Purpose: This study aimed to identify contents and trends of Korean nursing doctoral dissertations in terms of research methodology and theoretical characteristics. Methods: The design of the study was descriptive study and a total of 1,089 quantitative studies completed between 1982 and 2010 were reviewed using the analytical framework developed by the researchers. Results:The majority of studies utilized the experimental design (51.5%) and the others were survey design (38.8%) and methodological design (5.0%). Study subjects were shown as patients (45%), care givers (11.2%), ordinary persons (40.6%) and others (3.2%). There were growing trends in experimental design and patients as subjects. The prevailing data collection settings were hospitals (45.8%) and community (27.8%). The theoretical frameworks that studies were based on were the existing theories (37%) and a newly developed theoretical framework by a researcher (25.2%). a framework derived from other studies by the researcher (25.2%). Majority of studies (78.5%) employed a single theory as a theoretical framework. However, 31.8% of studies had no theoretical framework based on. Conclusion: Findings of this study provided the opportunities to shed new light on the current status of Korean doctoral dissertation and to deliberate on the future direction of nursing studies in Korea.

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Purpose: This study was done to investigate the types of breastfeeding visits by mothers twenty-four months after birth and to identify the factors that increased breast feeding rates. Methods: The subjects of this study totaled seven hundred and seventy-four mothers with infants aged 2 years or less who had visited national medical institutions including Sanhujori service facilities, breastfeeding care service facilities, and community health centers. Data was collected from June 22 to July 31, 2009. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, x 2 test, ANOVA with a post hoc Scheffe test, and multiple logistic regression. Results: Major findings of this study were significant differences of planned length of breastfeeding and breastfeeding self-efficacy in relation to the differing types of breast feeding community visits by mothers. In multivariate logistic regression, baby's age, exclusive breastfeeding at hospital, utilization of breastfeeding care service facility, planned length of breastfeeding, and breastfeeding self-efficacy were independent predictors of the feeding type. Conclusion: In order to increase breastfeeding rates, programs provided by public health care services and medical facilities should start education on breast feeding in the hospital before mothers are discharged and then continue through the use of Sanhujori service facilities and workplace at 3 month and 6 month postpartum.

This result suggests non-nutritive sucking by using a pacifier is an effective intervention for pre-term infants during tube feeding.

Purpose: This study aimed to confirm the effect of routine suctioning at a nursery for healthy newborns who have undergone immediate oronasopharyngeal bulb suctioning after birth in a delivery room through the observation of their oxygen saturation level, heart rate, respiration rate, the vomiting sign, and the number of instances of vomiting. Methods: Data were collected for 62 days from March 15 to May 15, 2009 at the nursery of a hospital located in Seoul. One hundred forty newborns were assigned to one of three groups: a no suction group, an oropharyngeal suction group, or a orogastric suction group. Collected data were analyzed with the SPSS WIN 15.0 program using ANOVA, cross tabulations and an independent 2-sample t-test. Results: Routine suctioning to healthy newborns resulted in decreasing oxygen saturation levels and increasing the heart and respiration rate regardless of the kind of suctioning. Stabilization of the oxygen saturation level and vital signs was also observed without suctioning. Conclusion: To prevent healthy newborns from the side effect of suctioning, selective suctioning is recommended.