Choi ES, et al. J Korean Acad Nurs. 2012 Dec;42(7):1070-1078. http://dx.doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2012.42.7.1070

Structural changes in the Korean population, such as a growing trend toward nuclear families and urbanization, have given rise to a generational gap between older adults and the younger generation. The current study developed a 6-week intergenerational program to facilitate interactions between nursing home residents and high school students. The effects of the program were examined in 120 participants (60 nursing home residents and 60 high school students) in the southern area of South Korea. The intergenerational program helped nursing home residents rediscover the value of their lives, have positive feelings about their lives, and adapt to circumstances through the sustained positive interactions with the younger generation. Adolescents obtained wisdom from older adults' experiences, understanding of the value of life, and positive perceptions of older adults through in-depth communication. The current findings suggest that the intergenerational program for nursing home residents and adolescents is a valuable nursing intervention in Korea to overcome the generational gap and achieve developmental tasks. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44 (1), 32–41.]

Aims and objectives: To develop a smartphone application‐based dietary self‐management program for haemodialysis patients and to examine its effects on biochemical indicators, self‐efficacy and quality of life.Background: Lack of dietary management in haemodialysis patients can lead to serious complications such as oedema, hyponatremia, hyperkalaemia, hypertension, uraemia and eventually death; however, studies using smartphone applications for dietary self‐management in haemodialysis patients are rare.Design: A prospective, single‐blind, randomised, controlled design with repeated measures was followed with 75 haemodialysis patients at a haemodialysis centre. Data were collected from 10 January 2017–6 May 2018. The study applied the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement.Methods: The 8‐week smartphone application‐based dietary self‐management program was developed through collaboration with a haemodialysis equipment company. The experimental group took this program while the control group took an 8‐week general program. Study variables were serum phosphorus, potassium and albumin, self‐efficacy and quality of life. They were measured at pretest, and 8 weeks and 12 weeks after the programs, and analysed using two‐way repeated measures analysis of variance.Findings: The smartphone application‐based program significantly improved serum phosphorus, potassium, self‐efficacy and quality of life over time compared with the general program. There was no significant difference in albumin level changes between the groups.Conclusions: The smartphone application‐based dietary self‐management program is an opportune and effective nursing intervention to lower serum phosphorus and potassium levels in haemodialysis patients over time. Trial registration was performed on www.cris.nih.go.kr (KCT0005366).Relevance to clinical practice: Haemodialysis patients can easily use the smartphone application to manage their diet anytime and anywhere. They can get real‐time feedback and solutions to prevent haemodialysis complications. Nurses can provide tailored high‐quality care based on an individual's lifelog data from the smartphone application.

Background: Falls are common in older adults and increase in recent years. This study aimed to examine the risk of falls associated with long-acting benzodiazepines (BZDs) or tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) use in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A nationwide population-based case–crossover design was used. We screened information on 6,370,275 fall or fall fracture cases among community-dwelling elderly patients from the database of the national health insurance data warehouse in South Korea. We extracted the data of elderly patients who visited the hospital for a fall and were diagnosed with the first fall or fall fracture after prescription of long-acting BZDs (n = 1805) or TCAs (n = 554). The study used conditional logistic regression analysis to analyze the associations and stratified analysis by gender and age group to control for their confounding effects. Results: Risk of falls or fall fractures increased by more than two times after taking long-acting BZDs (odds ratio [OR] = 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.85–2.52) or TCAs (OR = 2.13; 95% CI = 1.62–2.83). The longer the prescription period of both, the higher the risk of falls or fall fractures was (≥49 days for long-acting BZDs vs. ≥ 56 days for TCAs). Conclusions: Long-acting BZDs or TCAs should be avoided or prescribed for a shorter duration based on these adverse effects. Health care providers should focus on fall prevention practices in older adults who take such drugs.

In this indefinite pandemic situation, roles of nurses have been most illuminated by the public, but the nurses may soon start experiencing burnout. This paper highlights roles of nurses in COVID care in Korea and nursing strategies for the post‐COVID era. As we are the frontline advocators of the public, when we develop strategies for their health and quality of life, we receive public support that can help resolve our issues. We will improve our poor working environments through mutual cooperation, as we are one.Implications for Nursing: Nurses need to possess a variety of abilities, such as the digital literacy required by the non‐contact era after COVID‐19, and to expand the boundaries of the nursing profession in convergence of health services with technology.

Accurate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performance is an essential skill for nursing students so they need to learn the skill correctly from the beginning and carry that forward with them into their clinical practice. For the new normal after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), safe training modules should be developed. This study aimed to develop non-contact CPR training using smart technology for nursing students and to examine its effects, focusing on the accuracy of their performance. The study used a prospective, single-blind, randomized, and controlled trial with repeated measures. The non-contact CPR training with smart technology consisted of a 40-min theoretical online lecture session and an 80-min non-contact practice session with real-time feedback devices and monitoring cameras. Sixty-four nursing students were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 31) using non-contact training or a control group (n = 33) using general training. The accuracy of chest compression and mouth-to-mouth ventilation, and overall performance ability were measured at pretest, right after training, and at a 4-week post-test. The non-contact CPR training significantly increased the accuracy of chest compression (F = 63.57, P < 0.001) and mouth-to-mouth ventilation (F = 33.83, P < 0.001), and the overall performance ability (F = 35.98, P < 0.001) compared to the general CPR training over time. The non-contact CPR training using smart technology help nursing students develop their techniques by self-adjusting compression depth, rate, release and hand position, and ventilation volume and rate in real time. Nursing students can learn CPR correctly through the training allowing real-time correction in safe learning environments without face-to-face contact.