When knee osteoarthritis is combined with comorbidity, it is associated with limited physical activity. This study aimed to identify barriers to and facilitators of physical activity among Korean female adults with knee osteoarthritis and comorbidity, such as hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. A qualitative content analysis study was conducted. Ten female knee osteoarthritis participants with comorbidity were recruited at an orthopedic outpatient center in South Korea. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and were analyzed using a conventional content analysis method. Ten participants with a mean age of 70.7 years participated in this study. Four categories of barriers and three of facilitators were identified. Barriers to physical activity were physical hardships, lack of motivation, environmental restrictions, and lack of knowledge. Categories of facilitators were pain management, self-control in physical activity, and understanding the importance of physical activity. Participants did not express any social or environmental facilitators of physical exercise. Healthcare professionals should include social support and environmental facilities to achieve medical and institutional compliance. Understanding female adults with knee osteoarthritis and comorbidity would support provision of appropriately tailored interventions that account for the characteristics of the comorbidity.

최근 전 세계의 보건의료 환경은 감염병의 발생률 증가와 함께 신종 감염병 종류의 다양화로 위기상황을 경험하고 있다[1]. 우리나 라의 법정 감염병 발생현황도 2012년 91,936건에서 2017년 182,039건 으로 약 2배의 급속한 증가를 나타내고 있다[2]. 감염병은 질병회복 을 지연시키고 병원재원 기간을 연장시키므로 환자에게 의료비 부 담을 가중시킬 뿐만 아니라, 합병증 발생과 사망률을 증가시켜 궁 극적으로 정신적 고통을 안기고 삶의 질을 저하시킨다[3].

Health assessment as a subject comprises knowledge and practices in which health problems are identified by collecting individual health data. As the subject requires fast learning of voluminous content, it becomes cumbersome. Team-based learning (TBL) has been proposed as an effective teaching and learning strategy in such situations. This study aimed to explore the lived TBL experiences of nursing students from their perspectives in a health assessment subject. This study adopted a qualitative research method. TBL was applied in a health assessment subject at a university in South Korea, as a 2-credit course for 16 weeks. Twelve sophomore nursing students who enrolled in a health assessment subject were the participants. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. The results contained twelve themes categorized into five theme clusters: “Getting ready for learning”, “Effective class promoting concentration and immersion”, “Proactive participation in a non-hierarchical learning environment”, “Complementary collaboration”, and “Sense of burden”. The findings suggest that TBL is an effective teaching and learning strategy for the discipline, imparting positive experiences such as class engagement, teamwork, learning outcomes, and improvement of problem-solving skills if students’ role conflicts and continuous learning burden can be addressed.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) refer to infections that patients may acquire from healthcare facilities through nursing activities. Nursing students involved in patient care are regularly exposed to an array of pathogens and clinical practicum is essential for them to appropriately practice HAI prevention and control. This study aimed to explore the barriers to learning HAI prevention and control experienced by nursing students during their clinical practicum. A qualitative study was performed using focus group interviews. A total of 12 nursing students from South Korea, consisting of six third-year students and six fourth-year students, were enrolled. Both groups had taken clinical practicum courses. Data were collected using semi-structured questions and analyzed with conventional content analysis. Barriers experienced by the participants when learning HAI prevention and control were limited learning opportunities, inadequate infection control-related knowledge, inadequate practicum experience, and passive learning attitudes. Addressing the identified barriers would allow nursing students to effectively acquire infection control competencies during their clinical practicum.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between critical thinking disposition, clinical judgement, nurse–physician collaboration, and triage competency among triage nurses and to identify the factors influencing triage competency. Methods: This descriptive survey study included 152 triage nurses from one tertiary and six general hospitals. Data were collected from 1 September to 1 November 2023 and analysed using SPSS 29.0. Results: Triage competency was positively correlated with critical thinking disposition (r = 0.55, p < 0.001) and clinical judgement (r = 0.61, p < 0.001), while it was negatively correlated with nurse–physician collaboration (r = −0.52, p < 0.001). The hierarchical regression analysis showed that five variables, critical thinking disposition, clinical judgement, nurse–physician collaboration, education level, and years of experience in the emergency department, significantly influenced triage competency. The explanatory power of these variables for triage competency was 63.7% (F = 27.52, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on the findings, increasing the level of cooperation and fostering more cooperative relationships between nurses and physicians are necessary measures to improve their triage competency.