Development of Nursing Informatics Competence Scale for Korean Clinical Nurses.

Much of the research on nursing informatics competence has been conducted in a Western context. Thus, this study aimed to develop the Korean Nursing Informatics Competence Assessment Scale for clinical nurses and to evaluate its validity and reliability. A total of 52 items were derived based on the hybrid model. After a content validity test by six experts and item evaluation by 20 nurses, the scale was revised to include 35 items. For this study, 214 nurses completed the nursing informatics competence assessment scale to verify the scale's reliability and validity. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed five factors composed of 20 items; the fit index of the derived model was good. A positive correlation between scores on the nursing informatics competence scale and the patient safety competence scale ( r = .66, P < .001) was found for the criterion-related validity test. Cronbach's α was .91, indicating that the instrument is reliable and stable. Overall, this study provides preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of the Korean nursing informatics competence assessment scale to evaluate clinical nurses. This study contributes to the understanding and improvement of nursing informatics competence by providing a reliable scale for assessing clinical nursing practice.

Assessment of User Needs for Telemedicine Robots in a Developing Nation Hospital Setting.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the needs of medical users of telemedicine robots to encourage international cooperation and development. Introduction: As the use of telemedicine expands, it is necessary to develop new systems, including robots, which consider the perceived needs of end users to ensure quality of care and positive user experience. Materials and Methods: A survey of medical staff was conducted at a hospital in Vietnam to investigate users' needs for a telemedicine robot system. Results: A total of 117 medical staff participated in the survey, comprising 74 nurses and 43 doctors. The most preferred type of robot was the humanoid type, female version, and the preferred mobility type was walking. The most requested functions were "heart rate measurement," "recognition and avoidance of obstacles," "oxygen saturation measurement," "Transmitting Medical Information," and "wireless system." In addition, the most important considerations in developing a robot system were "cleaning the robot to prevent infection," followed by "convenience of operation." Discussion: The results of this study largely supported those of similar previous studies. However, some differences may reflect the cultural variation or differences in the level of medical development across contexts. Conclusion: To apply robotic systems to help develop telemedicine internationally, it is essential to develop a robot that reflects actual users' needs. If relevant matters such as legal issues are considered and addressed, an appropriate robotic telemedicine system can be successfully developed. Consequently, telemedicine can improve the quality of local medical care, strengthen practitioner capacity, and improve outcomes.

Economic Evaluation of Robot-Based Telemedicine Consultation Services.

Background: Through information and communication technology, telemedicine can deliver medical care without time and place restrictions, increasing health care accessibility in medically underdeveloped regions. Although there is growing interest in using robots in telemedicine, there are few economic evaluation studies of robot-based telemedicine. Introduction: Robots developed for use in telemedicine consultation services may help address the challenges that result from Korean physicians' efforts to support patients in Vietnam. We perform a cost-benefit analysis to assess the economic feasibility of a robot-based telemedicine consultation system compared with traditional face-to-face outpatient services. Methods: A cost-benefit analysis is performed of a robot-based telemedicine consultation system between S Hospital in Korea and H Hospital in Vietnam. The threshold was calculated as the point at which the cost of providing telemedicine consultation equals the cost of providing the same service using traditional methods. Results: The annual cost of a robot-based telemedicine consultation system was estimated as 6,056.40 USD, whereas the annual benefit from replacing traditional outpatient services was estimated as 1,508.51 USD, resulting in a threshold point of 4.01 visits per year. Consequently, if the telemedicine consultation robot system replaces >4.01 physician visits per year, it is more economical than conventional face-to-face services. If the physician needs to stay longer, the threshold will be lower. Conclusions: As our results show, robot-based systems for telemedicine have economic value and can potentially offer a solution to the unmet health care needs among patients living in medically underdeveloped regions by providing proper and timely medical care.

Development and usability evaluation of a bedside robot system for inpatients.

BACKGROUND: Many inpatients become anxious or frightened about scheduled treatment processes, and medical staff do not have sufficient time to provide emotional support. The recent advancement of information and communications technology (ICT) and the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including robots, in the health care field is being put to the test. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop a bedside robot system to deliver information and provide emotional support to inpatients and to evaluate the usability and perceptions of the developed robot. METHODS: The first stage was accomplished by deriving essential functions from the results of user demand surveys on robots and by implementing a prototype by mapping each essential function to the robot's hardware and software. For the second stage, the robot was assessed for usability and perceptions in a simulation center, a hospital-like environment, by 10 nurses, 10 inpatients, and family caregivers. Usability and perception were evaluated using the think-aloud method, a survey, and individual interviews. RESULTS: Based on the usability evaluation, the perceived usefulness, ease of use, and satisfaction were 5.28 ± 1.27 points, 5.42 ± 1.55 points, and 5.27 ± 1.46 points out of 7, respectively. It was found that overall, the robot was positively perceived by participants. As a result of the qualitative data analysis, the participants perceived the robot as an object that had the positive effect of providing emotional support through communication. CONCLUSIONS: The bedside robot in this study, which incorporated human-robot interaction (HRI) technology, is an alternative suited to the new normal era that will contribute to ensuring that patients have more self-directed hospital stays as well as emotional support through information delivery and communication.

Capacitance-based assay for real-time monitoring of endocytosis and cell viability.

Label-free cell-based assays have emerged as a promising means for high-throughput screening. Most label-free sensors are based on impedance measurements that reflect the passive electrical properties of cells. Here we introduce a capacitance-based assay that measures the dielectric constant (capacitance) of biological cells, and demonstrate the feasibility of analyzing endocytosis and screening chemotherapeutic agents with this assay. Endocytosis induces a change in the zeta potential, leading to a change in the dielectric constant which enables real-time endocytosis monitoring using the capacitance sensor. Additionally, since the dielectric constant is proportional to cell radius and cell volume, cell viability can be estimated from the change in capacitance. Therefore, the capacitance sensor array can also be used for cytotoxicity testing for large-scale chemotherapeutic screening.