This study aimed to explore and compare the knowledge structure of pain management nursing research, between Korea and other countries, applying a text network analysis.

321 Korean and 6,685 international study abstracts of pain management, published from 2004 to 2017, were collected. Keywords and meaningful morphemes from the abstracts were analyzed and refined, and their co-occurrence matrix was generated. Two networks of 140 and 424 keywords, respectively, of domestic and international studies were analyzed using NetMiner 4.3 software for degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, and eigenvector community analysis.

In both Korean and international studies, the most important, core-keywords were “pain,” “patient,” “pain management,” “registered nurses,” “care,” “cancer,” “need,” “analgesia,” “assessment,” and “surgery.” While some keywords like “education,” “knowledge,” and “patient-controlled analgesia” found to be important in Korean studies; “treatment,” “hospice palliative care,” and “children” were critical keywords in international studies. Three common sub-topic groups found in Korean and international studies were “pain and accompanying symptoms,” “target groups of pain management,” and “RNs’ performance of pain management.” It is only in recent years (2016~17), that keywords such as “performance,” “attitude,” “depression,” and “sleep” have become more important in Korean studies than, while keywords such as “assessment,” “intervention,” “analgesia,” and “chronic pain” have become important in international studies.

It is suggested that Korean pain-management researchers should expand their concerns to children and adolescents, the elderly, patients with chronic pain, patients in diverse healthcare settings, and patients’ use of opioid analgesia. Moreover, researchers need to approach pain-management with a quality of life perspective rather than a mere focus on individual symptoms.

This study aimed to identify and compare hospice care research topics between Korean and international nursing studies using text network analysis.

The study was conducted in four steps: 1) collecting abstracts of relevant journal articles, 2) extracting and cleaning keywords (semantic morphemes) from the abstracts, 3) developing co-occurrence matrices and text-networks of keywords, and 4) analyzing network-related measures including degree centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality, and clustering using the NetMiner program. Abstracts from 347 Korean and 1,926 international studies for the period of 1998–2016 were analyzed.

Between Korean and international studies, six of the most important core keywords-“hospice,” “patient,” “death,” “RNs,” “care,” and “family”-were common, whereas “cancer” from Korean studies and “palliative care” from international studies ranked more highly. Keywords such as “attitude,” “spirituality,” “life,” “effect,” and “meaning” for Korean studies and “communication,” “treatment,” “USA,” and “doctor” for international studies uniquely emerged as core keywords in recent studies (2011~2016). Five subtopic groups each were identified from Korean and international studies. Two common subtopics were “hospice palliative care and volunteers” and “cancer patients.”

For a better quality of hospice care in Korea, it is recommended that nursing researchers focus on study topics of patients with non-cancer disease, children and family, communication, and pain and symptom management.

The purpose of this study was to validate the Korean version of the Ethical Leadership at Work questionnaire (K-ELW) that measures RNs' perceived ethical leadership of their nurse managers.

The strong validation process suggested by Benson (1998), including translation and cultural adaptation stage, structural stage, and external stage, was used. Participants were 241 RNs who reported their perceived ethical leadership using both the pre-version of K-ELW and a previously known Ethical Leadership Scale, and interactional justice of their managers, as well as their own demographics, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, reliability coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. SPSS 19.0 and Amos 18.0 versions were used.

A modified K-ELW was developed from construct validity evidence and included 31 items in 7 domains: People orientation, task responsibility fairness, relationship fairness, power sharing, concern for sustainability, ethical guidance, and integrity. Convergent validity, discriminant validity, and concurrent validity were supported according to the correlation coefficients of the 7 domains with other measures.

The results of this study provide preliminary evidence that the modified K-ELW can be adopted in Korean nursing organizations, and reliable and valid ethical leadership scores can be expected.

The purpose of this study was to explain the role transition process to nurse case managers (NCMs) for Medical-aid beneficiaries in Korea.

Fourteen NCMs were interviewed regarding their experiences of becoming proficient in the new role of case manger. Data were analyzed through the application of grounded theory.

'Taking root in a barren land' was the core category explaining the role transition process of NCMs. They engaged in four stages: launching, trial and error, proficiency, and wait-and-see stages. NCMs showed not only fear but also passion for case management practice. Despite their passion and effort, NCMs went through a period of trial and error. After becoming skilled, NCMs went through a stage of wait-and-see often because of job insecurity related to temporary position or few opportunities for promotion. Factors influencing NCMs' role transition process included their understanding of client characteristics, belief in case management, and support from their colleagues and families.

NCMs experience many challenges in the process of becoming proficient NCMs. To help with their role transition, there is a need for education programs, preceptorship programs, research on their roles and functions, and regulation for securing NCMs' employment and career stability.

The purpose of this study was to develop a substantive theory of case management (CM) practice by investigating the experience of nurse case managers caring for Medical Aid enrollees in Korea.

A total of 12 nurses were interviewed regarding their own experience in CM practice. Data were recorded and analyzed using grounded theory.

Empowerment was the core category of CM for Medical Aid enrollees. The case managers engaged in five phases as follows, phase of inquiring in advance, building a relationship with the client, giving the client critical mind, facilitating positive changes in the client's use of healthcare services, and maintaining relationship bonds. These phases moved gradually and were circular if necessary. Also, they were accelerated or slowed depending on factors including clients' characteristics, case managers' competency level, families' support level, and availability of community resources.

This study helps understand what CM practice is and how nurses are performing this innovative CM role. It is recommended that nurse leaders and policy makers integrate empowerment as a core category and the five critical CM phases into future CM programs.