This study had two aims: (a) to develop a smartphone-based application and (b) to evaluate the effectiveness of the application by measuring nursing students' knowledge, skills, and confidence in simulated performance when providing that care. We conducted a randomized trial using a pre- and post-test design at a university in Korea. Seventy-three junior nursing students participated. A smartphone-based app using a video was developed for the experimental group and one time lecture-based education was designed for the control group. We provided the app and information about its use to the experimental group, and we encouraged its use. We provided classroom instruction to the control group. Then, learning outcomes were evaluated. The smartphone-based education group showed significantly higher scores on skills (t=4.774, p<0.001) and confidence in performance (t=2.888, p=0.005) than the control group. The scores on knowledge (t=0.886, p=0.379) and satisfaction with the learning method (t=0.168, p=0.867) for the experimental group were higher than for the control group, but the differences were not statistically significant. This study suggests that smartphone-based education may be an effective method to use in nursing education related to teaching infant airway obstruction.

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.

To promote the growth and development of premature infants, effective and tender care is required in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The purpose of this study was to test the potential effects of massage therapy on increasing physical growth and promoting gastrointestinal function in premature infants. Twenty subjects were divided into two groups in the NICU of one general hospital located in South Korea. The experimental group (n = 10) were given massage therapy and the control group (n = 10) received routine care. Massage therapy was performed twice daily for 14 days, for 15 minutes per session. In the physical growth, height and chest circumference were significantly increased in the experimental group. In assessing gastrointestinal function, frequency of pre-feed gastric residual was significantly decreased and numbers of bowel movements were significantly increased in the experimental group. This study showed massage therapy has the potential effects on increasing physical growth and gastrointestinal function in premature infants. The massage in the NICU might be utilized as a part of developmental care, but more research needs to be done. NICU nurses need to be trained in massage therapy techniques to provide more effective clinical care for premature infants.

Although there is considerable literature on job satisfaction among nurses in various settings, there is little research about contributing factors, including moral distress to job satisfaction among a certain group of nurses, such as nurses acting as physician assistants. The purpose of this study was to verify the impact of nurse–physician collaboration, moral distress, and professional autonomy on job satisfaction among nurses acting as physician assistants. Descriptive and correlational research was conducted on a convenience sample of 130 nurses from five general hospitals in South Korea. In the final regression model, the adjusted R square was significant, explaining 38.2% of the variance of job satisfaction (F = 8.303, p < 0.001), where ‘cooperativeness’ (β = 0.469, p = 0.001) from nurse–physician collaboration, ‘institutional and contextual factor’ from moral distress (β = −0.292, p = 0.014), and professional autonomy (β = 0.247, p = 0.015) were included. In hospital environments, a more cooperative inter-professional relationship between nurses and physicians led to less moral distress caused by organisational constraints. A higher level of professional autonomy among nurses acting as physician assistants is required to increase their job satisfaction.

Daily life has changed due to COVID-19. This has affected nursing education and caused a shift in online learning. This study examined the effects of online learning on nursing students’ knowledge, self-regulation, and learning flow. We used a quasi-experimental design on a sample comprising 164 senior nursing students. We compared pre- and post-test scores to examine the educational effects. The pre-test was conducted a week before the educational intervention, and the post-test was conducted a week after it. We found a significant increase in knowledge (t = −14.85, p < 0.001) and learning flow (t = −2.15, p = 0.033) in the post-test. We also found an increase in self-regulation (t = −1.57, p = 0.119) from the pre- to the post-test that was not statistically significant. The results could help instructors to provide additional information in online learning. They highlight the need to assess learners’ readiness for online learning and to prepare the learning environment with systematic educational planning, design, development, and evaluation for improving the effectiveness of online learning outcomes.