Improving the knowledge of and compliance with infection control for emerging respiratory infectious diseases among nursing students using importance-performance analysis: A descriptive survey study.

BACKGROUND: Due to a lack of prior training on emerging respiratory infectious diseases (ERIDs), systematic nursing guidelines, supplies, and manpower, nurses experienced extreme physical and psychological stress while providing care to patients with infectious diseases during the pandemic. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge of and compliance with infection control for ERIDs among nursing students, as well as identify the priorities in infection control knowledge and compliance using importance-performance analysis (IPA), to prepare supporting data for developing infection control training programs for ERIDs. DESIGN: This descriptive survey used IPA to examine nursing students' knowledge of infection control priorities and ERID compliance. SETTING: The participants were recruited from a convenience sample of first- to fourth-year nursing majors from one region of South Korea. PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from 481 nursing students through a questionnaire survey conducted between May 3 and June 30, 2022. METHODS: Data were examined using descriptive statistics, an independent t-test, a one-way analysis of variance, and IPA. RESULTS: The IPA results showed that among 12 items related to nursing students' knowledge of infection control for ERIDs, item #1 (definition of ERID) belonged to quadrant C (low priority), whereas all other items (items #2-12) belonged to quadrant A (concentrate here). Among 12 items related to compliance with infection control for ERIDs, items #2 (hand hygiene) and #3 (mask wearing) belonged to quadrant B (keep up the good work), whereas the remaining 10 items belonged to quadrant A (concentrate here). CONCLUSION: In order to improve nursing students' knowledge of and compliance with infection control for ERIDs, infection control training with more specific material should replace the present curriculum in South Korea.

The Effects of Auricular Acupressure on Physiological Index, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress for Elders With Hypertension.

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of auricular acupressure (AA) on physiological index, depression, anxiety, and stress in elderly people with hypertension. The verum group received verum AA therapy for 8 weeks. Five different acupressure sites were applied in each group. There was a significant difference in systolic blood pressure between the 2 groups after 8 weeks of AA, whereas a significant difference in pulse pressure was found between the 2 groups after 6 weeks of AA. This study is meaningful in comparing intervention and sham groups, verifying the effects by using physiological and psychological variables, and confirming the effects of repetitive measurement. AA therapy is expected to be a practical and efficient health care intervention for elderly people with hypertension.

Effects of auricular acupressure on the quality of sleep and anxiety in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of auricular acupressure (AA), a non-invasive type of reflexotherapy, on sleep quality and anxiety in patients after cardiac surgery. BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances and anxiety hinder the recovery of patients after cardiac surgery; thus, appropriate and adequate nursing interventions must be pursued. AA is a complementary therapy suitable for patients with limited pharmacological therapy options. METHOD: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest control group design was applied. The study consisted of 42 patients, comprising an experimental group (n = 21) and a control group (n = 21). AA was applied for six days per trial for a total of 2 trials, while sleep (sleep score, sleep satisfaction) and anxiety (state, trait) were measured at three time points (pre-op, 7 days post-op, and 14 days post-op). RESULTS: The sleep and sleep satisfaction scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. No significant difference was found in anxiety state/trait between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that AA is a safe, effective, noninvasive, and low-risk nursing intervention that can improve sleep quality in patients after cardiac surgery.

Natural course of spontaneous pneumothorax without bullae or blebs under high-resolution computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: The cause of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) is known as rupture of some bullae or blebs. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to clarify the natural course of spontaneous pneumothorax in the absence of bullae or blebs under high-resolution chest computed tomography (HRCT). PATIENTS AND METHOD: From January 2006 to December 2010, 854 patients with PSP were enrolled in the study group. All subjects received a chest CT scan and were reviewed retrospectively. RESULT: There were 56 PSP cases (6.5%) without bullae or blebs under HRCT. Treatments included oxygen therapy in 16 (28.5%) cases, arrow catheter insertion in 22 (39.2%) cases, closed thoracostomy in 17 (30.3%) cases, and 1 (1.7%) case received a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) operation. There were nine recurrent cases (16%). Of the nine cases, eight cases were treated with VATS operation. Several bullae or blebs were found in five of those nine operated cases, and there were severe inflammatory fibrotic changes on the apex of one of the nine operated cases. CONCLUSION: Several bullae and blebs were revealed upon operation of PSP without previously detected bullae and blebs on HRCT. We cautiously recommend operating on PSP regardless of whether bullae and blebs are detected by HRCT as long as there are no contraindications to the operation.

Lemierre syndrome.

Lemierre syndrome is caused by acute oropharyngeal infections with secondary septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein and is characterized by frequent metastatic infections. A 56-year-old man presented with severe reddish inflammatory swelling of the right cervical soft tissue. Thrombophlebitis in the right internal jugular vein and multiple pulmonary embolisms were identified on neck and chest computed tomography (CT). He was treated with antibiotics and heparin for 4 weeks and then discharged without other complications.