Wellness and sleep quality in Korean nursing students: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Nursing students often experience stress and related sleep disturbances in striving to meet their academic needs. Wellness is the optimal state of health required to perform their roles successfully. AIM: This study aimed to examine the relationship between wellness and sleep quality among nursing students in South Korea. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive and correlational study, using standardized tools assessing sleep quality and wellness. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling. We surveyed 237 nursing students from two Korean universities, who agreed to participate in this study and completed a self-reported questionnaire between June 2017 and March 2018. The online questionnaire collected data on general information about the participants, their wellness, and their sleep quality. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test and correlation analyses. RESULTS: We found a significant difference in wellness between the good-quality and poor-quality sleep groups and a positive correlation between nursing students' wellness and sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that improving sleep quality is important for enhancing wellness among nursing students. Therefore, academic efforts are needed to improve nursing students' sleep quality and maximize their overall wellness and positively impact patient care.

Effects of case-based learning on communication skills, problem-solving ability, and learning motivation in nursing students.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of case-based learning on communication skills, problem-solving ability, and learning motivation in sophomore nursing students. In this prospective, quasi-experimental study, we compared the pretest and post-test scores of an experimental group and a nonequivalent, nonsynchronized control group. Both groups were selected using convenience sampling, and consisted of students enrolled in a health communication course in the fall semesters of 2011 (control group) and 2012 (experimental group) at a nursing college in Suwon, South Korea. The two courses covered the same material, but in 2011 the course was lecture-based, while in 2012, lectures were replaced by case-based learning comprising five authentic cases of patient-nurse communication. At post-test, the case-based learning group showed significantly greater communication skills, problem-solving ability, and learning motivation than the lecture-based learning group. This finding suggests that case-based learning is an effective learning and teaching method.

Prevalence and predictors of poor sleep quality in Korean older adults.

The purposes of this study were to evaluate the levels of sleep quality and to examine its related factors in the elderly Korean adults. A cross-sectional research design was used, and 157 adults, aged from 65 to 89, were recruited from five community health centres in Gyeonggi province and Seoul, Korea. All participants were informed about the purpose of the study and were asked to provide demographic characteristics, chronic conditions, self-rated health, pain, depression, life satisfaction and sleep quality. More than 60% of the participants reported having poor sleep quality. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that age, self-rated health, pain and depression were related to poor sleep quality. The findings suggest that it is important to screen regularly for sleep quality, and attention to depression, poor self-rated health and perceived pain were needed to improve sleep quality of older adults.

[The effect of exercise program on health and depression in the elderly].

PURPOSE: The main purpose of this study was to compare the effects of OSCE method and the traditional evaluation method on nursing skills performance of students enrolled in fundamentals of nursing courses. METHOD: The study was designed as a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group post test design with two classes of sophomore students attending fundamentals of nursing courses at one baccaleureate nursing school located in a metropolitan Seoul area. The control group was evaluated using a traditional method and the experimental group was evaluated using the OSCE method. Data were collected from June, 2001 to June, 2002. There were 35 students in the OSCE method group and 39 students in the control group. Data analysis was done using SPSS WIN 9.0. RESULT: The results showed that the students in the OSCE method group did significantly better in clinical nursing skills performance than the students in the traditional method group. And the OSCE method group showed significantly higher satisfaction score in the evaluation method than the control group. CONCLUSION: The OSCE method is an effective tool for evaluating clinical nursing skills performance in student nurses. It is necessary to explore more efficient ways to develop OSCE cases in wider areas of nursing education. It is also recommended to replicate similar studies in nursing education.

Effect of case-based learning on the development of graduate nurses' problem-solving ability.

Case-based learning (CBL) is a teaching strategy which promotes clinical problem-solving ability. This research was performed to investigate the effects of CBL on problem-solving ability of graduate nurses. This research was a quasi-experimental design using pre-test, intervention, and post-test with a non-synchronized, non-equivalent control group. The study population was composed of 190 new graduate nurses from university hospital A in Korea. Results of the research indicate that there was a statistically significant difference in objective problem-solving ability scores of CBL group demonstrating higher scores. Subjective problem-solving ability was also significantly higher in CBL group than in the lecture-based group. These results may suggest that CBL is a beneficial and effective instructional method of training graduate nurses to improve their clinical problem-solving ability.

[The effects of case-based learning using video on clinical decision making and learning motivation in undergraduate nursing students].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of case-base learning (CBL) using video on clinical decision-making and learning motivation. METHODS: This research was conducted between June 2009 and April 2010 as a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design. The study population was 44 third year nursing students who enrolled in a college of nursing, A University in Korea. The nursing students were divided into the CBL and the control group. The intervention was the CBL with three cases using video. The controls attended a traditional live lecture on the same topics. With questionnaires objective clinical decision-making, subjective clinical decision-making, and learning motivation were measured before the intervention, and 10 weeks after the intervention. RESULTS: Significant group differences were observed in clinical decision-making and learning motivation. The post-test scores of clinical decision-making in the CBL group were statistically higher than the control group. Learning motivation was also significantly higher in the CBL group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that CBL using video is effective in enhancing clinical decision-making and motivating students to learn by encouraging self-directed learning and creating more interest and curiosity in learning.

[Factors influencing relocation stress syndrome in patients following transfer from intensive care units].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the levels of relocation stress syndrome (RSS) and influencing the stress experienced by Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients just after transfer to general wards. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 257 patients who transferred from the intensive care unit. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires from May to October, 2009. Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and stepwise multiple linear regression with SPSS/WIN 12.0. RESULTS: The mean score for RSS was 17.80+/-9.16. The factors predicting relocation stress syndrome were symptom experience, differences in scope and quality of care provided by ICU and ward nursing staffs, satisfaction with transfer process, length of stay in ICU and economic status, and these factors explained 40% of relocation stress syndrome (F=31.61, p<.001). CONCLUSION: By understanding the stress experienced by ICU patients, nurses are better able to provide psychological support and thus more holistic care to critically ill patients. Further research is needed to consider the impact of relocation stress syndrome on patients' health outcomes in the recovery trajectory.