• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.91-103
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to construct a structural equation model to explain and predict factors affecting the health-related quality of life (QoL) in female rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients based on the health-related QoL model by Ferrans et al. (2005) and a literature review. Methods: Patients (N=243) who were either registered members of an internet cafe composed of patients with RA or rheumatology outpatients at two tertiary general hospitals in Busan, Korea, were recruited via convenience sampling. Data were collected from July 2 to September 9, 2021, and the survey was conducted using a web-based questionnaire. The data were analyzed by SPSS and AMOS 26.0. Results: The goodness-of-fit statistics of the final model exhibited good results (χ²/degree of freedom=2.68, Turker-Lewis index=.94, comparative fit index=.96, standardized root mean-squared residual=.04, root mean- square error of approximation=.08), and 11 out of 14 paths of the model were supported. The squared multiple correlation, which reflected the explanatory power of the environmental characteristics, symptoms, functional status, and perceived health status on health-related QoL, was 80%. In the hypothesis model, 10 paths had significant direct effects, 6 paths had significant indirect effects, and 12 paths had significant total (direct and indirect) effects. Conclusion: Considering that factors directly affecting the health-related QoL of female patients with RA were social support, symptoms (fatigue and depression), resilience, and perceived health status, and that resilience was the most influential factor, clinicians can encourage resilience. Hence, to improve the health-related QoL of female patients with RA, continuing management is necessary, using various intervention methods that focus on enhancing resilience from the early stage to the end of treatment for RA.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.158-162
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• 2018

Breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) is one of the most intractable complications after surgery. Patients suffer from physical impairment, as well as psychological depression. Moreover, a recent study revealed that cellulitis significantly increased the risk of BCRL, and cellulitis has been suggested as a risk factor of BCRL development. We describe a patient treated with stellate ganglion blocks (SGBs) without steroid for relief of symptoms and reduction of the arm circumference of breast cancer-related infectious lymphedema in a month. We measured the arm circumference at four locations; 10 cm and 5 cm above and below the elbow crease, numeric rating scale (NRS) score, lymphedema and breast cancer questionnaire (LBCQ) score on every visit to the pain clinic. A serial decrease of the arm circumference and pain score were observed after second injection. In the middle of the process, cellulitis recurred, we performed successive SGBs to treat infectious lymphedema. The patient was satisfied with the relieved pain and swelling, especially with improved shoulder range of motion as it contributes to better quality of life. This case describes the effects of SGB for infectious BCRL patients. SGB could be an alternative or ancillary treatment for infectious BCRL patients.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.166-176
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was done to identify analysis study quality of life in home stayed arthritis patients. The subject for this study were 56 arthritis patients in K city and boundary area resident, and period of data collection was from July, 2000 to November, 2000. The results are as follows. 1. Mean score of Quality of life was $171.13{\pm}44.08$(range from 66 to 244), Mean score of depression was $36.71{\pm}12.11$(range from 18 to 64), score of social support was $3.96{\pm}5.30$(range from 0 to 19), and score of stress was $322.80{\pm}34.18$(26 to 2316). 2. Main demographic factor influenced upon quality of life was age, sex, educational level and marital status, and main Physical factor influenced upon qualify of life was height, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. 3. Quality of life was correlated negatively with depression, and positively social support. 4. quality of life in home arthritic patient was explained 68% by depression, age and social support. In conclusion, nursing intervention of arthritic patient in home considers age, social support and depression in order to promote quality of life.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.198-210
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• 1999

This study is to investigate sleep patterns of rheumatoid arthritis patients through a survey research. The subjects for this study were 97 patients registered in Hanyang University Hospital Rheumatoid Arthritis Center, and the period of data collection was from July 15, 1998 to August 30, 1998. The research instruments used in this study were the measures of sleep, pain, and fatigue, and SPSSWIN 8.0 Program was used for data analysis. The research results are as follows ; The patients went to bed between 11 and 12 p.m., but many of them found difficulty in falling asleep within 5 minutes. They woke up quite early at around 4 to 6 o'clock in the morning and remained in bed about 1 hour. Only 39 percent of the subjects reported satisfaction with their sleep. Fifty six percent of the subjects took a nap, generally did in the afternoon and 22.7 percent of them napped for half an hour. They suffered sleep disturbance, but their sleep environments were calm and comfortable, and they turn off the light when they went to sleep. As for the quality of sleep, over 50 percent of the subjects reported not being able to sleep deeply, 30 percent of the subjects woke up frequently during sleep, 60 percent experienced frequent arousal after sleep onset. Over 90 subjects slept for 6 to 8 hours. This shows that even though they had rheumatoid arthritis, the patients remained in bed for a sufficient period of time. They also reported waking up or turning frequently during sleep. The sense of fatigue from sleep disturbance scored a relatively high 35.84 points on average against the possible score of 64 points. Behavior for sleep promotion was very active. Sleep disturbance occurred in proportion to the sense of fatigue and pain, and was negatively correlated with quality of sleep. The pain had positive correlations with the illness duration, sleep disturbance and had a negative correlation with the quality of sleep.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.210-222
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• 2012

Purpose: This study examined the effects of taekwondo exercise program on the physical function, fitness and quality of life in women with osteoarthritis. Methods: With nonequivalent control group quasi-experimental design, 17 outpatients with osteoarthritis were recruited from June to August, 2010. The subjects were divided into 14 in experimental group and 13 in control group. The taekwondo exercise program was consisted of public taekwondo gymnastics with stretching movement and carried out every 60 minutes, 2 times a week for 12 weeks. Physical fitness of sit up, sit and reach, and agility, KWOMAC, and quality of life were measured. Data were analyzed by t-test and Mann-Whitney test using SPSS program. Results: After the intervention, the physical fitness for muscle endurance (Z=-4.40, p<.001), flexibility (Z=-2.75, p=.006), and agility (Z=-1.95, p=.050) were significantly improved in the experimental group. The mean scores of KWOMAC in the experimental group were significantly decreased (Z=-2.94, p=.003) and the mean difference of quality of life in the experimental group was also significantly increased than that of the control group (Z=-3.50, p<.001). Conclusion: The taekwondo exercise program may have affirmative effects on physical fitness, physical function, and quality of life in women with osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.342-353
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• 2000

This study was performed to examine the effect of a 7-week comprehensive health promotion program for improving pain, depression, and disability by employing a quasi-experimental design. The subjects were regular out-patients of a RA aclinic in an University Hospital in Inchon from November 11. 1998 to December 24. 1998. The Experimental group included 18 patients who participated in an arthritis health promotion program, and the control group included 18 patients who did not. The 7-week health promotion program, which had the objective to enhance health promoting skills, was provided to patients. The effects of this program on the patients' pain, depression, and functional disability were examined. According to the study results, a significant group difference was found on these dependent variables (Hotelling's T =.30, F=3.11, p=.04). To examine which dependent variables had significant effects, one-way ANOVAs were performed. There were significant group differences in pain (F=4.35, p=.05) and in depression (F=4.22, p=.05) However, no significant group differences on functional disability (F=.04, p=.84) were found. Conclusively, the arthritis health promotion program, which was designed to enhance 11 health promoting skills, can be evaluated as successfully achieving the ultimate goal of enhancing the patients' quality of life. It can also be contended that the improvement of the patients' quality of life was enabled by relieving pain and reducing depression.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.105-113
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the new version of the arthritis self-management program (ASMP) developed by the Korean Society of Muscle and Joint Health. Methods: A total of 150 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) were participated in a 6-week self-arthritis management program provided once a week in 3 community health centers. Each session took 1.5 hours. This study measured present health status, frequency of fall during last 3 months, pain, difficulties in activity of daily living, exercise-related efficacy, flexibility of both arms, balance, and health-related quality of life. Results: After a 6-week program, pain, difficulties in ADL, present health status, exercise-related efficacy, health-related quality of life, flexibility of both shoulders, and balance were significantly improved. Conclusion: The results showed the possibility of the 6-week ASMP program in improving health state, physical function, and health-related quality of life in patients with OA.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.614-626
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• 1997

The main purposes of the study were to develop and test a model which explains the dynamic relationship among factors reported as affecting to the quality of life of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and to examine the relationship between self-help response and quaility of life. Data for the study were collected from March 1996 to December 1996 from 153 female patients who regularly visited a clinic for people with rheumatism. The patients were introduced to the investigators by nurses who worked at that clinic, and then the investigator interviewed the patients for 30 to 40 minutes to collect the data. Instruments used in the study were modified self-report questionaires from the ones which were already developed in previous studies or from related literature. Data analysis were performed using LISREL(Lineal Structural Relations) 8 program to test whether the proposed hypothesized model fit the collected data. To test the fitablity of the hypothesized model both a general fit measure and a detailed fit measure were used. Based on the test results from the various fit measures, the hypothesized model was found to be well suited to the real data. As characteristics related to illness becomes severe, the feasibility for these characteristics leading to the perception of uncertainty about the illness tend to increase, but, the direct effects from the illness characteristics(such as level of physical symptoms, sense of social-psychologic change, limitations of action) as they are related to the other intrinsic variables (self-efficacy or self-help behavior and quality of life), were found to be not significant. It was found that uncertainty had a direct effect on self-efficacy but did not have a direct effect on self-help behavior or quality of life. Also, it is noted that self-efficacy had a positive effect on self-help behavior and quality of life and there was a bilateral relationship between self-efficacy and self-help behavior. Lastly, the hypothesis proposed from the theoretical model in this study was supported basis of the results that self-help behavior provides both direct and positive effects to quality of life. Particularity, since a bilateral relationship was also found between self-help behavior and quality of life in the modified model, as self-help behavior increased, so did quality of life. And, reversely, as quality of life increased, so did self-help behavior. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that focusing on both acquirement and reinforcement of adjustment factors or self-help behavior is more efficient than focusing on the characteristics of illness in establishing the stategies for improving quality of life of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.281-293
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• 2000

This study was conducted to identify the relationships among self-care agency, family support, qualify of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The subjects were 120 rheumatoid arthritis patients who attended RA O.P.D. at a university hospital, located in Daegu city, from 10th of May in 1998 to 30th of July in 1998. Three structure questionnaires were administered for explore three main research variables; 소향숙's self-care agency scale, 강현숙's family support scale, and 김종임's quality of life scale of RA patien. Data analysis was conducted with SPSS program including percentage, mean, standard deviation, mean score, Pearson Correlation Coefficient, multiple regression, and Cronbach's Alpha. Results are summarized as follows; 1. The mean of RA patient's self-care agency was 136.62, the mean of family support 37.38, and the mean of qualify of life 134.41. 2. Subject's self-care agency was positively correlated with family support(r=.2446) and with quality of life(r=.4341). Subject's family support was positively correlated with quality of life(r=.2630). 3. Stepwise multiple regression was used to determine the predictors of subject's quality of life. Significant predictors for subject's quality of life were self-care agency(t=4.873 p=0.0000), family support(t=4.480 p=0.0000) and the severity of arthralgia(t=-3.838, p=0.0002). The number of joints involved and the periods of illness did not show significant contribution to subject's quality of life. Self-care agency, family support, and family support explained 40. 39% of the variance in RA patient's quality of life. Given this results, it is suggested that a repeated study to measure RA patient's self-care practice in their own life may be needed to develope and validate an optimum level of nursing intervention for RA patient with which family support will be encouraged and patient's self-care agency will be facilitated.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.203-211
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• 2010

Purpose: We aimed to test the validity of the EQ-5D (Euro-Quality of Life-5 Dimension), a brief and simple instrument, in measuring health related quality of life in the patients with osteoarthritis. Methods: 183 participants attending the education programs for osteoarthritis patients at the Health Centers located in Seoul and Gyunggi province area during the periods of June to December in 2009 were interviewed with the EQ-5D and KWOMAC (Korean version of Western Ontario and McMaster Scale). The data were analysed with Spearman correlation coefficents and t-test by using of SPSS/WIN 12.0 version. Results: There was a negative correlation between knee pain, stiffness and difficulty in usual activity of sub category items of KWOMAC and EQ-5Dindex, while there was no correlation between these categories and EQ-VAS. Moreover, as a result of comparing the score of physical function measured by KWOMAC according to the severity degree of the EQ-5Dindex, the group of advanced stage having moderate and severe symptoms reported significantly higher scores of physical function than those of groups having no health problems. Conclusion: The EQ-5D is an acceptable and valid instrument for measuring health-related quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis.