Evaluation of the symptom-focused health assessment and empathy program for undergraduate nursing students: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Health assessments are a vital competency required of nurses. The more traditional ways of teaching and learning this skill require practice and are often limited by time constraints. With the rise of technology-based platforms, students can supplement their learning health assessment skills through other means, such as videos, that not only teach the steps but also allow them to learn in context. OBJECTIVES: This study describes how a symptom-focused health assessment and empathy (SHAE) program, which primarily involves the use of a case-based health assessment video, was implemented and evaluated. DESIGN: The study involved a single-centre, single-blind, parallel randomized controlled trial. SETTINGS: The study was conducted at a university in Singapore. PARTICIPANTS: Year one undergraduate nursing students enrolled in the Comprehensive Health Assessment (CHA) module during semester two of the academic year 2018/2019 participated in the study. METHODS: Participants were randomized into one of the two parallel groups: the experimental group or the waitlisted control (WL) group. The experimental group received the SHAE program in addition to conventional learning methods (e-lectures, lab demonstration, and pair practice). The WL group received only the conventional learning methods. Pre- and post-test measures of the study variables such as knowledge, health assessment skills, confidence, empathy, and intention to learn were conducted. The WL group was given access to the SHAE program after the post-test. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to compare the means of the study variables between the intervention and WL groups. RESULTS: Participants in the intervention group had significantly higher scores on knowledge (p = 0.016), confidence (p = 0.03), and health assessment skills (p = 0.004). No significant differences in intention to learn and empathy between the two groups were found. CONCLUSION: The use of a case-based video has the potential to be a valuable method of teaching health assessments in context to nursing students. The SHAE program has shown beneficial effects on students' knowledge, health assessment skills, and confidence. However, there was no effect on students' intentions to learn and their empathy. Further refinements of the program will need to focus on improving these domains.

Association between out-of-home trips and older adults' functional fitness.

AIM: To explore the purposes of older adults' out-of-home trips, and to investigate the association between the frequency of these trips and older adults' functional fitness. METHODS: A total of 412 older adults in Taiwan were recruited from 2009 to 2010. Participants were asked to fill out questionnaires on out-of-home trips, and trained volunteers assessed the functional fitness of respondents using objective measures. Descriptive statistics, univariate analysis, multivariate regression analysis and canonical correlation analysis were then used to analyze the resulting data. RESULTS: Results show that exercise is most frequently the purpose for going out at least once a day, and that parks are the most preferred places to visit. Sex and age are the significant variables explaining variance in older adults' flexibility and physical power, respectively. Canonical correlation analysis showed one significant variate pair (R(2)(c) = 8.80) between the frequency of out-of-home trips (engaging in exercise and participating in religious activities) and fitness measure test scores including the chair stand, arm curl, 2-min step, and 8-foot up-and-go. The relationship did not exist for the back scratch, nor chair sit-and-reach test scores. CONCLUSION: The present study provides empirical and objective evidence on older adults' purposes for taking out-of-home trips, and for the positive association between the frequency of these trips, and the muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance, but not flexibility, of older adults.

Hospital-based study of the economic burden associated with rotavirus diarrhea in Taiwan.

Rotavirus infection is the most important cause of diarrheal illness in small children in both developed and developing countries. In addition to causing morbidity and mortality in children, the treatment of rotavirus gastroenteritis is a major economic burden on the health care system and families. The purpose of this study was to estimate the economic burden associated with rotavirus infection in Taiwan. To do this, we combined data on the disease burden of a rotavirus-associated hospital admission with detailed cost data for a sample of 2,600 children with diarrhea who were admitted to the hospital. The annual total social and hospital costs for rotavirus-associated admission calculated from data collected during April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2003 was US $13.3 million and US $10.4 million, respectively. On average, families spent US $294 when their child's admission was associated with rotavirus infection; this cost represents approximately 40% of the monthly salary of an unskilled or service worker. In conclusion, these data emphasize the potential for a safe and effective rotavirus vaccine to reduce the economic burden associated with rotavirus disease.