PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the work conditions, reported stress, role conflict and job satisfaction of infection control nurses working in general hospitals.
METHODS
The subjects were 125 infection control nurses from 102 general hospitals. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of questions about general characteristics, job characteristics, work condition, stress, role conflict, and job satisfaction. Data were collected from July to September 2011 and analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe test, Pearson's correlation, and Stepwise multiple regression in SPSS/WIN 18.0.
RESULTS
Over fifty percent (56.0%) of infection control nurses reported the majority of their time was monitoring intensive units. The average reported stress was 7.20, role conflict was 3.67, and job satisfaction was 3.14. The factors which influenced job satisfaction were stress, enough information, annual income, and the number of hospital beds.
CONCLUSION
The factors contributing to job stress of infection control nurses need to be specifically identified. Education and training for infection control personnel should be provided to enhance job satisfaction.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify the influencing factors on health related quality of life in middle age.
METHODS
Data were as collected by self-reported questionnaires from 303 middle age adults. Data analysis was done using SPSS/WIN 17.0 program for descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression.
RESULTS
The average score of health related quality of life was 79.50+/-0.40. Health related quality of life was statistically significant differences according to gender, education, economic status and disease. The health related quality of life was significantly correlated with fatigue, depression, stress, social support, somatic attribution, psychological attribution, normalizing attribution and type D personality. The major factors that affect health related quality of life in middle age were stress, fatigue, type D personality and normalizing attribution, which explained 51.3% of health related quality of life.
CONCLUSION
The findings can provide the basis for the development of nursing interventions to improve health related quality of life. Furthermore, more studies are needed to explore variables that influence on the health related quality of life in middle age.

PURPOSE
This retrospective chart review study was carried out in order to examine the frequency of delirium, and to identify the risk factors associated with the development of delirium in elderly patients with arthroplasty.
METHODS
Data were collected from medical records of patients who received arthroplasty during one and half year in a hospital. Three hundred sixty five patients were selected for the study. The onset of delirium was reviewed based on the result of psychological doctor's consultation or nurse's assessment with Confusion Assessment Method and delirium onset risk factors were examined. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, chi2-test, Fisher's exact test and logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS
Delirium occurred with 31 patients (8.5%) out of 365 patients who underwent arthroplasty. There were statistically significant differences between incidence of delirium and gender (chi2=6.11, p=.025), age (chi2=32.81, p<.001), hearing difficulty (chi2=8.08, p=.012), albumin level of preoperational day (t=-3.43, p<.001), albumin (t=-2.20, p=.028) and hemoglobin level (t=-2.83, p=.005) of operational day. Age and gender were the most significant predictive factors with regard to the incidence of delirium.
CONCLUSION
Through understanding of these results, nurses will be able to identify those patients who may be at risk for developing delirium in early stages.

PURPOSE
This study aimed to identify factors influencing depression of married immigrant women in rural areas.
METHODS
The participants were 206 married immigrant women in Jeollanamdo, Korea. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire from November to December 2011 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 18.0.
RESULTS
The participants' mean age was 28.3 (range=20 to 49). Depression significantly differed according to age, spouse occupation, occupation and monthly household income. The depression was significantly correlated with acculturative stress, social support and marital satisfaction. Factors influencing depression were acculturative stress, social support and spouse occupation, which explained 42.9% of total variance. Acculturative stress was the most significant factor of all (beta=.41, p<.001).
CONCLUSION
Based upon the findings, this study provides useful information that could assist in reducing the depression among married immigrant women, and indicates that nursing intervention is needed.

PURPOSE
This study was conducted to describe the risk of dysphagia and to evaluate the effects of a singing intervention for women elderly in community.
METHODS
One-group pre test-post test design was used. The subjects were 29 women over the age of sixty and residing in a local area. A singing intervention consisted of breathing, vowel production and singing. The one hour intervention occurred once a week for eight weeks. The variables of dysphagia risk, a swallowing test, and nutritional status were measured. Analysis was done by paired t-test.
RESULTS
There was a significant decrease in the score of dysphagia risk (p<.001). There were significant increases in the swallowing test scores [modified water swallowing test (p=.032), food test (p=.001)]. There were no significant differences in nutritional status (triceps skin fold thickness, mid arm muscle circumference).
CONCLUSION
The findings support that a singing intervention can be helpful in reducing the risk of dysphagia may improve deglutition for the women elderly. These results suggest that this study may contribute to the use of a singing intervention for women elders with dysphagia risk.

BACKGROUND
Few nurses are trained in palliative care for long-term care in Korea. The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC)-Geriatric training program improves nurses' ability to promote palliative care for the elderly. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate nurses' satisfaction and knowledge following the attendance at the ELNEC-Geriatric curriculum on nurses' knowledge of palliative care.
METHODS
Nine ELNEC-Geriatric modules were presented to 203 interdisciplinary professionals on July 1 and 3, 2010, in Seoul, South Korea. The Palliative care quiz for nursing (PCQN) was used to evaluate nurses' knowledge. Of all the participants, 128 nurses were completed the questionnaire. Of these nurses, 45.2% were staff nurses and 73.4% were hospital nurses.
RESULTS
Approximately eight nine percent of the nurses reported previous experience in caring for dying patients and attending various hospice palliative care training programs. Overall program satisfaction of the participants was 4.03 on a 5-point scale, and their mean of the total PCQN score was 12.75 out of 20 after participating in ELNEC-Geriatric course, which was a significant improvement (p=.022) from the pretest.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study demonstrate that ELNEC-Geriatric curriculum was successfully implemented and significantly contributed to increasing the nurses' knowledge for palliative care in long-term care in Korea.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to develop spaced retrieval training as a nursing intervention for patients having an mild alzheimer's disease and to determine the effects of the program on their memory and cognitive function across training sessions.
METHODS
A non-equivalent control group pre test-post test design was used in this study. Participants were recruited from a local community: 14 patients were allocated into experimental group and 12 patients were allocated into control group. The experimental group was asked to participate in spaced retrieval training over 4 weeks, with seven times a week and 1 hour a session based. The study was conducted from June 20, 2011 to July 17, 2011. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, chi2-test and t-test using the SPSS/WIN 19.0 program.
RESULTS
After spaced retrieval training, the experimental group showed significant increases in scores for memory (t=12.40, p<.001) and cognitive function (t=7.69, p<.001) in comparison to the control group.
CONCLUSION
Spaced retrieval training was effective in increasing cognitive function and memory of patients having mild alzheimer's disease. Therefore spaced retrieval training could be benefit the mild alzheimer's disease.

PURPOSE
The purposes of this secondary data analysis study were first to identify the number of Korean adults achieving goals set by the American Diabetes Association for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and secondly to identify the characteristics associated with lack of goals attainment.
METHODS
The sample was 413 Koreans with diagnosed diabetes aged thirty years or older who participated in the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Goals attainment for HbA1c, BP, and LDL-C were presented in percentages. Logistic regressions were used to examine associations between participants' characteristics and lack of goals attainment.
RESULTS
About 48% had HbA1c<7%, 48.2% had BP<130/80mmHg, and 34.1% had LDL-C<100mg/dL. Only 8.7% of the sample achieved all three parameters. In multivariate analysis, younger age, longer diabetes duration, insulin use, and abdominal obesity were associated with not meeting HbA1c goal. Smoking and use of antihypertensive medication were associated with BP> or =130/80mmHg. No use of lipid lowering agents was associated with LDL-C> or =100 mg/dL.
CONCLUSION
Many Koreans with diabetes were not at goals for HbA1c, BP, and LDL-C. For optimal control, appropriateness of therapy and poor lifestyle habits should be assessed periodically and managed accordingly.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of balance taping therapy on neck pain in high school students.
METHODS
The study employed a randomized control group pretest-posttest design with four-time repeated measures. Data were collected from 62 high school students with neck pain. The experimental group (n=31) took balance taping therapy for six days with appropriate position and stretching education while the control group (n=31) applied patches including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) for six days with appropriate position and stretching education. Neck pain, cervical range of motion (CROM) and neck disability were measured at pretest, day one, day three and day six which was the posttest day.
RESULTS
For the experimental group, the neck pain was significantly improved on all three days (F=16.82, p<.001), and extension and right lateral flexion of the CROMs were significantly improved over time compared to the control group (F=3.85, p=.011; F=2.71, p=.047, respectively). Neck disability was also improved in the experimental group compared to the control group (F=8.64, p<.001).
CONCLUSION
The balance taping therapy was an efficient intervention for high school students with neck pain. Nurses could apply non-pharmacological interventions such as balance taping therapy without pharmacological side effects.

PURPOSE
The purpose of the study was to develop a predictive model of Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) for Korean Goose daddies - they live alone in Korea to support their families who moved overseas for children's education.
METHODS
Data were collected from 151 goose daddies from May to June of 2011 by using the structured self-reported questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using SAS program (version 9.2) and SAS CALIS procedure.
RESULTS
Frequency of exercise, monthly income, depression, perceived physical health, and perceived mental health had direct effects on HRQoL. Depression was the variable accounting for major total effect on HRQoL. It could be explained that predictor variables accounted for 76% of the health-related quality of life.
CONCLUSION
In order to improve Goose daddies' HRQoL, predictive factors, such as age, exercise, nutritional status, monthly income, depression, perceived physical health, and perceived mental health, should be considered. Furthermore, should the need of the exercise and diet program, early detection of depression and the treatment for it be emphasized. Also, there is a need to establish institutional structures to support goose daddies in adversity.