E-portfolio functional requirements for the final semester baccalaureate practicum course: A qualitative research study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the nursing practicum course is to enable students to integrate cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills into professional competencies prior to clinical work. With advances in information technology, e-portfolio focusing on individualized learning, reflection, and self-management has received positive consideration. The nursing profession has since adopted it as part of nursing education. PURPOSE: This study explored the needs and perceptions of students in a baccalaureate nursing program regarding the use of e-portfolio in the final semester practicum course. METHOD: This study used semi-structured focus group interviews and applied the principles of content analysis to interview content. RESULTS: Four key research themes were revealed: (1) anticipated functions achieved, (2) ease of uploading data and showcasing learning results (3) functionality extensions to enhance mobile learning, and (4) policy guidelines for mandatory use and plagiarism prevention. CONCLUSION: E-portfolio assists in integrating knowledge, practical skills, and achievement recognition into the learning process. The use of e-portfolio with upgrades can enable learning of clinical competencies by students in preparation for clinical nursing practice.

Reducing health care-associated infections by implementing separated environmental cleaning management measures by using disposable wipes of four colors.

Background: Environmental cleaning is a fundamental principle of infection control in health care settings. We determined whether implementing separated environmental cleaning management measures in MICU reduced the density of HAI. Methods: We performed a 4-month prospective cohort intervention study between August and December 2013, at the MICU of Cathay General hospital. We arranged a training program for all the cleaning staff regarding separated environmental cleaning management measures by using disposable wipes of four colors to clean the patients' bedside areas, areas at a high risk of contamination, paperwork areas, and public areas. Fifteen high-touch surfaces were selected for cleanliness evaluation by using the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence test. Then data regarding HAI densities in the MICU were collected during the baseline, intervention, and late periods. Results: A total of 120 ATP readings were obtained. The total number of clean high-touch surfaces increased from 13% to 53%, whereas that of unclean high-touch surface decreased from 47% to 20%. The densities of HAI were 14.32‰ and 14.90‰ during the baseline and intervention periods, respectively. The HAI density did not decrease after the intervention period, but it decreased to 9.07‰ during the late period. Conclusion: Implementing separated environmental cleaning management measures by using disposable wipes of four colors effectively improves cleanliness in MICU environments. However, no decrease in HAI density was observed within the study period. Considering that achieving high levels of hand-hygiene adherence is difficult, improving environmental cleaning is a crucial adjunctive measure for reducing the incidence of HAIs.