Effect of a Tabletop Program for Training Emerging Infectious Disease Responses in Nurses at Small- to Medium-Sized Hospitals in Areas with Poor Healthcare Access.

This study developed and evaluated a tabletop program for training nurses working in small- to medium-sized hospitals in areas with poor healthcare access for emerging a tabletop program for training emerging infectious disease responses in nurses working at small- to medium-sized hospitals in areas with poor healthcare access and evaluated infectious disease responses. A tabletop program for training responses to emerging infectious diseases was provided to 29 nurses at a general hospital with <300 beds in a region without a tertiary general hospital or healthcare institution with nationally designated inpatient wards for patients with infectious diseases. The 180 min program consisted of an online theoretical lecture (Phase 1), one-on-one drills (Phase 2), and a scenario-based tabletop exercise (Phase 3). To evaluate the program's effect, pre- and post-knowledge, awareness, and competencies related to responses to emerging infectious diseases were assessed. The mean knowledge score significantly improved from 11.41 ± 2.33 before the training to 16.69 ± 2.48 after the training (z = -4.529, p < 0.001). The mean awareness score significantly improved from 80.83 ± 11.94 before the training to 85.45 ± 7.08 after the training (z = -2.335, p = 0.020). The mean competence score significantly increased from 67.31 ± 14.75 before the training to 79.38 ± 10.39 after the training (t = -6.187, p < 0.001). The tabletop exercise program effectively enhanced the nurses' competencies in responding to emerging infectious diseases. The training program developed in this study may be utilized in addition to a simplified theoretical lecture to train nurses to improve their competency in responding to emerging infectious diseases.

A Survey on Scabies Inpatients in South Korea Based on Health Insurance Claims Data from 2010 to 2019.

Due to the growing aging population and the increased number of long-term patients staying in nursing facilities, the prevalence of scabies has recently been increasing, even in developed countries. This study aimed to identify the actual status of hospitalized patients with scabies in South Korea using the national health insurance claims data. From 2010 to 2019, 2586 patients were hospitalized with scabies (B86) as the primary diagnosis. There were more females than males (χ2 = 31.960, p < 0.001) and patients aged 80 years or older in long-term care hospitals (χ2 = 431.410, p < 0.001). Scabies patients were mainly hospitalized in internal medicine, family medicine, and dermatology for all provider types (χ2 = 170.033, p < 0.001). In long-term care hospitals, the rate of accompanying dementia was 31.9% (χ2 = 193.418, p < 0.001), cerebral infarction was 10.4% (χ2 = 106.271, p < 0.001), and cancer was 2.1% (χ2 = 17.963, p < 0.001), which was higher than other provider types. Additionally, 20.6% in general hospitals (χ2 = 198.952, p < 0.001) had an indwelling catheter, while 49.1% in hospitals and 41.1% in general hospitals were administered steroids (χ2 = 214.440, p < 0.001). The KOH smear test was performed in 11.3% of all inpatients with scabies. We suggest recognizing these characteristics of scabies patients and thoroughly checking the skin lesions during physical examination for early diagnosis and prevention of scabies infection.

A Topic Modeling Analysis of the Crisis Response Stage during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The core of disaster management is the ability to respond spontaneously and rapidly to unexpected situations and also to apply planned and adaptable responses that follow manuals and guidelines. This study aimed to observe the changes in information during the COVID-19 pandemic period by collecting and analyzing information announced on a hospital intranet by an infection control team. This study performed text mining of large amounts of data to investigate notices about in-hospital strategies towards COVID-19 to identify changes in the coping strategies during the pandemic. Notices announced within the infection control rooms of 12 university hospitals in South Korea from 1 January to 31 August 2020 were searched. Four representative topics were identified based on the stepwise keywords shown in the topic modeling analysis: (1) "Understanding the new infectious disease", (2) "Preparation of a patient care and management system", (3) "Prevention of spread and securing employee safety" and (4) "Improvement of the management system according to the revision of guidelines". Countries where an infectious disease emerges should provide accurate information on the disease and guidelines to determine how to respond. Medical institutions must revise and complement them while considering their specific circumstances. To efficiently respond to an infectious disease crisis, governments and medical institutions must cooperate closely, and implementing a systematic response is crucial.

A Topic Modeling Analysis of the Crisis Response Stage for COVID-19 Pandemic.

After the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in South Korea in 2020, medical institutions have dealt with the epidemiological crisis. The institutions' strategies in response to the crisis were classified into four stages depending on the change of epidemic circumstances. Efficiently responding to the pandemic, close cooperation between the government and medical institutions is essential.

The Mediating Effect of Depression on the Relationship between Social Support, Spirituality and Burnout in Family Members of Patients with Cancer.

When the treatment process of cancer patients changes to outpatient treatment, the burden on family members increases and they often experience burnout. Burnout not only effects the family members themselves but may also have a negative effect on the health of the cancer patient. Therefore, healthcare providers should evaluate burnout in the family members of cancer patients and actively make efforts towards their burnout management. This study investigated the mediating effect of depression on the relationship between social support, spirituality, and burnout in family members of patients with cancer. Participants were 151 family members of patients with cancer who were receiving chemotherapy as outpatients at a single university hospital in Korea. Data was collected from 2 March to 31 May 2016, using self-reported questionnaires. Collected data was analyzed with t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson's correlations, Baron and Kenny's three-step regression method, and the Sobel test. The participants' mean burnout was below the median. The participants' depression partially mediated the relationship of both social support and spirituality on burnout. Strategies to assess depression and strengthen social support and spirituality should be developed to manage burnout in family members'.

The effects of ego-resilience, social support, and depression on suicidal ideation among the elderly in South Korea.

South Korea's elderly suicide rate is not merely the highest among the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, it is the highest in the world. This study analyzed the effect of ego-resilience and social support on depression and suicidal ideation of the elderly, providing baseline data to aid in the development of preventive programs on elder suicide. We found that ego-resilience is a strong inhibitor of suicidal ideation. Direct and indirect effects of social support on suicidal ideation were especially helpful for elders with mild depression.