Biography
T Kawakita is an Assistant Professor at Faculty of Nursing, Osaka Medical College. Her interests are to promote the quality of nurses work life and practice environments that support quality profession practice.
Abstract
Objectives: To determine the job characteristics consisting of fi ve factors advocated by Hackman & Oldham (1980) and their
connection with job satisfaction.
Method: Nurses working in one of 37 hospitals who provided consent to participate in this study completed a questionnaire
survey between November 2013 and March 2014. Th e survey items included participants’ backgrounds, a job characteristics
scale developed for nurses consisting of fi ve factors and 30 items and a nurses’ job satisfaction scale consisting of 14 factors
and 59 items. Analysis was performed using SPSS Statistical soft ware (ver. 19) to calculate a correlation coeffi cient between job
characteristics and job satisfaction.
Results: Th e number of participants who responded to the questionnaire was 2,919 (recovery rate: 45.6%). Of these, 2,211 were
valid responses (response rate: 75.7%). Th e mean age of the respondents was 36.7±9.3 years. Th ere was a positive correlation
between the total score of the job characteristics and the four sub-factors (autonomy, diversity, clarity of the role and feedback)
and the total job satisfaction score (γ=0.25, 0.27, 0.09, 0.24 and 0.16, respectively; p<0.001). Th ere was a negative correlation
between interdependence in the rest of the sub-factors and job satisfaction (γ=-0.15; p<0.001).
Discussion: It is thought that the jobs that enhance the autonomy of nurses enable nurses to fulfi ll their potential, leading
to improvement in job satisfaction. On the other hand, there is a consistent negative relationship between interdependence
and job satisfaction. Th is suggests that improvement in all fi ve factors in job characteristics is not necessarily associated with
improvement in job satisfaction.
Biography
Akiko Hara is an Assistant Professor at Faculty of Nursing, Osaka Medical College. Her research interests include nursing practice and clinical judgment. Her current research project is concerned with the safe taking blood method.
Abstract
Objectives: Th e present study aimed to determine the positional relationship between the cutaneous veins, nerves and arteries
in order to perform venipuncture safely.
Methods: Th e study included healthy adults (in their 20s to 50s) and was performed between May 2012 and March 2013. Data
were collected by imaging the minor axis of the cubital fossa (Hueter’s line) aft er performing a vascularization at 10 cm on the
proximal side from the cubital fossa. Th e diagnostic ultrasound device Xario (Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation) was used
and the terminal was of a linear type with a frequency of 9 MHz.
Results: Th e study included 10 participants (4 men and 6 women) with a mean age of 36.5±7.33 years, an average height of
161.9±6.90 cm and a mean body weight of 58.9±9.62 kg. Th e mean diameter of the cubital fossa was 23.5±2.08 cm. In all the
participants, the median cubital vein, brachial artery, median nerve and radial nerve were identifi ed. Th e distance between the
skin surface and median cubital vein was 1.9±1.03 mm, between the median cubital vein and brachial artery was 11.0±6.32 mm
and between the radial nerve and median cubital vein was 5.9±4.16 mm.
Discussion: Th e results showed that the brachial artery and median cubital vein were side-by-side and parallel to each other,
whereas the radial nerve was deeply located. Th is further confi rmed the need to be careful in deep regions with respect to the
radial nerve and among the blood vessels located nearby with respect to the brachial artery. Veins and arteries may be close
to each other in some people. In patients whose veins are diffi cult to puncture, performing venipuncture under echographic
observation may help minimize complications such as nerve damage and accidental arterial puncture.