Psychosocial Factors and Quality of Life in Older Adults Discharged After Isolation Due to COVID-19 Infection.

PURPOSE: To identify the impact of psychosocial factors on quality of life (QoL) of older adults hospitalized and isolated after contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHOD: Data were collected between April 30 and June 18, 2022, from 117 discharged older adults who were in isolation for COVID-19 treatment in a tertiary hospital in South Korea. RESULTS: Of participants, 33.3% were at high risk for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and 21.4% of participants were identified as having severe depressive symptoms. Participants' QoL negatively correlated with PTSS, depressive symptoms, and fear of social stigma. Depressive symptoms were the primary psychosocial factor identified as significantly affecting QoL (ß = -0.682, p < 0.001), and the explanatory power of the regression model was 41.2%. CONCLUSION: To enhance QoL of older adults who have experienced hospitalization and isolation due to COVID-19, identifying pertinent psychosocial factors, especially depressive symptoms, is necessary. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(8), 29-36.].

Attitudes Toward Caring for the Oldest-Old and Associated Factors.

PURPOSE: To examine the knowledge, stress levels, and attitudes of clinical nurses regarding care for individuals considered the oldest-old (i.e., aged ≥80 years) and to identify related factors. METHOD: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, data were collected via an online structured questionnaire survey administered to 128 clinical nurses. RESULTS: Participants had low levels of knowledge about the oldest-old with hearing impairments or mental health problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, delirium), and high levels of stress. Factors influencing attitudes toward the oldest-old were graduate or higher educational level (p = 0.002), ≥10 years of work experience (p = 0.049), and lower stress (p = 0.033). The explanatory power of the regression model was 18.1%. CONCLUSION: Further research and development programs should aim to promote positive attitudes toward care for older adults among nurses and develop methods to reduce and better manage stress when caring for these individuals. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(6), 35-43.].

Effectiveness of a mobile-based return to work program for decent return to work, fatigue, stress, and quality of working life among cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a smartphone mobile application-based supportive return to work (RTW) program for cancer survivors and evaluate its effects on their RTW, fatigue, stress, and quality of working life. This program was developed through a comprehensive process involving literature review, interviews with cancer survivors, and consultations with experts. METHODS: A non-equivalent control group pre- and post-test design was used, with 41 participants assigned to the experimental (n = 18) and control (n = 23) groups based on recruitment timing. The experimental group received a 6-week smartphone mobile application-based supportive RTW program comprising "Counseling and Education" and "Self-Management." Participants completed assessments of decent RTW, fatigue, stress, and quality of working life at baseline and 6 months later. The experimental group completed an additional post-program completion survey. RESULTS: During the 6-week program, no experimental group participants dropped out. The program's impact on decent RTW remains unclear. Fatigue (F = 2.52, p = 0.095) and quality of working life (F = 0.86, p = 0.434) did not show statistically significant differences. However, there was a significant reduction in stress (F = 4.59, p = 0.017). CONCLUSION: The smartphone application-based RTW program, focusing on self-management and counseling, effectively reduced participants' stress levels. To further evaluate the effectiveness of the program, a more diverse range of interventions and ongoing programs should be implemented. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: This study underscores the importance of tailored digital interventions to support the RTW of cancer survivors. The use of mobile smartphone applications allows temporal and spatial flexibility in program participation. Interventions involving various activities should be implemented to ensure ongoing participation.

Factors related to preoperative anxiety in older patients with sensory impairment: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: To identify the factors related to preoperative anxiety in older adults with sensory impairment. DESIGN: Descriptive quantitative research design. METHODS: Study participants were 120 older adults admitted to a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea to undergo eye or ear surgery. Data were collected from 11 February to 30 April 2023. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis using SPSS 28.0. The study was reported following the STROBE checklist. RESULTS: Preoperative anxiety differed significantly according to gender (p = .002), average monthly household income (p < .001), subjective health status (p = .003), subjective vision loss (p = .004), one-sided or both-sided eye discomfort (p = .002), use of glasses (p = .010), subjective hearing loss (p = .022) and anxiety coping mechanisms (p < .001). The results of a multiple regression analysis on the significant variables identified that gender (ß = .178, p = .036) and anxiety coping mechanisms (ß = .336, p < .001) had the most significant effect on preoperative anxiety, with an explanatory power of 34.5%. CONCLUSION: The development and practical application of tailored nursing interventions catering to specific genders and anxiety coping mechanisms would contribute to reducing preoperative anxiety and providing efficient nursing care for older adults with sensory impairment.

Types of Social Engagement Among Older Cancer Survivors and the Effect on Depressive Symptoms and Life Satisfaction: A Latent Class Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To identify an empirical typology of social engagement and its association with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction among older cancer survivors. SAMPLE & SETTING: This was a cross-sectional study using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. METHODS & VARIABLES: Latent class analysis was used to categorize social engagement types. Hierarchical regression analysis then investigated the impact of older cancer survivors' social engagement on depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. RESULTS: Three classes were identified as follows: a religiously centered group, a diverse social participation group, and a passive participation group. Hierarchical regression indicated that the depressive symptoms of the diverse social participation group were significantly lower than those of the passive participation group (ß = -0.157, p = 0.002). There was no significant effect on life satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: This study enhances the understanding of engagement patterns and serves as a reference for older cancer survivors who need support.

Factors That Influence Attitudes toward Advance Directives among Female Cancer Patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify attitudes toward advance directives (ADs) among female cancer patients and factors related to ADs. Methods: The study was conducted at a university hospital in Seoul from September 19, 2020, to January 20, 2021. The participants were 153 patients diagnosed with gynecological cancer or breast cancer. Data were collected using questionnaires and included general characteristics, disease- and AD-related characteristics, knowledge and attitudes about ADs, and attitudes about dignified death. Data were analyzed using the t-test, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis. Results: Only 2% of the participants completed ADs. The mean score for attitudes toward ADs was 3.30, indicating a positive knowledge and attitude toward dignified death. The factors related to attitudes toward ADs were attitudes toward dignified death (ß=0.25, P=0.001), experience discussing life-sustaining treatment (ß=0.17, P=0.037), preferred time to have a consultation about ADs (ß=0.19, P=0.046), intention to write ADs (ß= 0.15, P=0.038), and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ß=-0.37, P<0.001). The explanatory power of these variables for attitudes toward ADs was 38.5%. Conclusion: Overall, patients preferred to have a consultation about ADs when they were still active, mentally healthy, and able to make decisions. Education about ADs should be provided to patients on the first day of hospitalization for chemotherapy or while awaiting treatment in an outpatient setting so patients can write ADs and discuss them with family and friends.

Prehospital triage in emergency medical services system: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: During the prehospital phase, paramedics consider patients' condition according to illness, injury, disease and decide on transport to an appropriate hospital according to severity. This can affect patient survival and treatment prognosis, because despite intervention at this early stage, problems such as incorrect triage of severity and inappropriate hospital selection may occur, indicating a need for improvement in the process. PURPOSE: The aim of this review is to identify the overall trend of research conducted on prehospital triage by analyzing the emergency medical services system and presenting future studies to practitioners and researchers. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted of existing literature on research trends in relation to prehospital triage. The studies reviewed were identified using electronic databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus. RESULTS: Ninety-eight documents were finally selected and analyzed that focused on prehospital triage status, process accuracy, tools, guidelines, and protocols. CONCLUSION: Research is proposed that focuses on various non-traumatic patient types, prehospital triage education, and development of training programs to reduce errors in the emergency patient handover process between prehospital and hospital health professionals and to improve patient health and quality of life.

Post-intensive care syndrome and health-related quality of life in long-term survivors of intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide preliminary data for improving the health-related quality of life of long-term intensive care unit survivors by identifying the relationship between health-related quality of life and post-intensive care syndrome. METHODS: Using a descriptive correlation research design, data from patients who visited the outpatient department for continuous treatment after discharge from the intensive care unit were analysed. Post-intensive care syndrome was measured by physical, cognitive, and mental problems. Data were collected from 1st August to 31st December, 2019, and 121 intensive care unit survivors participated in the study. RESULTS: Health-related quality of life showed a negative correlation with physical, mental, and cognitive problems. The factors associated with health-related quality of life were physical and mental problems, education level, sedatives and neuromuscular relaxants, and marital status. CONCLUSIONS: To improve the health-related quality of life of intensive care unit survivors, post-intensive care syndrome prevention is important, and a systematic strategy is required through a long-term longitudinal trace study. In addition, intensive care unit nurses and other healthcare professionals need to provide early interventions to reduce post-intensive care syndrome.

Factors influencing public health nurses' ethical sensitivity during the pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Ethical sensitivity is a prerequisite for ethical nursing practices. Efforts to improve nurses' ethical sensitivity are required to correctly recognise ethical conflicts and for sound decision-making. Because an emerging infectious disease response involves complex ethical issues, it is important to understand the factors that influence public health nurses' ethical sensitivity while caring for patients with COVID-19, an emerging infectious disease. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify the relationship between nursing professionalism, the organisation's ethical climate, and the ethical sensitivity of nurses who care for emerging infectious disease patients in Korean public health centres. Further, it sought to identify factors influencing ethical sensitivity and the mediating effect of the organisational ethical climate to inform guidelines and improve ethical sensitivity. RESEARCH DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT: Data were collected from February 3 to 8 March 2021. Participants included 167 nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in public health centres in South Korea. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Chung-Ang University and followed the principles of research ethics. RESULTS: The factors influencing ethical sensitivity were working at a COVID-19 disease direct response department, nursing professionalism, and organisation's ethical climate. The organisation's ethical climate showed a partial mediating effect on the influence of nursing professionalism on ethical sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that nurses' ethical sensitivity can be improved by refining the organisation's ethical climate and nursing professionalism.

Research Topics and Trends in Interprofessional Education in Nursing: A Text Network Analysis.

To provide nurse-led interprofessional practices in a healthcare setting, carrying out effective research that identifies the trends and characteristics of interprofessional education is necessary. This study aimed to objectively ascertain trends in the field through text network analysis of different types of interprofessional education literature. Titles and thesis abstracts were examined for terms "interprofessional education" and "nursing" and were found in 3926 articles from 1970 to August 2018. Python and Gephi software were used to analyze the data and visualize the networks. Keyword ranking was based on the frequency, degree centrality, and betweenness centrality. The terms "interprofessional," "education," "student," "nursing," and "health" were ranked the highest. According to topic analysis, the methods, provided programs, and outcome measures differed according to the research field. These findings can help create nurse-led research and effective future directions for interprofessional education pathways and topic selection. This will emphasize the importance of expanding research on various education programs and accumulating evidence regarding the professional and interdisciplinary impact these programs have on undergraduate and graduate students.

Convalescent Hospital Use among Young and Older Female Cancer Survivors.

This study analyzed national health data to assess convalescent hospital use among female cancer survivors according to age group. This retrospective study collected data from women recovering from breast, colon, and stomach cancer, based on health insurance claim data over 5 years (2013-2017), from the Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (KHIRA). Interestingly, the number of young and older women who were treated in convalescent hospitals increased every year. In addition, total medical expenses increased in both groups. The annual rate of convalescent hospitalization was higher in older women (8.29~16.39%) than in younger women (4.01~7.46%). The total yearly medical expenses of cancer survivors in convalescent hospitals increased in both age groups and all cancer types, and the range of increase rate was from 7.7% in young breast cancer survivors to 32.2% in young colon cancer survivors. Visit days and days of medication increased noticeably in young colon cancer survivors. Taken together, these data have confirmed the importance of developing standard guidelines for inpatient management in convalescent hospitals and the health management of women cancer survivors by cancer type. This includes establishing a health management system and medical policies.

Health-Related Quality of Life among Cancer Survivors Depending on the Occupational Status.

The study aimed to identify and compare the factors affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL) depending on the occupational status of cancer survivors. This study was a secondary data analysis from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2014 to 2018. Hierarchical multivariate linear regression was used to investigate the factors affecting the HRQoL of each group. Non-working cancer survivors had significantly lower HRQoL than working cancer survivors (p < 0.001). A hierarchical multiple regression model showed that demographic, health-related, and psychological characteristics explained 62.0% of non-working cancer survivors' HRQoL (F = 4.29, p < 0.001). Among the input variables, health-related characteristics were the most influential factors (ΔR2 = 0.274, F = 9.84, p < 0.001). For working cancer survivors, health-related characteristics were the only variable that was statistically associated with HRQoL (F = 5.556, p < 0.001). It is important to enhance physical activities and manage the chronic disease to improve the HRQoL of working cancer survivors. Further, managing health-related characteristics, including depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, is necessary for non-working cancer survivors. Regarding working survivors, psychological factors such as depressive symptoms and suicidal tendencies did not affect HRQoL. Therefore, an early and effective return to work program should be developed for the improvement of their HRQoL.

Optimal Application of Forced Air Warming to Prevent Peri-Operative Hypothermia during Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Patients who undergo abdominal surgery under general anesthesia develop hypothermia in 80-90% of the cases within an hour after induction of anesthesia. Side effects include shivering, bleeding, and infection at the surgical site. However, the surgical team applies forced air warming to prevent peri-operative hypothermia, but these methods are insufficient. This study aimed to confirm the optimal application method of forced air warming (FAW) intervention for the prevention of peri-operative hypothermia during abdominal surgery. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to provide a synthesized and critical appraisal of the studies included. We used PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library CENTRAL to systematically search for randomized controlled trials published through March 2020. Twelve studies were systematically reviewed for FAW intervention. FAW intervention effectively prevented peri-operative hypothermia among patients undergoing both open abdominal and laparoscopic surgery. Statistically significant effect size could not be confirmed in cases of only pre- or peri-operative application. The upper body was the primary application area, rather than the lower or full body. These findings could contribute detailed standards and criteria that can be effectively applied in the clinical field performing abdominal surgery.

The applicability of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide among community-dwelling older persons.

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the application of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide to community-dwelling older persons in South Korea. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used. The data were collected by surveying 200 older persons (117 female, 83 male) aged over 65 years at welfare centers for older persons. The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, the Suicidal Ideation Scale, and the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale were used to assess participants' thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, suicidal ideation, attempts, and the capability for suicide. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the fitness of a model based on the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide. This theory described that perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness lead to suicidal ideation, which is transformed into suicide attempts through an acquired capability for suicide. RESULTS: Perceived burdensomeness was significantly associated with suicidal ideation among older persons, whereas thwarted belongingness was not. Furthermore, suicidal ideation influenced suicide attempts. The acquired capability for suicide moderated the relationship between suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS: To prevent suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among older persons, it is important to prevent them from feeling that they are a burden.

A Network Analysis of Research Topics and Trends in End-of-Life Care and Nursing.

This study identified the trends in end-of-life care and nursing through text network analysis. About 18,935 articles published until September 2019 were selected through searches on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. For topic modeling, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (K = 8) was applied. Most of the top ranked topic words for the degree and betweenness centralities were consistent with the top 1% through the semantic network diagram. Among the important keywords examined every five years, "care" was unrivaled. When analyzing the two- and three-word combinations, there were many themes representing places, roles, and actions. As a result of performing topic modeling, eight topics were derived as ethical issues of decision-making for treatment withdrawal, symptom management to improve the quality of life, development of end-of-life knowledge education programs, life-sustaining care plan for elderly patients, home-based hospice, communication experience, patient symptom investigation, and an analysis of considering patient preferences. This study is meaningful as it analyzed a large amount of existing literature and considered the main trends of end-of-life care and nursing research based on the core subject control and semantic structure.

Factors affecting anxiety and depression in young breast cancer survivors undergoing radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: This study examined anxiety and depression, and their relationship with symptom assessment, uncertainty, social support, and stress in young breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. METHODS: This is a descriptive quantitative study. The participants were 126 patients under 50 years of age with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy. RESULTS: The anxiety and depression levels were higher among those who were married (t = -2.318, p = .022), non-religious (t = 4.510, p = .005), and had a higher monthly income (F = 2.840, p = .041). The hierarchical regression analysis model included symptom assessment, uncertainty, social support, and stress, and accounted for about 49% of the variance in anxiety and depression (F = 7.688, p < .001). Additionally, uncertainty (ß = 0.304, p = .001) and stress (ß = 0.308, p = .001) were significant predictors of anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, nursing interventions are needed to reduce uncertainty and stress in order to reduce anxiety and depression in young breast cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment.

The mediating role of interpersonal needs on attitude towards ageing and its relationship with community sense and depression among community-dwelling older adults.

This study aimed to determine the impact of community sense, depression and interpersonal needs on attitude towards ageing among older adults. This is a cross-sectional and correlational study. From December 2018 to June 2019, 211 community-dwelling older adults from a mid-sized city in Korea participated in the study. The results showed a significant interpersonal needs path from depression and community sense to attitude towards ageing. When interpersonal needs were mediated, the indirect effect of both depression and community sense on attitude towards ageing was significant. Interpersonal needs had a significant mediating effect on the relationships between attitude towards ageing and community sense and depression. The results of this study showed the effects of socio-psychological factors on attitude towards ageing, which is a known indicator of successful ageing and quality of life improvement in older adults. Based on this study, we suggest that the development of programs to promote successful ageing should include strategies to improve community sense, interpersonal needs fulfilment and interventions to reduce depression.

Factors associated with the undertriage of patients with abdominal pain in an emergency room.

INTRODUCTION: The triage process lasts for a very short time, which can result in over-triage and under-triage. Studies have explored factors related to under-triage among trauma patients. In Korea, the clinical characteristics and severity of cases of under-triaged patients have been investigated. However, there is limited research on the under-triage of patients experiencing abdominal pain. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the under-triage rate of emergency department (ED) patients with abdominal pain, as well as the factors associated with their under-triage. METHODS: The participants of this retrospective cohort study were 3,030 adult patients at a single tertiary hospital in Korea, who were brought to the ED for abdominal pain as the chief complaint. Participants' general characteristics, pain-related information, and environmental information were obtained from their electronic medical records. RESULTS: The under-triage rate of ED patients with abdominal pain was 31.0%. Factors related to the under-triage of these patients were sex, age, visit route, time from the onset of the pain to the visit, location of pain, and intensity of pain. CONCLUSION: These findings provide a foundation for the understanding and mitigation of under-triage in EDs through the identification of factors associated with under-triage in patients with abdominal pain.

Identification of the Knowledge Structure of Cancer Survivors' Return to Work and Quality of Life: A Text Network Analysis.

This study aimed to understand the trends in research on the quality of life of returning to work (RTW) cancer survivors using text network analysis. Titles and abstracts of each article were examined to extract terms, including "cancer survivors", "return to work", and "quality of life", which were found in 219 articles published between 1990 and June 2020. Python and Gephi software were used to analyze the data and visualize the networks. Keyword ranking was based on the frequency, degree centrality, and betweenness centrality. The keywords commonly ranked at the top included "breast", "patients", "rehabilitation", "intervention", "treatment", and "employment". Clustering results by grouping nodes with high relevance in the network led to four clusters: "participants and method", "type of research and variables", "RTW and education in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors", and "rehabilitation program". This study provided a visualized overview of the research on cancer survivors' RTW and quality of life. These findings contribute to the understanding of the flow of the knowledge structure of the existing research and suggest directions for future research.

Identifying the Factors That Affect Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Aged Menopausal Women: A Nationwide Study in Korea.

Depressive symptoms do not persistently negatively affect functioning throughout the life span, but they may affect quality of life (QOL), especially in middle-aged women. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors associated with depressive symptoms in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. This descriptive study was a secondary analysis of the data from the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that was conducted in 2016. Of the 8150 participants, the analysis included 644 premenopausal women and 459 postmenopausal women aged 40-60 years. The factors associated with depressive symptoms in the participants were examined using multivariate regression analysis. It was found that the depressive symptoms of postmenopausal middle-aged women were greater than those of premenopausal women. While a high perceived stress status and high pain-related discomfort were factors that influenced depressive symptoms among the premenopausal group, a high level of discomfort due to anxiety/depression, a poor perceived health status, shortened weekend sleep time, and smoking were associated with depressive symptoms in the postmenopausal group. Thus, it is necessary to develop an intervention to decrease depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women that considers their QOL, which is associated with depression, their subjective health status, sleep time, and smoking cessation.