The purpose of this study was to identify the theoretical characteristics and direction of inquiry in the discipline of nursing by analyzing doctoral dissertations.

The materials used in this study were 277 doctoral dissertations from five universities in Korea. The framework for the study was derived from Kim's(1993) alternative linkage among philosophy, theory, and method in nursing science.

Of the 277 dissertations it was found that there were 13 types of linkages out of a possible 54 types. Most of the dissertations (128 of 277) were done within the linkage of realism/etic/quantitative/explanatory knowledge type. Of the 218 dissertations within scientific realism, 42 were within relativism, and 17 within practicism. There were 134 dissertations of the explanatory knowledge type, 112 descriptive ones, and 31 prescriptive ones. Studies done within the etic quantitative methodology included 209 dissertations and within the emic perspective, 43 with qualitative methodology, and 7 with quantitative.

The results show that it is necessary to develop more alternative linkages for nursing practice and this will lead to expanding nursing knowledge.

This study was done to identify fat distribution and blood pressure according to anthropometric change patterns between NIDDM patients and control subjects.

Cross-sectionally 167 NIDDM patients and 87 controls were studied. Previous maximal body weight and acute weight loss was obtained. Current height, body weight, BMI, waist-hip ratio(WHR), skinfold thicknesses(abdomen, subscapular & triceps), and blood pressure was measured. Three anthropometric change patterns were categorized by BMI changes from the maximum lifetim's BMI to the current time (obese-obese, obese-nonobese and nonobese-nonobese: obese: BMI≥25 kg/m², nonobese: BMI<25 kg/m²). The data was analyzed by χ², t-test, age adjusted ANCOVA and Least Squares Means(LSM) for multiple comparison.

Acute body weight loss(p=0.01), anthropometric change types (p=0.001), WHR (P=0.05), and skinfold thickness (p=0.002) of NIDDM were significantly higher than those of the controls. The mean arterial pressure, WHR and skinfold thicknesses were greater in both obese-obese and obese-nonobese NIDDM and control subjects compared with both nonobese-nonobese NIDDM and control subjects. (all p's< 0.05).

NIDDM patients had more central and upper body adiposicity. Also both obese-obese and obese-nonobese NIDDM and control subjects had higher mean arterial pressures and central body obesity.

The main purpose of this study was to explore nurse-patient interaction behaviors and patient satisfaction with the interaction in the emergency department.

This study used video technology to record complete conversations between the nurse and patient, thus obtaining the interactions naturally occurring in a clinical setting. The participants were 28 nurses and 63 patients in the emergency department at one university hospital located in Seoul. The data was collected from November, 2002 to April, 2003. The video recordings were observed for 4 hours for each case and coded using an adapted version of Roter's Interaction Analysis System (RIAS), which yields frequencies of thirty-six types of interaction behaviors.

The information exchange related to therapeutic items including medications, simple orientation, and situational positive talk were characterized in the nurses' interaction behaviors. Giving information about one's own condition, questions about therapeutic regimen, and showing worry were characterized in patient interaction behaviors. The patients' satisfaction with the interaction was 37.75.9 (range 9-45).

The emergency nurse-patient interaction behavior was task-related. The results suggest that identification of effective interaction behavior in the Emergency department and an interaction skill training program could increase patient satisfaction.