Min Young Kim

Objectives: Patient safety incidents remain an important healthcare concern, and patient safety education is essential for preparing nursing students to recognize and prevent preventable errors in clinical settings. Room of errors simulation is a low-cost and practical educational strategy that can help students identify and respond to patient safety hazards in a realistic environment. This study aimed to develop and implement a room of errors simulation for nursing students preparing for clinical practice and to evaluate its effects on patient safety knowledge, attitudes, and performance confidence. Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Participants were 66 nursing students from three nursing colleges in South Korea. Patient safety knowledge was measured using Park and Park’s instrument, and patient safety attitudes and performance confidence were measured using an adapted Healthcare Professionals Patient Safety Assessment Curriculum Survey. Data were collected in February and March 2024 and analyzed using SPSS version 24.0. Results: In the experimental group, scores increased from 9.52 ± 1.88 to 12.52 ± 2.12 for patient safety knowledge, from 4.20 ± 0.30 to 4.67 ± 0.30 for patient safety attitudes, and from 4.18 ± 0.50 to 4.59 ± 0.41 for patient safety performance confidence. In the control group, corresponding scores were 7.93 ± 1.89 to 8.13 ± 1.52, 4.10 ± 0.31 to 3.98 ± 0.35, and 4.00 ± 0.76 to 3.86 ± 0.89, respectively. After adjusting for baseline scores, the experimental group showed significantly higher posttest scores than the control group for patient safety knowledge ( F = 57.56, p < 0.001, partial η ² = 0.477), patient safety attitudes ( F = 77.08, p < 0.001, partial η ² = 0.550), and patient safety performance confidence ( F = 21.41, p < 0.001, partial η ² = 0.254). Conclusion: Room of errors simulation was associated with significant improvements in patient safety knowledge, attitudes, and performance confidence among nursing students preparing for clinical practice. These findings suggest that room of errors simulation may be a feasible educational strategy for strengthening patient safety education before clinical practice.

Purpose : This study aimed to identify factors associated with acute deterioration within 48 hours among general ward patients receiving oxygen therapy at ≥4 L/min. Methods : This retrospective study was conducted at a single tertiary hospital. Demographic and clinical characteristics, oxygen therapy–related factors, and nursing care activities were collected from adult patients who received oxygen therapy at ≥4 L/min in general wards between January and December 2024. Acute deterioration was defined as unplanned intensive care unit admission or in-hospital death within 48 hours of oxygen therapy initiation. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. Results : Respiratory comorbidity (OR=3.22, p =.023), delayed initiation of oxygen therapy at ≥4 L/min (＞24 hours after admission) (OR=3.33, p=.027), higher frequency of oxygen-related nursing care activities (OR=1.59, p =.001), and rapid response team activation (OR=3.40–4.21, p =.017) were independently associated with acute deterioration. Conclusion : Among general ward patients receiving oxygen therapy at ≥4 L/min, respiratory comorbidity, delayed oxygen initiation, rapid response team activation, and increased oxygen-related nursing care activities were significantly associated with acute deterioration. These findings highlight the importance of early risk recognition and proactive clinical management in high-risk patients.

Purpose : This study examined the effects of a video visitation intervention on pain, anxiety, comfort, and family caregiver anxiety in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after pulmonary resection.Methods : A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group pretest–posttest design study was conducted between July 10 and November 6, 2023. Patients scheduled for pulmonary resection and their primary family caregivers were recruited one day before the surgery after receiving the study information. The intervention consisted of a structured postoperative telephone explanation, followed by a video visitation between the patient and caregiver using a hospital-provided smartphone. Pain, anxiety, and comfort in patients, and anxiety in caregivers were measured using validated instruments. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANCOVA for patient outcomes, and paired t-tests and ANCOVA for caregiver anxiety.Results : Video visitations significantly reduced patients’ anxiety (F=5.89, p =.008) and improved comfort (F=12.56, p ‹.001). No significant effects were observed for pain (F=1.39, p =.254) or caregivers’ anxiety (t=1.03, p =.312).Conclusion : Video visitations had beneficial effects on anxiety and comfort in ICU patients after pulmonary resection. Further research is needed to determine the optimal use and evaluate broader clinical outcomes.

Purpose : This study aimed to compare the effects of Kinesio taping and non-elastic taping on wrist pain, range of motion (ROM), grip strength, and wrist function among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses.Methods : This quasi-experimental study used a non-equivalent control group pretest–posttest design to compare a Kinesio taping group with a non-elastic taping group. Data were collected between April 10 and May 16, 2025. Fifty participants were included in the final analysis, with 26 in the experimental group and 24 in the control group.Results : There were significant group-by-time interaction effects for wrist pain (F = 6.65, p = .001) and wrist flexion ROM (F = 3.15, p = .035), indicating greater improvements over time in the Kinesio taping group than in the control group. No significant group-by-time interaction effects were observed for grip strength (F = 0.32, p = .730) and wrist function (F = 1.17, p = .318).Conclusion : This study demonstrates that Kinesio taping is an effective intervention for reducing wrist pain and improving ROM among ICU nurses with wrist pain. The application of Kinesio taping may help reduce the musculoskeletal burden and support stable work performance in ICU clinical settings.

Purpose : This study aimed to examine the clinical progress of patients discharged from intensive care units (ICU) according to the method of proactive rounding, based on clinical decision-making or the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), and to identify the factors influencing their clinical progress. Methods : A total of 627 patients discharged from ICUs were included in this study. Data were collected from electronic medical records following a comprehensive literature review and analyzed using t-tests, χ2-tests, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression. Results : The likelihood of ICU readmission was significantly lower when proactive rounding was conducted using the NEWS compared with clinical decision-making (OR=0.40, p =.036). In addition, increases in oxygen demand were significantly reduced when rounding was guided by NEWS rather than the clinical judgment of the Rapid Response Team (OR=0.26, p =.009). Conclusion : These findings suggest that proactive rounding conducted by the Rapid Response Team based on NEWS significantly reduced ICU readmission rates and oxygen demand. Therefore, NEWS-based proactive rounding by nurses may help predict and detect clinical deterioration at an early stage.

최아영, et al. J Korean Acad Nurs. 2024 Feb;54(1):32-43. https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.23082

The mental health of nurses participating in patient care is under threat amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to identify the mental health status (depression, anxiety, and stress) and its influencing factors on nurses who provided patient care at a specialized hospital for COVID-19 in South Korea. Of the 180 nurses who participated in this study, 30.6% had moderate or higher levels of depression, 41% had moderate or higher anxiety levels, and 19.4% had moderate or higher stress levels. In this study, stigma influenced nurses’ mental health, such that the higher the stigma, the higher the nurses’ depression, anxiety, and stress. Depression was higher in female nurses than in male nurses, and stress was higher in charge nurses than nurses in other job positions. Therefore, a management program should be designed to improve the mental health of nurses during the current pandemic. In particular, a solution to reduce stigma is required, and the mental health of female nurses and nurses in leadership roles requires special attention.

허예지, et al. Korean J Adult Nurs. 2020 Oct;32(5):539-549. https://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2020.32.5.539

Sexual minorities are people with non-cis and non-heterosexual gender identities, including LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) identities. Korean society is prejudiced against sexual minorities—in our study, we will broadly label this prejudice homophobia. It is possible that sexual minorities do not receive appropriate health management owing to such prejudices. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce homophobia in nursing students. This study aims to measure the degree of homophobia in Korean nursing students and identify the factors that affect homophobia. Our study is a cross-sectional study, which surveys attitudes of 265 nursing students toward homophobia in five Korean cities in January to March, 2019. The average homophobia score was 74.5 out of a possible 120; 92.9% of the participants were classified as homophobic, and 42.3% as highly homophobic. We found that participants who were male, religious, had low self-esteem, and had no family members or acquaintances who might belong to a sexual minority group, were more likely to be homophobic. Nursing students in Korea still exhibit high levels of homophobia. As high levels of homophobia can negatively affect health management and nursing, especially in the case of sexual minorities, we suggest that educational programs should be set up to reduce homophobia in nursing students.

Background and objectives: Delirium is an acute state that causes confusion and occurs frequently after surgery in elderly patients. Delirium is also related to various clinical complications. With increasing numbers of surgeries performed on elderly Koreans, the number of cases of delirium and associated complications will likely rise. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether postoperative delirium in elderly Korean patients negatively influenced other clinical outcomes and their long-term mortality. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 1016 elderly patients (65 years or older) who underwent major abdominal surgery from January 2014 to December 2016 were retrospectively investigated. To determine long-term mortality, patients were followed for up to 12 months post-operation. Results: Delirium occurred in 194 patients (18.3%). Postoperative delirium was significantly associated with the length of hospital stay (B = 2.72), length of ICU stay (B = 18.78), adverse medical events (OR = 2.26, CI = 1.45–3.52), reoperation (OR = 5.50, CI = 1.66–18.22), ICU readmission (OR = 14.10, CI = 2.97–66.90), medical costs (B = 2473.85), discharge to somewhere other than the patient’s home (OR = 6.01, CI = 3.35–10.76), hospital readmission (OR = 2.73, CI = 1.45–5.14), in-hospital mortality (OR = 3.34, CI = 1.21–9.19), three-month mortality (HR = 3.22, CI = 1.27–8.14), six-month mortality (HR = 2.85, CI = 1.28–6.36), and 12-month mortality (HR = 2.19, CI = 1.10–4.32). Conclusions: Postoperative delirium in elderly Korean patients was associated with negative clinical outcomes and mortality. For rapid recovery and increased survival rates in surgical patients, effective delirium-prevention care and active delirium treatments are necessary.