Biomedical subjects

Yu-Ying Tang

Publications and source records attributed to Yu-Ying Tang.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in improving the quality of life in patients with problem wounds.

The unpredictable course followed by severe, chronic, non-healing wounds not only restricts the daily activities of affected patients, but also impairs their quality of life (QOL). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatment for such wounds elevates tissue oxygen content, increases cellular repair functions and the probability of wound healing, and improves the patient's QOL. This was a longitudinal, prospective study, and used a purposive sampling method. A total of 15 patients receiving HBOT at a medical center were enrolled. Data were collected by questionnaire before and after HBOT. The questionnaire included basic patient characteristics, self-perceived wound severity, wound physiological indices, and a QOL scale. The overall QOL score of the subjects after HBOT was higher than before HBOT. After HBOT, there was a positive correlation between the QOL of patients with problem wounds and the scoring of the Strauss wound classification system. After HBOT, there was a negative correlation between the QOL of patients with problem wounds and their self-perceived severity of the wound. The results were then used to provide suggestions for nursing care and additional research directions in order to effectively assist patients with problem wounds receiving HBOT, with the goal of achieving an optimal QOL.

Humans↗

PubMed2006

Postoperative sedation after major surgery with midazolam or propofol in the ICU: effects on amnesia and anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Propofol and midazolam are commonly used in the ICU to alleviate physical and psychological disturbances in consequence of anxiety. This study was conducted to assess and compare the impact of postoperative sedation after major surgery with midazolam or propofol on amnesia and anxiety in conscious patients under intensive care. METHODS: One hundred and two adult patients irrespective of sex and age, receiving thoracic, abdominal or other major truncal surgery necessitating close care at the ICU, were randomly allocated into midazolam or propofol group. Prior to surgery, all patients were subjected to evaluation of the levels of anxiety and amnesia, which was repeated on the following morning with the level of anxiety and the level of amnesia assessed just before and 30 min after cessation of midazolam or propofol medication, respectively. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding gender, age, types of analgesics used, and anxiety. In both groups, the levels of anxiety (P < 0.001) and amnesia (P < 0.001) were improved significantly over the following day. Midazolam had more pronounced effects on amnesia than propofol (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the pre- or post-drug anxiety (P = 0.189). CONCLUSIONS: Both midazolam and propofol are effective amnesic and anxiolytic drugs. Midazolam tends to have more favorable effects on amnesia. It is speculated that combination of propofol and midazolam may give better results for treating critically ill ICU patients, the confirmation of which necessitates further study.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[Coping: a concept analysis].

Hundreds of studies have been conducted by nuring researchers on stressors requiring coping. Unfortunately, the concept of coping is poorly defined. This paper presents a conceptual analysis of the phenomenon of coping. Within the classic framework developed by Walker and Avant (1995), coping is analyzed and critical attributes are distilled. A model case, a related case and a contrary case are constructed as conceptual clarity is established. Empirical referents that exemplify the concept of coping are identified. The concept analysis provides a forum for dialectics, offering one defensible interpretation of a complex human occurrence. The implications for nursing are discussed in the conclusion.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2005

[An experience nursing a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using the theory of self-care].

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and lethal motor neurodegenerative disease. The cause of the disease is unknown, and there is no cure current clinical treatment methods include Riluzole and supportive therapy. However, Riluzole only decelerates the patient's muscle strength loss and prolongs survival by about 3-5 months (Aventis Pharmaceutical, 2004). The patient will die eventually because of aspiration pneumonia or respiratory failure. This paper documents the use of Orem's self-care theory and holistic nursing assessment in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. There are four areas of nursing concern: impaired self-care ability (dressing, feeding, toileting, and bathing), risk of falls, impaired verbal communication, and powerlessness. In terms of these problems suitable nursing activities are provided to develop the patient's ability to care for himself, prevent accidents, promote skills of non-verbal communication, and alleviate powerlessness in order to strengthen control.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

[An experience of taking care of an adolescent spinal surgery patient suffering from scoliosis].

This case report describes the experience of taking care of an adolescent (nineteen year-old) girl, who needed spinal surgical treatment because of scoliosis. The author assessed the patient's condition by observation, interview, and the Gordon 11-item functional health pattern assessment guide. Because she had had no previous surgical experience, and faced changes in her bodily appearance, the adolescent had physical and psychological problems, such as acute pain, self-care deficit, anxiety, and body image disturbance. Besides applying professional knowledge and technical ability, to alleviate the discomfort caused by the young lady's surgery, the author used caring, listening and empathy to encourage and support her in learning self-care, to accept her change in body image, and to overcome the impact of the disease. Through this nursing process, the author came to understand that nurses must concern themselves with both physical problems and mental needs in order to provide holistic health care.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Tumor micrometastases in mesorectal lymph nodes and their clinical significance in patients with rectal caner.

AIM: To investigate the number, size, and status of lymph nodes within the mesorectum and to explore the prognostic significance of lymph node micrometastases in patients with rectal cancer. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with rectal cancer undergone total mesorectal excision between October 2001 and October 2002 were included. Mesorectal nodes retrieved from the resected specimens were detected with a combination of haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relations between lymph node metastases, micrometastases and postoperative recurrence were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 548 lymph nodes were harvested, with 17.7+/-8.2 nodes per case. The average number of metastatic nodes in HE-positive patients and micrometastatic nodes in IHC-positive patients was 5.2+/-5.1 per case and 2.2+/-1.3 per case, respectively. The mean size of all nodes and metastatic nodes was 4.1+/-1.8 mm and 5.2+/-1.7 mm in diameter, respectively. The mean size of micrometastatic nodes was 3.9+/-1.4 mm in diameter. The size of the majority of mesorectal nodes (66.8%), metastatic nodes (52.6%), and micrometastatic nodes (79.5%) was less than 5 mm in diameter. During a median follow-up period of 24.6+/-4.7 mo, 5 patients (16.7%) had recurrence, of them 2 died and 3 survived. Another case died of tumor unrelated cause and was excluded. All 5 recurrent cases had 3 or more nodes involved, and one of them developed only lymph node micrometastases. The mean number of both metastatic and micrometastatic nodes per case differed significantly between the recurrent and non-recurrent groups (P<0.01 and P = 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: The majority of lymph nodes, metastatic, and micrometastatic lymph nodes within the mesorectum are smaller than 5 mm in diameter. The nodal status and the number of lymph nodes involved with tumor metastases and micrometastases are related to the rapid postoperative recurrence.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Health-related quality of life in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is primarily an assessment of how domains of life are affected by health. This study investigated the factors influencing HRQOL of Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the factors influencing HRQOL. The sample consisted of 242 outpatients with bronchial asthma. The Chinese language version of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire was used to measure HRQOL. Data were analyzed using simple regression and multiple regression. RESULTS: Age, marital status, level of education, asthma severity, peak expiratory flow, and previous hospital admissions were found to be predictors of HRQOL. Gender, duration of disease, and history of emergency visits were not correlated with HRQOL. The variables entered in the HRQOL model accounted for 17.4% of the total variance (adjusted R(2)). The regression coefficients indicated that the mean scores increased 7.68 in patients with moderate to severe disease severity, and increased 7.34 in patients with a history of hospital admissions. The mean scores decreased 7.60 in married patients. CONCLUSION: This study found that marital status, asthma severity, and history of hospital admissions were major predictors of HRQOL in Taiwanese patients with bronchial asthma.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

[A concept analysis of stress].

Stress formation, which depends on an individual's perception of a situation, can lead to changes in physiology, emotions, or behavior, and cause damage to one's physical and/or mental health. Nurses can help their patients reduce the impact of stress by teaching some essential stress attributes. Applying concept analysis, the authors provide information on definition, critical attributes, antecedents, and consequences, and presents both references for empirical research and construct demonstration examples. The article concludes with a discussion of potential applications to nursing practices.

Humans↗

PubMed2002

Health promotion behaviors in Chinese family caregivers of patients with stroke.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between and among the caregiver's personal factors, the care recipient's functional status, the caregiver's perceived self-efficacy, social support, reactions to caregiving, and health promotion behaviors in family caregivers of community-dwelling stroke patients in Taiwan. A structured home-interview survey methodology was used to collect data from 134 primary caregivers responsible for care of stroke patients in Taipei, Taiwan. The study results indicated that, in general, caregivers were female spousal caregivers (mean age 52 years, average caregiving period 24 months). Regression analyses revealed that the caregiver's health status was the strongest positive predictor of caregiver self-efficacy. Spousal caregivers with a better-perceived health status were more satisfied with their resources of social supports. Spousal caregivers with poor perceived health status had a higher level of caregiving strain. Results for the overall model indicated caregiver's social support and the care recipient's functional status made significant contributions in explaining the caregiver's health promotion behaviors. Implications for further practice suggest establishing community training programs and support groups for family caregivers.

Caregivers↗