• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.211-221
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• 2024

Background: The public health crisis caused by coronavirus disease 2019 emphasizes the need to expand and strengthen public hospitals. However, the overall perception of public hospitals remains negative. This negative perception can hinder the roles and functions of public hospitals, so this study aims to analyze the factors affecting negative perceptions of public hospitals. Methods: We used data from a survey on the public healthcare of Chungcheongbuk-do residents conducted by the Chungcheongbuk-do Public Health Policy Institute, and 1,916 adults aged 19 or older who responded to the survey were included in the study. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the impact of experiences with public hospitals use and evaluations of public healthcare and public hospital policies on the negative perception of public hospitals. Results: The experience of not using public hospitals (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-2.74) and negative evaluations of public healthcare and public hospital policies were found to significantly impact negative perceptions of public hospitals. In public healthcare policies, negative evaluations of the provision of essential medical care (aOR, 4.14; 95% CI, 2.59-6.62), regional disparities (aOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.02-2.49), coverage (aOR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.25-3.16), and quality of care (aOR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.50-3.80) were significantly associated with negative perceptions of public hospitals. In public hospital policies, negative evaluations of facilities and equipment (aOR, 3.74, 95% CI, 2.36-5.94), medical specialties and services (aOR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.21-3.01), and quality of medical service (aOR, 2.71; 95% CI, 1.72-4.25) were also significantly associated with negative perceptions of public hospitals. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the need to improve perceptions of public hospitals by considering the experience with public hospitals use and evaluation of public healthcare and public hospital policies.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2007

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have often been reported to suffer from depression and anxiety possibly due to the exacerbation, hospitalization and mortality of COPD. However,scarce data are available in Korea. This study assessed degree of depression and anxiety, and evaluated the factors associated with depressive symptoms in COPD. Methods: The cross-sectional data on the lung function measurements, smoking behavior, body mass index (BMI), age, gender, depressive symptoms using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and anxiety using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were evaluated in 72 outpatients with COPD and 50 controls without underling lung diseases from September, 2005 to October, 2006 in the Ewha medical center. Results: 1) The age, body mass index (BMI) and serum albumin levels were similar in the patients and controls. The BDI scores (16(0-37) vs. 12(1-30), p=0.001) and the prevalence of depression (36% vs. 6%, p<0.0001) were higher in the COPD patients than in the controls. In the COPD group, the prevalence of depression increased with increasing GOLD stage (p=0.008). The prevalence was 18%(4/22), in mild cases, 30%(6/20) in moderate cases, 52%(13/25) in severe cases and 60%(3/5) in very severe cases. 2) The SAI and TAI scores were higher in the COPD patients (44(20-67) and 47(20-66)) than in the healthy controls (39(26-65) and 44(33-90)). There were a significant correlation between the depression and anxiety scores (p<0.001). 3) A lower BMI, lower postbronchodilator $FEV_1$, current smoking behavior and severity of COPD were univariately associated with the depressive group in COPD, 4) while multivariate logistic analysis revealed only the severe-to-very severe group (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.2 to 12.9) to be independently associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusion: COPD is strongly associated with depression and anxiety. Therfore, screening for psychological problems in COPD patients is essential, particularly in patients with severe-to-very severe COPD.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.396-417
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• 1991

In order that nursing care an essential quality of nursing practice be acceptable and satisfying, it is necessary that client's culture be respected and that nursing practice be appropriate to that culture. Since cultural elements are an important influence on health practices and life patterns related to medical treatment, recovery from and prevention of disease, nurses need to have an understanding and knowledge of social and cultural phenomena to aid in the planning of nursing interventions. To understand the health practices surrounding health and illness, the health beliefs and practices of both folk and professional healing systems should be ascertained. Cultural data are required to provide care of high quality to clients and to reduce possible conflict between the client and the nurse. It is nursing's goal to provide clients from various cultures with quality nursing care which is satisfying and valuable. The problem addressed by this study was to identify Korean health practices which would contribute to the planning of professional caring practice with the culture : ultimately this study was intended to make a contribution to the development of the science of nursing. The concrete objectives of this study were ; 1) to identify Korean health practices, 2) to interpret the identitial health practices through traditional cultural thought, and 3) to compare the Korean health practices with those of other cultures. The investigator used the ethnosceintific approach outlined by spradly in a qualitative study. To discover ancestral wisdom and knowledge related to traditional health practeces, the subjects of this study were selected from residents of a small rural mountain village in south west Korea, a place considered to be maintaining and transmitting the traditional culture in a relatively well -preserved state because of being isolated from the modern world. The number of subjects was 18, aged 71 to 89. Research data were collected from January 8 to March 31, 1990. Five categories of health practices were identified : “Manage one's own mind”, “Moderation in all thing”, “Live in accord with nature”, “Live in mutuality with others”, and “Live to the best of one's ability”. Values derived from these ways of thinking from Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism help fashion a traditional way of life, examplified by the saying “Benifience to all”. Korean thought and philosophy is influenced primerily by Confucianism, Confucian principles of ethics, embedded deeply in the peoples' minds, form the idea that “heaven and human being are intimately united” based on concept that “heaven is, so to speak, reason”. Twoe Gae's theory of existential subjectivity develops the concept of self which is the basis of the spirit of reverence in modern Confucian philosophy. The human md is granted from heaven out of the idea of matter, and what control the mind is the spirit of reverence. Hence the idea of “The primacy of the mind" and provided that one should control one's own mind. The precepts of duty to parents, respect for elders and worship of ancestors, and moderation in all behavior put a restraint on life which directed that one live earnestly according to Nature's laws with their neighbors. Not only Confucianism, but also Buddism and Taoism have had an important effect upon these patterns of ideas. When compared with western culture, Korean health practices tend to be more inclusive, abstract and intuitive while westerner health practices found to be mere concrete, practical and personal. Values and beliefs based and pragmatism and existentialism infuence western civilization, Ethical values may be founded on utilitarianism, which considers what is good for the persons in their circumstances as the basis of conduct and takes a serious view of their practical lives including human aspirations rather than an absolute truth. These philosophical and ethical ideas are foundations for health practices related to active, practical and progressive attitudes. This study should be enable nursing not only to understand clients as reflections of the traditional culture when planning nursing practice, but to dovelop health education corresponding to cultural requiments for the purpose of protection against disease and improvement of health, and thus promote sound health practice. Eventually it is hoped that through these processes quality nursing care as the central idea of the science of nursing will be achieved.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.31 no.4 s.63
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• pp.857-874
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• 1998

The objective of this study is to collect the opinions on the present condition and the improvement directions of urban health centers from and to make a comparison. Samples were drawn from the various sources of a district in seoul. 53 persons involved in district health's administration(the Members of a District Parliament, the senior officials of a District office, village chief) and 84 health center workers were surveyed with anonymous postal questionaires and 427 district private medical personnels with postal questionaires and 625 users of a health center with direct questionaires, from November 18 to 25, 1996. Additionally, 12,151 households were surveyed with self-reported questionaires including priorities on special district health services of health center, from September 1 to 7, 1996. The major findings were as follows : 1) Although the persons involved in district health administration tend to put lower priority on health service over other community activities, they well acknowledged the importance of health center. But health center workers strongly acknowledged the importance of both health service and heath center. 2) As to the level of human resoureces, equipments and ammenities of Health Center commpared with private medical institute, the persons involved in district health's administration and health center workers responded that health center was higher in following order : 54.9%, 41.6%, 36.5% and 88.0%, 80.7%, 44.1%. 3) Concerning the priorities of health center's improvement, the persons involved in district health's administration replied in the order of reinforcement of proffesional health workers (43.3%), improvement of equipments and ammenities(28.3%), and the health center workers replied in the order of reconstruction of organization(24.1%), public health education and promotion(22.8%), reinforcement of proffesional health workers(21.0%). 4) Both the persons involved in district health's administration and health center workers replied that Ministry Health and Welfare, District office, health center were essential as the most critical organizations in the activation of Health Center's Function. 5) Persons involved in district health's administration and health center workers chose, as the most important health center's Function, medical treatment and prevention of infectious disease, and prevention of acute and chrone disease control and special district health service, respectively. Both Groups replied that fammily planning and parasite control are no longer in need. 6) As the future health service requiring reinforcement, every human resources parties considered health conselling, health line, sex education as the most imortant elements in public health education. Concerning the reinforement of other health services such as medical checkup and visiting nurses, every human resources parties showed more than 80% approval rate, but for oriental medical care service, the private medical personels showed relatively low approval rate(52.9%). Therefore the planning for reinforcement of health center's function requires the reflection of human resources party's opinion and the implication of system which can control and combine the differences in party's opinions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.278-283
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• 2000

As information communication technology developed we could check our blood pressure, pulsation electrocardiogram, SpO2 and blood test easily at home. To check our health at ordinary times is able though interlocking the house medical instrument with the wireless public data network This service will help the inconvenience to visit the hospital everytime and will save the individual's time and cost. In each house an organism data which is detected from the human body will be transmitted to the distance hospital and will be essentially applied through wireless public data network The medical information transmit system is utilized by wireless close range network It would transmit the obtained organism signal wirelessly from the personal device to the main center system in the hospital. Remote telemetry system is embodied by utilizing wireless media access protocol. The protocol is embodied by grafting CSMA/CA(Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) protocol falling mode which is standards from IEEE 802.11. Among the house care telemetry system which could measure blood pressure, pulsation, electrocardiogram, SpO2 the study embodies the ECC(electrocardiograph) measure part. It within the ECC function into the movable device and add 900㎒ band wireless public data interface. Then the aged, the patients even anyone in the house could obtain ECG and keep, record the data. It would be essential to control those who had a health-examination heart diseases or more complicated heart diseases and to observe the latent heart disease patient continuously. To embody the medical information transmit system which is based on wireless network. It would transmit the ECG data among the organism signal data which would be utilized by wireless network modem and NCL(Native Control Language) protocol to contact through wireless network Through the SCR(Standard Context Routing) protocol in the network it will be connected to the wired host computer. The computer will check the recorded individual information and the obtained ECC data then send the correspond examination to the movable device. The study suggests the medical transmit system model utilized by the wireless public data network.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.97-110
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• 1970

This survey was conducted to evaluate not only the present status of health center directors-their personal histories, their will to private practice in the future, their responses to governmental policies, -but also the distribution of doctorless myons, budget and subsidy, and director's opinions to the enhancement of health center activities. This survey questioned 116 health center directors and 16 health personnel from August to October of 1970 and obtained the following results; 1) The average ages of directors of kun, city, and total health centers were $43.2{\pm}7.8,\;42.1{\pm}7.7,\;and\;42.9{\pm}10.3$ respectively. 2) The average family sizes of directors of kun, city, and total health centers were $5.6{\pm}2.7,\;5.6{\pm}2.1,\;and\;5.6{\pm}2.6$ respectively. 3) Directors holding M. D. degrees were 79.3%, those holding qualified M. D. degrees ('approved director') were 20.7%. 4) M. P. H., M. S., and Ph. D. holders were 6.0%, 6.1%, and 4.3% respectively. 5) The average duration of present directorship in kun and city were 30.2 months and 20.4 months respectively. 6) The majority of directors had been employed in related fields before assuming current position : directorship at other health center 26.7%, army 22.4%, health subcenter 21.6%, private practice 19.0%. 7) Average length of directorship is 41.8 months. Average length of public health career, including health subcenter and present position, is 56.5 months. 8) Both rural and urban experience in health centers for regular directors is 16.3% and for approved directors, 12,5%. A total of 15.5% of all survey directors had experience in both rural and urban health center. 9) A total of 70.7% of health center directorships were staffed by local doctors. 10) Nearly 40% wanted to quit the directorships within 3 years and 60.3% had already experienced private practice. 11) Of the regular directors 17.4% felt strongly about devoting their lives to public health fields, but only 4.1% of the approved approved directors felt so. 12) There wire 432 doctorless myons among 996 respondent myons and 4.5 doctorless myons per kun. 13) The percentage of doctorless myon by Province are as follows, Cholla buk-do 57.2%, Cholla nam-de 55.0%, Kyungsang nam-do 52.0%, Kyungsang buk-do 49.7%, Chungchong but-do 42.4%, Kyonggi-do 32.9%. Cheju-do 30.8%, Kangwon-do 25.8%. 14) Two thirds of health critters have experienced the abscence of the director for a certain period since 1966 and the average span of the abscence was 18.2 months. 15) The percentage of doctorless myons increased proportionally with the span of the director's abscence. 16) The average budgets of health centers, kun, city and ku, were $W15.03\;million{\pm}W4.5\;million,\;W22.03\;million{\pm}W17.80\;million,\;W13.10\;million{\pm}W7.9\;million$ respectively. 17) Chunju city had the highest health budget per capita(W344) while Pusan Seo ku had the lowest(W19). 18) Director's medical subsidies are W30,000-50,000 in kun, and roughly W20,000 in city. 19) The older of priority in health center activities is T.B. control(31.1%), Family Planning and M. C. H.(28.0%), prevention of acute communicable disease and endemic disease (18.2%) and clinical care of patients(14.3%). 20) Nearly 32% opposed in principle the governmental policy of prohibiting medical doctors from going abroad. 21) Suggestions for immediate enhancing the position of director of health centers and subcenters: (1) Raise the base subsidy (48.2%), (2) Provide more opportunities for promotion (20.7%), (3) Exemption from army services(12.1%), (4) Full scholarship to medical students for this purpose only (7.8%). 22) A newly established medical school was opposed by 56.9% of the directors, however 33.6% of them approved. 23) Pertaining to the division of labor in Medicine and Pharmacy, the largest portion (31.9%) urged the immediate partial division of antibiotics and some addictive drugs to be given only by prescription. 24) More than half wanted a W70,000 level for the director's medical subsidies, white 36.2% stated W50,000. 25) Urgently needed skills in the kun are clinical pathologist (38.6%) and doctor (health center director) (25.5%); while in the city nurse (37.1%), doctors(clinical)(31.4%) and health educators(14.4%) are needed. 26) Essential treatment for the better health center administration; raising the base subsidy (22.7%), obtaining the power of personal management (19.3%) and the establishment of a Board of Health (14.3%). etc.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2009

Purpose: The study was to assess I-123-N-(3-iodopropen-2-yl)-2[beta]-carbomethoxy-3[beta]-(4-cholorophenyl) tropane(IPT) SPECT in differential diagnosis among early stage of Parkinson's disease(PD) and essential tremor(ET) and normal control(NL) groups quantitatively. Materials and Methods: I-123 IPT brain SPECT of 50 NL, 20 early PD, 30 advanced PD, and 20 ET were performed at 20 minutes and 2 hours. Specific/nonspecific binding of striatum was calculated by using right and left striatal specific to occipital non-specific uptake ratio(striatum-OCC/OCC). Results: Mean value of specific/nonspecific binding ratio was significantly different between advanced PD group and NL group. However, significant overlap of striatal specific/nonspecific binding ratio was observed between PD group and ET group. Bilateral striatal specific/nonspecific binding ratios were decreased in advanced PD. Lateralized differences in the striatal uptake of I-123 IPT correlated with asymmetry in clinical findings in PD group. Conclusion: I-123 IPT SPECT may be a useful method for the diagnosis of PD and objective evaluation of progress of clinical stages. Care should be made in the differential diagnosis of early stage of PD and other motor disturbances mimicking PD such as ET in view of significant overlap in striatal I-123 specific/nonspecific binding ratio.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.455-469
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• 2008

Statement of problems: In the area of dental care, the institutionalized elderly have placed the most vulnerable state, and we cannot find their subjective need of dental treatment because of the physical and mental disabilities, But we have no basic investigation of their oral health conditions. Purpose: The aims of the current study were to investigate the oral health status of institutionalized elderly patients who are in the least benefited side of dental service, and to analyze their dental treatment needs. Material and methods: The survey of the oral status was carried out on 758 institutionalized elderly, and 212 elderly who was more than 65 years old from D dental office, and it was based on the Guidelines of Oral Health Research of year 2000 in Republic of Korea. Results and conclusion: The DMFT index of the institutionalized elderly appeared higher than that of the same ages in control group, and it increased with age. The number of residual teeth of the institutionalized elderly appeared lower than that of the same ages in control group, and it decreased with age (P < .05). The number of fixed partial denture in institutionalized elderly was lower than that of the same ages in control group (P < .05). The percentage wearing removable partial denture was not significant between the elderly in institutions and the control group, and was not different according to age between the two groups. The percentage of institutionalized elderly wearing complete denture appeared lower than that of the same ages in control group, and it increased with age. The percentage of institutionalized elderly needing complete denture was higher than that of control group, and the percentage of elderly needing complete denture on the maxilla was higher than that of the mandible. 16.35% of the institutionalized elderly was living without denture in spite of their fully edentulous state. The need for complete denture increased rapidly with age. The number of valued teeth and dental prostheses in shortened dental arch concept and number of occluding pairs of teeth of institutionalized elderly were lower than that of the control group (P < .05). In institutionalized elderly, the number of residual teeth, the number of fixed partial dentures, and the percentage wearing removable partial dentures were higher in the mandible, and the percentage wearing complete dentures was higher in the maxilla (P < .05). The rate of institutionalized elderly needing prosthodontic treatment appeared to be 67.82%, where the number of occluding pairs of teeth was less than 10. When it is difficult to evaluate the subjective need of dental treatment as with the institutionalized elderly, estimation using the number of occluding pairs of teeth can be a useful indicator that can project treatment needs. For the oral health care of institutionalized elderly, it is essential to increase the awareness of nurses and caregivers who take care of them, about the importance of the oral health. Since the average life span and number of residual teeth are increasing gradually, the welfare policy should be changed to implementing regular dental examinations, preservative treatment forms and oral health control of dentulous patients where the traveling-treatment system and visit system are supplemented. And principles should be set that the present denture project of edentulous patients should be done by specialists who'll also be responsible for postmanagement. Through this research of institutionalized elderly, the oral health status which is worsened by aging could be confirmed. And the interest and positive participation of dental society on the elderly should come first in order to solve the rising treatment needs of the elderly patients.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.168-179
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• 2004

Background : The statistical analysis is an essential procedure ensuring that the results of researches are based on evidences rather than opinion. The purpose of this study is to evaluate which statistical techniques are used and whether these statistical methods are used appropriately or not in the journal of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases. Materials and Methods : We reviewed 185 articles reported in the journal of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases in 1999. We evaluated the validity of used statistical methods based upon the checklist that was developed on the basis of the guideline for statistical reporting in articles for medical journals by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Results : Among 185 articles, original articles and case reports were 110 (59.5%) and 61 (33.0%) respectively. In 112 articles excluding case reports and reviews, statistical techniques were used in 107 articles (95.5%). In 94 articles (83.9%) descriptive and inferential methods were used, while in 13 (11.6%) articles only descriptive methods were used. With the types of inferential statistical techniques, comparison of means was most commonly used (64/94, 68.1%), followed by contingency table (43/94, 45.7%) and correlation or regression (18/94, 19.1%). Among the articles in which descriptive methods were used, 83.2% (89/107) showed inappropriate central tendency and dispersion. In the articles in which inferential methods were used, improper methods were applied in 88.8% (79/89) and the most frequent misuse of statistical methods was inappropriate use of parametric methods (35/89, 39.3%). Only 14 articles (13.1%) were satisfactory in utilization of statistical methodology. Conclusion : Most of the statistical errors found in the journal were misuses of statistical methods related to basic statistics. This study suggests that researchers should be more careful when they describe and apply statistical methods and more extensive statistical refereeing system would be needed.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.1207-1218
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• 2000

This study examined all the research published in Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing (JKAN) for last 30 years, from its beginning year to year 1999, based on an objective frame of evaluation. The purpose of this study is to reflect the trend of nursing research in Korea to date, and to provide an optimal direction for future research. The total number of 959 studies were analyzed with the following results. 1. Since 1990s, the number of non-degree based research has been larger than that of degree-based research compared to 1970s and 1980s. Both collaborative and funded research has been particularly increased in a gradual rate. 2. Research on nurses or nursing students has decreased while research on more diverse populations such as patients, patient families, or community-dwelling healthy clients has increased. 3. While essential nursing concepts such as human, nursing, and health have been consistently dealt as main research topics, research related to the concept of environ- ment has been insufficiently conducted. 4. It was remarkable that the quality of nursing research has been improved due to the acknowledgement of the importance of the empirical research method within the nursing community. 5. Qualitative research has appeared in the journal since the late 1990s, but it is still regarded to be in its novice stage. 6. Although the utilization of research findings for expanding the nursing body of knowledge has been wide in diverse specialties, most studies are limited to focus on concept development or evolution yet. also, in some of these research finding are utilization already considerably as to develop nursing interventions. Based on these findings, conclusions are extended to the following discussions: For the last 30 years, nursing research in Korea has shown an acute methodological development in both quantity and quality. However, there has been a lack of research on theory development although it is one of the ultimate goals in nursing. Further research should be empirical enough to be utilized in an actual nursing care context, and thus to be basis of developing culturally competent nursing theories in Korea.