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Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to identify the effects of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) on bowel function and health-related quality of life among patients who have undergone low anterior resection., Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of pooled findings was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines., Search Strategy: A literature search was completed using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and CINAHL electronic databases; we searched studies published in English and Korean languages. Two reviewers independently selected relevant studies, evaluated their methodological quality, and extracted data. Meta-analysis was conducted of pooled findings., Findings: Thirty-six of 453 articles retrieved were read in full and 12 articles were included in the systematic review. In addition, pooled findings from 5 studies were selected for meta-analysis. Analysis revealed that PFMT reduced bowel dysfunction (mean difference [MD] -2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] -3.79 to -0.99) and improved several domains of health-related quality of life: lifestyle (MD 0.49, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.82), coping (MD 0.36, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.67), depression (MD 0.46, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.70), and embarrassment (MD 0.24, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.46)., Implications: Findings suggested PFMT is effective for improving bowel function and enhancing multiple domains of health-related quality of life after low anterior resection. Further well-designed studies are required to confirm our conclusions and provide stronger evidence for the effects of this intervention., Competing Interests: The authors declare no actual or potential conflicts of interests., (Copyright © 2023 by the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society.)

Background: Digital care has become an essential component of health care. Interventions for patients with cancer need to be effective and safe, and digital health interventions must adhere to the same requirements., Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify currently available digital health interventions developed and evaluated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) targeting adult patients with cancer., Methods: A scoping review using the JBI methodology was conducted. The participants were adult patients with cancer, and the concept was digital health interventions. The context was open, and sources were limited to RCT effectiveness studies. The PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Library, Research Information Sharing Service, and KoreaMed databases were searched. Data were extracted and analyzed to achieve summarized results about the participants, types, functions, and outcomes of digital health interventions., Results: A total of 231 studies were reviewed. Digital health interventions were used mostly at home (187/231, 81%), and the web-based intervention was the most frequently used intervention modality (116/231, 50.2%). Interventions consisting of multiple functional components were most frequently identified (69/231, 29.9%), followed by those with the self-manage function (67/231, 29%). Web-based interventions targeting symptoms with the self-manage and multiple functions and web-based interventions to treat cognitive function and fear of cancer recurrence consistently achieved positive outcomes. More studies supported the positive effects of web-based interventions to inform decision-making and knowledge. The effectiveness of digital health interventions targeting anxiety, depression, distress, fatigue, health-related quality of life or quality of life, pain, physical activity, and sleep was subject to their type and function. A relatively small number of digital health interventions specifically targeted older adults (6/231, 2.6%) or patients with advanced or metastatic cancer (22/231, 9.5%)., Conclusions: This scoping review summarized digital health interventions developed and evaluated in RCTs involving adult patients with cancer. Systematic reviews of the identified digital interventions are strongly recommended to integrate digital health interventions into clinical practice. The identified gaps in digital health interventions for cancer care need to be reflected in future digital health research., (©Kyunghwa Lee, Sanghee Kim, Soo Hyun Kim, Sung-Hee Yoo, Ji Hyun Sung, Eui Geum Oh, Nawon Kim, Jiyeon Lee. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 06.01.2023.)

Health-related quality of life is an important aspect of migrant workers' overall well-being and adaptation. The aims of this study were to develop a structural model and test the health-related quality of life among migrant workers. A cross-sectional study design was used, and data were collected from 228 migrant workers from China who are currently living in Korea and using the services of free clinics for health issues. The structured questionnaire disseminated for the study was designed to measure health-related quality of life, health-promotion behaviors, barriers, resources, and perceptual factors. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. Health-promotion behaviors and self-efficacy have significant positive direct effects on health-related quality of life, and acculturative stress has a significant negative direct effect on health-related quality of life. These findings suggest that certain strategies are needed for developing health-promotion programs aimed at the betterment of migrant workers' health-related quality of life. Specifically, health-promotion behaviors and self-efficacy among migrant workers should be encouraged, and strategies for decreasing their acculturative stress should be formulated., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: Patients with pituitary macroadenoma commonly experience symptoms such as headache, visual disturbance, and olfactory dysfunction due to tumor effects. Even after undergoing surgery for tumor removal, patients continue to experience these symptoms and have difficulty resuming their general activities, decreasing their quality of life (QOL). Although some studies have focused on QOL in pituitary macroadenoma, few studies have examined the relationship between postoperative symptoms and patient QOL in the period after surgery. This study aimed to identify the relationships between postoperative symptoms and QOL among pituitary macroadenoma patients., Methods: This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design to identify relationships between postoperative symptoms and QOL in pituitary macroadenoma patients. Medical records of 62 patients with pituitary macroadenomas who had undergone surgery were retrieved and reviewed 3 months after surgery; at that time, all participants completed a self-report survey addressing their current symptoms and QOL. The researchers then evaluated patient QOL and 3 common symptoms-headache, objectively measured visual disturbance, and olfactory dysfunction-using correlation analysis and multiple linear regression., Results: Three months after surgery, patients still experienced headache and lack of olfactory function. Headache showed a strong negative correlation with physical (r = -0.501, P < .001, R = 36%) and mental (r = -0.448, P < .001, R = 26%) QOL. Headache was a significant factor influencing QOL., Conclusion: Study findings show that continuous assessment and intervention for headache are essential for improving QOL in pituitary macroadenoma patients after surgery. Nurses should prioritize assessment and management of postoperative headache in long-term care for such patients. The study findings support development of a clinical guideline for managing headache in such patients and thus improving their QOL.

Background: Although sexual function is a quality of life aspect that is markedly affected in males with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this topic has not attracted much attention and research on this matter is lacking. In this study, we investigated longitudinal changes in the erectile function of men with COPD in order to identify latent groups and influencing factors., Methods: A total of 185 men with COPD from the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease study, which was conducted from 2005 to 2013, were analyzed in this study. Data on their erectile function, based on the International Index of Erectile Function-5, were collected over a period of 4 years. Growth mixture modeling and logistic regression analysis were used to determine the factors predicting distinct erectile function changes over time., Results: Overall, subjects' erectile function slightly improved in the first year and then gradually worsened over time. Using growth mixture modeling, we identified four distinct latent groups, which we labeled as follows: "consistently maintained normal erectile function" (9.7%), "rapidly worsened and then rapidly improved" (9.2%), "gradually improved in the early stage and then gradually worsened" (36.8%), and "consistently maintained poor erectile function" (44.3%). Progression of erectile function was significantly associated with age, economic status, and self-rated health status., Conclusions: This suggests that comprehensive patient care involving the management of COPD as well as erectile dysfunction in patients with chronic respiratory disease is important from a prophylactic perspective and should be developed in accordance with the characteristics of the disease process.

Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of symptom experiences and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients participating in clinical trials, and to identify the factors influencing their HRQOL., Background: It has known that lung cancer patients experience more symptoms than other cancer patients. With the introduction of new treatment for NSCLC patients, the patients have experienced different types of symptoms and it could influence their HRQOL., Design: A cross-sectional study design was adopted., Methods: One hundred and eighteen NSCLC patients enrolled in clinical trials at two Korean tertiary hospitals participated in this study. Participants completed the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) and the Short-Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36) version 2. Demographic, disease-related and clinical trial-related characteristics were collected. Descriptive statistics, t test, Mann-Whitney test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple regression were used for data analysis. STROBE checklist was applied as the reporting guideline for this study (see Supporting Information File S1)., Results: The total MSAS score was relatively low, and "lack of energy" was the highest symptom level in frequency, severity and distress. The level of physical HRQOL was higher than the cut-off score, and the level of mental HRQOL was lower than the cut-off score. The factors affecting physical HRQOL were symptom experience, performance status and smoking history. The factors affecting mental HRQOL were symptom experiences and family income., Conclusions: Symptom experience was a main affecting factor of physical and mental HRQOL. Interventions for relieving symptom experiences should be developed, and performance status, smoking history and financial burden of lung cancer patients should be considered in clinical settings., Relevance to Clinical Practice: HRQOL may be improved by reducing the level of symptom experience. Healthcare professionals should assess patients' symptom experience and develop patient-centred symptom management programmes., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) is an important issue in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as in other chronic illness groups. However, there is limited information on longitudinal changes in HR-QoL over time with the illness trajectory model., Objective: To identify different patterns of HR-QoL changes in longitudinal data, and reveal potential predictors affecting these trajectories., Methods: Subjects with COPD (n = 249) were drawn from the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease cohort, which was conducted from 2005 to 2012. Longitudinal data were drawn from the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire and clinical measures. Growth mixture modelling was used to estimate distinct patterns, and binary and ordinal logistic regression were used to determine factors affecting different trajectory HR-QoL patterns using STATA 12.0., Results: Five distinct HR-QoL patterns were identified. Results show that the level of baseline HR-QoL was significantly associated with age, the BODE (Body mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise capacity) index at baseline, sleep disturbance, experience of exacerbation in previous year and level of depression. Distinct patterns in HR-QoL that improved vs. worsened were significantly associated with BODE index, number of respiratory symptoms and depression level., Conclusions: These findings suggest that comprehensive assessment and individualised management programmes are needed to improve HR-QoL in COPD patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate symptom experience and identify the predictors of symptom experience in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy., Method: This study was a cross-sectional and descriptive design. A total of 167 participants were recruited from the outpatient department of a university hospital in South Korea. Symptom experience (symptom prevalence, severity, and interference with daily activities), physiological factors (absolute neutrophil count, hemoglobin), psychological factors (depression, fighting spirit), and a situational factor (social support), based on the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms, were measured. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were performed., Results: Symptom prevalence ranged from 74.3% to 98.8% of patients. The five most severe symptoms were fatigue, numbness/tingling, dry mouth, sleep disturbance, and drowsiness. General activity and work were the most affected areas of daily life. Symptom experience was significantly related to hemoglobin, depression, fighting spirit, and social support. In the multiple regression analysis, higher level of depression and lung cancer accounted for 20.2% of the variance in symptom severity. Higher level of depression, lower level of fighting spirit and third or fourth-line chemotherapy accounted for 31.0% of the variance in symptom interference., Conclusions: Attention is drawn to developing a comprehensive approach which considers relevant physiological, psychological and social factors in assessment and management of concurrent symptoms in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Health care professionals need to play a key role in helping patients deal with depressive mood and promote fighting spirit, particularly in patients with lung cancer or patients treated with higher-line chemotherapy, for controlling their symptom experience., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aim: Poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) may be one of the most common predictors of mortality and rehospitalization. This study was conducted to identify factors affecting HRQOL in Korean patients with CHF using two HRQOL measurements., Methods: The study included a sample of 114 patients. HRQOL was measured by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) and the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument - Short Version (WHOQOL-BREF). Multiple regression analyses were performed to analyze the relationship between the factors and HRQOL., Results: Significant correlations were found between MLHFQ and WHOQOL-BREF in total and component scores, with the two exceptions of WHOQOL-BREF psychological and MLHFQ physical or total. The perceived economic status, functional status, and sex were factors identified as having an effect on HRQOL., Conclusion: The MLHFQ was better able to differentiate sex, comorbidity, and functional status. Further studies are needed to implement cost-effective nursing interventions for patients with CHF to improve their HRQOL., (© 2012 The Authors. Japan Journal of Nursing Science © 2012 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.)

Although therapeutic lifestyle modification (TLM) has been recommended as a cornerstone treatment of metabolic syndrome (MetS), little is known about the biobehavioral effects of a TLM program for patients in a community. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-month TLM program on MetS risk factors and health-related qualities of life (HRQOL) among middle-aged and older women in a community in Korea. Fifty-two women (mean age, 62.7 +/- 9.0 years) with MetS were recruited from 3 community health centers and were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 31) or control (n = 21) groups. The patients in the intervention group participated in supervised TLM sessions for 6 months. The TLM program included health monitoring, counseling, health education, exercise, and dieting. Metabolic risk factors and HRQOL were measured at baseline, during the study (month 3), at completion (month 6), and post completion (month 12) of the TLM program. Compared with the control group, the TLM group showed significantly greater reductions in body weight (P < .001) and waist circumference (P < .001); these effects were sustained for 6 months after intervention. With regard to HRQOL, the TLM group showed greater improvements in physical function (P = .017), general health (P < .001), vitality (P = .008), and mental health (P = .027). These improvements, however, were not sustained after the intervention. The results indicate that a nurse-led systematic TLM program may be an effective strategy for managing middle-aged and older women with MetS at a community level.

Objectives: To describe disease management, health behaviour, psychological health and quality of life (QOL) in people with chronic respiratory disease (CRD)., Methods: We analysed data from 798 adults with CRD drawn from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2005: 514 subjects with asthma alone, 258 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) alone, and 56 with asthma and COPD., Results: Disease management and health behaviour in this cohort were poor. One third of the cohort was not seeking any medical treatment, although many were currently experiencing respiratory symptoms. Twenty-six per cent of the subjects were current smokers who averaged 0.8 packs/day. More than half of the subjects did not exercise, only half of the subjects had regular health examinations and one third of the subjects did not get enough sleep. The study population exhibited poor psychological indices, functional health status and QOL. The combined asthma and COPD group was characterised by an increased frequency of problems related to functional status and QOL., Conclusions: People with CRD are at high risk for functional limitations, unhealthy behaviour, poor mental status and poor QOL. A comprehensive disease management programme for people with CRD should be developed using collaborative team efforts.

Objective: To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to identify physiological and psychosocial variables predicting the HRQoL among Korean people with chronic respiratory disease (CRD)., Design: A cross-sectional correlation study was done with a convenience sample of 112 participants (aged 62.9 +/- 12.9 years, forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV(1)%] predicted = 52.3 +/- 20.2) from the out-patient respiratory clinic of a large university hospital in Korea. HRQoL was measured using the chronic respiratory disease questionnaire (CRDQ). To identify the influencing factors, physiological (lung function, dyspnoea, symptom experience and exercise performance) and psychological (mood states and self-efficacy) variables were examined using path analysis., Results: Participants had a moderate level of HRQoL, with the lowest scores in CRDQ-fatigue (3.3 +/- 1.3) and the highest in CRDQ-mastery (5.2 +/- 1.0). Anxiety and a depressive mood state (-0.38) exerted the highest influence on HRQoL, followed by self-efficacy (0.36), dyspnoea (-0.27), exercise performance (0.22) and respiratory symptoms (-0.17)., Conclusion: Our findings emphasise the importance of a multidimensional therapeutic approach to improve HRQoL. Comprehensive interventions, including enhanced exercise performance, self-efficacy and symptom management, should be considered to improve HRQoL in Koreans with CRD.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate quality of life (QOL) from a multidimensional perspective in relation to asthma control, symptom distress, and functioning in adults with asthma., Methods: A cross-sectional, mailing survey design was used. The convenience sample of 172 people diagnosed with asthma participated in this study. QOL, conceptualized as subjective satisfaction with life, was measured by the Quality of Life Index-Pulmonary Version III (QLI-PV III). Functioning was measured with the Living with Asthma Questionnaire (LWAQ). Instruments measuring asthma control and symptom experience have been developed for this study. Multiple regression and path analysis were used to examine the relationships., Results: The QOL was affected directly by functioning (beta = -0.70). Asthma control and symptom distress were indirectly influencing QOL. Among the predictors, direct paths were found between asthma control and functioning (gamma = 0.20), and between symptom distress and functioning (gamma = 0.57); 51% of the total variation in functioning was explained by symptom distress and asthma control; 48% of the total variation in QOL was explained by functioning., Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of symptom distress and control of asthma symptoms with respect to functioning and QOL in people with asthma.

Background: In patients with cirrhosis, quality of life (QOL) is seriously impaired and associated with particular symptoms such as fatigue, muscle cramps or pruritus. However, there is lack of evidence about the overall symptom experience in patients with cirrhosis, in addition, most studies on QOL have focused only on identifying the relationship between disease-related variables such as disease severity, etiology or serological markers and QOL., Objectives: This study aimed to describe symptom experience, psychological distress, and QOL in Korean patients with liver cirrhosis, and to identify the factors that predict their quality of life., Design: This study is a cross-sectional, descriptive design., Settings: The participants were recruited over a 2-month period, September 27 to November 25, 2003 from the outpatient or inpatient departments of gastroenterology at two large university hospitals in Seoul, Korea., Participants: There were 129 patients, mean age was 53.6 years, who met eligibility criteria and agreed to participate in the study., Methods: Symptom experience was measured with a scale developed by the researchers through a literature review on liver cirrhosis. Psychological distress was measured with the anxiety/depression category from the modified Korean version of the profile of mood states (POMS) [Shin, 1996. A study on verification of the profile of mood states (POMS) for Korean elders. Journal of Korean Academic Nursing 26, 743-758], and QOL was measured with quality of life index (QLI) developed by Ferrans and Powers [1985, Quality of life index: development and psychometric properties. Advances in Nursing Science 8, 15-24. ]., Results: The results indicated that (1) overall symptom experience score was relatively low, major symptoms needing a management were fatigue, ascites and/or edema, and muscle cramps; (2) the mean score of psychological distress revealed mild to moderate levels of anxiety and depression; (3) quality of life was found to be seriously impaired; (4) psychological distress, employment status, and symptom experience were significant predictors of QOL, and explained 29.8% of the total variance., Conclusion: These results indicate that symptom management, which includes attention to associated psychological intervention, is imperative for improvement in the QOL in Korean patients with liver cirrhosis.