Management of chronic hepatitis B virus infection: current perspectives for the nurse practitioner

Development and Validation of an Online Program for Promoting Self-Management among Korean Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

The hepatitis B virus is second only to tobacco as a known human carcinogen. However, chronic hepatitis B usually does not produce symptoms and people feel healthy even in the early stages of live cancer. Therefore, chronically infected people should perceive it as a serious health problem and move on to appropriate health behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate an online program for promoting self-management among Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B. The online program was developed using a prototyping approach and system developing life cycle method, evaluated by users for their satisfaction with the website and experts for the quality of the site. To evaluate the application of the online program, knowledge and self-management compliance of the subjects were measured and compared before and after the application of the online program. There were statistically significant increases in knowledge and self-management compliance in the user group. An online program with high accessibility and applicability including information, motivation, and behavior skill factors can promote self-management of the patient with chronic hepatitis B. Findings from this study allow Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B to engage in proactive and effective health management in the community or clinical practice.

[The meaning of illness among Korean Americans with chronic hepatitis B]

PURPOSE

This ethnography was done to explore the meaning of illness in Korean Americans with chronic hepatitis B.

METHODS

The participants were 6 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 6 general informants who could provide relevant data. Data were collected from iterative fieldwork with ethnographic interviews within Korean communities in two cities in the United States. Data were analyzed using causal chain analysis developed by Wolcott.

RESULTS

The analyses revealed three meanings for the illness: hidden disease, intentionally hidden disease, and inevitably hidden disease. The contexts of meaning of illness included characteristics of the illness, social stigma, structure of health care system and communication patterns and discourse between health care providers and clients.

CONCLUSION

The meaning of illness was based on folk illness concepts and constructed in the sociocultural context. Folk etiology, pathology and interpretation of one's symptoms were factors influencing illness behavior. These findings could be a cornerstone for culture specific care for Korean Americans with chronic hepatitis B.

Managing chronic hepatitis B in children

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a significant problem worldwide. Despite years of research on this disease, the treatment and management of children with chronic HBV remains a veritable challenge. Although it is less evident in developed countries, HBV still affects immigrants and adopted children from endemic countries. This article discusses the role of the pediatric nurse practitioner in the management of children with chronic hepatitis B in the primary care setting.