Effects of an Empowerment Program for Patients with Schizophrenia / 정신간호학회지

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate a ‘patient empowerment program for schizophrenia (PEPS)’ to improve problem solving ability, quality of life, and mental health literacy for hospitalized patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: The study was a non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. Study participants were recruited from a psychiatric hospital in Republic of Korea. Of 56 participants, 20 were assigned to the experimental group and 36 to the control group. Data were collected from September, 2017 to January, 2018. Data analyses included chi-squared or Fisher's exact tests, t-tests, and repeated measure ANOVA with SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. RESULTS: After participating PEPS, the experimental group showed a significant increase in quality of life and mental health literacy compared to the control group. However, there were no significant differences in problem solving ability between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Findings show that patients with schizophrenia receive benefits from PEPS in terms of quality of life and mental health literacy. However, further research is necessary to develop clinical strategies to improve their problem solving abilities.

Factors influencing on Recovery in Alcohol Dependent Patients / 재활간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate influencing factors on recovery among alcoholics. METHODS: The participants were 123 hospitalized patients with alcohol use disorder in two hospitals in Gyeonggi province. The data were collected from May 16 to June 4, 2012 using self-report questionnaires including Hanil Alcohol Insight Scale, Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale, and Recovery Scale. The data were analyzed using the SPSS/Win 18.0 program with descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and regression analysis. RESULTS: Recovery is positively related to abstinence self-efficacy and duration of abstinence. Recovery differed by insight type, gender, and occupation. Insight, duration of abstinence, gender, and occupation accounted for 59.1% of the variance in recovery of the alcoholics. CONCLUSION: The influencing factors on recovery among alcoholics were insight, duration of abstinence, gender, and occupation. Programs focusing on insight, abstinence self-efficacy, and abstinence maintenance should be developed and provided. When developing the programs, the environmental context in which the alcoholics work should be considered.

In Pediatric Patients with Presumed Appendicitis, Is the Urgent Appendectomy the Best?: Appropriate Management for Pediatric Patients with Presumed Acute Appendicitis

PURPOSE: The emerging studies have suggested steadily negative appendectomy rates. The purpose of this study is to verify that short-term observation under conservative management helps surgeons avoid unnecessary surgery without poor progress in pediatric patients with presumed acute appendicitis. METHODS: We reviewed 650 medical records of pediatric patients aged 12 years and younger with presumed acute appendicitis at Ewha Womans University Medical Center between January 2005 and December 2009. We then compared 283 'appendectomy group (AG)' including 229 suppurative appendicitis (SA) and 54 normal appendix or mild appendicitis (MA), pathologically, with 96 'conservative treatment group (CG)' who were diagnosed with mesenteric lymphadenopathy associated with early appendicitis or normal appendix in radiologic study and effectively treated with conservative management. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in gender and age distribution between SA and MA groups, but the mean age of CG was younger than MA group (P=0.000). The main clinical findings between SA, MA and CG were similar but the mean duration of symptom was longest in CG. 'Delayed' and 'night-time' surgery was frequent in MA (P=0.006, P=0.027). Thirteen patients(4.6%) developed complications in AG without significant difference between SA and MA. The mean hospital stay was significantly shorter in CG than MA (P=0.000) without significant difference between SA and MA. The medical cost of CG was much cheaper than AG (P=0.000). No patient in CG needed appendectomy for the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: The authors suggested that short-term watchful waiting for presumed appendicitis in pediatric patients under conservative treatment could reduce unnecessary appendectomy, complications and cost.

The Clinical Features and Management of IHPS: A Comparison between 1980's and 2000's

PURPOSE: A precise and simple tool for diagnosis and the growing public interest in health caused infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) to be diagnosed in good time. The approach to pyloromyotomy as the standard treatment is undergoing changes. We compared 2000's IHPS patients with 1980's to identify the clinical features and management. METHODS: We analyzed, retrospectively, the clinical findings, diagnoses, and treatment of 68 patients with IHPS who underwent pyloromyotomy at Ewha Womans University Medical Center from January 2000 to December 2008 (2000's group), and compared the results with that of 42 patients in the 1980's (1980's group). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, gender, birth rank, seasonal distribution, and symptoms between both groups, but the number of patients with metabolic changes and palpable 'olive' was significantly lesser in the 2000's group. Upper gastrointestinal series (UGI) was the most common imaging tool in the 1980's (71.4%) but USG has become the standard diagnostic tool in the 2000's (88.2%). All patients received open pyloromyotomy using traditional incision in the 1980's, and supraumbilical semicircular incision in 36.8% of patients in the 2000's. The average length of hospital stay after operation was significantly shorter in the 2000's group. In the 2000's, the mean preoperative stay at hospital was 4.4+/-4.3 days. Twenty-nine (42.0%) patients did not vomit postoperatively and postoperative vomiting did not delay discharges of any patients. CONCLUSION: There were significant improvements in diagnosis and treatment in the 2000's. We suggest that the surgeon, without the need for a radiologist perform USG for IHPS in order to shorten the preoperative hospital stay.

A Case of Adenocarcinoma of the Larynx / 대한이비인후과학회지

The larynx is a rare site for an adenocarcinoma. This case presents adenocarcinoma of epiglottis, a rare malignant neoplasm of the larynx. A 74-year-old man was presented with throat discomfort that began 4 months ago and neck mass for 1 month ago. The laryngeal telescopic finding revealed centrally ulcerative fungating mass on the laryngeal surface of epiglottis. A biopsy of the neoplasm pathologically characterized the lesion as adenocarcinoma. An adenocarcinoma of the larynx is a highly lethal neoplasm and has worse prognosis than squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. We treated with the conservative surgery and bilateral neck dissection. There is no evidence of recurrence at 18 months after the initial treatment.