• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.51-63
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• 2011

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of extended family visiting hours in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: The subjects were 168 ICU patients and their family members. Two 30-minute visits a day were allowed to the control group according to current policy, while four 30-minute visits a day were allowed to the experimental group. Patients' state anxiety was measured at the first day of ICU admission, and on the third day of ICU admission patients' anxiety and family satisfaction were measured. For the infection rate, comparison was made between the experimental and control data-collecting periods. Results: The patients' state anxiety significantly decreased in the experimental group. Family satisfaction of experimental group was significantly higher than that of control group. There was no significant difference in the infection rate. Nurses positively evaluated extension of visiting hours because it could stabilize patients, reduce the number of arrangements for additional visits, and help establish trust relationship with families. Conclusion: Extended family visiting hours in the ICU reduced patients' anxiety and improved family satisfaction but had no effect on the infection rate. Extended family visiting hours in the ICU is expected to improve the quality of critical care.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.13-25
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify changes in limb circumferences among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and related factors. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study with 27 patients from 3 ICUs at a university hospital located in B city of Korea, from September 1 to October 30, 2015. The circumferences of the left and right upper arms, thighs, and lower legs were measured on the first, third, fifth, and seventh days of ICU admission. Information on the related factors was collected from the medical records. The data were analyzed using a linear mixed model method. Results: The limbs circumferences significantly reduced from day 3, and the changes continued till day 7. These changes were related to the gender of the subjects, restraints application, use of steroids, and continuous renal replacement therapy. Conclusions: Based on the above results, it can be concluded that ICU-acquired weakness begins before the third day of admission. Thus, early mobilization protocols for ICU patients need to be developed and implemented in order to improve long-term outcomes.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.56-70
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify ICU nurses' knowledge of the five moments of hand hygiene and the ambiguity of these moments when demonstrating hand hygiene. Methods: The subjects were 200 intensive care unit nurses at a university hospital. Data was collected using self-report questionnaires, translated according to the instructions of training films developed by WHO, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and ranking tests. Results: The highest number of correct answers was regarding the moment before contact with a patient and the lowest was regarding the moment after contact with a patient. The rate of providing wrong answers regarding required moments of hand hygiene was high. Conclusion: The study identified ICU nurses' knowledge of specific moments of hand hygiene; they had difficulty differentiating between the moments that happened simultaneously, i.e. after touching a patient, and that patient's surroundings, and there was ambiguity concerning patient areas and medical treatment areas. It was concluded that it is necessary to educate nurses regarding both required and unrequired moments of hand hygiene and to ensure that they can distinguish between these moments.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2022

Purpose : The study aimed to identify relationship among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses' critical thinking disposition, medication error risk level of high-alert medication, and medication safety competency, as well as the factors affecting medication safety competency. Methods : The participants were 266 ICU nurses of one higher-tier general hospital and one general hospital in Province. The data were collected using structured self-administered questionnaire from August 10 to August 31, 2021. Measurements included the critical thinking disposition questionnaire, nurses's knowledge of high-alert medication questionnaire, the medication safety competency scale. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions using SPSS/WIN 28.0. Results : In the multiple regression analysis, the medication safety competence has a statistically significant correlation with the working department, the critical thinking disposition, and medication error risk level of high-alert medication. Conclusion : Based on the results of this study, it is suggested to develop and apply an educational strategy that can strengthen the knowledge and skills of critical thinking disposition and medication error risk level of high-alert medication to improve the ICU nurse's medication safety competency.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.586-593
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe patients' anxiety in the ICU and to investigate related factors on the anxiety level. Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional survey design was used. Forty-eight patients participated in the study. Questionnaires were asked to patients who had been cared in the ICUs. Results: Related to the anxiety level, the mean of the total anxiety score was 5.47, and 60% of the patients had moderate or severe level of anxiety. Patients from the coronary care unit had a significantly higher level of anxiety than those from surgical intensive care unit or pulmonary surgery care unit. Moreover, significantly different levels of anxiety were found among patients who had been stayed for 2, 3, or 4 days. Conclusion: Patients who were from the coronary care unit or had been stayed longer (up to 4 days) in the ICU were significantly associated with higher anxiety level.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.45-55
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was intended to standardize the Kangaroo care protocol for fathers, and to determine the effect of fathers' Kangaroo care experience on paternal attachment. Methods: The data was collected from February to April, 2013. The study subjects were 34 fathers (17 experimental group subjects, 17 control group subjects) of premature babies, bornatatertiaryhospitalinSeoul, who agreed to participate . The standardized Kangaroo care protocol, which consisted of at least three 60-minutes sessions during the hospitalization period in a neonatal intensive care unit, was carried out with the experimental group. The data was analyzed by a $x^2$-test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The results were as follows: 1) There were no between-group differences in the general characteristics of babies and their fathers. 2) The Kangaroo care fathers showed higher scores of paternal attachment than the control group (Z=-3.657, p=0.008). Conclusion: Fathers who attended the Kangaroo care sessions showed stronger paternal attachment than those who did not. Therefore, use of a Kangaroo care program for fathers of premature babies at neonatal intensive care units is recommended.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.45-59
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• 2020

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to identify relation of the communication skills, humanistic knowledge and professional quality of life and to investigate the enhancing ways of professional quality of life in intensive-care unit nurses. Methods : The study design was a descriptive survey from 152 intensive-care unit nurses, from December 1 to 30, 2019. The data analysis was with ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and Multiple regression using the SPSS/WIN 23.0 program. Results : The factors affecting compassion satisfaction were communication skills (β=0.42, p=.001), satisfaction for working (β=0.61, p=.001), marriage (β=0.23, p=.005), humanistic knowledge (β=0.47, p=.008) and these factors explained 35.6%. The factors affecting secondary traumatic stress were job stress (β=0.19, p=.011), number of patients per nurse (β=-0.36, p=.004) and these factors explained 9.4%. The factors affecting burnout were job stress (β=-0.25, p=.001), communication skills (β=-0.29, p=.001), working period(β=-0.18, p=.010), satisfaction for working (β=-0.31, p=.001), self care (β=-0.11, p=.033) and these factors explained 36%. Conclusion : Therefore, it is necessary to develop solution to improve professional quality of life in intensive-care unit nurses. It needs to develop programs to improve communication skills and humanistic knowledge in order to enhance compassion satisfaction and to improve communication skills to prevent burnout.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.89-100
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• 2018

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to analyze factors influencing the adherence to guidelines for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses to control infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO). Method : Participants were 194 ICU nurses at 3 university hospitals. Questions for the survey inquired about attitude, subjective norms, perception of patient safety culture to carry out MDRO management guidelines, perceived behavior control (PBC), and intention, based on the theory of planned behavior. Path analysis were utilized. Results : The path analysis presented that PBC, perception of patient safety culture, and intent had a direct effect on MDRO management guidelines. Attitude towards following the manual did not have any correlation. The hypothetical model based on the theory of planned behavior was revealed as applicable; the degree of the variance in explaining adherence to the manual was 23 %, and the variance in explaining intention to fulfill the manual was 33 %. Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that we should develop a program to improve PBC to increase adherence to MDRO management guidelines. ICU nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture should also be surveyed.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe what critical care nurses perceived about life-sustaining treatment at end of life. Methods: A qualitative content analysis method was utilized. The unit of analysis was interview text obtained from fifty critical care nurses of a general hospital. Results: Seven categories in two content areas were abstracted. In the negative perception area, the following five categories were abstracted: patients' suffering, dying with damaged dignity, patients' isolation from family members, regret about choosing life-sustaining treatment, and family members' burden. In the positive perception area, the following two categories were abstracted: willingness to sustain life and duty as family members. Conclusions: Nurses have better competencies pertaining to understanding patients' responses and suffering than any other health care professions do. Nurses should play an important role in advocating for patients and their family in the process of end-of-life care decision making.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.325-331
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• 2022

Postoperative critical care management for lung transplant recipients in the intensive care unit (ICU) has expanded in recent years due to its complexity and impact on clinical outcomes. The practical aspects of post-transplant critical care management, especially regarding ventilation and hemodynamic management during the early postoperative period in the ICU, are discussed in this brief review. Monitoring in the ICU provides information on the patient's clinical status, diagnostic assessment of complications, and future management plans since lung transplantation involves unique pathophysiological conditions and risk factors for complications. After lung transplantation, the grafts should be appropriately ventilated with lung protective strategies to prevent ventilator-induced lung injury, as well as to promote graft function and maintain adequate gas exchange. Hypotension and varying degrees of pulmonary edema are common in the immediate postoperative lung transplantation setting. Ventricular dysfunction in lung transplant recipients should also be considered. Therefore, adequate volume and hemodynamic management with vasoactive agents based on their physiological effects and patient response are critical in the early postoperative lung transplantation period. Integrated management provided by a professional multidisciplinary team is essential for the critical care management of lung transplant recipients in the ICU.