• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.119-130
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• 2003

Illness intrusiveness(illness induced lifestyle disruption) was investigated in 902 patients with arthritis and compared between rheumatoid arthritis(N=439) and osteoarthritis(N=463) patients. Arthritis patients were reported to perceive illness intrusiveness similar to patients with ESRD(end stage renal disease), bipolar disorder and peritoneal dialysis. Especially they were intrusive into health, work, and active recreation domains. And patients with rheumatoid arthritis were significantly more intrusive into activities, especially in diet, financial situation, family relations, other social relations, self-expression/self improvement, religious expression, and community and civic involvement. Differences in treatment regimens and age were hypothesized to account for these differences in illness intrusiveness.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.131-140
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate depression and activity of daily living of patients with rheumatoid arthritis by their gender. Methods: The subjects for this study were 184 patients registered in S University Hospital. and the period of data collection was from May 1, 2012 to August 20, 2012. The data were analyzed with t-test, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and Pearson's correlation. Results: For depression, there were significant differences by marriage and religion in male patients and by education in female patients. For activity of daily living, there were significant differences by marriage, age and education in female patients. Depression was negatively correlated with activity of daily living in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusion: Managing depression and activity of daily living were important for both male and female patients with rheumatoid arthritis. To promote the quality of life of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, nursing intervention strategies must be developed for decreasing depression or improving their activity of daily living.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.59-70
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• 2000

The propose of this study was to identify fatigue, pain and coping of pain and to compare the variables between fibromyalgia and chronic arthritis. The sample consisted of 133 patients who visited H university hospital. Data were collected by questionnaire from May 1 to September 30, 1999. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, $x^2$-test, pearson correlation coefficient, and ANOVA. As a results, most of all patients felt fatigue and the mean score of the fatigue was above average. The mean score of rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia patients on pain was higher than Osteoarthritis patients, and there was the statistically significant difference among three groups on pain(F=10.63, p=0.00). There was also the statistical difference among three groups on coping of pain(F=4.74, p=0.01). The mean score of rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia patients on coping of pain was higher than Osteoarthritis patients. Fatigue showed positive relationship with pain(r=.262, p=.002), and pain showed positive relationship with coping of pain(r=.319, p=.000). According to this finding, fibromyalgia patients and rheumatoid arthritis patients felt high fatigue and pain, therefore the development of nursing intervention for relieving fatigue and pain would be needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.343-346
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• 1999

Objectives : In Korea, pharmacists can dispense medicines without doctor's prescription. This causes the high proportion of pharmaceutical expenditures. The study shows the prescribing behaviors of practicing pharmacists with the simulated patient of arthritis. We select the arthritis as a subject of simulation, because the arthritis is one of the major health problems and the abuse of cortico-steroids is usual in treatment of arthritis patients. Methods : Twenty drug stores among the 320 drug stores in a district, Seoul, Korea were randomly selected. One of the researchers visited the drug stores and received the medicines from the pharmacists after explaining standardized scenario of arthritis. The simulated patient recorded the practice behaviors of pharmacists. Results: The mean number of prescribed drugs are four and half. Among the twenty pharmacists, the nineteen prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the seven(35%) prescribed the cortico-steroids. The antacids were prescribed by the fourteen(70%) pharmacists. The five(25%) pharmacists only recommended the simulated patients to visit the medical doctors, and the three(15%) performed physical examination to the simulated patients. The three pharmacists(15%) asked the past history of the drug adverse effects and no pharmacist explained the adverse effects of prescribed medicines. Conclusions : The research shows that the cortico-steroids are frequently prescribed and the pharmacists commonly do not give the explanations of the prescribed medicines to the arthritis patients.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.310-316
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to analyze the knowledge and attitude of applicants on self-help teacher's program for arthritis patients. Subjects of the study constituted 407 applicants who attended the self-help teacher's program for arthritis patients. Self report questionnaires were used to measure the knowledge about arthritis and the attitude toward self-help education. In data analysis, SPSS PC 9.0 Program was utilized for descriptive statistics and one-way anova analysis. The results were as follows : Average age of the participants were 37, while 62% married, 62% had 4-year or above education, and 32.7% had experience of community health nursing. The mean score of knowledge about arthritis was 17.99/28 ; the mean score of applicants' appraisal on the arthritis patients' ability of self-help was 31.66/40 ; the mean score of applicants' attitude toward self-help education for arthritis patients was 35.64/56. According to regions of education for applicants' self-help program, there were not significant differences in applicants' knowledge and appraisal and attitude on self-help program.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was to find out the relationships between helplessness and health behavior of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Method: The subjects were 293 rheumatoid arthritis patients who visit 2 rheumatology outpatient clinics in G city. Data were collected by questionnaires including Arthritis helplessness index(Nicassio, Wallston, Callahan, Herbert, & Pincus, 1985)and health behavior assessment scale(Jo, Oh & Choe, 2000). The data were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range test. Results: The majority of the subjects were women and the mean age was 50.4years. The mean duration of illness was 8.9years. There were negative correlations between the degree of helplessness and the degree of health behavior. The degree of helplessness was significantly high in those who were older, female, less educated, out of workforce, and those who had no chances to attend any arthritis-related classes. The degree of health behavior was significantly low in those who were older, high school graduate, in higher economic status, married, and those who had chances to attend arthritis-related classes. Conclusion: To reduce the helplessness of rheumatoid arthritis patients, the nursing intervention which is to increase the health behavior should be developed and provided to the rheumatoid arthritis patients.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.207-212
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• 2004

Purpose: This study was to investigate the relationship between mastery and activity of daily life in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Method: The subjects for this study were 222 patients registered in H University Hospital Rheumatoid Arthritis Center, and the period of data collection was from August 15, 2003 to September 30, 2003. Reliability coefficients of instruments were found Cronbach's Alpha =.74~.94. In data analysis, SPSSWIN 10.0 program was utilized for descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Result: The results were as follows. 1) The range of total uncertainty scores was from 33 to 87 and the mean score of the uncertainty in rheumatoid arthritis patients was 63.27. 2) The range of total mastery scores was from 10 to 27 and the mean score of the mastery in rheumatoid arthritis patients was 18.70. 3) The range of total activity of daily life scores was from 22 to 80 and the mean score of the activity of daily life in rheumatoid arthritis patients was 72.56. 4) The level of mastery was significant correlation with activity of daily life(r=.395, p<.01).

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.87-95
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• 1995

Many researches of aqua exercise, one of effective management for arthritis patients to reduce pain and distortion of joint have been done. Actually in America water exercise programs have been actively practiced for arthritis patients. However the study and practice of water exercise can not be found easily in Korea. Considering that the effectiveness of aqua exercise has been evidently confirmed, the exercise should be fully utilized. Under this circumstance, we provide basic data for aqua exercise program through the research on the needs of water exercise and characteristics of arthritis patients. Summerising the result of this study, the primary needs of aqua exercise is to get additional effect of medical treatment for the patients, especially unsatisfied patients to the medical treatment. The level of needs shows very high as of 57.3% of total sample. The strength of needs has relation to economic status and sociality. Hospitals and health centers should develop aqua exercise program not as a simple physical exercise but as a medical management for arthritis patients. Institutional base must be prepared for the patients, who have weak economic, physical and social ability, to easily access to the benificial exercise.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.253-263
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• 2003

Rheumatoid arthritis patients not only suffer from the physical damage, but they are afflicted severely mental and psychologic after effects. Their depression and low self-esteem eventually yields serious mental damages, which makes difficult for them to recover. The states of mental health of arthritis patients are diversified depending on the characters and surrounding circumstances, although they may have suffered from the similar condition. Therefore this research was conbucted to the factors that can give positive influences to the patients. In recent time, social support for the arthritis patients has become an important factor that can positively influence their mental health. In other words, social support can act as an important environmental system for arthritis patients to recover their damaged mental health. In order to fulfill this purpose, 118 patients were examined to identify the relationship between the variables. The summary of the result obtained from the research is as follow: 1. The structural aspect of social support for arthritis patients showed the most of them had various social support network size and their highest support system were 'family', 'relative' and 'friends'. The functional aspect of social support for arthritis patients showed moderate degree and their highest sub component was 'approval'. 2. High correlation was found between duration of relationship, similarity, frequency of meeting and functional support. There was no relationship between depression, self-esteem and social support. 3. Therefore this research has suggested that nurses who care rheumatoid arthritis patient consider the above condition to develop self-help group.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was attempted to verify the effects of Tai Chi exercise on the depression and self efficacy of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Method: It employed a non-equivalent control group pre- and post-test design. The research instruments used in this study were depression and self efficacy. Thirty-two patients in the experimental group carried out 50 minutes of Tai Chi exercise for 12 weeks, and 29 patients in the control group did not. Before and after the experiment, both groups were tested for depression and self efficacy. Collected data were processed using the SPSS/WIN 10.0 program analyzing by the frequency, percentage, $X^2$- test, and t-test. Results: Depression significantly decreased in the experimental group. However the improvement in self efficacy of the rheumatoid arthritis patients was not statistically significant but slight enhancement was. Conclusion: Tai Chi exercise is an effective nursing intervention that can be used for rheumatoid arthritis patients.