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.

Kyung-Ah Kang, R.N., Ph.D., SuJeong Yu, R.N., Ph.D., Cho Hee Kim, R.N., Ph.D., Myung-Nam Lee, R.N., Ph.D., Sujeong Kim, R.N., Ph.D., So-Hi Kwon, R.N., Ph.D., Sanghee Kim, R.N., Ph.D., Hyun Sook Kim, R.N., A.P.N., Ph.D., Myung-Hee Park, R.N., Ph.D. and Sung Eun Choi, R.N., A.P.N., M.S.N.. J Hosp Palliat Care 2022;25:85-97. https://doi.org/10.14475/jhpc.2022.25.2.85

Care for patients with asthma requires prompt and effective decision-making abilities. Many nursing students report a lack of preparedness and competence with respect to their ability to perform nursing duties. Simulation-based learning has been developed as a potential solution to this problem. Moreover, the simulation scenario with an evaluation checklist offers a reliable evaluation strategy for the education and training of clinical decision-making skills among nursing students. The simulation scenario and evaluation checklist developed in this study offer a means to improve patient safety during asthma care in the emergency care unit, as well as to improve nursing students’ problem-solving competencies and communication with patients with asthma.

(1) Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the prevalence of obesity or severe obesity has increased worldwide to the point that it has even been referred to as a new disease. However, the impacts of the pandemic on obesity or severe obesity remain unclear, thus requiring a thorough examination of the leading factors of obesity and severe obesity during this time. (2) Methods: The required dataset for this study was extracted from the eighth (2019–2020) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES). The survey’s data for 2019 and 2020 were analyzed to confirm the leading factors of obesity and severe obesity before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. The samples were weighted, and the data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. (3) Results: In 2020, the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity in the Korean adult population aged 19 and over, compared with the normal weight group, showed significant increases of 2.5% and 1.4%, respectively, compared with those rates in 2019 (p < 0.05). The main variables affecting the obesity prevalence in Korean adults aged 19 and over in 2020 were gender, age, sitting time per day, and walking time per day, and the factors affecting severe obesity were gender and age. Meanwhile, the daily energy intake variable had no impact on the prevalence of obesity and severe obesity. (4) Conclusions: These findings will serve as a basis to help the present management directions and treatment approaches for individuals with obesity or severe obesity in the post-COVID-19 era.