficient.@*RESULTS@#Statistically significant differences in knowledge about osteoporosis were found in age, education level, household income, type of household, chronic disease, medication, alcohol consumption, and perceived health status. Statistically significant differences in outcome expectations for exercise were observed in age, education level, household income, type of household, chronic disease, medication, body mass index, and perceived health status. Statistically significant differences in self-efficacy for exercise were observed in age, household income, chronic disease, and medication. In addition, it was found that knowledge of osteoporosis and self-efficacy for exercise were positively correlated with outcome expectations for exercise.@*CONCLUSION@#Based on this study, the development of a physical activity program is necessary by considering knowledge about osteoporosis, outcome expectation for exercise, and self-efficacy for exercise.

Factors Influencing Health-related Quality of Life among Older Korean Women with Osteoporosis: Using Data from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015 to 2016 / 재활간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate osteoporosis prevalence and factors influencing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among older Korean women with osteoporosis. METHODS: The study design was a retrospective study using secondary data analysis. Data for 1,355 women aged 65 and older from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2015 to 2016 were included. Linear regression analysis was conducted for influential factors on HRQoL, measured by the Euro Quality of Life-5D (EQ-5D). RESULTS: The prevalence of osteoporosis was 41.3% in older Korean women. The EQ-5D index score was lower in older women with osteoporosis (0.83) than those without osteoporosis (0.86). Lower HRQoL in older Korean women with osteoporosis was associated with lower household income, perceived health status as bad, comorbidity, activity restriction, and stress. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the prevalence of osteoporosis was high in older Korean women. In addition, healthcare professionals need to consider individual conditions such as economic status, perceived health status, other chronic diseases, activity restriction and level of stress for improvement of HRQoL in older Korean women with osteoporosis.

A survey of Brugia malayi infection on the Heugsan Islands, Korea

Lymphatic filariasis due to Brugia malayi infection was endemic in several areas of South Korea. The infection was controlled, or disappeared, in most areas, with the exception of the remote southwestern islands of Jeonranam-do, including the Heugsan Islands. To discover its current situation, a small-scale survey was performed on the Heugsan Islands in September 2000. A total of 378 people, 151 male and 227 female, living in 8 villages (6 on Daeheugsan-do, 1 on Daejang-do, and 1 on Yeongsan-do) were subjected to a night blood survey for microfilaremia, and physical examination for elephantiasis on the extremities. There were 6 (1.6%) microfilaria positive cases, all in females aged 57-72 years, and from only two villages of the Daeheugsan-do area. There were 4 patients with lower leg elephantiasis, but they showed no microfilaremia. The results show that a low-grade endemicity of filariasis remains on the Daeheugsan-do.