• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.24
• /
• pp.10927-10932
• /
• 2015

Background: Older age is associated with an increase in the incidence of cancer cases. Diagnosis and treatment of cancer in older adults can be stressful because of health decline related to age, comorbidities and inadequate treatment for pain and other symptoms of the disease. This survey is one of the unique studies in Jordan and in the Arab world that aimed at exploring the predictors of older adult individuals awareness towards cancer. Materials and Methods: A stratified random sampling technique was followed to reach a representative sample of 753 participants. The questionnaire of the study consisted of parts regarding demographic variables, awareness about screening tests, and signs and symptoms of cancer. In addition, specific questions related to factors linked to cancer were included. Cross-sectional design was adopted with face-to-face interviews at the interviewees' households. Results: The mean age of the participants was about 63 years; around 44% of them are above the age of 65 years. 'Being convinced that having no health problem makes the individual feel safe and not at risk of getting cancer' was the major reason for not doing a routine health check-up. Conclusions: The low levels of awareness about cancer, as well as the low use of the screening methods were crucial outcomes of this study. Thus, raising the awareness among health care providers and policy makers in the country about older adults' perception of cancer is a high priority.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.14
• /
• pp.5627-5631
• /
• 2014

Background: Oral cancer presents with high mortality rates, and the likelihood of survival is remarkably superior when detected early. Dental professionals have an important role and responsibility in prevention and early detection of oral cancer. Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, practices and opinions regarding oral cancer among dentists in Yemen. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire involving private and public dental practitioners, working in different governorates in Yemen. Results: Of the 800 dentists surveyed, a total of 221 questionnaires were completed and returned (response rate 27.6%). A vast majority of dentists (96.38%) identified tobacco as the major risk factor for oral cancer, and 82.8% knew that squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form. While 47.1% of the dentists agreed that they were adequately trained in oral cancer screening, the majority (86%) believed that they need further training in oral cancer screening. Conclusions: These results suggest that additional training and continuing educational programs on prevention and early detection of oral cancer for dentists are to be highly recommended.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.202-212
• /
• 2012

Purpose: As Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) has increasingly been proven as a means of cost-effective and higher-quality healthcare, its successful implementing are challenging. This study done to identify EBP beliefs, knowledge and performance among nurses experienced as a preceptor. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 249 preceptor nurses working in 9 general hospitals in Korea. Reliable and valid questionnaires (EBP beliefs scale, Evidence Based Practice Questionnaire, Research-related activities) were used and the data were analyzed using SPSS win 17.0. Result: Perceived beliefs on EBP were relatively positive (mean score 3.57 out of 5), and the level of knowledge was moderate (4.21 out of 7). However, performance of EBP was low (3.82 out of 7). Regularity in reading research journals and searching evidences using core web-database were rarely conducted. Statistically significant correlations were found between beliefs, knowledge and performance of EBP (all p<.05). Conclusions: This result indicates that education and training programs to facilitate EBP performance are needed among preceptor nurses.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.209-215
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to examine the level of use of essential oriental nursing terms and related characteristics among nurses in oriental medicine (OM) hospitals. Method: A cross-sectional survey design with convenience sampling was employed. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 315 nurses in seven university-affiliated OM hospitals. The questionnaire included 174 oriental nursing terms about actions, tests, drugs, and theories. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with the level of use. Results: The response rate was 98.1% (n=309). Overall mean score for use of essential oriental nursing terms was 2.7(${\pm}\;0.7$) on a five-point Likert scale. Significant factors associated with the level of use were workplace and knowledge of oriental nursing theory terms. Nurses who worked in nursing care wards and those who had a higher level of knowledge of oriental nursing theories had a higher level of use. Conclusions: These findings indicate that level of use of essential oriental nursing terms were below average. Educational programs to enhance knowledge of oriental nursing theories need to be implemented for nurses in OM hospitals, considering their workplace, in order to facilitate nursing data sharing and communication among healthcare providers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.434-443
• /
• 2009

Purpose: This study was performed to measure nurses' perception of reward, organizational commitment, turnover intention, and to examine the effect of the first two variables on turnover intention. Methods: This study was cross-sectional survey. Data were collected from 400 nurses working at 8 general hospitals in 6 cities from May 28 to July 18, 2008. Result: Nurses perceived that reward was 'important', and organizational commitment and turnover intention were 'middle'. Being under 30 years old the unmarried staff nurses' organizational commitment was significantly low in statistics and their turnover intention was high. The only financial reward had a positive relationship with turnover intention, and organizational commitment had a negative relationship. The influence variables on turnover intention were affective commitment, period of expected work, financial reward, age, normative commitment, and the explanation power of them was 57.2%. Conclusion: It is concluded that the manager working at a small-middle sized general hospitals in Korean provinces should develop and apply the strategies that can improve nurses' organizational commitment. And they also have to make their organizational reward system keep appropriately.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.345-351
• /
• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between patient characteristics and patient satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in an acute care hospital. The subjects were 317 patients discharged from general medical and surgical nursing care units during September, 2005. Patient satisfaction was measured using the short-form satisfaction scale of Hwang and Park(2001). Additional information about patient characteristics, including general demographics and health care utilization variables, was collected from the hospital information systems. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine patient characteristics influencing patient satisfaction. Results: Patients were satisfied with hospital care with an average of 4.10 on a five-point Likert scale. Patient characteristics explained 13.5% of the variance of patient satisfaction. The significant factors influencing patient satisfaction were patients' age and perceived health status. There was no significant relationship between structural variables and patient satisfaction. Conclusion: This study showed that patients' characteristics were significant factors explaining patient satisfaction. Therefore, these characteristics should be adjusted in reporting patient satisfaction as an indicator for hospital-level or department-level rating.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.1336-1354
• /
• 1999

Researchers have rarely explored menopausal experience in the context of the totality of women's lives, subsequently making the picture of menopause incomplete, discrete and fragmented. Respecting the totality of women's lives, this study addressed how a vulnerable group of women-low income Korean immigrant women-experience menopause within a context of multiple transitions. This is a cross-sectional study using methodological triangulation. A sample of 119 first-generation Korean immigrant women aged 40 to 60 years, who were in low-income jobs, was recruited using convenience sampling methods. From the total sample, 21 peri-or post-menopausal women were recruited for in-depth interviews following the collection of the survey data. Questionnaires, short interviews, and in- depth interviews were used to collect data. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Thematic analysis was used to interpret interview data. The findings indicate that menopause was given the lowest priority amidst women's multiple and demanding roles within a gendered multiple transitional (immigration, work and menopause) context. The lack of language clarity to describe women's experience, cultural background, inadequate knowledge, and lack of social supports made menopause hidden, invisible, and inaudible. Conclusions and implications for nursing practice are guided by the goal of understanding women's experiences and meanings of menopause and supporting women through reflecting these experiences into their health care.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.307-314
• /
• 2004

Purpose: This cross-sectional survey was undertaken to examine the differences of BSE (breast-self examination) performance and health beliefs between Korean and Korean-American women and to identify which factors influence the BSE based on the HBM variables. Method: The study subjects were recruited from both Korea(189 women) and Cleveland in Ohio, USA(I46 women). The HBM variables were measured using a reliable and valid Health Belief Model Scale. The subjects were also asked whether or not they did a BSE in the last year. Result: The Korean-American women who performed the BSE was statistically higher than that of Korean women. Regarding to the BSE-related health belief, the scores of benefits, confidence, and health motivation was significantly higher in Korean-American. After controlling for living places, age, education, and job, barriers and confidence variables significantly explained the BSE performance of Korean and Korean-American women. Conclusion: There was a differences in BSE-related health belief and performance between Korean and Korean-American women. Among health belief variables, barriers and confidence were core variables predicting the BSE performance of Korean and Korean-American women together.

• Knowledge Management Research
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.243-254
• /
• 2015

To increase their market shares and grow continuously, it is very important for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to expand their markets. Although various factors may influence an SME's effort to cultivate a new market, this research focused on activities related to the search and utilization of external knowledge. After conducting Tobit analysis based on the dataset of 959 Korean SMEs included in the 2010 Korean Innovation Survey, we found that external knowledge search and utilization activities positively affect the market expansion of SMEs. This result has two implications: (1) SMEs should actively search for appropriate external knowledge sources with which they can expand their markets and reduce their dependence on internal R&D activities; and (2) they should implement an efficient corporate system to effectively absorb and utilize external knowledge inside the firms. Despite these contributions, this research has its shortcoming in that it utilized a cross-sectional dataset, which can be further analyzed by incorporating the dataset from previous and future periods.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.200-210
• /
• 2003

In order to investigate supplement use in middle-aged and elderly outpatients suffering from age-related diseases over the last year, a cross-sectional survey was conducted from July to December 2001. The subjects were 1702 (male 731, female 971) age-related disease outpatients over age 50. Data was collected using a standardized questionnaire and in-person interviews. The prevalence of supplement use and the different categories of supplements taken by the subjects were examined using SPSS statistical package. Supplements were used by 48.9% of the subjects. The mean number of kinds of dietary supplements taken by subjects was 1.7. Chinese medicine was the most commonly used supplements in both the male and female subjects. Among the reasons for using supplements, health promotion ranked as the most common. Most of the supplement users, however, did not know or only knew roughly about the health claims of their supplements. Subjects reported the information source on supplements as family, friends or relatives followed by doctors or pharmacists. These results may provide basic information for proper supplement use among Korean middle-aged and elderly outpatients with age-related diseases.