Simulation is a learner-centered practice that helps develop and maintain knowledge, skills, and competencies. This study evaluated the effect of neonatal resuscitation simulation-based education for medical students in the fifth year (part of the regular clinical clerkship program) on the perceived performance of their technical and non-technical skills. In addition, we analyzed the difference between instructor’s and learners’ evaluations of technical skills after the simulation. A one-group pretest-posttest design was adopted. The simulation-based education of the neonatal resuscitation program (NRP) was conducted for 40 medical students from July to November 2020 at a medical school in South Korea. The simulation-based education comprised 5 minutes of pre-briefing, 10 minutes of running the simulation, and 30 minutes of debriefing (using a recorded video). The perceived performance of students’ technical and non-technical skills before and after the simulation was compared by collecting and analyzing the pre- and post-questionnaires. The perceived performance of technical (p = .001) and non-technical skills (p < .001) was found to have significantly increased after the simulation. Particularly, the performance of technical skills, such as diagnostic (p = .007) and therapeutic actions (p < .001) and non-technical skills, such as leadership (p < .001), teamwork (p = .001), and task management (p = .020) improved significantly. There was no significant difference in the evaluations of the technical performance of the instructor and learners after the simulation (p = .953). Simulation-based education can improve technical skills, such as diagnostic and therapeutic actions for neonatal resuscitation. It is also effective in enhancing non-technical skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and task management. Further, after the simulation-based education, students can fully self-evaluate through objective reflection and improve their clinical competency.

Background: As the population ages, the prevalence of various chronic diseases increases. Palliative care for patients at the end of life with a noncancer diagnosis is currently limited because of the difficulties of demarcating the boundaries of the end-of-life care period and of determining the various care needs of patients at the end of life. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the levels of importance and difficulty of the multidimensional care needs for patients with a noncancer diagnosis during various end-of-life stages. Methods: This study is a retrospective survey. Home healthcarenurse specialists (HHNS) reviewed medical and nursing records and responded to a structured questionnaire. The caring experiences of HHNS with 115 patients, who were 40 years or older, had received home care nursing throughout the stable (between the onset of the end-of-life stage and 1 week before death) and near-death (1 week before death) stages at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital in Korea, and had died between September 1, 2014, and December 31, 2015, were analyzed. Results: The care needs of “coordination among family or relatives” and “support for fundamental needs” were more important in the stable stage than in the near-death stage. The care need of “loss, grief care” was more important in the near-death stage than in the stable stage. The care need of “physical symptoms management” was the most difficult to meet in both stages. Lower Palliative Performance Scale score was associated with a higher level of care need, particularly in the “management of physical symptoms” and “psychological support” realms in the stable stage and in the “coordination among family or relatives” realm in both stages. Conclusions: End-of-life stage and initial score on the Palliative Performance Scale were found to have a significant influence on the multidimensional care needs of patients with a noncancer diagnosis. Thus, healthcare professionals should assess patient care needs according to disease trajectory to provide continuous and holistic care.

The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of families who care for older adults with non-cancer diseases at the end of their lives. The data accrued through in-depth interviews, analyzed using Giorgi’s phenomenological method: caregiving burden; situational responsibility; consolation by support; and mourning for the deceased. In Korean culture, adult children had the responsibility of caring for their aged parents as a burden of caregiving and as a main motive for caregiving. Educational and psychological support programs for caregivers should aim to boost confidence, rather than merely focusing on their burden.

Crystalline silica has been classified as a definite carcinogen (Group 1) causing lung cancer by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In Korea, crystalline silica has been the most common causal agent for workers to apply to the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (KWCWS). We used KWCWS data to evaluate workers’ crystalline silica exposure levels according to their occupations and industries, and reviewed research papers describing the dose-response relationship between cumulative exposure levels and lung cancer incidence. In addition, we reviewed lung cancer cases accepted by the KWCWS, and suggest new criteria for defining occupational cancer caused by crystalline silica in Korea. Rather than confining to miners, we propose recognizing occupational lung cancer whenever workers with pneumoconiosis develop lung cancer, regardless of their industry. Simultaneous exposure and lag time should also be considered in evaluations of work-relatedness.

Many studies have been conducted regarding the association between night work and diabetes, but the association between impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and night work is still unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate this association using the Special Health Examination (SHEW) for Korean night workers. Laboratory, questionnaire, and physical examination data were collected for 80,077 manual workers between 2014 and 2016 from Korea Medical Institute, and associations of the data with IFG were evaluated using a multivariate logistic regression model. The odds ratios for IFG among those who worked night shifts for 2~5 years, 5~12 years, and 12 years or over (ref: <2 years) after adjusting for abdominal obesity were 1.14 (0.90–1.45), 1.41 (1.10–1.81), and 1.75 (1.41–2.19), respectively. A dose–response relationship was identified between the duration of night work and the prevalence of IFG (p for trend <0.05). A dose relationship remained significant when a subgroup of non-obese participants was analyzed. We identified an association and a dose–response relationship between the number of years of night work and IFG. To prevent the development of diabetes in night workers, we suggest that they should be pre-emptively screened and treated from the stage of IFG.