• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the noise levels in intensive care units (ICUs) and to analyze the causes of the noise and patient perceptions of the noise. Methods: Noise levels were recorded in adult ICUs for 24 h over a week from the patients' bedside with a sound level meter. Noise sources were categorized into three groups: medical equipment, health care providers, and the environment. Noises from the environment were recorded in an empty ICUs side room. Perceptions of the noise of 125 patients admitted to the ICUs were recorded using a questionnaire. Results: The mean level of noise in the ICUs was 58.5 dBA (range: 34.2-80.2 dBA). The causes of noise higher than 70 dBA were nebulizers and infusion/syringe pumps among medical equipment, and drawer slamming, phone ringing, and stripping packages of medical fluids among environmental noises. According to the questionnaire, 64.0% of the patients responded that the ICUs were noisy and that they suffered from sleep disturbance because of the noise. Conclusion: Noise is considerably high in ICUs and is an annoying factor for the patients. Most noise sources are adjustable, and we should try to reduce noise whenever possible to make the ICUs environment more pleasant.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1-13
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• 2021

Purpose : This study aims to provide basic data for effective nursing interventions and improvement of nurses' work by exploring their work experiences in single-room-structured intensive care units (ICU) through focus group interviews. Methods : Data were collected through two focus group discussions conducted from March to November 2020 with 13 ICU nurses. Interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed thematically by investigators. Results : Through content analysis, 15 sub-categories and 6 categories were formed. Two themes, "positive experiences patients care in an independent space" and "difficulties in nursing work according to space separation of patients" emerged. There are positive aspects of single-room-structured ICUs, but it was found that practicing nurses had difficulties and required specialized nursing competencies. Therefore, efforts to reduce the burden of nurses in single-room-structured ICUs are necessary. Conclusion : The limitation of this study is that it was conducted in a single hospital because single-room-structured intensive care units are uncommon in Korea. However, this study is of great significance as a basis for establishing guidelines on the efforts required from nurses, hospitals, and governments single-room-structured ICUs in the future.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was aimed to describe ethical dilemmas and types of coping behaviors among nurses who worked in intensive care units (ICUs). Methods: Data were collected by 2 focus group interviews with 12 ICU nurses in an academic affiliated hospital in Seoul, Korea. All interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed, and data were analyzed by modified qualitative content analysis. Results: Three themes emerged from the focus group interviews: "Respect for Persons (2 contents)", "Beneficence (13 contents)", "Justice (1 content)". Coping behaviors against the dilemmas were consultations with the doctors or colleagues, acceptance, guilt, reflection, forgetting, endurance, and frustration. Conclusion: The results of this study help us to understand ethical dilemmas that nurses experienced in ICUs and their coping behaviors. It would be useful to develop education programs for nurses in ICUs to support coping strategies for ethical dilemmas.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.107-111
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• 2017

The fat embolism syndrome (FES) represents a condition, usually with traumatic etiology, which may pose challenges to diagnosis while its treatment usually requires supportive measures in the intensive care units (ICUs). The clinical criteria, including respiratory and cerebral dysfunction and a petechial rash, along with imaging studies help in diagnosis. Here we present three case reports of young male who developed FES and were admitted to our ICUs after long bones fractures emerging after vehicle crashes and we briefly review FES literature. All patients' treatment was directed towards: 1) the restoration of circulating volume with fresh blood and/or plasma; 2) the correction of acidosis; and 3) immobilization of the affected part. All patients recovered and were released to the orthopedic wards. The incidence of cases of patients with FES admitted in our ICUs records a significant decrease. This may be explained in terms effective infrastructure reforms in Greece which brought about significant improvement in early prevention and management.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.343-350
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the factors that influence low back pain in nurses in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Methods: A descriptive-correlational design was used, with a convenience sample of 116 nurses from one university hospital in Seoul. The data collected were processed using SPSS Window 17.0 Program for actual numbers and percentages, differences in the dependent variable according to general characteristics, and mean, standard deviations, correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. Results: The factor influencing low back pain in nurses in ICUs was functional ability (${\beta}$=.652). This one factor explained 41.9% of low back pain in nurses in ICUs. Conclusion: These results show that functional ability was related to nurses' low back pain in nurses in ICUs. These results further suggest that more research is needed to develop program involving functional ability to prevent and management of low back pain in nurses in ICUs.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the distributions of nurse staffing grades and to report changes in staffing grades in general wards and adult and neonatal intensive care units(ICUs) by hospital type and location. Methods: Data collected from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service were analyzed. Nurse staffing was categorized from grades 1 to 6 or 7 for general wards, 1 to 9 for adult ICUs, and 1 to 4 for neonatal ICUs based on the nurse-to-bed ratio. Results: The staffing grade for the general wards improved during 2008-2016 in 69.8% of the tertiary hospitals, 58.5% of the general hospitals, and 31.7% of the non-general hospitals. The adult ICUs at tertiary hospitals exhibited a greater improvement in staffing grades (48.8%) than did those of general hospitals (44.2%) during 2008-2015. Tertiary hospitals in non-capital regions showed a greater improvement than those in the capital region. The majority of neonatal ICUs (67.1%) had no change in the staffing grade during 2008-2015. Conclusion: Improvements in nurse staffing differed by hospital type and location. Government policies to improve nurse staffing in non-tertiary hospitals and those in non-capital regions are required to reduce variations in nurse staffing.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.691-700
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was done to analyze variations in unit staffing and recommend policies to improve nursing staffing levels in intensive care units (ICUS). Method: A cross-sectional study design was used, employing survey data from the Health Insurance Review Agency conducted from June-July, 2003. Unitstaffing was measured using two indicators; bed-to-nurse (B/N) ratio (number of beds per nurse), and patient-to-nurse (P/N) ratio (number of average daily patients per nurse). Staffing levels were compared according to hospital and ICU characteristics. Result: A total of 414 institutions were operating 569 adult and 86 neonatal ICUs. Tertiary hospitals (n=42) had the lowest mean B/N (0.82) and P/N (0.76) ratios in adult ICUs, followed by general hospitals (B/N: 1.34, P/N: 0.97). Those ratios indicated that a nurse took care of 3 to 5 patients per shift. Neonatal ICUs had worse staffing and had greater variations in stafnng ratios than adult ICUs. About 17% of adult and 26% of neonatal ICUs were staffed only by adjunct nurses who had responsibility for a general ward as well as the ICU Conclusion: Stratification of nurse staffing levels and differentiation of ICU utilization fees based on staffing grades are recommended as a policy tool to improve nurse staffing in ICUs.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.143-155
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to develop and evaluate the collaborate transitional care program for improving continuity of care in patients transferred to general wards from ICUs. Methods: 18 years and older who were hospitalized in adult intensive care units at A university affiliated medical center was recruited for the study. The experimental group for patients transferred from an ICU consisted of 33 patients and family caregivers; 34 patients and family caregivers for the control group. This study was utilized a quasi-experimental research design. The collaborative transitional care program was administered in transfer process. Data were collected two times by interviews, medical records, and telephone using questionnaires. Results: There were statistically significant differences between the two groups on relocation stress (p<.001), perceived health status (p<.001), satisfaction of caring (p=.011), physical domain (p=.022) and mental domain (p<.001) of the QOL. There were significant differences between the families of the two groups on burden (p<.001) and satisfaction of caring (p<.001). Conclusion: The collaborative transitional care programs administered in transfer process to general wards from an ICU have positive effects on patients and families' intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This program will be able to be utilized in clinical fields to improve continuity of care for patients and families between ICUs and general wards.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.455-467
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• 2013

Purpose: This study investigated some extent of nurses' knowledge level of sepsis in the intensive care units (ICUs). Methods: A total of 178 nurses from 5 ICUs at one hospital were asked to complete a structured questionnaire from September 10, 2012 to September 17, 2012. The questionnaire was composed of 30 items invented by Robson and colleagues and based on the guidelines published by Dellinger and colleagues. Independent t-test and ANOVA with post-hoc test were used for statistical analyses. Results: The mean score about sepsis of ICU nurses was $25.1{\pm}3.3$, and the average percentage who got correct answers was 83.8%. Of the participants, 25.3% thought they knew about understood sepsis well, and 89.1% wanted to have a sepsis screening tool. Conclusion: The ICU nurses' knowledge level on sepsis was low. Continuing education for ICU nurses is, therefore, required. For this, the development of educational programs and screening tools about sepsis should be preceded.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

Purpose : This study aims to identify the relationship between person-centered critical care nursing (PCCN) and family satisfaction for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. Methods : This research used a cross-sectional survey. The participants were 142 nurses and 121 family members from 8 ICUs in 4 hospitals in B city. The questionnaire survey was conducted between December 2018 and March 2019. The eight ICUs were divided into those that scored high and those that scored low for person-centered care relative to the average score for PCCN, and the difference in family satisfaction between the ICUs with high and low scores was compared using t-test. Results : The mean score of PCCN was $3.68{\pm}0.40$ out of 5. In the subcategories of PCCN, "comfort"was the highest at $3.95{\pm}0.49$, followed by "respect" at $3.73{\pm}0.57$, "compassion" at $3.59{\pm}0.57$, and "individuality" at $3.47{\pm}0.54$. The average score of family satisfaction with the ICUs was $3.45{\pm}0.67$ out of 5. In its subcategories, "emotion" was the highest at $3.69{\pm}0.72$, followed by "information" at $3.61{\pm}0.75$, "participation" at $3.30{\pm}0.79$, and "resources" at $3.20{\pm}0.80$. The family satisfaction ($3.75{\pm}0.54$) with the ICU of the highest-scoring PCCN was significantly higher than the family satisfaction ($3.25{\pm}0.53$) with the ICU with the lowest-scoring PCCN (t=4.97, p<.001). Conclusion: The results suggest that the PCCN scores of ICU nurses should be promoted to improve family satisfaction. It is necessary to pursue a variety of ways to secure the provision of person-centered nursing practice in ICUs.