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Background@#Despite the fact that disease activity, including blood inflammation level, has been lowered with the recent improvement in rheumatoid arthritis treatment, the number of patients appealing of symptoms, such as fatigue, is maintained at a certain level. Fatigue is the most common subjective symptom of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and a major factor influencing health behavior and quality of life. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the factors affecting fatigue to prepare basic data for the development of interventions to improve the quality of life of participants with rheumatoid arthritis. @*Methods@#Cross-sectional data collected using structured questionnaires and medical record reviews were analyzed for 246 rheumatoid arthritis outpatients from a university-affiliated hospital. @*Results@#Level of fatigue was an average of 4.4 out of 10, and 56.5% was evaluated as a remission level based on the disease activity score 28 (DAS28). Factors significantly affecting fatigue were pain and learned helplessness. Higher levels of pain and learned helplessness were associated with higher levels of fatigue.Conversely, there was no statistically significant difference in the fatigue levels of the participants according to the DAS28, objective disease activity index. @*Conclusions@#To reduce the fatigue levels of the participants with rheumatoid arthritis, learned helplessness, including pain control, should be lowered. The participant’s attitude towards the disease should be evaluated and the participants should be actively supported to obtain hope for remission, if clinically encountered with participants.
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Background@#Call center employees experience high levels of occupational stress and other mental health issues. This study aimed to examine the relationship between mental health status and health-promoting lifestyles among call center employees. @*Methods@#A secondary data analysis from a descriptive cross-sectional study of 302 call center employees was conducted. Call center employees were asked to complete the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II). @*Results@#Participants’ overall DASS score was 23.87±13.98 out of 63. Among the six subscales of the HPLP-II, participants’ highest scores were for interpersonal relations, spiritual growth, and stress management, whereas physical activity had the lowest score. Participants with a severe level of mental health issues (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) reported lower levels of health-promoting lifestyle behaviors, especially in the areas of physical activity, spiritual growth, interpersonal relationships, and stress management. @*Conclusions@#As call center service sectors increase in modern industries, so does the need to address the physical and mental health needs of its employees. Healthcare providers and organizations should closely and routinely monitor employee’s levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and develop organizational and health-related policies for the call center sector. Additionally, the development and implementation of health-related interventions to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors is critical for call center employees.
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Purpose@#Trauma increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized patients. However, the risk and incidence of VTE in Korean trauma patients are limited. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the incidence and identify potential predictors of VTE occurrence in Korean trauma patients. Moreover, we assessed the validity of the Greenfield risk assessment profile (RAP) and the trauma embolic scoring system (TESS) in these patients. @*Materials and Methods@#This retrospective cohort study used the data of trauma patients who were admitted to a regional trauma center between 2010 and 2016 and were eligible for entry into the Korea Trauma Data Bank. Clinical data were collected from hospital medical records. The patient’s baseline characteristics and clinical data were compared between VTE and non-VTE groups. @*Results@#We included 9472 patients. The overall VTE rate was 0.87% (n=82), with 56 (0.59%) events of deep vein thrombosis and 39 (0.41%) of pulmonary embolism. Multiple regression analysis revealed that variables, including VTE history, pelvic-bone fracture, ventilator use, and hospitalization period, were significant, potential predictors of VTE occurrence. This study showed that increased RAP and TESS scores were correlated with increased VTE rate, with rates of 1% and 1.5% for the RAP and TESS scores of 6, respectively. The optimal cut-off value for RAP and TESS scores was 6. @*Conclusion@#RAP and TESS, which are well-known diagnostic tools, demonstrated potentials in predicting the VTE occurrence in Korean trauma patients. Additionally, patients with pelvic-bone fractures and long-term ventilator treatment should be carefully examined for possible VTE.
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Purpose@#: The purposes of this study were to examine the levels of job stress, perceptions of the patient safety culture, and patient safety nursing activities, and to identify factors influencing patient safety nursing activities among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. @*Methods@#: For this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 161ICU nurses working in two university-affiliated hospitals in Gyeonggi-do between June 30 and July 30, 2020.The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, an independent t-test, a one-way ANOVA, the Pearsoncorrelation method, and multiple regression using the SPSS program. @*Results@#: The average levels of job stress, perception of patient safety culture, and patient safety nursing activities were 3.48, 3.44, and 4.45 out of 5, respectively. Multiple regression showed that perception of patient safety culture and career in current workplace were found to be statistically significant correlates of patient safety nursing activities. @*Conclusion@#: In order to promote patient safety nursing activities, patient safety culture needs to be incorporated into the education of ICU nurses. Perception of patient safety should be enhanced to improve patients safety nursing activity.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to investigate the levels of compliance with safe handling of antineoplastic agents, time pressure, knowledge of safe handling of antineoplastic agents, and workplace safety climate, and to identify factors influencing compliance with the safe handling of antineoplastic agents among clinical nurses. @*Methods@#For this cross-sectional study, anonymous written surveys were conducted on a convenience sample of 130 clinical nurses at a university-affiliated hospital between July 10 and 20, 2020. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, t-tests, analyses of variance, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis using SPSS. @*Results@#The average level of compliance with safe handling of antineoplastic agents was 120.81 out of 175. The significant correlates for compliance with safe handling of antineoplastic agents were clinical experience, knowledge of safe handling of antineoplastic agents, and workplace safety climate. These accounted for 38% of the total variance in compliance with the safe handling of antineoplastic agents. @*Conclusion@#The findings suggest that to increase compliance with safe handling of antineoplastic agents, workplace safety climate and knowledge of safe handling of antineoplastic agents should be improved. The development and application of an effective training program on the safe handling of antineoplastic agents would lead to improvements in this area.
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Purpose@#Trauma increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized patients. However, the risk and incidence of VTE in Korean trauma patients are limited. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the incidence and identify potential predictors of VTE occurrence in Korean trauma patients. Moreover, we assessed the validity of the Greenfield risk assessment profile (RAP) and the trauma embolic scoring system (TESS) in these patients. @*Materials and Methods@#This retrospective cohort study used the data of trauma patients who were admitted to a regional trauma center between 2010 and 2016 and were eligible for entry into the Korea Trauma Data Bank. Clinical data were collected from hospital medical records. The patient’s baseline characteristics and clinical data were compared between VTE and non-VTE groups. @*Results@#We included 9472 patients. The overall VTE rate was 0.87% (n=82), with 56 (0.59%) events of deep vein thrombosis and 39 (0.41%) of pulmonary embolism. Multiple regression analysis revealed that variables, including VTE history, pelvic-bone fracture, ventilator use, and hospitalization period, were significant, potential predictors of VTE occurrence. This study showed that increased RAP and TESS scores were correlated with increased VTE rate, with rates of 1% and 1.5% for the RAP and TESS scores of 6, respectively. The optimal cut-off value for RAP and TESS scores was 6. @*Conclusion@#RAP and TESS, which are well-known diagnostic tools, demonstrated potentials in predicting the VTE occurrence in Korean trauma patients. Additionally, patients with pelvic-bone fractures and long-term ventilator treatment should be carefully examined for possible VTE.
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Purpose@#: The purposes of this study were to examine the levels of job stress, perceptions of the patient safety culture, and patient safety nursing activities, and to identify factors influencing patient safety nursing activities among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. @*Methods@#: For this cross-sectional study, data were collected from 161ICU nurses working in two university-affiliated hospitals in Gyeonggi-do between June 30 and July 30, 2020.The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, an independent t-test, a one-way ANOVA, the Pearsoncorrelation method, and multiple regression using the SPSS program. @*Results@#: The average levels of job stress, perception of patient safety culture, and patient safety nursing activities were 3.48, 3.44, and 4.45 out of 5, respectively. Multiple regression showed that perception of patient safety culture and career in current workplace were found to be statistically significant correlates of patient safety nursing activities. @*Conclusion@#: In order to promote patient safety nursing activities, patient safety culture needs to be incorporated into the education of ICU nurses. Perception of patient safety should be enhanced to improve patients safety nursing activity.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to investigate the levels of compliance with safe handling of antineoplastic agents, time pressure, knowledge of safe handling of antineoplastic agents, and workplace safety climate, and to identify factors influencing compliance with the safe handling of antineoplastic agents among clinical nurses. @*Methods@#For this cross-sectional study, anonymous written surveys were conducted on a convenience sample of 130 clinical nurses at a university-affiliated hospital between July 10 and 20, 2020. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, t-tests, analyses of variance, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis using SPSS. @*Results@#The average level of compliance with safe handling of antineoplastic agents was 120.81 out of 175. The significant correlates for compliance with safe handling of antineoplastic agents were clinical experience, knowledge of safe handling of antineoplastic agents, and workplace safety climate. These accounted for 38% of the total variance in compliance with the safe handling of antineoplastic agents. @*Conclusion@#The findings suggest that to increase compliance with safe handling of antineoplastic agents, workplace safety climate and knowledge of safe handling of antineoplastic agents should be improved. The development and application of an effective training program on the safe handling of antineoplastic agents would lead to improvements in this area.
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Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of uncertainty and spousal support on infertility-related quality of life in women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. @*Methods@#In this correlational survey study, 172 infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies for infertility treatment at M hospital in Suwon participated. Data collection took place at the outpatient department of M hospital using a self-report questionnaire from July to August 2019. Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows version 28.0. @*Results@#The mean scores for uncertainty, spousal support, and infertility-related quality of life were 28.35 (out of 50), 86.67 (out of 115), and 57.98 (out of 100), respectively. Infertility-related quality of life was positively correlated with spousal support and negatively correlated with uncertainty. According to the regression analysis, infertility-related quality of life was significantly affected by uncertainty, total number of assisted reproductive technology treatments, marriage duration, subjective health status, the financial burden of infertility testing, and the presence of a burdensome person. These variables had an explanatory power of 35.0% for infertility-related quality of life. @*Conclusion@#Uncertainty was an important factor influencing infertility-related quality of life among women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. It is necessary to develop and implement a nursing intervention program focused on reducing various forms of uncertainty during assisted reproductive procedures and to consider other factors affecting infertility-related quality of life in the clinical setting.
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Background@#Adherence to medication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been associated with decreased disease activity and morbidity in prior reports. However, adherence in this population remains suboptimal. This study evaluated the levels of medication adherence and determined the factors thereof in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. @*Methods@#We analyzed cross-sectional data from 345 rheumatoid arthritis outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital. The level of medication adherence was then determined. Lastly, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors significantly associated with medication adherence. @*Results@#Approximately 65% of the subjects were categorized as medication-adherent. In univariate analysis, educational level, perceived health, attitude toward medication, and level of learned helplessness all differed significantly between the adherent and nonadherent groups. When controlling for other factors, higher levels of learned helplessness significantly lowered the likelihood of patients’ adherence to medication in our cohort. @*Conclusions@#Given that learned helplessness is modifiable, the results of this study suggest that interventions to decrease the degree of learned helplessness should be developed and implemented in order to increase the levels of medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and improve clinical outcomes
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Purpose@#This study aimed to identify individual- and regional-level factors associated with perceived good health and multimorbidity among older adults. @*Methods@#Secondary analysis of the 2017 Korea Community Health Survey was conducted on a sample of 67,532 older adults. The individual level data set was combined with regional-level factors from the administrative data released on the Korea National Statistical Office website. Distribution of perceived good health and multimorbidity in 254 public health centers were calculated using sampling weights and presented as percentages. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to identify individual- and regional-level factors associated with perceived good health and multimorbidity. @*Results@#Overall, 21.1% of subjects perceived their health to be good, ranging from 9.3% to 39.4% by region. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 15.9%, and varied between 6.6% and 22.6% by region. At the individual level, perceived good health was associated with men, younger age, higher educational levels, higher income levels, and those married and living with a partner and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.At the regional level, higher rates of health center personnel among public officials and higher levels of financial independence were associated with perceived good health. Multimorbidity was associated with marital status and healthy lifestyle, and higher rates of health center personnel among public officials. @*Conclusion@#Regional factors such as health care personnel and local economy could affect population health. Our findings suggest the need to consider individual- and regional-level factors to promote good health among older adults and reduce the health gap by region.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to identify individual- and regional-level factors associated with perceived good health and multimorbidity among older adults. @*Methods@#Secondary analysis of the 2017 Korea Community Health Survey was conducted on a sample of 67,532 older adults. The individual level data set was combined with regional-level factors from the administrative data released on the Korea National Statistical Office website. Distribution of perceived good health and multimorbidity in 254 public health centers were calculated using sampling weights and presented as percentages. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to identify individual- and regional-level factors associated with perceived good health and multimorbidity. @*Results@#Overall, 21.1% of subjects perceived their health to be good, ranging from 9.3% to 39.4% by region. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 15.9%, and varied between 6.6% and 22.6% by region. At the individual level, perceived good health was associated with men, younger age, higher educational levels, higher income levels, and those married and living with a partner and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.At the regional level, higher rates of health center personnel among public officials and higher levels of financial independence were associated with perceived good health. Multimorbidity was associated with marital status and healthy lifestyle, and higher rates of health center personnel among public officials. @*Conclusion@#Regional factors such as health care personnel and local economy could affect population health. Our findings suggest the need to consider individual- and regional-level factors to promote good health among older adults and reduce the health gap by region.
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Background@#Adherence to medication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been associated with decreased disease activity and morbidity in prior reports. However, adherence in this population remains suboptimal. This study evaluated the levels of medication adherence and determined the factors thereof in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. @*Methods@#We analyzed cross-sectional data from 345 rheumatoid arthritis outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital. The level of medication adherence was then determined. Lastly, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors significantly associated with medication adherence. @*Results@#Approximately 65% of the subjects were categorized as medication-adherent. In univariate analysis, educational level, perceived health, attitude toward medication, and level of learned helplessness all differed significantly between the adherent and nonadherent groups. When controlling for other factors, higher levels of learned helplessness significantly lowered the likelihood of patients’ adherence to medication in our cohort. @*Conclusions@#Given that learned helplessness is modifiable, the results of this study suggest that interventions to decrease the degree of learned helplessness should be developed and implemented in order to increase the levels of medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and improve clinical outcomes
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PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to identify factors affecting elders' intention to participate in healthcare programs. METHODS: This secondary data analysis used data of 390 elderly people who lived alone and were enrolled in the Visiting Health Care Center of H-city. In 2014, questionnaires were used to collect data about demographics, social activity, depression, frailty, and intention to participate in healthcare programs. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regressions. RESULTS: Among the participants, 51.8% intended to participate in the offered healthcare programs. The strongest factor affecting the intention was gender. Women were 4.85 times more likely to participate in the programs than men. The women's intention was associated positively with increased levels of frailty. The men tended to participate in the program as they got older and as the level of frailty and the number of chronic diseases increased. CONCLUSION: Gender-specific public healthcare programs for vulnerable elders living alone should be developed to maximize their participation in the programs and to promote good health. The healthcare programs must be tailored to the levels of the patients' physical functions.
Subject(s)
Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Chronic Disease , Community Health Centers , Delivery of Health Care , Demography , Depression , Intention , Logistic Models , Statistics as TopicABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study evaluated the levels of self-care agency and quality of life and identified the effect of self-care agency on quality of life in brain tumor patients who had undergone surgical resection of brain tumors. METHODS: Data were collected from 131 patients who visited an outpatient clinic for postoperative regular check-ups. Self-care agency and quality of life were assessed via self-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed with descriptive, univariate, and hierarchical regression analyses. RESULTS: The average scores for self-care agency and quality of life were 4.58 (possible range: 1~6) and 3.87 (possible range: 1~5) respectively. Social and thinking functions were the lowest among quality of life sub-scales. Education level was a significant correlate of quality of life in univariate analyses but not in multivariate analysis. Self-care agency accounted for 29.0% of the total variance in quality of life, controlling for education level. CONCLUSION: Approaches focusing on enhancing self-care agency could potentially improve quality of life in postoperative brain tumor patients.
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Humans , Ambulatory Care Facilities , Brain Neoplasms , Brain , Craniotomy , Education , Multivariate Analysis , Quality of Life , Self Care , ThinkingABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study were to assess the relationships among BMI, body weight perception, and efforts to lose weight in a public sample of Korean women who are overweight and obese and to examine the mediating role of body weight perception on the relationship between BMI and weight loss efforts. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The sample was 1,739 Korean women 20 years old or older with body mass index (BMI) > or = 23 kg/m2. Bivariate relationships among variables of interests were assessed. Three separate regressions were used to test the mediating role of body weight perception on the relationship between BMI and weight loss efforts. RESULTS: BMI and body weight perception were significant correlates of weight loss efforts. BMI was significantly associated with weight perception, but a large proportion of women underestimated their weight. Weight perception partially mediated the relationship between BMI and weight loss efforts in Korean women. CONCLUSION: In light of the high prevalence of overweight or obesity and the many health consequences associated with obesity, Korean women should be aware of a healthy body weight and try to achieve that weight. Nursing interventions should consider body weight perception to effectively motivate overweight and obese Korean women to lose weight, as necessary.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Body Mass Index , Body Weight , Cross-Sectional Studies , Korea , Negotiating , Nursing , Nutrition Surveys , Obesity , Overweight , Prevalence , Weight Loss , Weight PerceptionABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to estimate the distribution of three levels of risk for developing coronary heart disease (CHD; low, moderate, and high risk) and to evaluate the attainment of cardiovascular disease prevention guideline goals by the American Heart Association in a nationally representative sample of Korean women. METHODS: This is a secondary data analysis study using the data set from the 2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV. The sample was 3,301 Korean women (representing 15,600,514 women) older than 20 years without cardiovascular disease. Distribution of CHD risk and level of goal attainment were calculated using sampling weights and presented in percentages. RESULTS: Among Korean women without established cardiovascular disease, 7.9% were at high risk for CHD, 20.5% were at moderate risk, and 71.6% were at low risk. The proportion of Korean women who did not meet their goals was substantial, and most women at high risk remained unmanaged for their high blood lipids. CONCLUSION: Korean women at risk for developing CHD need to be managed as soon as possible to attain the guideline goals and to lower their risk for future CHD. Aggressive risk reduction efforts are urgently needed to reduce the public burden of CHD in Korean women.
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Female , Humans , American Heart Association , Cardiovascular Diseases , Coronary Disease , Korea , Nutrition Surveys , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Risk Reduction Behavior , Statistics as Topic , Weights and MeasuresABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and to estimate the 10-year risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) in a nationally representative sample of Korean women. METHODS: This is a secondary data analysis using the data set from the 2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV. The sample was 2,998 Korean women (weighted n = 14,420,987) aged 20e79 years without cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was calculated using sampling weights and presented in percentages. Ten-year risk for CHD was estimated with the Framingham Risk Score, and the proportions for three levels of 10-year risk were presented. RESULTS: About 18% of the sample had hypertension, 7.5% are current smoker, 30.0% had total cholesterol > or = 200 mg/dL, 25.7% had low-density lipoprotein cholesterol > or = 130 mg/dL, and 47.3% had high-density lipoprotein cholesterol 20%. CONCLUSION: Modifiable cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in Korean women, and the combination of risk factors is common. Development and implementation of multifaceted nursing interventions are required to confront the current epidemic rise of CHD in Korean women.