Hospital nurses' empathy and moral sensitivity toward elderly care: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: The aim of this study is to explore factors that influence elderly caring attitudes, with a focus on empathy and moral sensitivity. BACKGROUND: Medical and nursing needs of the elderly have escalated as a consequence of changes induced by aging and the associated diseases and disabilities. METHOD: A cross-sectional study involving 229 nurses from four general hospitals in South Korea was conducted. Questionnaires assessing demographic and work experience information, empathy (Empathy Construct Rating Scale), moral sensitivity (Korean version of the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire) and elderly caring (Elderly Caring Attitude Scale) were used. Data were analysed using multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The factors influencing the caring attitudes of nurses were empathy, moral sensitivity, preference for geriatric nursing and experience with continuing education in geriatric nursing. The explanatory power of this regression model was 59.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies to enhance empathy and moral sensitivity of nurses and education related to geriatric nursing might help improve elderly caring attitudes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Continued education in geriatric nursing should be provided for nurses caring for the elderly. In terms of nursing management and education, it is necessary to consider and develop strategies to improve the empathy and moral sensitivity of nurses toward elderly patients.

Effect of muscle relaxant on entropy during propofol anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether muscle relaxant affect the values of Entropy, response entropy (RE) or state entropy (SE) during propofol anesthesia. METHODS: Eighty patients (ASA I) scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia were randomly assigned to four groups. Anesthesia was maintained at a SE value of 80 (80 +/- 2) using target controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol. After maintaining SE 80 for 5 min, vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg was injected intravenously in group I and same volume of normal saline was intravenously injected in group II. After maintaining SE 60 for 5 min, vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg was injected intravenously in group III and same volume of normal saline was injected intravenously in group IV. The mean arterial pressure, heart rate, SE and RE were measured before anesthetic induction and up to 5 min after vecuronium or normal saline injection in each group. RESULTS: SE and RE were not changed in group II, but significantly decreased in group I (P < 0.05, respectively). In group III and IV, SE and RE were not changed in both groups. There were no significant hemodynamic changes among the four groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the effect of muscle relaxant on Entropy vary according to the baseline values of RE or SE during propofol anesthesia.