Mental health nurses' disaster nursing competencies: A cross-sectional study.

The unprecedented and prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has escalated the gravity of disasters in the field of mental health. Nurses are health care providers who play a pivotal role in all phases of disaster management and psychiatric nurses are required to be prepared and equipped with competencies to respond to such disasters. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the effects of mental health nurses' professional quality of life on disaster nursing competencies. This study adhered to the STROBE checklist for observational research. Data were collected from 196 mental health nurses working in various settings, including hospitals and communities in South Korea. Compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue were measured using the Korean version of the Professional Quality of Life Scale. Disaster nursing competencies were measured using the Disaster Nursing Preparedness-Response Competencies Scale. Multiple regression analysis showed that compassion satisfaction (ß = 0.36, P < 0.001) was the most potent predictor of disaster nursing competencies of mental health nurses, followed by participation in disaster nursing (ß = 0.15, P = 0.023) and disaster nursing-related education (ß = 0.15, P = 0.026); these factors explained 30.1% of the variance. Education programmes ensuring that mental health nurses are adequately prepared for disaster management should include theoretical content as well as simulation training using virtual situations that resemble actual disasters. Further, supportive leadership and work environments that encourage cohesive teamwork are needed to increase compassion satisfaction of nurses.

The Association between Olfactory Function and Cognitive Impairment in Older Persons with Cognitive Impairments: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Olfactory function is an emerging topic of research in the fields of cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases. We aimed to confirm the association between olfactory function and cognitive impairment by assessing the olfactory function of older persons with cognitive impairment and identify whether olfactory function is associated with cognitive impairment. For this study, we recruited 117 older people aged ≥65 years with cognitive impairments from a public hospital in Korea. We used the Korean version of the expanded clinical dementia rating scale to evaluate participants' cognitive impairments, and the University of Pennsylvania's smell identification test to assess their olfactory function. Our results indicate a significant negative correlation between olfactory function and all domains of cognitive impairment (memory, orientation, judgement and problem-solving, community affairs, home and hobbies, and personal care). In addition, olfactory function was a factor associated with cognitive impairment in older persons. Therefore, we expect that our results to provide useful data for the development of interventions using olfactory stimulation to improve cognitive function in older persons with cognitive impairment.