An analysis of the policy participation of field response nurses in South Korea: COVID-19 response guidelines and the infectious disease act revision.

INTRODUCTION: The Republic of Korea's response to Coronavirus disease 2019 was divided before and after global vaccine development at the end of 2020. It also varied according to the size of confirmed patients in the non-pharmaceutical intervention. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the contribution of frontline nurses to the policy and law revision on infectious diseases and suggest health and nursing policies for emerging infectious diseases in the future. DESIGN: This case evaluation study analyzed the significant policy decisions that nurses' roles brought on changes in the infectious disease response system in the Republic of Korea and applying the health system model and those capacities on resilience under emerging infectious diseases. METHODS: Objective data that contributed directly to the revision of infectious disease-related Acts and policies in 2020 were collected and analyzed through literature search and information disclosure claims from the first to third waves of Coronavirus disease 2019 in one city. RESULTS: With the rapid outbreak of COVID-19 confirmed cases at the end of February 2020, a pan-government support group was formed and dispatched to D City. In addition, central quarantine officials worked with local quarantine officials to share real-time situations and find out on-site difficulties and support requests. As a result, inquiry of opinions to working staff before changing the "response guidelines to Coronavirus disease 2019" was reflected in major contents on the revision of "policy on infectious disease response" and "Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act." With the establishment of an epidemiological investigation team in September 2020, the number of new nurses in 17 cities and provinces increased by 19.1% compared to the previous year, the most significant increase compared to doctors (-2.3), dentists (-1.6), and health workers (3.7). CONCLUSION: The experience of responding to Coronavirus was a reminder that the curriculum needed to be improved so that nurses will be recognized to have leadership competencies and as field experts regarding social determinants of health for population groups in the decision-making process. In the initial COVID-19 response process, nurses showed excellence in analyzing patient interviews and various information as field epidemiological investigation response personnel, making comprehensive judgments, and solving problems in cooperation with related agencies and severe patients' bedside nursing care. Continuous primary care and management of infectious diseases for the vulnerable should be prepared on an ongoing basis to assure the quality of care. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Action strategies for developing leadership to enable nurses to have participated in the social determinants of health and the nursing policy formation for health equity should be applied in nursing education and practice, and global monitoring efforts were accelerated.

School-Based Participatory Response for Reopening During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of a Metropolitan High School Implementing the Health Promoting School.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze how a private high school in Seoul developed and executed a "school disinfection strategy" to ensure the students' right to study in a safe environment, and also to analyze the lessons learned from this process. Methods: This was a case study of school health in a community-based school reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study target was a 64-year-old private high school with 12 classes for each grade with a total of 1,100 students. Results: A "school disinfection strategy" was set up at individual and class environment levels to protect students from the risk of infection. In addition, school health activities were carried out with a "personal protection safety belt" and "community protection safety belt" for effective implementation. To ensure a safe educational environment for high school students and to ensure smooth execution of face-to-face classes (in-person teaching), the "prevention safety belt strategy" was introduced in accordance with governmental guidelines to sequentially implement various preventive measures necessary to guarantee environmental safety of schools. Activating personal prevention safety belts by checking the symptoms of students when entering the school and during each class, and providing self-made disinfectants by spraying alcohol on wet-wipes were cost-effective and sustainable methods used in this school to prevent the spread of infection. Conclusions: The experience of developing a prevention safety belt strategy to adapt the guidelines of the local education office to the school situation was presented. Focusing on the school community, as well as individual students and teachers, the concept of prevention safety belts helped to unite and stimulate voluntary participation of students in health promotion activities.