This study is a descriptive study to provide basic data related to types of uniforms worn by nurses. Nurses, other medical center personnel, patients and their famillies were asked for their opinion on changing nurses' uniforms and how the image of nurses is related to the type of uniform worn by the nurses. The data for this study were collected during the period from Feb. 25, 1993 to Mar. 26, 1993 at Y-University Medical Center from 132 nurses, 137 other medical center personnel, 117 patients and their families. The instruments used for this study were the Nurses' Image Scale(NIS) developed by Bown (1986), and an instrument to measure opinions of uniform and cap using photographs of nurses' uniforms that was developed by the researcher through a literture review. Data were analyzd using the SPPS/PC package, Statistics used for analysis were frequencies, percentages, paired t-test, and oneway ANOVA. The results of this study are summarized as follows; 1. Of the nurses, 84.3%, along with, 51.5% of the medical center personnel, 39.1% of the patients and their families agreed to a change in the color of nurses uniforms. 2. Similarly, 87.4% of the nurses, 27.7% of the medical center personnel, 19.3% of the patients and their families were in favor of nurses not wearing cape. 3. Only 11.8% of nurses answered that a white uniform was important to the professional image of nursing. Only 2.4% of the nurses answered that a cap was very important to the professional image of nursing. 4. Only 1.6% of the nurses answered that a white uniform and cap were important to show the role of nurses in the twenty first century. 5. About 1/3, 36.5%, of the medical center personnel, the patient and their families answered that changing the color of the nurses' uniform will make a change in the image of nurses. 6. A White uniform and cap were seen as being important in distinguishing nurses from other medical personnel in the hospital by 76.5% of the medical personnel, the patients and their families. 7. Nurses gave high marks to the idea of no cap regardless of the color of the uniform which would still portray the symbol of the nurses' role, identity and would differentiate the role from other jobs. The patients and their families gave high marks to a white uniform with cap. 8. Generally, nurses, medical center personnel and patients and their families thought that a colored uniform with cap presented a good image of nurses. 9. There was a significant difference in the response among the three groups (F=24.65, P<.001) to the figure in a white uniform with a cap, and the patients and their families thought it was the best portrayal of the image of nurses. There was a significant difference among the three groups (F=9.03, P<.001) to the figure in a white uniform with no cap and the nurses indicated that it was the best portrayed of the image of nurses. There was no significant difference among the three groups to the figure in a colored uniform with cap. There was a significant difference(F= 17.50, P<. 001) to the figure in a colored uniform with no cap, and the nurses indicated that it was the best portrayal of the image of nurses. In summary, the nurses wanted to change the color of uniform and not to wear a cap. But many of the medical center personnel, patients and their families indicated they did not agree with this idea. Therefore, changing the type of uniform worn by nurses should be done only after consideration has been given to the relation of the change to the professional role of nurses and the image of nurses held people in general. Suggestions arising from this study are as follows: 1. The relation between the role of nurses and their uniform was surveyed, and these results can be used as data when considering a change in uniforms. 2. A change in uniforms should be tried based on the norm established about uniforms. 3. The nurses did not want to wear a cap, but before a decision is definitely made it is necessary to study the philosophy related to the symbol of the cap because the figure of a nurse with a cap portrayed a positive image of the nurses. If the cap is kept, the symbol of the cap should be redefined. 4. In this study, only the image related to the uniform was examined, but in future studies it will be necessary to examine the practicality of various types of uniforms.

This study was done to verify validity of nursing diagnoses related to difficulty in respiratory function. First, content validity was examined by an expert group considering the etiology and the signs/symptoms of three nursing diagnoses-ineffective airway clearance, ineffective breathing pattern, impaired gas exchange. Second, clinical validity was examined by comparing the frequencies of the etiologies and signs/symptoms of the three nursing diagnoses in clinical case studies with the results of the content validity. This study was a descriptive study. The sample consisted of 23 experts (professors, head nurses and clinical instructors) who had had a variety of experiences using nursing diagnoses in clinical practice, and 102 case reports done by senior student nurses of the college of nursing of Y-university. These reports were part of their clinical practice in the ICU. The instrument used for this study was a checklist for etiologies and signs and symptoms based on the literature, Doenges and Moorhouse (1988), Kim, McFarland, McLane (1991), Lee Won Hee et al. (1987), KimCho Ja et al. (1988). The data was collected over four month period from May 1992 to Aug. 1992. Data were analyzed using frequencies done with the SPSS/PC+ package. The results of this study are summarized as follows: 1. General Characteristics of the Expert Group: A bachelor degree was held by 43.5% and a master or doctoral degree by 56.5% of the expert group. The average age of the expert group was 35.3 years. Their average clinical experience was 9.3 years and their average experience in clinical practice was 5.9 years. The general characteristics of the patients showed that there were more women than men, that the age range was from 1 to over 80. Most of their medical diagnoses were diagnoses related to the respiratory, system, circulation or neurologic system, and 50% or more of them had a ventilator with intubation or a tracheostomy. The number of cases for each nursing diagnoses was: -Ineffective airway clearance, 92 cases. -Ineffective breathing pattern, 18 cases. -Impaired gas exchange, 22 cases. 2. The opinion of the expert group as to the classification of the etiology, and signs and symptoms of the three nursing diagnoses was as follows: -In 31.8% of the cases the classification of etiology was clear. -In 22.7%, the classification of signs and symptoms was clear -In 17.4%, the classification of nursing interventions was clear. 3. In the expert group 80% or more agreed to 'dyspnea' as a common sign and symptom of the three nursing diagnoses. The distinguishing signs and symptoms of (Ineffective airway clearance) were 'sputum', 'cough', 'abnormal respiratory sounds: rales'. The distinguishing sings and symptoms of (Ineffective breathing pattern) were 'tachypnea', 'use of accessory muscle of respiration', 'orthop-nea' and for (Impaired gas exchange) it was 'abnormal arterial blood gas'. 4. The distribution of etiology, and signs and symptoms of the three nursing diagnoses was as follows: -There was a high frequency of 'increased secretion from the bronchus and trachea' in both the expert group and the cade reports as the etiology of ineffective airway clearance. -For the etiologies for ineffective breathing pattern, 'ain', 'anxiety', 'fear', 'obstructions of the trachea and bronchus' had a high ratio in the expert group and 'decreased expansion of lung' in the case reports. -For the etiologies for impaired gas exchanges, 'altered oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood' and 'excess accumulation of interstitial fluid in lung' had a high ratio in the expert group and 'altered oxygen supply' in the case reports. -For signs and symptoms for ineffective airway clearance, 'dyspnea', 'altered amount and character of sputum' were included by 100% of the expert group. 'Abnormal respiratory, sound (rale, rhonchi)' were included by a high ratio of the expert group. -For the signs and symptoms for ineffective breathing pattern, 'dyspnea', 'shortness of breath' were included by 100% of the expert group. In the case reports, 'dyspnea' and 'tachypnea' were reported as signs and symptoms. -For the sign and symptoms for impaired gas exchange, 'hypoxia' and 'cyanosis' had a high ratio in the expert group. In the case report, 'hypercap-nia', 'hypoxia' and 'inability to remove secretions' were reported as signs and symptoms. In summary, the similarity of the etiologies and signs and symptoms of the three nursing diagnoses related to difficulty in respiratory function makes it difficult to distinguish among them. But the clinical validity of three nursing diagnoses was established through this study, and at last one sign and symptom was defined for each diagnosis.