Hypertrophic scarring and depression are the principal problems of burn rehabilitation. This study was done to verify the effects of skin rehabilitation massage therapy (SRMT) on pruritus, skin status, and depression for Korean burn survivors.

A pretest-posttest design using a nonequivalent control group was applied to examine the effects of SRMT for 3 months in a group of 18 burn survivors. The major dependent variables-including pruritus, objective and subjective scar status, and depression-were measured at the beginning and at the end of the therapy to examine the effects of SRMT.

Burn survivors receiving SRMT showed reduced pruritus, improved skin status, and depression. The remaining scar also showed improvement in skin pigmentation, pliability, vascularity, and height (compared to the surrounding skin) as measured on the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS).

The findings demonstrate that SRMT for burn survivors may improve their scars both objectively and subjectively, and also reduce pruritus and depression.

This study was done to identify and test a model of the psychosocial variables that influence adherence to therapeutic regimens in patients with hypertension.

A convenience sample of 219 patients with hypertension who were enrolled in an outpatient clinic of a cardiovascular center in Korea participated in the study. They completed self-administered questionnaires anonymously. The questionnaire was based on the Social Action Theory model and a literature review. The explanatory model was constructed and tested using structural equation modeling in order to examine the effects within the model.

The results of this study showed that perceived self-efficacy was the strongest factor influencing patient adherence in this sample. Adherence to therapeutic regimens in patients with hypertension was influenced by self-efficacy, patient-provider relationship, social support, and depression.

Adherence to therapeutic regimens in patients with hypertension was most strongly influenced by self-efficacy. These findings suggest that nursing interventions to promote patient adherence should focus on the promotion of self-efficacy including improvement in patient-provider relationship and social support, and reduction in depression.

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate psychometric properties of the instrument, Resuscitation Self-Efficacy Scale for nurses.

This was a methodological study for instrument development and psychometric testing. The initial item pool derived from literature review and experts resulted in 30 items linked to resuscitation self-efficacy. A convenience sample of 509 Korean nurses from eleven academic teaching hospitals participated in a survey to examine psychometric properties of the scale. To examine construct validity, exploratory factor analysis and known-group comparison were used. Cronbach's coefficient alpha was used to determine the scale's internal consistency reliability.

The final scale included 17 items with four-component structure termed 'Recognition', 'Debriefing and recording', 'Responding and rescuing', and 'Reporting'. These four factors accounted for 57.5% of the variance. Each subscale and the total scale demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency: .82; .88; .87; .83; and .91 respectively. Experienced nurses reported significantly higher self-efficacy mean scores in both total and subscales compared to new graduate nurses.

The Resuscitation Self-Efficacy Scale for nurses yields reliable and valid results in appraising the level of resuscitation self-efficacy for Korean nurses. Further study is needed to test and refine the scale.