The study aimed to identify and compare the factors affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL) depending on the occupational status of cancer survivors. This study was a secondary data analysis from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2014 to 2018. Hierarchical multivariate linear regression was used to investigate the factors affecting the HRQoL of each group. Non-working cancer survivors had significantly lower HRQoL than working cancer survivors (p < 0.001). A hierarchical multiple regression model showed that demographic, health-related, and psychological characteristics explained 62.0% of non-working cancer survivors’ HRQoL (F = 4.29, p < 0.001). Among the input variables, health-related characteristics were the most influential factors (ΔR² = 0.274, F = 9.84, p < 0.001). For working cancer survivors, health-related characteristics were the only variable that was statistically associated with HRQoL (F = 5.556, p < 0.001). It is important to enhance physical activities and manage the chronic disease to improve the HRQoL of working cancer survivors. Further, managing health-related characteristics, including depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, is necessary for non-working cancer survivors. Regarding working survivors, psychological factors such as depressive symptoms and suicidal tendencies did not affect HRQoL. Therefore, an early and effective return to work program should be developed for the improvement of their HRQoL.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the use of e-cigarettes, which are regarded as alternatives to traditional cigarettes and are easy to purchase, with suicidal behaviors in adolescents. Methods: Data for 5405 middle and high school students aged 13–18 years who had used e-cigarettes were extracted from the 2016 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey and analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Results: Among those who used e-cigarettes for 1–30 days in the past 30 days, suicidal ideation (odds ratio [OR] = 1.58, 95% CI, 1.31–1.89), suicidal plans (OR = 2.44, 95% CI, 1.94–3.08), suicidal attempts (OR = 2.44, 95% CI, 1.85–3.22) and serious attempts (OR = 3.09, 95% CI, 1.51–6.32) were higher compared to those who did not use an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. Conclusions: Suicidal behaviors are significantly higher among current adolescent e-cigarette smokers than adolescents who have not used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. Therefore, comprehensive intervention is needed to protect adolescents’ mental health.

Patients who undergo abdominal surgery under general anesthesia develop hypothermia in 80–90% of the cases within an hour after induction of anesthesia. Side effects include shivering, bleeding, and infection at the surgical site. However, the surgical team applies forced air warming to prevent peri-operative hypothermia, but these methods are insufficient. This study aimed to confirm the optimal application method of forced air warming (FAW) intervention for the prevention of peri-operative hypothermia during abdominal surgery. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to provide a synthesized and critical appraisal of the studies included. We used PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library CENTRAL to systematically search for randomized controlled trials published through March 2020. Twelve studies were systematically reviewed for FAW intervention. FAW intervention effectively prevented peri-operative hypothermia among patients undergoing both open abdominal and laparoscopic surgery. Statistically significant effect size could not be confirmed in cases of only pre- or peri-operative application. The upper body was the primary application area, rather than the lower or full body. These findings could contribute detailed standards and criteria that can be effectively applied in the clinical field performing abdominal surgery.

The increasing number of cancer patients and prolonged periods of illness have led to an increase in nurses' stress and various other problems. This research aimed to identify the stress resulting from caring for cancer patients and the methods for coping with stress among cancer care nurses. The research subjects were 180 clinical nurses caring for cancer patients in a hospital in Korea. Stress caused by excessive workloads, inappropriate compensation, and interpersonal conflicts with physicians was high. There was a difference in stress according to age. Coping strategies differed according to religion, education, occupation, hospice education, job satisfaction, and leisure activities. The higher the stress, the greater the number of coping strategies used. Problem-related coping was associated with more diverse stressors. Stress characteristics differed according to various factors, whereas stress coping strategies depended on the stress characteristics of clinical nurses caring for cancer patients. Future research following a critical approach will be needed to elucidate the compassion fatigue related to the stress strategies of clinical nurses. These findings could contribute to the development of interventions to reduce stress in clinical nurses by providing evidence on the stress and coping methods of nurses who provide palliative care for cancer patients.