Older residents' perceptions of loneliness in long-term care facilities: A qualitative study.

Loneliness is a negative emotional feeling often experienced by older residents in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Previous studies have shown that loneliness is related to depression, inferior quality of life, cardiovascular disease, and suicidal thoughts. Thus, it is important to understand older residents' viewpoints about loneliness to provide better care in the long-term care context. This study aimed to explore residents' perceptions of loneliness in LTCFs. For this qualitative research, data were collected from two LTCFs in northern Taiwan, and purposive sampling was used. In-depth interviews with 16 older residents were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Content analysis was performed to analyse the data. Four themes with nine subthemes were generated. The themes were: being cut off from continually meaningful relationships, experiencing tears of pain, feeling alone, and lacking a sense of belonging. The findings of this study can provide information for health care professionals to better understand older residents' views on loneliness and remind them to re-examine care protocols for psychological health care. Thus, this study found that in order to prevent or alleviate older residents' feelings of loneliness, the LTCFs should maintain continually meaningful relationships, accompany them, and give them a sense of belonging. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines were used to report this study.

Prevalence of Loneliness and Related Factors Among Older Adults in Taiwan: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Survey.

BACKGROUND: Loneliness is a common problem among older populations, and very few studies have examined loneliness among older adults in Taiwan. AIM: This study aimed to understand the prevalence of loneliness and factors associated with it among older adults in Taiwan. METHODS: Data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Study of Aging collected in 2015 were analyzed and involved 4588 participants aged ≥65 years. The outcome variable was a self-reported loneliness question, and independent variables included demographic characteristics, a self-reported health status, physical function, number of comorbidities, cognitive function, and social support. A multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of loneliness. RESULTS: The prevalence of loneliness among older adults in Taiwan was 10.5%. The multivariate logistic regression showed that old persons who were male, lived alone, perceived that they had a poor health condition, had no spouse, had no job, and had poor emotional support had higher likelihood of feeling lonely. CONCLUSIONS: This study investigated loneliness in a nationally representative sample of older adults and revealed that one-tenth of this older population might experience loneliness which requires immediate action. Special attention should be given to the aforesaid factors in older adults to identify problems and provide interventions as early as possible in order to prevent loneliness and thus reduce the resultant negative effects on physical and mental conditions. Appropriate interventions should be developed to prevent or ameliorate feelings of loneliness among older populations using rigorous research designs such as randomized controlled trials.

The effects of an immersive 3d interactive video program on improving student nurses' nursing skill competence: A randomized controlled trial study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Acquired accurate clinical nursing skills are among the most important core nursing competencies for nursing students, as nursing students' inadequate skill capacities might endanger patients safety. Therefore, it is essential to develop teaching strategies to strengthen students' nursing skills. This study examined the effects of an immersive three-dimensional (3D) interactive video program on improving nursing students' nasogastric tube feeding skill competence. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial research design. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five nursing students from a university in northern Taiwan. METHODS: The students were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 22) and a comparison group (n = 23). The intervention group received the immersive 3D interactive video program on nasogastric tube feeding, whereas the comparison group watched a regular demonstration video. The questionnaire was used to collect data before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and one month after the intervention. RESULTS: Nursing students' knowledge and confidence in nasogastric tube feeding were significantly improved after the intervention in both groups. Although there were no significant differences in students' knowledge, skill, and confidence between the two groups, participants' average satisfaction score with the immersive 3D interactive video program in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the comparison group that watched a regular video (t = 2.302, p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study showed that both immersive 3D interactive video program and regular demonstration video could improve nursing students' learning outcomes. The higher satisfaction score in the intervention group indicates that learning through immersive 3D interactive video is acceptable and satisfactory. This study provides useful information for nursing faculty members for designing and developing teaching methods for the acquisition of nursing skills. It can also serve as a reference for further studies relating to AR, VR, or immersive learning materials.