• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.555-566
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• 1997

This study was undertaken to identify the degree of burden and depression according to level of self-care activity and variables to which affect that in family caregivers of patients with stroke. The data were collected from October 23th to November 20th, 1995 The subjects in this study were 80 caregivers, that is, one family member and 80 patients with stroke who were hospitalized in one oriental medicine hospital in D city. The questionnaires consisted of questions regarding burden(13 items, 6 point scale), depression(20 items, 4 point scale), and self-care activity(15 items, 5 point sacle) Data were analyzed using percentages, means, t-test and ANOVA with the SAS program. The results of this study are as follows: 1) The mean score for client's self-care activity was 2.58. The highest score of the self-care activity item was 'returning'(M=3.604), and the lowest score of the self-care activity item was 'shower or tubbathing'(M=1.925). 2) the degrees of self-care activity according to the general characteristics of patients were tested. It was significantly different by sex(P<0.01), occupation(P<0.05), and relationships with patients(P<0.05). That is, the degree of self-care activity was higher in men than that of women, and caregiver with job than caregiver without that. In the case that caregiver was a patient's spouse, the degree of self-care activity was higher than other case. 3) The score for family caregiver's burden was higher than the mid level for the 13 items and caregiver's depression was relatively low. 4) According to the degree of self-care activity, the group was divided to 3, that is, A( 15-33), B(34-56), and C(57-75). The score of total burden was the highest in group A(M=55.257) and the lowest in group C(M=51.928), but there were no statistically significant differences between groups. The score of objective burden was the highest in group A(M=30.400), and the lowest in group C(M=25.214), and there were statistically significant differences between groups. The score of subjective burden was the highest in group B(M=26.000) and the lowest in group A(M=24.783), but there were no statistically significant differences between groups. The degree of depression was the highest in group A(M=44.750) and the lowest in group C(M=40.751), but there were no statistically significant differences between groups.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.615-626
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate caregiver burden and health related quality of life (HRQoL) among male spouses who cared for partners with a stroke. Methods: The subjects were spouses of 121 female patients who visited the neurology outpatients department in one tertiary hospital located in Seoul between February and April in 2011. Results: The mean age of the male caregivers was $71.25{\pm}5.51$ years. The mean score of caregiver's burden was moderate ($63.28{\pm}9.85$). The average reported caregiving time was $58.48{\pm}5.51$ min/day with the male spouses spending more time in house-working than with caregiving activities. The reported depression and care giving time, plus the cognitive status and functional dependencies of the spouse were significantly related to male caregiver's burden. The mean scores of 'physical health' and 'mental health' for quality of life for the male caregivers was moderate (47.49 and 47.33 respectively). Overall, caregiver's burden has a negative effect on the HRQoL of male spouses. Conclusion: Caregiver's burden and HRQoL are important problems which are in need of nurses' attention. It is suggested that intervention programs for male spouses be developed with a focus on emotional and social support as well as education about the caregiving role.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.47-60
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• 2006

BACKGROUND: Social, legal, and economic factors have changed the delivery of care to elderly who are frail and/or chronically ill. Increasing number of the elderly are now treated in the community, while living with or in close proximity to their family. It is evident that families play a major role of support for elderly persons in our society. This paper provides a review and analysis of studies that have investigated informal caregiving issues encompassing physical, psychological, emotional, and social domains. RESULTS OF THE REVIEW: Family caregiving often interfered with workplace and other responsibilities, creating physical, emotional, and financial stress for caregivers. Relatively high volumes of research addressed caregiving issues in the families of Alzheimer patients and in the areas of emotional and psychological impact of caregiving. Few studies explicitly investigated the role of informal caregivers in the management of other chronic conditions such as stroke or depression or physical consequences of long-term caregiving. While most studies were focused on negative aspects of caregiving, a few studies found it rewarding. Often the burden, stress, and socio-economic effects on the family caregiving for an elderly person were not sufficiently appreciated. CONCLUSIONS: Positive outcomes for both the caregiver and the care recipient are more likely to occur when effective levels of collaboration exist between health professionals and caregivers. As a first step, a better understanding of the caregiving experience such as caregiver characteristics, care recipient characteristics, and social stigma is important for nurses to minimize the burden of care so that appropriate interventions can be developed. In addition, further studies are needed to examine the role and needs of informal caregivers in the care of increasing number of frail and/or chronic ill elderly treated in the community.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.725-729
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• 2014

Background: Having been known as a virulent disease in 1970s, cancer is now onsidered a chronic disease and 64% of cancer patients live for five years after diagnosis. Home care has gradually gained more importance and it is a great burden on the shoulders of caregivers. Caregivers have to undertake the responsibility of the cancer patient's home management, and organize care and arrange health care services according to the ever-changing condition of patients. Caregivers should be prepared for home care so they can provide accurate and complete care to patients. This descriptive study aims to investigate challenges that caregivers encounter in the home care of patients and the reasons for these challenges. Materials and Methods: The research group consisted of caregivers of outpatients in a daily treatment center in a university hospital. The research sampling consisted of 137 voluntary caregivers of patients who attended the Daily Treatment Center for control, chemotherapy or other supportive cares services between January-June, 2011. Data were collected with face-to-face interviews in the Daily Treatment Center. Ethics Committee approval was taken university hospital; caregivers and their patients were informed about the research and their approval was taken as well. Results: It was found that 54.01% of caregivers help patient's nutrition, 50.36% help medicine use, 26.28% help oral hygiene, 26.28% help to meet urinary needs and 51.82% help to change clothes, 69.34% of caregivers help to change bed sheets, 38.69% help the patient to communicate with their environment and 71.53% help to bring the patient to hospital or outside. Conclusions: This study, it was found that caregivers experience challenges due to following factors: patient nutrition, medicine use, oral and body hygiene, colostomy maintenance and stomach tube feeding, concern of dropping the patient, feeling incompetency in body temperature and fever control, fatigue, and lack of personal time.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.20-27
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Death Education Program which had been provided to family caregivers of disabled individuals. A single group pretest-posttest design was employed for this study, which was conducted at a community rehabilitation center located in Ulsan, South Korea. Methods: Death Education Program was conducted for 16 family caregivers of disabled individuals who agreed to participate in this study. A 2.5-hour session was conducted once a week for 10 weeks. To investigate the effects of the education program, structured questionnaires, which assessed the patients and their family member's conceptions on the meaning of life, and their resilience, burden, and attitude towards death, were administered before and after the program. Results: The subjects' conception of the meaning of life and resilience did not significantly change. The median scores for the burden of family caregivers declined, while those for the subjects' attitude towards death increased, after attending the education program. Conclusion: The findings showed that Death Education Program has an affirmative effect on the burden of family caregivers of disabled individuals and their attitude towards death.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.77-96
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• 1996

The purposes of this study were to understand caregiving situation and to develop education program for families with the demented elderly,. Family caregivers of elderly patients with dementia clearly experience high levels of stress which often leads to such negative caregiver outcomes as depression interference with social activities and health difficulties. That is providing care is stressful for caregivers because the demands of the caregiving situation threaten to overwhelm the caregivers' coping resources. Therfore the families with demented elderly persons need assistances in order to alleviated burden of caregiving, In this study the educational program was designed to increase caregivers' confidence in problem-solving, And it was designed to provided information to demented elderly. The educational program of this study was given 5 session. And it was included the understanding of dementia the family caregiving experiences of the demented elderly persons the time for elf-care the search for helping the improving of interpersonal relations and communications.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.648-667
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• 2002

This was a descriptive study designed to identify the level of coping method and its influencing factors on the family caregivers of demented patients, and resolve the family caregivers' level of stress. The data were collected from September 10 to October 10, 2001. Subjects for this study were recruited from four clinics, which were chosen from 15 clinics located in Chunbuk-Do as the study sites because of their cooperation for the study. They were similar in terms of size, the characteristics of the local community. and the population and registration status of the demented patients. The instruments used for the study were as follows: 1. Problematic behaviors of demented patients are measured by the Memory and Behavior Problem Checklist (Zarit, 1980), and the Linguistic Communication Symptoms Questionnaire (Bayles and Tomoeda, 1991) 2. The ability to carry out daily activities was measured using the Barthel Index (1965) and Katz Index (1963), which as well-known ADL assessment methods. 3. Burden was measured using Cost of Care Index by the Kosberg and Cairl (1986). 4. Coping strategy was measured Bell's 18 methods (1977). The data were analyzed using SPSS/PC. The study results were as follows: 1. The total stress score was 2.90 out of a maximum score of 5. The highest score reported was 3.09 on the dimension of restriction of individual and social activities, and the lowest region reported was 2.58 on the dimension of mental and physical health. 2. The total score of the coping method was 2.65 out of a maximum score of 5. The highest score reported was 4.01 on the dimension of thinking that includes an ideation such that it is better than any possible worst case, and the lowest score reported was 1.45 on the dimension of the self-image as a scapegoat. 3. There were significant differences in coping method among the subjects by age (F=2.752 p=0.04), caregiver (F=4.33 p=0.003), care-giving period (F=2.68 p=0.049), and dementia stage (F=2.87 p=0.034). 4. There were highly negative correlations ($\gamma$=-0.301 p=0.000) between problematic behaviors of demented patients and the coping method of their family caregivers. The highest correlation coefficient ($\gamma$=-0.339 p=0.000) was found between aggressive behaviors of the demented patients and the coping method of their family caregivers. 5. There was a low negative correlation ($\gamma$=-0.201 p=0.019) between the ADL of the demented patients and the coping method of their family caregivers. 6. There were highly negative correlations ($\gamma$=-0.213 p=0.005) between stress and the coping method of the family caregivers. The highest correlation was found between financial burden ($\gamma$=-.327 P=.000) and the coping method of the family caregivers. There was no significant correlation among unpleasant aspects of the demented patients, willingness to the demented patients, and the coping method of the family caregivers.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.3
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• pp.234-251
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• 2024

Globally, providing evidence on the economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is becoming essential as it assists the health authorities to efficiently allocate resources. This study aimed to summarize the literature on economic burden evidence for COPD from 1990 to 2019. This study examined the economic burden of COPD through a systematic review of studies from 1990 to 2019. A search was done in online databases, including Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. After screening 12,734 studies, 43 articles that met the inclusion criteria were identified. General study information and data on direct, indirect, and intangible costs were extracted and converted to 2018 international dollars (Int$). Findings revealed that the total direct costs ranged from Int$ 52.08 (India) to Int$ 13,776.33 (Canada) across 16 studies, with drug costs rannging from Int$ 70.07 (Vietnam) to Int$ 8,706.9 (China) in 11 studies. Eight studies explored indirect costs, while one highlighted caregivers' direct costs at approximately Int$ 1,207.8 (Greece). This study underscores the limited research on COPD caregivers' economic burdens, particularly in developing countries, emphasizing the importance of increased research support, particularly in high-resource settings. This study provides information about the demographics and economic burden of COPD from 1990 to 2019. More strategies to reduce the frequency of hospital admissions and acute care services should be implemented to improve the quality of COPD patients' lives and reduce the disease's rising economic burden.

• 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.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.103-110
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the psychosocial responses and quality of life (QOL) among Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients and their caregivers in South Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. Purposive sample of 15 ALS patients and their 14 caregivers were recruited via Korean Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (KALSA) website. Demographic characteristics, hopelessness, quality of life, physical function, and caregiver burden were measured. Results: The mean period after being diagnosed with ALS was 57.73 months. The mean score of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional rating scale and quality of life was 21.33 (SD=11.97) and 5.70 (SD=1.23) respectively. The mean score of hopelessness was 11.87 (SD=4.72). The caregivers' mean score of McGill quality of life was 4.29 (SD=1.46), and the mean score of McGill quality of life-single item scale was 4.29 (SD=2.02). Conclusion: Since the cause of ALS has not been identified and cure is yet to be discovered, supportive care should be provided for not only quality of life but hope of patients. The findings may be used to develop knowledge based nursing intervention for patients diagnosed with ALS and their caregivers.