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Background: Prenatal detection of cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) leads to high rates of induced termination of pregnancy. There has been little research in Taiwan done on the psychosocial factors affecting those who decide to continue their CL/P pregnancy., Purpose: This study identified the principal psychosocial factors that affect expecting mothers who chose to continue their CL/P pregnancy to term., Methods: Purposive sampling recruited expecting mothers with CL/P-diagnosed fetuses. Recruiting took place between May 2000 and March 2002 at a tertiary referral hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. Those who had decided to continue their pregnancy to term were asked to participate. Researchers obtained oral informed consent to be interviewed during the week following CL/P diagnosis. Interviews for each participant were completed within a 2-week period. All information was given to the interviewees in written and verbal forms before providing their written informed consent to participate., Results: The five major themes central to participant experiences included (1) loss of self-value as a mother, (2) blaming the mother, (3) indecision about whether to continue the pregnancy, (4) anxiety triggered by insufficient information, and (5) burden of care and concerns about potential disadvantaged status., Conclusions: Significant psychological distress was identified among participants following their fetus' CL/P diagnosis. It was encouraging to learn that all participants told researchers in postpartum interviews that they did not regret the decision to take their child to term.

Although musculoskeletal problems are commonly reported among the working population, including nurses, the prevalence and risk factors for musculoskeletal discomfort in nurses have not been extensively studied in Taiwan. To understand the risk factors and prevalence of musculoskeletal discomfort in different body parts among nurses in Taiwan, we performed a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire to collect data. A total of 5,269 (93%) nurses completed the questionnaire survey. Musculoskeletal discomfort was found to be prevalent in this group. In terms of location, the lower back was the most commonly reported site of discomfort, followed by lower legs, shoulders and neck. Considering limitation of motion as an indicator of musculoskeletal discomfort severity, the highest levels of prevalence were reported, respectively, in the lower back, shoulder, lower leg, and wrist. Numbness was most commonly reported in lower legs, hands, thighs, and lower back. Risk factors for pain in shoulders/neck included waist-bending and waist-twisting, while those for lower back pain included duration of standing, waist-bending, and weight-lifting. Risk factors for lower leg pain included duration of standing and weight-lifting. Musculoskeletal discomfort was prevalent among nurses (91.6%). Pain in different body parts was related to different ergonomic risk factors while at work, namely, bending and twisting of the waist, and standing for extended periods of time. The development and testing of interventions to minimize these risk factors is warranted in future studies.