This study was conducted to identify and compare the effects of two education programs for infection control―a simulation using standardized patients and a peer role-play―on standard precaution knowledge, standard precaution awareness, infection-related anxiety, and infection control performance. This study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. A total of 62 undergraduate nursing students in their 3rd year participated in the study, and were assigned to the experimental and control groups, accordingly. The infection control education program was developed based on the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model. The program for the experimental group included lectures, skills training, simulation using standardized patients, and debriefing, while the control group participated in the usual infection control education, consisting of lectures, skills training, and peer tutoring practices. Both groups exhibited statistically significant increases in knowledge, awareness of standard precaution, and infection control performance after the intervention. Infection-related anxiety and infection control performance were significantly higher in the simulation using a standardized patient group. Both education programs influenced compliance with the standard precaution for infection control. The results of this study contribute to the evidence regarding effective educational methods to improve infection control.

The availability of a wide range of online health-related information on the internet has made it an increasingly popular source of health information, particularly for people in their 20s. This study aimed to explore possible multistep and indirect pathways of association between e-health literacy and health-promoting behaviors through social media use for health information, online health information-seeking behaviors, and self-care agency among nursing students. The study included 558 nursing students from three different universities in South Korea. Data were collected using structured questionnaires from 2 August to 29 August, 2019. The results show that e-health literacy had a significant direct effect on health-promoting behaviors through the three mediators. Moreover, the overall model explained 46% of the total variance in health-promoting behaviors. Based on these findings, it is necessary to introduce interventions that improve e-health literacy and develop a strategy to promote healthy behaviors. It is also necessary to develop programs to improve e-health literacy competency in nursing students. Moreover, health interventions that improve health-promoting behaviors should be developed, and research to evaluate the effect of the interventions should be conducted.

With the global pandemic of the coronavirus disease, virtual reality simulation (vSim) has emerged as a simulation educational method. The purpose of this study is to examine the learning effects of vSim by comparing three different educational modalities of nursing care for children with asthma. A quasi-experimental design with three different teaching methods, vSim, high-fidelity simulation (HFS), and vSim with HFS, were used in the study. The group using vSim with HFS showed the highest scores in knowledge, confidence in practice, and performance compared to groups using vSim or HFS alone. Simulation practice using vSim combined with HFS could be an effective educational method for nursing students.

As the number of older adults with dementia increases, early diagnosis and intervention are crucially important. The purpose of this study was to conduct dementia screening on older adults to determine whether there are differences in depression, loneliness, social support, daily activities of living, and life satisfaction between older adults at high-risk for dementia compared with low-risk older adults. We hypothesized a negative relationship between high-risk older adults and these factors. This study also hypothesized a moderating effect for social support on the relationship between daily living activities and life satisfaction. This study used a cross-sectional design with survey data. Participants were recruited at 15 public community health centers in South Korea. A total of 609 older adults (male 208, female 401) living in the community were screened for early dementia, and 113 participants (18.9%) were assigned to the high-risk group. As hypothesized, participants in the high-risk group showed significantly more negative results in terms of activities of daily living, depression, loneliness, social support, and life satisfaction compared with participants in the low-risk group. The findings of this study provide a theoretical basis for the importance of early screening for dementia and policies for effective dementia prevention.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a virtual reality simulation and a blended simulation on nursing care for children with asthma through an evaluation of critical thinking, problem-solving processes, and clinical performance in both education groups before and after the educational intervention. Methods: The participants were 48 nursing students. The experimental group (n=22) received a blended simulation, combining a virtual reality simulation and a high-fidelity simulation, while the control group (n=26) received only a virtual reality simulation. Data were collected from February 25 to 28, 2019 and analyzed using SPSS version 25 for Windows. Results: The pretest and posttest results of each group showed statistically significant improvements in critical thinking, problem-solving processes, and clinical performance. In a comparison of the results of the two education groups, the only statistically significant difference was found for critical thinking. Conclusion: Simulationbased education in child nursing has continued to involve high-fidelity simulations that are currently run in many programs. However, incorporating a new type of blended simulation, combining a virtual reality simulation and a high-fidelity simulation, into the nursing curriculum may contribute to the further development of nursing education.