Quality of Life and Emotional Problems of COVID-19 Patients after Discharge: A One-Month Longitudinal Study.

AIM: The first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Taiwan occurred in May 2021 and many individuals were infected. All COVID-19 patients were quarantined in designated facilities until they fully recovered to prevent the spread of the disease. Prolonged quarantine could adversely affect these patients. In this study, we focused on investigating changes in the quality of life and mental health of individuals discharged from hospital after recovering from COVID-19. METHODS: This study employed a longitudinal design and surveyed individuals discharged from a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan in 2021 within one week of their discharge and again after one month. An online questionnaire comprising the participants' background, respiratory function (COPD Assessment Test), quality of life (WHOQoL-BREF), and emotional problems (DASS-21) was administered to the participants. RESULTS: A total of 56 participants actively took part in both surveys. We observed that participants with abnormal respiratory function had a lower physical and psychological quality of life, especially those with severe symptoms requiring endotracheal intubation during the treatment period of COVID-19. Additionally, approximately 30% of participants experienced anxiety problems throughout this study period. Finally, patients with COVID-19 symptoms exhibited a lower quality of life and higher levels of severe emotional problems. CONCLUSIONS: According to our findings, it is necessary to monitor and provide appropriate interventions for individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, especially those who experienced severe symptoms that required endotracheal intubation during COVID-19 treatment. These interventions, such as symptom management and psychological support, can help improve their quality of life and reduce emotional problems. Therefore, after the participants are discharged, hospitals should regularly track the patients' status and provide appropriate support or referrals to help these individuals. Otherwise, future research could include more participants and follow up with them for longer to investigate the longitudinal impact of COVID-19.

Relationship between nurses' resilience and depression, anxiety and stress during the 2021 COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan.

AIM: The COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan had a significant impact on medical services. These changes posed a threat to nurses' mental health. Resilience may protect nurses from the psychological impact of COVID-19. This study aimed to understand nurses' resilience and its relationship with nurses' characteristics (life and work situations) and mental health (depression, anxiety and stress) during the outbreak. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: This study surveyed the nurses at a hospital from 9 August 2021, to 20 August 2021. The content of the questionnaire included nurses' characteristics, resilience and mental health. RESULTS: There was an association between higher resilience and lower mental health problems. We also found that some nurses' characteristics were positively correlated with mental health problems. CONCLUSION: Some nurses' life and work situations predicted high levels of mental health problems during the pandemic. Additionally, higher levels of resilience were associated with lower levels of mental health problems.

A cross-sectional study examining the factors affecting nurses' knowledge, attitude, and behavior toward physical restraint use.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with nurses' intent to use physical restraint. DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire to survey 403 nurses from a hospital in northern Taiwan. FINDINGS: Nurses who participated in a simulation training program had better knowledge and behavioral intent toward physical restraint use. Seniority and workplace significantly influenced the knowledge of physical restraint use, whereas workplace and clinical ladder level significantly shaped nurses' attitude toward it. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The results showed that the simulated physical restraint training program was effective. The impact of nurses' workplace, seniority, and clinical ladder level on an educational intervention should be considered before formulating a plan to reduce physical restraint use.

A Meta-Analysis of Comparing Intermittent Epidural Boluses and Continuous Epidural Infusion for Labor Analgesia.

With the development of medical equipment and techniques in labor anesthesia, it is a major issue to investigate the risks and treatment effects among techniques such as continuous epidural infusion (CEI) and intermittent epidural bolus (IEB). However, there is a controversial result regarding two techniques. This study was conducted through meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for labor analgesia between the CEI and IEB techniques. The pooled results were presented as weighted mean differences (WMDs) together with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and odds ratios (ORs) together with 95% CIs, respectively. Eleven RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. Four hundred sixty-five parturients accepted CEI, whereas 473 parturients accepted IEB labor analgesia. Elven identified low- risk bias studies were recruited for meta-analysis. The results presented no statistical difference in cesarean delivery rate between IEB and CEI (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.67-1.37) and duration of second stage of labor (WMD, -3.82 min; 95% CI, -8.28 to 0.64). IEB had statistically significant lessened risk of instrumental delivery (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.39-0.90) and for the use in local anesthetic (WMD, -1.71 mg bupivacaine equivalents per hour; 95% CI, -1.88 and -1.55). Accepted IEB had a higher score of maternal satisfaction (WMD, -6.95 mm; 95% CI, -7.77 to -6.13). Based on evidence, IEB showed a greater benefit for slightly reducing the use in local anesthetic, reduced risk of instrumental delivery, and improved maternal satisfaction for the requirement of labor epidural analgesia for healthy women. In the future, more studies need to be conducted to practice the IEB regimen and explore its influence on labor analgesia.