• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.69-76
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• 2012

Purpose: Most of postoperative patients experience pain, state anxiety and sleep disturbance. These problems negatively influence the recovery of postoperative patients. So alleviating these problems has been one of the nurses' central roles. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of back massage on pain, state anxiety and quality of sleep of postoperative gastrectomy patients. Methods: A non-synchronized non-equivalent control group pre and post-test design was used. The research instruments used in this study were the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for pain, the State-Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for anxiety and the Verran and Synder-Halpern scale for quality of sleep. The subjects were patients admitted to a university hospital located in D city. Twenty-nine patients in the experimental group had a 10 minute manual back massage stimulation for 5 days from the 1st day to the 5th day after their operation, and 25 patients in the control group did not. Results: The degree of pain was significantly reduced according to post operation day and quality of sleep was significantly increased. However state anxiety was not significantly reduced. Conclusion: Back massage is a partially effective nursing intervention for postoperative patients with gastrectomy who experience pain and sleep disturbance.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of laughter therapy on mood, state anxiety, and serum cortisol based on a Stress-Coping Model for preoperative breast cancer patients. Methods: The study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 40 breast cancer patients who were admitted to one general hospital for surgery in 2009 (experimental group 23, control group 17). The experimental group received one hour laughter therapy consisting of dance, lots of laughter techniques, and meditation. Results: The mean ages were 47 years (experimental group) and 49 years (control group). There were no significant differences in demographic and disease-related characteristics between the two groups. After the intervention, the scores of mood and state-anxiety of experimental group were significantly improved than those of control group. However, no difference was found in serum cortisol. Conclusion: The laughter therapy was partially effective in improving stress response in patients with breast cancer. Further research is needed to develop and evaluate the longer periods of interventions to testify the effects on serum cortisol, and other biochemical variables.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.92-99
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• 2012

Purpose: The study was to examine the relationships between stress, ways of coping and burnout among family caregivers of cancer patients. Methods: Data were collected by self-reported questionnaires from 207 family caregivers of cancer patients at one university hospital and one general hospital in Busan, Korea. The instruments included a Stress Scale, a Ways of Coping Scale and a Burnout Scale. The collected data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe's test, and Pearson's correlation coefficients with the SPSS WIN 19.0 program. Results: Stress was found to have significant relationships with age, relation to the patient, education, monthly income, degree of care-giving, financial burden and activities of daily living of patient. In active coping, there were significant differences according to education and religion. Passive coping was significantly related to gender. In burnout, there were significant differences according to age, relation to the patient, education, occupational status, monthly income, degree of care-giving, financial burden and activities of daily living of patient. Stress and burnout showed a positive correlation, while there was a negative correlation between burnout and active coping. Conclusion: These results suggest that promoting active coping would better support family caregivers of cancer patients in managing burnout effectively.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.116-126
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was to analyze the characteristics and effect size of intervention studies that used acupressure for the control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Methods: Nine electronic databases including Korea Education Research and Information, the National Assembly Library, KISS, Korea Med, NDSL, PubMed, EBSCO, Cochrane library, and OVID (to December, 2009) were searched. Thirteen studies of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or controlled clinical trials (CCTs) were selected. Data were analyzed by SPSS/WIN 18.0. Results: Overall effect size of acupressure was moderate (0.684). Nausea had a moderate effect size (0.770) and nausea and vomiting had a high effect size (0.899). Acupressure using sticker needles had a high effect size (1.368) among finger acupressure, si-acupuncture, and wrist band treatment. Conclusion: This study suggests that acupressure using sticker needles on the spots of nei-guan, chok-samni and hap-kok can reduce the levels of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. For improving the reliability of the meta-analysis results, further randomized controlled trials with better study methodology are needed.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.82-90
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• 2004

Purpose: This study is part of questionnaire survey concerned with the views of nursing staff for cancer patients. This study was done to describe cancer pain management problem, pain management knowledge. Methods: The participants were 188 nurses at cancer ward. Data were collected from July 2003 to August 2003. Data were collected with multiple-choice items and one open-ended question, which were constructed structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed by means of SPSS statistical software and content analysis. Results: Experiences of pain education are 53.7%, pain assessment sheet not use 86%, pain management status are partial. Education need of pain management was 87.8% patients in pain were very often(23.9%) or rather often (35.1%) cancer patients. The nurses are respond to open question. Pain management problems as assessed by nurses are categorized 11 item. The health professional problems are Knowledge deficit pain management, Incontrollable pain, Doctor's busy. The patient problems afraid of narcotics for addiction, side effect, distinguishing between physical and suffering, economical problem. The scores of knowledge about pain was average 16.7 score. The pain knowledge showed significant correlation education need(r=.180, p=.013). The effective variable was need of $education({\beta}=.163)$. Conclusion: It was found that pain knowledge was middle score and pain management problem was multiple. The study highlights the need to increase pain education for health professional. Therefore, This study suggest that health professionals education should be done to improve pain management problem.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 2004

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine utilization of alternative therapies and understand decisional criteria related to use of alternative therapies among chemotherapy patients. Method: Data were collected from 165 cancer patients through the use of questionnaire and interviews at the chemotherapy treatment rooms of two general hospitals located in Seoul. Result: Sixty point six percent of subjects after cancer diagnosis have experience of using alternative therapies and 39.4% were still using alternative therapies. On the average the patients used alternative therapies for 9.4 months and they paid 483,000 Won per month for alternative therapies. Decisional criteria related to use of alternative therapy were curability, social group influence about alternative therapy, confidence in alternative therapy, present symptoms, and who decide on the use of alternative therapy. These variables in the alternative therapy group were statistically different from those of the hospital treatment only group. Conclusion: Utilization rate of alternative therapy among chemotherapy patients is high and cost burden is heavy. Thus, they need to be educated about utilization of alternative therapy by nurse and medical personnel.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between stress and quality of life of family caregivers of patients with lung cancer. Methods: From April 18 to May 4, 2009, data were collected using self-report questionnaires with 95 family caregivers of lung cancer patients in G cancer center. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and pearson's correlation coefficient with SPSS 14.0. Results: The mean score of the stress level was 27.5 (SD=14.77). The mean score of the QOL was 73.0 (SD=17.86). The stress level of family caregiver showed significant difference according to gender (psychological stress p=.011, total level of stress p=.042) and availableness of second caregiver (physical stress p=.023, psychological stress p=.035, total level of stress p=.001). The QOL of family caregivers showed significant difference according to daily caring (positive adaptation p=.045) and financial burden on treatment expense (positive adaptation p=.004, total quality of life p=.043). The negative correlation was found between stress and QOL of family caregivers (r=-.67, p=.032). Conclusion: These results indicate a need to develop nursing intervention programs for family caregivers to reduce stress and improve QOL.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.137-145
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to survey the college students' perception of cancer risks, cancer related health behavior, and perception of cancer occurrence possibility before and after age 40. Methods: The subjects were 771 college students who were conveniently selected from two colleges in the Gyeonggi Province. Data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 12.0. Results: The mean score of cancer risk perception was 3.8. The highest score item was 'smoking may cause cancer'. The mean score of cancer related health behavior was 3.0. The highest score item was 'take bath or shower'. Student felt that possibility of developing cancer before age 40 was 20.1% and that after age 40 was 36.2%. The perception of cancer risks was significantly different between male and female, and the health behavior was significantly different between age groups. There were weak relationships between the perception of cancer risks and cancer related health behavior. Conclusion: College students' perception of cancer risks was mostly good, but their behavior to reduce the risks did not match the degree of perception. Students recognized that after age 40 has a higher risk of developing cancer, therefore, intervention on behavioral modification to reduce cancer risks would be beneficial.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was to analyze the level of quality of life and sexual function of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) recipients. Method: Participants included 38 recipients of HSCT, attending hospital outpatient department. Data were collected using the quality of life scale and the sexual function scale. Data were analyzed using Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Sheff$\acute{e}$ test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The high score of quality of life was found in the participants with the 30s age (p=0.030), being employed (p=0.001), not having admission history after HSCT (p=0.012), and not having medication (p=0.017). The sexual function was significantly influenced by employment status (p=0.001) and irradiation therapy (p=0.043). There was a significant correlation between the quality of life and the sexual function (r=0.45, p=0.004). Conclusion: The sexual function have influence on the quality of life so that it is required to develop nursing interventions for sexual function to improve the quality of life of HSCT recipients.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.140-149
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses' perceptions and attitudes towards euthanasia. Method: The subject consisted of 345 nurses from the four general hospitals above 500 beds. Measurement tools were the Ryu's perceptions towards euthanasia, and Park's attitudes toward euthanasia. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA by using SPSS WIN 10.0 program. Results: The approval rate of passive euthanasia was 62.6%. Main reason of approval for the passive euthanasia was that euthanasia was "act of mercy". On the other hand, main reason of opposition was that "life is invaluable". 81.2% of subjects responded saying that they would ask for passive euthanasia. The approval rate of active euthanasia was 15.7%. 54.8% of subjects responded saying that they will not ask for active euthanasia. General characteristics significantly related to attitudes to euthanasia were the units, nursing degree, and meaning of euthanasia. The mean score for attitudes to euthanasia was 2.36 and it was negative attitudes. Conclusion: Man has the right to live within his life with dignity. What is most important here seems to be the legalization of euthanasia which still remains unresolved.