Introduction: Nursing students are susceptible to healthcare-associated infections because of their direct patient interactions during their clinical training. Hence, compliance with standard precautions (SPs) is paramount during their clinical exposure and training. This study investigated the compliance with SPs and its predictors among Saudi nursing students from six universities. Methodology: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in six government universities in Saudi Arabia. A convenience sample of 829 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students was surveyed using the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out to analyze the data. Results: The overall compliance rate of the respondents was 60.1% with a mean score of 12.02 (SD = 4.50). The students reported highest compliance on covering the mouth and nose when wearing a mask, while the lowest compliance was on disposing sharps box before it is full. The university, academic year level, and attendance to infection prevention and control training or seminar in the last six months were identified as significant predictors of the students’ compliance with SPs. Conclusions: The findings provide valuable insights and guidance for improving the practice of SPs among future nurses, which could result in the reduction of infection exposure and its transmission rates among future nurses in clinical settings.

With the development of technology in education, simulations, virtual and online technologies are being incorporated into nursing education, especially for clinical education. This was especially necessary when an event occurred that did not necessarily allow for face-to-face contact, such as Covid-19, disasters like typhoons and others. However, limited resources for clinical education of nurses can contribute to the challenges of incorporating and appropriately utilizing virtual clinical learning technologies. Nursing education has been driven by the use of virtual learning technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, immersive virtual reality simulation, mixed reality, among others, which are delivered using tablets, phones or computers to create a lived experience for an intended learning outcome. This review aims to examine their effectiveness in terms of core professional competencies, problem solving, nursing process and communication skills. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis. Experimental peer-reviewed articles (randomized controlled trials, and quasi-experimental studies with one to two or more groups (pre-/post-test) using e-simulation technology for nursing education and assessment were included. PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched. The search duration was from inception to 30th April 2024. Virtual simulation technologies could be used for the practical teaching of nursing students. These technologies have been shown to significantly improve problem-solving skills (effect size 0.2 to 0.9), communication skills (effect size 0.4–0.7), and core professional competencies (effect size 0.3 to 0.9) with a small to large effect size. The results indicate that virtual simulation technologies have important benefits for students’ learning when integrated into clinical nursing education and practice. Educators should consider the use of virtual learning technologies when revising nursing curricula. It is important that nursing education policy makers integrate the use of virtual simulation into nurse education, and adapting this pedagogical approach could help improve student readiness for effective healthcare delivery.

Measuring Saudi women's subjective happiness during the present period that has brought great transformations in gender equality in KSA is essential to gather reliable information about the present situation of women in KSA. This study intends to test the validity and reliability of the ‘Subjective Happiness Scale’ Arabic version (SHS-A) when applied to Saudi working women. This study also examines the factors that affect the subjective happiness of Saudi working women. This validation study was conducted among 300 Saudi working women to test the psychometric properties of the SHS-A. Validity was evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Multiple regression analysis was also carried out to examine the factors affecting subjective happiness. The PCA identified one factor that explained approximately 66.0% of the variance of the model. The CFA revealed the following findings: normed fit index = 0.982, comparative fit index = 0.990, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.971, goodness-of-fit index = 0.986, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = 0.929, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.086. The x²/df value was 2.09 (x² = 4.189, p = .123). The Cronbach's alpha of the SHS-A in the first and second samples was 0.824 and 0.830, respectively. Employment position, working hours, and monthly salary were found to influence the subjective happiness of Saudi working women. This study provides evidence that supports the validity and reliability of the SHS-A when used among Saudi working women. This valid and reliable tool can open further avenues and opportunities for advancing women's research agenda in KSA and other Arabic-speaking countries for economic and societal progress.

Laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in children and is associated with extreme postoperative discomfort due to peritoneal inflammation and infection. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of postoperative pain (POP) in children after laparoscopic appendectomy. Articles describing or evaluating the control of POP in children with LA were considered eligible. All available literature such as randomized controls, prospective controls, retrospective as well as clinical studies were considered. A comprehensive search was performed in PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, Clinical trials.gov, and Google scholar. The initial search took place on 23 April 2021, and was updated on 24 August 2021. There were no language or date restrictions. Each of the included articles was evaluated separately by two independent reviewers. Additional papers were found by searching the reference lists of eligible studies. Eighteen papers were considered. All papers, and many of them used different methods to treat POP in children undergoing LA, such as lidocaine infusion, different analgesic approaches, ultrasound-guided transverse abdominis blockade (UGTAP), ultrasound-guided quadratus lumborum blockade (UGQLB), and comparison of open appendectomy (OA) with local anesthetics in relation to POP management in children. Laparoscopic appendectomy is the surgical procedure preferred by clinicians compared with open appendectomy in children. A multimodal analgesic approach is optimal and efficient surgical techniques such as UGBRSB, UGQLB, and UGTAP block might significantly impact POP in children except that there are contraindications. Dexmedetomidine proved to be an effective adjuvant that can enhance the effect of local anesthetics. The lack of a sufficient number of studies may be a factor affecting our confidence in the results of this study. Therefore, further evidence-based randomized control trials with a large sample size are needed to provide clarity.