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

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 similar to 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.