PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of supportive nursing care on the level of knowledge and compliance with sick-role behavior in patients with coronary artery disease after coronary angiography(CAG).
METHODS
A quasi-experimental research was performed with 81 subjects with coronary artery disease who were admitted for CAG to a cardiovascular department. Among the selected subjects, 40 of them were assigned to experimental group and the rest of them were assigned to control group by convenience. Supportive nursing care was implemented twice by a researcher.
RESULTS
1. The mean score of knowledge related to coronary artery disease was higher in the group who received supportive nursing care than that of the control group(t=2.259, p=.027). 2. The mean score of compliance of sick role behavior was higher in the group who received supportive nursing care than that of the control group(t=4.580, p=.001).
CONCLUSION
The supportive nursing care after CAG was effective in increasing the knowledge level and compliance of sick-role behavior in patients with coronary artery disease. Further studies would be recommended to identify long-term effectiveness of supportive care on patients' outcomes.

As a nursing practice involves nurses'actions in a specific context of health care, this study has focused on exploring the espoused theories in nursing practice within the action science perspectives. Espoused theories are the belief, principles, and rationale expressed by the practitioner as guiding her/his actions in a situation of practice. The data were analysed qualitatively and 25 elements of espoused theories of nursing action were identified and clustered into 6 categories. The 25 elements of espoused theories are as follows: The clinical nurse worked in wholistic and individual nursing, focussed on the patient's needed, comfort and supportive nursing (5 theories of nursing goal); excellent skills, knowledge based, assessment and data collection, explaining, educating or a scientific basis(6 theories of nursing intervention): advocacy, value oriented, treatment, accountability and commitment(4 theories of nursing ethics); human respect, partnership, trust(3 theories of patient-nurse relationship) : knowledgable, accumulated clinical experiences and personally lived experiences, positive perspectives(4 theories of nurse), role of intervention, rewarding, peer relationship(3 theories of situations). The above mentioned espoused theories are similar to that of nursing textbooks which students learned through basic nursing education and almost the same as the Acts ofa Nurse in Korean. However, we are doubtful whether nurses actually do as they think. Therefore, it is recommended to review the theories-in-use in order to find any discrepancies between the espoused theories and the reality of nursing actions.