Given the global impact of the AIDS pandemic, it is necessary to take every measure to prevent an epidemic of this disease in Korea. The only available strategy is prevention. Considering college students as a potential risk group, this study examined their knowledge of, and attitudes toward AIDS. In this study, 399 students from three colleges in Pusan and Uoolsan were examined for their attitudes to, and knowledge of AIDS. Findings indicate that the majority of the students(90%) had basic knowledge on the transmission and the prevention of the disease. However, most of them, including nursing students, lacked knowledge as to the etiological agent, major symptoms and available diagnostic techniques. To the questions designed to examine social attitude towards AIDS patients, the students showed a tendency to view AIDS patients as responsible for their own illness. Interestingly, they showed sympathy to their imaginary friends and relatives suffering from AIDS. The study findings suggest a need for the development of AIDS educational programs for college students.

Pain management of postoperative patients or patients suffering from terminal cancer became one of the most important task of nurses in recent years. This study analyzed basic knowledge of 175 student nurses in Taegu on the pain assessment and management. The questionnaires included five areas: Assessment, pharmacological actions, medication, classification of opioids, and psychological dependence of analgesics. The results indicated that nursing students, in general, lacked knowledge on pain management: Correct responses on pain assessment varied between 9.7 and 100%; classification of opioids was in ranges of 61.7 to 95.4%: Pharmacological actions was 16.6 to 80%; and medication was 14.9 to 85.7%. Less than 12.6% of students correctly identified the frequency of psychological dependence. These results suggested that the need of reinforcement on the pain management in formal nursing education.

The author investigated pain experiences of 90 cancer patients and adequacy of pain treatment they have received during their stay at a large medical center in T city between October 1994 and August 1995. Pain was assessed by the Shortened BPQ and results are summarized as follows: As for ratings of "worst pain" during the 24 hour period, 70% of the patients reported they had "severe" pain. As for ratings on "pain now" 43% of the cancer patients reported "moderate to severe" pain. Over 46% of the patients reported a pain relief score of 0(not at all) or 1(somewhat) even after receiving pain medication. Adequacy of analgesic treatment was evaluated by comparing the patient's reported level of pain and the analgesic use, namely, the pain management index(PMI). The PMI indicated that 58% of the patients were undertreated for the pain control. In review of nurse's notes, systematic pain assessment was scarcely recorded, although pain documentation appeared in 70% of the notes; and the contents were mostly simple description. In conclusion, the results of patient's pain ratings, the PMI and poor pain documentation in the nurse's notes implied poor pain assessment and management.