• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.25-32
• /
• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide a fundamental data for improving nurses' working environment and securing quality of nursing care. Method: It was consisted of analyzing education system and employment status of nursing personnel, and focus group interviews in Cheju Island. Results: Total graduates were 4,139 by 2006 from two nursing schools in Cheju. Difficulties in working conditions from focal group interviews were classified into four categories; Lack of anonymity of nurses, the burden from performing nontraditional nursing roles due to shortage of physicians, irregularity of working schedule and too many night shifts for taking care of female colleague's condition related with pregnancy, and poor support for implementing and developing professional nursing. Conclusion: A survey revealing working condition of nursing personnel of all health care institutions in Cheju Island will provide the comparison between Cheju Island and other areas. It needs to cultivate the public opinion about the importance of quality of nursing care proceeded by the broad support for improving nurses' working environment. It is essential to support continuing education to bring professional nurses and establishing the system to utilize them to overcome the shortage of physicians in Cheju Island.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.409-421
• /
• 2013

Purpose: This qualitative study was designed to explore and describe the nursing staff reported experiences of managing the medical needs of nursing home residents in South Korea. Methods: Using a focus group interview method, qualitative data were collected from March to May 2012. Twenty five registered nurses and nurse aids working in nursing homes were recruited through a convenient sampling method. Participants participated in one of four focus group interviews lasted up to two hours in which their day-to-day experiences of taking care of the medical needs of the elderly residents. All interviews were recorded and transcribed in verbatim, and analyzed according to the qualitative thematic analysis method using MAXQDA software. Results: The overriding theme was 'experiencing differences between the requirements of the regulatory system and the actual reality of the work place.' The findings of differences between what were true and what is required was based in four subcategories. The nursing home residents had far more medical needs than what were reported. Another finding was that the family members were seen as non-supportive and negligent towards the residents. Conclusion: The findings of the study support the need for changes in the regulatory system. The regulatory limitations of current system with a shortage of resources pushed the participants to experience discrepancies between the required regulation and the reality. Additional research could contribute more exemplars to support changes.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.235-248
• /
• 2018

Purpose: This qualitative study examined the participation in ICT-based management from the perspectives of patients with chronic diseases. This study was conducted as one of several studies evaluating the effectiveness of chronic disease management in the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Methods: Focus group interviews were used as its guiding methodology. Group interviews with 16 patients were carried out using semi-structured interview questions developed from a literature review and discussion with researchers. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 11 sub-themes were extracted through a comparison of the concepts and semantic analysis, and finally, four themes were derived: "Satisfied with systematic management of health care", "Leading in health care", "Understanding the pattern of blood pressure and blood sugar change" and "Adherence to existing health care habits". Conclusion: This study is meaningful in that it used qualitative analysis through FGI to evaluate the effects of an ICT-based chronic disease management project. Based on this study, a mixed-method design study and an intervention study among patients with metabolic syndrome is proposed.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.443-451
• /
• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the clinical instructors' role experience in college of nursing. Method: Two focus group interviews were held with a total of 12 clinical instructors. All interviews were recorded and transcribed as they were spoken, and the collected data were analyzed using content analysis of Downe-Wamboldt(1992). Results: Three themes and six subthemes were extracted from the analysis: 1) Getting recognition of special roles as a clinical instructor: 'Recognizing the role of clinical instructor for guiding student's individual practice goals', 'Recognizing helping and supporting roles for student's successful clinical practice', 2) Having difficulty in performing the role of clinical practice instructor: 'Difficulty from the lack of knowledge and experience as a clinical practice instructor', 'Difficulty from the gap between current clinical practice and purpose of clinical nursing practice', 3) Making efforts to overcome the difficulties as a clinical instructor and accomplishing personal development: 'Making efforts to acquire personal knowledge and experience', 'Making a chance to reflect on and grow up oneself'. Conclusion: Clinical instructors take an important part of clinical nursing education. To improve the quality of clinical nursing education, it is needed role reestablishment and institutional support for clinical instructors on the basis of the understanding of instructors' experience.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.126-138
• /
• 2020

Purpose: In Korea, since the Act on Hospice and Palliative Care and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment for Patients at the End of Life was implemented in February 2018, advance directives (ADs) have become legally effective and should be documented after sufficient explanation by a registered counselor. However, little is known regarding the adequacy of current AD counseling. This qualitative study aimed to explore the barriers to AD counseling based on counselors' experiences. Methods: We conducted focus group interviews using purposive sampling. Seven counselors working at hospitals, community health institutions, and non-profit organizations participated in this study. They were asked about the challenges and problems they encountered during AD counseling. Results: Three themes emerged from this study; 1) issues regarding consistency in AD counseling, 2) issues regarding AD counselors' competency and work environment, and 3) issues regarding the adequacy of the service system. The interviewees stated that the lack of a manual for standardized service made AD counseling inconsistent. The limited competency and poor work environment of counselors were pointed out as major barriers. The interviewees also stated that a proper service system considering individual circumstances is absent. Conclusion: The goals of AD counseling should be clarified and guidance should be implemented for providing standardized services. Further efforts to enhance the competency of AD counselors and to improve their working conditions are needed. Establishing an integrated framework for an adequate service system is also essential to overcome systematic barriers to AD counseling.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.350-364
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to understand and describe the demand of applying an anger management program for university students, based on professor-student counseling activity. 2016, data was collected using five focus group interviews were recorded and transcribed. All interviews were recorded and transcribed, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. We extracted the following 9 categories across 3 main themes: 1) Views on applying an anger management program based on professor-student counseling activity: required or not required; 2) Competence of the professor: trust, counseling expertise, and receptive attitude; and 3) Effective program management plans: separation from the advisor or reducing the role of the advisor, program composition and contents, administrative support from the university, facilitating a supportive environment for counseling. In conclusion, enhancement can be achieved through an anger management program based on professor-student counseling activity by focusing efforts on increasing interactions between professors and students, and improving the counseling competence of professors. Additionally, administrative support from the university and steps to improve awareness in professors, students, and university authorities are necessary.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.125-144
• /
• 2013

This aim in this study is to investigate the meaning of case management and management in general from the case manger's perspective, as well as case mangers' abilities and networks. We also propose a development direction for the establishment of a local integrated family-centered community management system. Regarding the collection of qualitative data, focus group interviews (FGIs) were conducted with 11 case managers from social welfare organizations in the city of C. The interviews consisted of open-ended questions in the following four categories: understanding of case management, case managers' abilities, case management environments, and local community networks. According to the interview analysis, a total of 16 subcategories in 9 categories and 4 domains have been identified. Due to the ambiguity regarding the concept of case management, case management was completely dependent upon individual case managers' abilities. In particular, family-centered case management was found to exist in several organizations in the same region. In terms of case management environments, the following problems have been observed: absence of related departments and staff, confusion regarding performance evaluation standards, limitations in sharing information among organizations, limitations in resource exploration and management, redundant support, and an uncomfortable relationship between the private and public sector. Horizontal exchange and cooperation among organizations are essential to establish and facilitate a local community network. After all, to establish a local family-centered community case management system, the roles of a Healthy Families Center and a Multi-cultural Family Support Center as parts of a family-centered transfer system should be fully emphasized in local society, and the performance of family-centered case management should be developed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.255-272
• /
• 2020

This exploratory study investigated Chinese consumers' perceived usefulness and risks of fashion apps and identified reasons for continuance and discontinuance intentions. This study conducted focus group interviews with a convenience sample of 13 Chinese students majoring in fashion in Korea. Based on interviewee responses, this study identified five attributes leading the perceived usefulness of mobile fashion apps (ubiquity and convenience, multi-media information, personalization, interactivity between consumers, and immediateness) and sub elements related to the five attributes. Five types of perceived risk (privacy risk, security risk, product risk, loss of future opportunity, and time risk) were identified in relation to Chinese consumers' use of fashion apps. The important role of live streaming services was uniquely identified by Chinese fashion app users. Usefulness of location-based information provided by mobile fashion apps were differently perceived according to respondents' use purpose, and augmented reality services provided by the apps were related to entertainment rather than usefulness. This study provides meaningful insights into Chinese consumers' perceptions of fashion apps and important app attributes that influence their continuance and discontinuance intentions. The findings from this study lend preliminary implications for future researchers and fashion businesses interested in the Chinese app market.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.567-581
• /
• 2013

This study aimed to investigate fruit and vegetable consumption status of school children and adolescents and factors influencing their consumption from focus-group interviews with school nutrition teacher(s) and nutritionists. Most of all the evaluated fruit and vegetable intake levels of school children and adolescents was very low. They mentioned the intake of fruit and vegetable was similar between children and adolescents and boys tended to have less vegetable intake than girls. There was substantial difference in the serving frequencies of fruit between schools due to budgets. Fruit was consumed more than vegetables and fruit without seeds or peeled fruit was more preferred by children and adolescents. Factors affecting fruit and vegetable intake of children and adolescents were analysed by personal, family and school. Personal factors were gender, child development level, the lack of knowledge or perception on vegetables, westernized diet pattern and the preference of spicy foods. Family factors were the perception of parents, family meal environment, and income disparity. The factors related to schools were the principal, class teacher, friends, nutrition teacher, cooking and serving methods, cooking personals, budget and so on.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.428-441
• /
• 2004

This study focused on developing and assessing the effectiveness of maternal and child nutrition education materials that can be used conveniently at health centers. Focus group interviews with pregnant women, research of websites for pregnant women, and questionnaire-based surveys on community residents' needs for maternal and child nutrition services were conducted as preliminary study. The focus group interviews were conducted ten times, with five or six women, and the needs assessment was carried out on 884 pregnant or lactating women. The contents of the education materials developed based on the preliminary study were made up of the pregnant women section and the lactating women section. The entire material was composed of lecture materials, guidelines for educators, and handout materials for mothers, in the form of CD and booklets. The lecture materials were made using MS Power Point and the guidelines were wrote specifically, including basic information, main points to the lectures, and lesson plans, so that even non-professionals can easily use them. The effectiveness of the education materials was assessed based on a pretest and posttest method. The reliability of the test instrument was measured by Cronbach alpha, which was 0.75. The results were that the participants' nutrition knowledge scores showed a significant increase(p<0.05) from 3.79$\pm$0.33 to 3.96$\pm$0.34, and their attitudes changed positively after the education (p<0.05).