PURPOSE
The purpose of the study was to understand and describe health-related experience of women with physical disabilities, using feminist qualitative approach.
METHODS
Eight women with physical disabilities participated to the study. Their mean age was 43, ranging from 39 to 67 years old. The data were collected by individual in-depth interviews and all interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. The transcribed data were analyzed using traditional qualitative content analysis from a feminist perspective.
RESULTS
Six major categories emerged from the data. Category 1: "Isolation and alienation from the world.", Category 2: "A distorted self-image of physically disabled body.", Category 3: "Difficulties due to a fixed gender role.", Category 4: "Constant suffering from chronic pain.", Category 5: "Health problems that they have to endure by themselves.", Category 6: "Sublimation through selfreliance." The results of the study show how Korean women with physical disabilities suffer from social stigma, indifferences, and discriminations and struggle to survive in these unfriendly surroundings.
CONCLUSION
The results of the study would help health professionals in designing effective intervention to improve health and to empower women with physical disabilities by providing deep understanding and critical insights of those women.

PURPOSE
The study was done to investigate the effect of ethanol inhalation on postoperative nausea in patients using Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA).
METHODS
The data were collected from June 1st 2006 to September 30th, 2007. The subjects were 70 patients who had had orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia. The levels of the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure postoperative nausea. The experimental group was given ethanol inhalation using ethanol pads and the control group received normal saline pads. All participants were instructed to take two deep sniffs with the pad one inch from the nose. This was repeated every five minutes for three doses. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 12.0 program.
RESULTS
The study supported all hypotheses. "The experimental group given first dose of ethanol inhalation would have a lower level postoperative nausea compared to the control group"(t = -5.900, p = .000). "The experimental group given second doses of ethanol inhalation would have a lower level postoperative nausea compared to the control group"(t = -7.507, p = .000). "The experimental group given third doses of ethanol inhalation would have a lower level postoperative nausea compared to the control group"(t = -6.685, p = .000).
CONCLUSION
According to these results, the ethanol inhalation can be considered an effective nursing intervention for relieving the postoperative nausea in patients using PCA.

PURPOSE
This study was conducted to identify predictors of the stage of change for smoking cessation of male university students on the basis of the Transtheoretical model (TTM).
METHODS
The 388 current smokers or exsmokers who agreed to participate were recruited from three areas in Korea from August 2 to September 5, 2006. Data was analyzed using a SPSS program for descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and multiple logistic regression.
RESULTS
Most subjects (76.8%) were current smokers. According to stages of change, there were statistically significant differences in self efficacy, smoking temptation, decisional balance (cons, pros), and processes of change. The predictors of transition from contemplation to preparation were behavioral and experiential processes. The predictors of transition from preparation to action were pros of smoking and experiential process. The predictors of transition from action to maintenance were cons of smoking and behavioral process.
CONCLUSION
Specific nursing interventions based on stages of change need to be developed for smoking cessation of male university students.

PURPOSE
We analyzed climacteric symptoms, bone mineral density (BMD), serum estradiol (E2) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) to identify the health benefits of meridian massage in perimenopausal women.
METHODS
There were 16 women in the experimental group and 17 people in the control group. Meridian massage was performed for 4 weeks, 3 times a week for 20 minutes each session. The data were collected pre-treatment, posttreatment and 4 weeks after treatment. SPSS/WIN 11.5 was used for data analysis.
RESULTS
After meridian massage, there were significant differences in climacteric symptoms (U = 65.50, p = .011) and BMD (U = 65.50, p = .011) between the two groups. The E2 level showed a significant difference between the two groups pre- and posttreatment (U = 75.00, p = .028). FSH showed a significant increase when measured at 4 weeks after the treatment as compared with the amount when measured post-treatment within the control group (z = -2.249, p = .025), experimental group showed a stable change in FSH. but there was no significant difference between the groups.
CONCLUSION
In this study, we confirmed the effects of Meridian massage in decreasing climacteric symptoms, inhibiting the decrease of BMD and stabilizing serum hormone in perimenopausal women. Therefore, it can be considered for use as a nursing intervention for health management in perimenopausal women.

PURPOSE
This study was to identify the relationship between knowledge, self efficacy, and self care behavior regarding foot care among elderly diabetes mellitus (DM) patients.
METHODS
The subjects consisted of 146 elderly with DM. The data collected from February to October 2008 were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression.
RESULTS
The mean scores of knowledge (13.21 +/- 1.99), self efficacy (2.23 +/- 0.54), and self care behavior (2.29 +/- 0.51) regarding foot care were moderate. The level of knowledge was significantly different according to education about DM (p = .012) and drinking (p = .007). Self efficacy was significantly different according to gender (p = .019), educational level (p = .014), spouse (p = .048), disease period (p = .000), admission of DM (p = .000), complication of DM (p = .001), education of DM (p = .023). Self care behavior was significantly different according to educational state (p = .003), disease period (p = .039), and other disease (p = .000). Significant correlations were found between knowledge and self care behavior (p = .001), self efficacy and self care behavior (p = .000), knowledge and self efficacy(p = .012). Knowledge and self efficacy were a predictor of self care behavior (18.2%).
CONCLUSION
These findings indicate that perceived knowledge and self efficacy may be necessities to improve self care behavior regarding foot care among elderly DM patients. The above mentioned results will be reflected in developing patient educational programs.

PURPOSE
This study was conducted to evaluate successful aging (SA) in elderly individuals and to determine the factors that influence SA.
METHODS
The subjects included 207 elderly individuals from D city, Korea. The data were obtained between July 1 and August 30, 2008. The participants were assured of anonymity and confidentiality. For the evaluation, Kim & Shin's SA scale, Lawton's instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scale, Jon's self-esteem scale, Kee's geriatric depression scale short form-Korean (GDSSF-K), and Hong's productive activities scale were used. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation coefficients; multiple regression analysis was performed using the SPSS/WIN 10.0 program.
RESULTS
The maximum score for SA was 34, and the mean score was 22.62. It was found that SA was significantly correlated to IADL, self-esteem, depression, and productive activity. Depression was the most powerful predictor of SA and it accounted for 40.6% of the total variance in SA. Self-esteem, productive activity, living situation, economic status, and age together accounted for 62.1% of the total variation in SA.
CONCLUSION
Depression, self-esteem, and productive activity were identified as variables that influence SA. On the basis of these results, we conclude that nurses should assist elderly individuals in order to facilitate SA. Moreover, individualized nursing management strategies must be developed in order to facilitate SA.

PURPOSE
This study was to examine whether VRE infection control strategies have an effect on the decrease in incidence rates for VRE acquisition and VRE nosocomial infection in ICU.
METHODS
All the patients were examined for VRE carriers on ICU admission. Among them, patients hospitalized for over 48 hours were investigated for VRE acquisition rates and VRE nosocomial infection rate using VRE infection control strategies in ICU for the experimental group from September 2007 to April 2008. Before that, incidence of VRE acquisition and VRE nosocomial infection for the control group without Intervention were investigated from May to August 2007 retrospectively.
RESULTS
VRE acquisition rate in clinical specimens was 0.6% in the experimental group, that was significantly lower when compared to the control group. VRE carrier rate at admission to ICU was 15.4%. Out of 182 VRE carriers, 180 patients were identified by the active surveillance culture.
CONCLUSION
These results suggested that active surveillance culture at admission was considered to be an essential measure for detection of VRE carrier. But without strict isolation and adherence rating after each intervention, hand washing and contact isolation alone did not significantly decrease VRE nosocomial infection, although it did significantly decrease incidence of VRE acquired from clinical specimen.