The Effects of Horticultural Therapy on Sense of Coherence among Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities: A Quasi Experimental Design.

Promoting positive mental health is crucial for the elderly living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). This study aims to examine the effectiveness of horticultural therapy on the level of sense of coherence (SOC) among older LTCF residents with relatively normal mental function. With convenient sampling, a total of 86 participants were recruited from 12 LTCFs in northeastern Taiwan. In the experimental group (n = 49), the mean (±standard deviation) score of SOC was 50.45 ± 6.07 at baseline and increased to 56.37 ± 7.20 (p < 0.001) after 12-week horticultural intervention. In contrast, the mean SOC score did not change significantly in the control group (n = 37) during the study period. Generalized estimating equation analysis showed that a significant interaction effect between group and time on the SOC score (p < 0.001). Our findings indicate that horticultural therapy is effective to strengthen the SOC level of older LTCF residents without dementia.

Application of a Q Method Study to Understanding Nurses' Perspective of Adopting Evidence-Based Nursing.

PURPOSE: This study applied the Q method to identify and describe the various types of nurse perceptions that are crucially associated with their engagement in evidence-based nursing (EBN). METHODS: The study participants were nurses at a medical center and a regional teaching hospital. A series of Q sorts was performed by nurses to subjectively rank the Q statements. Q statements were constructed based on the literature related to EBN adoption by nurses and face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: A total of 60 participants were invited to rank 44 Q statements related to EBN. Factor analysis was conducted on the rankings of the Q statements. The following are the five prominent shared perspectives: (1) emphasized the obstacles to evidence searching and reading ability; (2) emphasized the organizational promotive strategies; (3) emphasized the available supportive resources; (4) emphasized the significance of EBN; and (5) emphasized the evidence-searching ability and external incentives. The five identified groups of perspectives can enhance hospital administrators to acknowledge the barriers and incentives associated with EBN practices. CONCLUSION: The exploration of clustering nurses' perceptions may facilitate the development of customized strategies to enable more appropriate training.

Sense of Coherence among Older Adult Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities in Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence shows that sense of coherence (SOC) is related to health promotion. Knowledge of SOC among older adults in Taiwan is limited. The present study aimed to investigate SOC status and its relationship to personal and environmental factors among older adult residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in northeastern Taiwan. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in Yilan, Taiwan. With face-to-face interviews, we obtained data from 104 LTCF residents (aged 65 years and older) using the Chinese version of Antonovsky's short 13-item SOC scale. We also collected the information on personal characteristics, physical and social environmental resources. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze factors potentially influencing SOC. RESULTS: Of the participants, the mean score (±standard deviation) of SOC was 58.3 (±8.8), while scores on SOC subscales (comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness) were 23.4 ±4.5, 17.9 ±3.8, and 17.0 ±3.2, respectively. Education level, activities of daily living and number of LTCF staff were found to be independently associated with SOC status after adjusting for demographic characteristics, health status, and environmental resources. In addition, interactions between personal and environmental factors had a crucial influence on SOC status. CONCLUSIONS: Participants in this study had relatively low SOC scores compared to their counterparts in Western countries. In addition to personal factors, environmental factors can play a significant role in SOC status among older adult LTCF residents. Comprehensive evaluation of SOC status should consider person-environment interaction effects.

Estimating retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in normal schoolchildren with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To measure the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in normal schoolchildren with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and to evaluate the effects of age, spherical equivalent (SE) refraction, OCT signal strength, and cycloplegic treatment on RNFL thickness. METHODS: Comprehensive ophthalmic examinations were performed at a school visit. RNFL thicknesses were measured with RTVue-100 OCT. Refractive errors were measured by cycloplegic autorefraction. RESULTS: Four hundred seventy healthy schoolchildren aged 7 and 12 were enrolled. The average RNFL thickness (mean ± SD) was 109.4 ± 10.0 µm. The quadrant RNFL thicknesses were 90.4 ± 14.3 µm (temporal), 142.2 ± 19.5 µm (inferior), 71.1 ± 11.3 µm (nasal), and 133.9 ± 18.1 µm (superior). After controlling for age, gender, cycloplegic treatment, and signal strength index, multiple linear regression analysis disclosed that only SE refraction has a significant effect on RNFL thickness, (p < 0.001). For every diopter change towards hyperopia, the average RNFL thickness increased by 1.7 µm. SE refraction was positively correlated with RNFL thickness in most sectors of nontemporal quadrants, but it was negatively correlated with RNFL thickness in sectors of temporal quadrants. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides reference values of pediatric RNFL thickness measured with SD-OCT. SE refraction is the only significant predictor of RNFL thickness.