Triage-clinical reasoning on emergency nursing competency: a multiple linear mediation effect.

BACKGROUND: Triage is the first step in providing prompt and appropriate emergency nursing and addressing diagnostic issues. Rapid clinical reasoning skills of emergency nurses are essential for prompt decision-making and emergency care. Nurses experience limitations in emergency nursing that begin with triage. This cross-sectional study explored the mediating effect of perceived triage competency and clinical reasoning skills on the association between Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) proficiency and emergency nursing competency. METHODS: A web-based survey was conducted with 157 emergency nurses working in 20 hospitals in South Korea between mid-May and mid-July 2022. Data were collected utilizing self-administered questionnaires to measure KTAS proficiency (48 tasks), perceived triage competency (30 items), clinical reasoning skills (26 items), and emergency nursing competency (78 items). Data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro (Model 6). RESULTS: Perceived triage competency indirectly mediate the relationship between KTAS proficiency and emergency nursing competency. Perceived triage competency and clinical reasoning skills were significant predictors of emergency nursing competency with a multiple linear mediating effect. The model was found have a good fit (F = 8.990, P <.001) with, a statistical power of 15.0% (R² = 0.150). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that improving emergency nursing competency requires enhancing triage proficiency as well as perceived triage competency, which should be followed by developing clinical reasoning skills, starting with triage of emergency nurses.

Understanding global research trends in the control and prevention of infectious diseases for children: Insights from text mining and topic modeling.

INTRODUCTION: The emergence of novel infectious diseases has amplified the urgent need for effective prevention strategies, especially ones targeting vulnerable populations such as children. Factors such as the high incidence of both emerging and existing infectious diseases, delays in vaccinations, and routine exposure in communal settings heighten children's susceptibility to infections. Despite this pressing need, a comprehensive exploration of research trends in this domain remains lacking. This study aims to address this gap by employing text mining and modeling techniques to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature, thereby identifying emerging research trends in infectious disease prevention among children. METHODS: A cross-sectional text mining approach was adopted, focusing on journal articles published between January 1, 2003, and August 31, 2022. These articles, related to infectious disease prevention in children, were sourced from databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE (Ovid), Scopus, and Korean RISS. The data underwent preprocessing using the Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK) in Python, with a semantic network analysis and topic modeling conducted using R software. RESULTS: The final dataset comprised 509 journal articles extracted from multiple databases. The study began with a word frequency analysis to pinpoint relevant themes, subsequently visualized through a word cloud. Dominant terms encompassed "vaccination," "adolescent," "infant," "parent," "family," "school," "country," "household," "community," "HIV," "HPV," "COVID-19," "influenza," and "diarrhea." The semantic analysis identified "age" as a key term across infection, control, and intervention discussions. Notably, the relationship between "hand" and "handwashing" was prominent, especially in educational contexts linked with "school" and "absence." Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling further delineated seven topics related to infectious disease prevention for children, encompassing (1) educational programs, (2) vaccination efforts, (3) family-level responses, (4) care for immunocompromised individuals, (5) country-specific responses, (6) school-based strategies, and (7) persistent threats from established infectious diseases. CONCLUSION: The study emphasizes the indispensable role of personalized interventions tailored for various child demographics, highlighting the pivotal contributions of both parental guidance and school participation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The study provides insights into the complex public health challenges associated with preventing and managing infectious diseases in children. The insights derived could inform the formulation of evidence-based public health policies, steering practical interventions and fostering interdisciplinary synergy for holistic prevention strategies.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Defective Amorphous TiOx Thin Films with Improved Photoelectrochemical Performance.

A proper control of defects in TiO2 thin films is challenging work for enhancing the photoelectrochemical (PEC) efficiency in water splitting processes. Additionally, a deep understanding of how defects affect the PEC performance of TiO2 thin films is of great interest for achieving better performance. With these aims, we prepared defective amorphous TiOx thin films at various growth temperatures by atomic layer deposition using tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium as the Ti precursor. Careful X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron spin resonance spectroscopy analyses revealed that the defect concentration in the TiOx thin films can be controlled by adjusting the growth temperature during the ALD process. We also evaluated the light absorption properties of the deposited TiOx thin films using ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy. And it was found that the TiOx thin film deposited at a growth temperature of 200 °C exhibited the highest defect concentration and the highest photocurrent density of 0.051 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) compared to those of the other films. The light absorption efficiency, photogenerated charge separation efficiency, and charge transfer efficiency of defective amorphous TiOx thin films were carefully studied to understand the correlation between the defect concentration in the prepared TiOx thin film and its PEC activity. This study provides insight into the PEC properties of defective amorphous ALD-TiOx thin films.

Healthcare providers' support and outcomes in hemodialysis patients: The mediating effect of health literacy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the mediating effect of health literacy (HL) on the relationship between healthcare providers' support and outcomes in patients on hemodialysis. METHODS: A convenience sample of 149 hemodialysis patients participated in a cross-sectional survey. Mediation analysis with the percentile bootstrap method was used to identify the mediating effect of HL on the relationship between healthcare providers' support and patient outcomes. RESULTS: Healthcare providers' support and HL were significant predictors of patient outcomes. HL mediated the relationship between healthcare providers' support and patient outcomes. CONCLUSION: The HL of hemodialysis patients is essential in the relationship between healthcare providers' support and patient outcomes. Patient educators should implement a multifaceted HL-tailored intervention strategy to improve the HL of hemodialysis patients. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Hemodialysis patients' HL is a crucial mediating factor in the relationship between healthcare providers' support and patient outcomes. A multifaceted HL-tailored intervention strategy is needed to improve HL and, thus, health outcomes among hemodialysis patients.

A Validation Study of the Korean Version of the Nurses' Patient Education Questionnaire.

This study aimed to investigate the internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the Korean version of the Nurses' Patient Education Questionnaire. An accurate assessment of nurses' perceived patient education competency is required, and these needs assessment results can provide the evidence for designing a continuing education to empower and equip nurses with optimal competency for patient education. A cross-sectional study was used to which a convenience sample of 262 hemodialysis unit nurses in the Republic of Korea. In the exploratory factor analysis, the questionnaire consisted of 26 items belonging to seven factors: (1) nurse belief and knowledge; (2) documentation of patient education activities; (3) collegial teamwork; (4) educational environment; (5) interdisciplinary cooperation; (6) education foundation; and (7) health care organization, all of which accounted for 70.2% of the variance. The internal consistency reliability was 0.91 for the overall scale and each factor at 0.70 to 0.77. The questionnaire provides a valid and reliable instrument to assess nurses' patient education competency.

Pediatric nurses' grit and nursing intention during the COVID-19 pandemic: Mediating and moderating effects of mindset and psychological collectivism.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the mediating and moderating effects of mindset and psychological collectivism, respectively, on the relationship between grit and nursing intention for children with emerging infectious diseases, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), among pediatric nurses. METHODS: We conducted a crosssectional descriptive study with 230 pediatric nurses. RESULTS: Grit directly impacted mindset (ß=.27, p<.001) and nursing intention (ß=.20, p=.001). The direct effect of mindset on nursing intension (ß=.28, p<.001) and the indirect effect of grit on nursing intension via mindset (ß=.08, p<.001) were significant. Accordingly, mindset mediated the effect of grit on nursing intention. The effects of grit and psychological collectivism (ß=.19, p=.003), respectively, on nursing intention were significant. However, the interaction between grit and psychological collectivism was not significant. Thus, psychological collectivism did not moderate the effect of grit on nursing intention. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate the importance of pediatric nurses' grit and mindset on their intended care for patients in critical situations. Cultivating a gritty culture and developing interventions to enhance nurses' personality traits associated with their performance will be crucial, and such measures are especially salient for pediatric nurses to face the new adjustments required in the era of COVID-19.

Factors influencing the patient education performance of hemodialysis unit nurses.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the perceptions, barriers, and facilitators of patient education and factors influencing the performance of patient education among hemodialysis unit nurses. METHODS: This study used a descriptive correlational design in which a total of 262 nurses from 27 hemodialysis facilities in six provinces in the Republic of Korea participated. Self-administered questionnaires were used to identify the perceptions, barriers, facilitators, and performance of patient education. Data were analyzed using a t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Factors influencing patient education performance were nurses' total clinical experience, perceptions, working experience in a hemodialysis unit, facilitators, number of nurses in the hemodialysis unit, and barriers. These variables accounted for 37.2 % of the variance in the final model. CONCLUSION: Nurses' performance in patient education was significantly influenced by perceptions, facilitators, and barriers. Nurses' total clinical experience, working experience in a hemodialysis unit, and number of nurses in the unit also influenced patient education performance. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: A nurse training program should be developed to reinforce nurses' patient education competency.

A Pilot Study of the Correlation between the Numeric Rating Scale used to Evaluate "Geop" and Questionnaires on Pain Perception.

BACKGROUND: The word "geop" is a unique Korean term commonly used to describe fright, fear and anxiety, and similar concepts. The purpose of this pilot study is to examine the correlation between the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score of geop and three different questionnaires on pain perception. METHODS: Patients aged 20 to 70 years who visited our outpatient pain clinics were evaluated. They were requested to rate the NRS score (range: 0-100) if they felt geop. Next, they completed questionnaires on pain perception, in this case the Korean version of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ), the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS). The correlations among each variable were evaluated by statistical analyses. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant correlation between the NRS score of geop and the PSQ score (r = 0.075, P = 0.5605). The NRS score of geop showed a significant correlation with the PCS total score (r = 0.346, P = 0.0063). Among the sub-scales, Rumination (r = 0.338, P = 0.0077) and Magnification (r = 0.343, P = 0.0069) were correlated with the NRS score of geop. In addition, the NRS score of geop showed a significant correlation with the PASS total score (r = 0.475, P = 0.0001). The cognitive (r = 0.473, P = 0.0002) and fear factors (r = 0.349, P = 0.0063) also showed significant correlations with the NRS score of geop. CONCLUSIONS: This study marks the first attempt to introduce the concept of "geop." The NRS score of geop showed a moderate positive correlation with the total PCS and PASS score. However, further investigations are required before the "geop" concept can be used practically in clinical fields.

Protective potential of resveratrol against oxidative stress and apoptosis in Batten disease lymphoblast cells.

Batten disease (BD) is the most common form of a group of disorders called neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, which are caused by a CLN3 gene mutation. A variety of pathogenic lysosomal storage disorder mechanisms have been suggested such as oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and altered protein trafficking. Resveratrol, a stilbenoid found in red grape skin, is a potent antioxidant chemical. Recent studies have suggested that resveratrol may have a curative effect in many neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, we investigated the activities of resveratrol at the levels of oxidative and ER stress and apoptosis factors using normal and BD lymphoblast cells. We report that the BD lymphoblast cells contained low-levels of superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1) due to the long-term stress of reactive oxygen species. However, when we treated the cells with resveratrol, SOD-1 increased to levels observed in normal cells. Furthermore, we investigated the expression of glucose-regulated protein 78 as an ER stress marker. BD cells underwent ER stress, but resveratrol treatment resolved the ER stress in a dose-dependent manner. We further demonstrated that the levels of apoptosis markers such as apoptosis induce factor, cytochrome c, and cleavage of poly (ADP)-ribose polymerase decreased following resveratrol treatment. Thus, we propose that resveratrol may have beneficial effects in patients with BD.