The Effect of Education and Follow-up Provided via Tele-nursing on the Quality of Life of Patients With COVID-19.

Background Patient education and follow-up can be accomplished without time or space constraints via tele-nursing. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of education and follow-up provided via tele-nursing on the quality of life of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. Method This semi-experimental study used a pretest-posttest design in a single group. It was conducted between April 1, 2021, and October 1, 2021, with 63 patients who presented to a state hospital. The Patient Information Form and the Duke Health Profile were administered to the patients prior to the education. Then, the patients completed the COVID-19 education program. Next, follow-up and counseling occurred via tele-nursing every other day for 14 days. At the end of the 14th day, the Duke Health Profile was once again administered to the patients. Results The patients had decreased physical, mental, and social health scores after the intervention. In addition, their pain, anxiety, and depression scores decreased. Conclusion Nurses should assume a more active role in patient education and include tele-nursing in nursing care. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(8):365-371.].

Preparing for patients with high-consequence infectious diseases: Example of a high-level isolation unit.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with high-consequence infectious diseases (HCID) are rare in Western Europe. However, high-level isolation units (HLIU) must always be prepared for patient admission. Case fatality rates of HCID can be reduced by providing optimal intensive care management. We here describe a single centre's preparation, its embedding in the national context and the challenges we faced during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. METHODS: Ten team leaders organize monthly whole day trainings for a team of doctors and nurses from the HLIU focusing on intensive care medicine. Impact and relevance of training are assessed by a questionnaire and a perception survey, respectively. Furthermore, yearly exercises with several partner institutions are performed to cover different real-life scenarios. Exercises are evaluated by internal and external observers. Both training sessions and exercises are accompanied by intense feedback. RESULTS: From May 2017 monthly training sessions were held with a two-month and a seven-month break due to the first and second wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, respectively. Agreement with the statements of the questionnaire was higher after training compared to before training indicating a positive effect of training sessions on competence. Participants rated joint trainings for nurses and doctors at regular intervals as important. Numerous issues with potential for improvement were identified during post processing of exercises. Action plans for their improvement were drafted and as of now mostly implemented. The network of the permanent working group of competence and treatment centres for HCID (Ständiger Arbeitskreis der Kompetenz- und Behandlungszentren für Krankheiten durch hochpathogene Erreger (STAKOB)) at the Robert Koch-Institute (RKI) was strengthened throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. DISCUSSION: Adequate preparation for the admission of patients with HCID is challenging. We show that joint regular trainings of doctors and nurses are appreciated and that training sessions may improve perceived skills. We also show that real-life scenario exercises may reveal additional deficits, which cannot be easily disclosed in training sessions. Although the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic interfered with our activities the enhanced cooperation among German HLIU during the pandemic ensured constant readiness for the admission of HCID patients to our or to collaborating HLIU. This is a single centre's experience, which may not be generalized to other centres. However, we believe that our work may address aspects that should be considered when preparing a unit for the admission of patients with HCID. These may then be adapted to the local situations.

Application of telemedicine in the COVID-19 epidemic: An analysis of Gansu Province in China.

This paper analyzes the application of various telemedicine services in Gansu Province, China during the COVID-19 epidemic, and summarizes the experiences with these services. In addition, the satisfaction levels of patients and doctors with the application of telemedicine in COVID-19 were investigated, the deficiencies of telemedicine in Gansu were determined, and recommendations for modification were proposed. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has broken out in China, and Gansu Province in Northwest of China has not been spared. To date, there are 91 local COVID-19 cases and 42 imported cases. 109 hospitals were selected as designated hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak, and most of them were secondary hospitals. However, it was unsatisfactory that the ability of medical services is relatively low in most of secondary hospitals and primary hospitals. Therefore, we helped the secondary hospitals cope with COVID-19 by means of remote consultation, long-distance education, telemedicine question and answer (Q&A). Our practical experience shows that telemedicine can be widely used during the COVID-19 epidemic, especially in developing countries and areas with lagging medical standards.

Professional Development of Interprofessional Evidence-Based Practice Education.

Health care professionals must be adept at conducting and using evidence-based practice (EBP). No best method to teach EBP to health care providers exists. This article outlines the steps and key points found to be important when developing and teaching EBP to interprofessional executive health care teams. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(5):214-216.].