The effect of a Nursing Presence program on reducing stress in older adults in two Korean nursing homes

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a Nursing Presence (NP) program on stress in older adults in two Korean nursing homes.

Design: The design was quasi‑experimental study.

Setting: This study was undertaken in two nursing homes in Daegu, South Korea.

Subjects: The subjects were 39 older female adults 68 to 87 years of age selected by purposive sampling and divided into two groups: experimental and control.

Intervention: The NP program consisted of three stages: introduction, operation and termination. The NP program was applied 8 times over 4 weeks to the experimental group. The time required for each stage was 25~30 minutes. In the control group, care was provided according to the usual routine.

Main outcome measures: Measures were stress levels and problem focused coping as psychological variables and cortisol levels as a physiological variable.

Results: Stress, problem focused coping, and cortisol levels after application of the NP program were significantly improved in the experimental group compared to the control group.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the use of a Nursing Presence program can be considered an effective intervention for reducing stress and improving problem focused coping in older adult nursing home patients.