The validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Cancer-chemotherapy Concerns Rating Scale.

Objective: The Cancer-chemotherapy Concerns Rating Scale was developed in Japan for outpatients undergoing chemotherapy, and its validity and reliability have been reported. The purpose of the study was to test the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Cancer-chemotherapy Concerns Rating Scale.

Methods: The questionnaire was filled out by 199 cancer patients, who were currently undergoing outpatient chemotherapy.

Evaluation of falls by inpatients in an acute care hospital in Korea using the Morse Fall Scale.

The purpose of this study was to determine the cut-off values of the Korean version of the Morse Fall Scale (MFS-K) that would be most useful in identifying hospitalized patients at risk of falls in an acute-care setting in Korea. This study was conducted using the medical records of 66 patients who fell and 100 patients who did not fall (no-fall patients) sampled from inpatients hospitalized at a tertiary acute-care hospital in Seoul during the period from 1 January to 30 November 2009. The optimal cut-off point for the MFS-K was found to be 45 points, which produced an acceptable sensitivity and a fairly good specificity, negative predictive value and accuracy.

Perception, attitudes, preparedness and experience of chemotherapy-induced alopecia among breast cancer patients: a qualitative study.

Objectives: Regardless of its negative impact on quality of life, little is known about the importance of alopecia from the patients' perspective. This study aimed to explore the whole experience of chemotherapy- induced alopecia among Korean breast cancer patients including perception, attitudes, preparedness, and changes after alopecia.

Methods: Patients expected to experience or had experienced alopecia were recruited at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea.

Health-related quality of life in cancer patients between baseline and a three-year follow-up.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to identify health-related quality of life (QOL) in persons diagnosed with cancer and to determine differences between the QOL over a 3-year period.

Methods: We investigated the QOL in cancer patients at baseline and 3 years later using the EORTC QLQ-C30 (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30) and the ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) Performance Status. Initially 216 participants (85 women, 131 men) were enrolled, and at the 3-year follow-up there were 126 (52 women, 74 men).

Symptom clusters and quality of life in Korean patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide, causing about 1 million deaths annually. Patients with HCC usually reported multiple concurrent symptoms. The purpose of this multivariate study was to explore whether multiple concurrent symptoms are clustered into groups of symptoms and to explore the effect of symptom clusters on the quality of life (QOL) in patients with HCC.

[Identification and validation of symptom clusters in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma].

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify cancer-related symptom clusters and to validate the conceptual meanings of the revealed symptom clusters in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey and methodological study. Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (N=194) were recruited from a medical center in Seoul.

Blended learning on medication administration for new nurses: integration of e-learning and face-to-face instruction in the classroom.

Purpose: This study analyzed the effects of a blended learning program on medication administration by new nurses using a non-equivalent groups design.

Method: A medication education program using blended learning (including e-learning) was administered to 26 new nurses, while face-to-face instruction in the classroom was given to 24 new nurses. The following dependent variables were compared: degree of knowledge of medication, self-efficacy of medication administration, medication-administration ability, and satisfaction with the learning program.

[Hospital nurses' experience of do-not-resuscitate in Korea].

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to describe the experiences of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) among nurses.

Methods: Data were collected by in-depth interviews with 8 nurses in 8 different hospitals. Conventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data.

[Factors influencing nurses' clinical decision making--focusing on critical thinking disposition].

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing nurses' clinical decision making focusing on critical thinking disposition.

Methods: The subjects of this study consisted of 505 nurses working at one of the general hospitals located in Seoul. Data was collected by a self-administered questionnaire between December 2006 and January 2007.

The roles of critical care advanced practice nurse.

Purpose: To determine and compare the perception among nurses and doctors of the roles and tasks of critical care advanced practice nurses (APNs) in order to establish standardized and formally agreed role criteria for such critical care APNs.

Method: This study measured and analyzed the necessity of each of the roles and tasks of critical care APNs, as perceived by nurses and doctors, through a survey of 121 participants: 71 nurses in 7 intensive care units (ICUs) at a general hospital in Seoul, and 50 doctors who used ICUs. Data collection utilized a questionnaire of 128 questions in the following fields: direct practice (79), leadership and change agent (17), consultation and collaboration (15), education and counseling (11), and research (6).

[Development of an e-learning program about medication for new nurses].

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop an e-Learning program about medication for nurses to enhance nurses' medication performance ability and to analyze learners' responses after studying with this program.

Method: For the development of the e-Learning program, the NBISD(Network Based Instructional Systems Design) model, suggested by Jung(1999) was applied as a basic model and the instruction design theory of Gagne & Briggs(1979) and ARCS theory of Keller(1983) were applied. After the operation of this program for one month to 34 new nurses, learners' responses were analyzed.