Measurement Properties of the Stroke-Predischarge Occupational Therapy Assessment.

There is no comprehensive predischarge occupational therapy assessment tool in South Korea. The objective of this study was to determine Stroke-Predischarge Occupational Therapy Assessment (S-POTA) validity and reliability. Twenty-seven occupational therapists (OTs) assessed 97 patients with stroke. Concurrent validity was evaluated by comparing S-POTA scores with stroke-specific quality of life (SS-QOL). Discriminant validity was evaluated by comparing S-POTA scores between outpatient and readmitted groups, and a receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted. The test-retest was conducted twice in 20 patients, and the inter-rater test was conducted with two OTs per patient. S-POTA positively correlated with SS-QOL. S-POTA rating differs significantly across outpatients and readmitted groups. All S-POTA areas under curve values ranged from .70 to .85, and cut-off points were derived. Cronbach's α for internal consistency was .953, the intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest was .990, and .987 for inter-rater reliability. The results suggest S-POTA is a reliable tool for efficient implementation of discharge planning.

The Development of Leisure Participation Assessment Tool for the Elderly.

OBJECTIVES: This study is aimed at developing multidimensional leisure participation assessment tool for the elderly to achieve quantitative and qualitative assessment of leisure participation and leisure exploration. METHODS: This study collected preliminary items through literature review, statistical office data, and survey of the elderly's leisure activities and considered the list of leisure activities as assessment items by conducting a Delphi survey. Reliability was verified through internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The assessment tool was finally confirmed using content validity and discriminant validity. RESULTS: A total of 81 leisure items classified into 8 categories and 22 subcategories were obtained through data collection and Delphi survey. Cronbach's α value was 0.939, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient was 0.941. A content validity test was confirmed by validating that I-CVI was 0.78 or more and the S-CVI was 0.95. According to the result of discriminant validity, there was a difference in the number of participating leisure activities and leisure activities with participation intention by age. CONCLUSION: The leisure participation assessment tool for the elderly developed in this study can obtain information on the overall view of the leisure of the elderly by measuring leisure exploration, leisure participation, and interference factor affecting leisure participation.

Knowledge levels of Korean intensive care nurses towards brain death and organ transplantation.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To develop and examine the reliability and validity of an instrument assessing knowledge levels of Korean intensive care unit nurses. To conduct a survey with Korean ICU nurses. BACKGROUND: Organ donation from brain dead patients is a contentious issue in Korea following recent legal recognition of brain death, given the context of a Confucian belief system. Implementation of the new Organ Transplant Act has highlighted the importance of identifying Korean intensive care unit nurses' knowledge regarding brain death and organ donation. DESIGN: Multi-stage multi-method development of an original instrument with a cross-sectional analysis survey of participants. METHOD: An 18-item instrument was developed based on previous literature and key informant interviews, and validated by an expert panel and a pilot study. A survey was conducted with Korean intensive care unit nurses (n=520). Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was used to determine construct validity. Item-to-total correlations and Cronbach's coefficient alpha were used to determine the scale's internal consistency. RESULTS: Principal component analysis yielded a two-component structure: Diagnostic testing and Co-morbid factors of brain death. The scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency for the two components (alpha=0.74, 0.64, respectively). Most of the participants had a sound knowledge of diagnostic testing for brain death, but demonstrated a lack of knowledge regarding co-morbid factors of brain dead patients. CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge scale was reliable and valid for this cohort. Further research is warranted in related areas of nursing practice. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Effective education for intensive care unit nurses is necessary to increase the organ donor pool in Korea.

Undergraduate nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards organ donation in Korea: Implications for education.

Organ donation from brain dead patients is a contentious issue in Korea within the cultural context of Confucian beliefs. Each year thousands of patients wait for organ donation note poor donation rates and importance of nurses in identifying potential donors. It is therefore important to identify knowledge levels and attitudes towards organ donation from brain dead patients of nursing students as future health workers. Using a 38-item instrument previously developed by the researchers, 292 undergraduate students in a Korean nursing college were surveyed in 2003 in Korea (response rate 92%). Validity and reliability of the instrument was demonstrated using a multiple analytical approach. A lack of knowledge regarding diagnostic tests and co-morbid factors of brain death were noted among students. Their attitudes toward organ donation were somewhat mixed and ambiguous, but overall they were positive and willing to be a potential donor in the future. While this study identified that an effective educational program is necessary for nursing students in Korea to improve their knowledge of brain death and organ donation, further research is also required to verify these single-site findings and improve the generalisability of results.

Quantitative assessment of bone marrow cellularity by magnetic resonance imaging in workers with long-term exposure to solvents.

This study was conducted to develop a noninvasive method of bone marrow cellularity evaluation in solvent-exposed painters. Six painters with hypocellular marrow and 132 referents were examined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Full examination of the peripheral blood and bone marrow biopsy was done on each patient. Signal indices were calculated from the signal intensities measured at the vertebral bodies from T12 to S1 and on the paraspinal muscles on both the T1- and the T2-weighted image (T1WI and T2WI). Bone marrow cellularities of the painters were between 20.3% and 33.6%. Signal indices at T1WI were greater in the hypocellular marrow cases compared to those of the referents (p<0.05, p<0.01) and were significantly higher in older women compared with men (p<0.05). After adjusting for age and gender, the signal index of cases at S1 of T1WI was higher than that of the referents by 0.364. Five of the six cases had signal index at S1 of T1WI higher than the mean +1 standard deviation for the same age group and gender. MRI signal indices can be used as a useful indicator of bone marrow cellularity in a high-risk population after adequate adjustment.