[Gamification and Game-Based Learning in Nursing Education].

With the recent rapid changes in the medical environment and technology, traditional teaching methods are no longer sufficient to meet current professional needs. There is an increasing demand for emerging technologies in higher education, necessitating more interactive and personalized educational approaches. Hence, educators are exploring innovative teaching interventions, including digital simulations and gamified learning, to enhance motivation and engagement in learning. In this article, the concept and core elements of gamified learning are introduced and related methods applicable to nursing education such as digital simulations, virtual reality, tabletop games, and escape rooms are described. In addition, gamification teaching techniques that enhance student learning motivation as well as improve learning outcomes in theory and practice are discussed. Gamified learning enables nursing students to practice in rich and diverse interactive simulated environments. Using appropriate teaching strategies, the gamified approach to learning can strengthen critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and communication confidence in students. Designing game mechanisms and methods that align with educational objectives and mastering the key principles of gamified teaching is an effective approach to diversifying and enhancing the effectiveness of learning activities in the classroom.

Challenges faced by community connectors: lessons learned from a Taiwan public health initiative.

BACKGROUND: Effective solutions that meet the diverse community health needs of older adult populations are of critical importance. To address these needs, a nationwide community connector team-tasked with providing referral support to older adult populations and completing an asset mapping resource inventory initiative centered around the needs of older adult populations-was developed in Taiwan. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore community connectors' experiences and challenges. METHODS: Community connectors (n = 26) across four diverse sites participated in focus group interviews in July 2020. Interviews explored the challenges community connectors encountered in their roles; the strategies used to address these challenges; the asset mapping process; and on how they conceptualized their roles. Qualitative content analysis was applied. RESULTS: Three themes were uncovered: developing community ties, cross-organization interactions and professional conflicts. The findings show that community connectors face hurdles in uncovering community resources and that they experience considerable professional instability. The findings also shed light on the day-to-day approaches used to navigate on-the-job challenges and the steps taken to develop community partnerships. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences of community connectors provide important insights and can serve to illuminate the development of similar initiatives that seek to use community connectors for community health related purposes.

Factors Associated With Undiagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Overweight and Obese High-Tech Employees: A Multisite Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Being overweight or obese is regarded as crucial risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Objectives: This study aimed to determine the influencing factors of overweight and obese employees with OSA in high-tech workplaces. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed. A total of 491 overweight and obese participants were recruited from a large-scale electronics industry. The Chinese version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Epworth Sleep Scale, and a portable sleep monitoring device were used for data collection. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors affecting overweight and obese employees with OSA. This study was conducted from August 2019 to July 2020. Results: 60.5% of the overweight and obese participants were found to have OSA, of which 58.9% had mild and 18.5% had severe OSA, respectively. The results showed that age, neck circumference, snoring, and habitual drinking were the crucial factors affecting OSA. Remarkably, age and snoring times showed a significant correlation in predicting OSA of different severities. Neck circumference was an independent risk factor for moderate and severe OSA. Conclusion: More than 60% of the overweight and obese high-tech workplace employees were found to have OSA. We found that the older the age, the larger the neck circumference, a higher number of snoring instances, and drinking were important risk factors for predicting OSA in overweight high-tech employees. The healthcare providers should actively educate OSA-related information for employees in the workplace, and promote high-risk OSA groups to adopt screening based on at-home sleep apparatus.

Comparing the Effectiveness of Multicomponent Sleep-Promoting Interventions on the Sleep Quality of Menopausal Women: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Sleep disturbance is considered one of the hallmarks of the common symptoms experienced by women during and after menopause. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two different multiple-component, sleep-promoting interventions on the sleep quality of menopausal women. A quasi-experimental study and repeated measured design, with a four-week sleep-promoting intervention, was conducted. A total of 123 eligible participants were recruited from a health center in northern Taiwan and divided into the progressive muscle relaxation plus sleep hygiene (PMRS), the meditative movement relaxation plus sleep hygiene (MMRS), or control group at a 1:1:1 ratio. The Chinese version of Pittsburgh sleep quality index and actigraphy were used to assess the sleep disturbances of menopausal women. The subjective sleep data was collected before, immediately after the intervention, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks after the intervention. The results showed that the global score of subjective sleep quality and its components were significantly improved after both interventions. Additionally, the MMRS was superior to the PMRS for subjective sleep quality. Moreover, the objective sleep indices indicated that sleep latency was reduced after both the interventions. These findings can serve as a reference for nurses when caring for menopausal women with sleep disturbance.

Enhancing reflection on medical and surgical nursing among nursing students: A participatory action research study.

BACKGROUND: Medical and Surgical Nursing (MSN) is a core course in baccalaureate nursing programs that requires active and effective teaching and learning strategies to enhance students' engagement. OBJECTIVE: To develop and implement an effective learning process for students undertaking the MSN course. DESIGN: This participatory action research study used reflection as the center of action in the cycle of planning, acting, observing and reflecting and re-planning. SETTING: The study was conducted at a University in southern Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty nursing students in their second year of a bachelor program in nursing, aged 19 to 20 years, were recruited via email and completed the study. METHODS: The data were collected from February to June 2019 through reflective workshops, group discussions, individual interviews, and field notes. A qualitative content analysis was performed. Four criteria were considered to ensure the trustworthiness of the study process: reliability, validity, transferability, and authentic citations. RESULTS: Four key themes - two challenges and two adaptive strategies - emerged in relation to the spiral process of improving teaching and learning in the MSN course. Participants experienced two main challenges: the large amount of multidisciplinary knowledge expected, and the rapid pace of the course. The two adaptive strategies were: recognizing their own unique way of learning and becoming an active learner and achiever. CONCLUSIONS: The project helped students to identify their own learning challenges, recognize the need to modify their attitudes and approaches to learning, improve teaching and learning in the MSN course, and identify the characteristics relevant to becoming an active learner and achiever.

Family needs of critically ill patients in the emergency department.

INTRODUCTION: Family members' experience a range of physiological, psychological and emotional impacts when accompanying a critically ill relative in the emergency department. Family needs are influenced by their culture and the context of care, and accurate clinician understanding of these needs is essential for patient- and family-centered care delivery. The aim of this study was to describe the needs of Taiwanese family members accompanying critically ill patients in the emergency department while waiting for an inpatient bed and compare these to the perceptions of emergency nurses. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted in a large medical center in Taiwan. Data were collected from 150 family members and 150 emergency nurses who completed a Chinese version of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory. RESULTS: Family members ranked needs related to 'communication with family members,' as most important, followed by 'family member participation in emergency department care', 'family member support' and 'organizational comfort'; rankings were similar to those of emergency nurses. Compared to nurses, family members reported higher scores for the importance of needs related to 'communication with family members' and 'family members' participation in emergency department care'. CONCLUSIONS: Family members place greater importance than emergency nurses on the need for effective communication.