This study evaluated the communication experiences of critical care nurses while caring for patients in an intensive care unit setting. We have collected qualitative data from 16 critical care nurses working in the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea, through two focus-group discussions and four in-depth individual interviews. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed using the Colaizzi’s method. Three themes of nurses’ communication experiences were identified: facing unexpected communication difficulties, learning through trial and error, and recognizing communication experiences as being essential for care. Nurses recognized that communication is essential for quality care. Our findings indicate that critical care nurses should continuously aim to improve their existing skills regarding communication with patients and their care givers and acquire new communication skills to aid patient care.

To identify emergency department triage accuracy using the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS) and evaluate the causes of mistriage. This cross-sectional retrospective study was based on 1267 systematically selected records of adult patients admitted to two emergency departments between October 2016 and September 2017. Twenty-four variables were assessed, including chief complaints, vital signs according to the initial nursing records, and clinical outcomes. Three triage experts, a certified emergency nurse, a KTAS provider and instructor, and a nurse recommended based on excellent emergency department experience and competence determined the true KTAS. Triage accuracy was evaluated by inter-rater agreement between the expert and emergency nurse KTAS scores. The comments of the experts were analyzed to evaluate the cause of triage error. An independent sample t-test was conducted to compare the number of patient visits per hour in terms of the accuracy and inaccuracy of triage. Inter-rater reliability between the emergency nurse and the true KTAS score was weighted kappa = .83 and Pearson’s r = .88 (p < .001). Of 1267 records, 186 (14.7%) showed some disagreement (under triage = 131, over triage = 55). Causes of mistriage included: error applying the numerical rating scale (n = 64) and misjudgment of the physical symptoms associated with the chief complaint (n = 47). There was no statistically significant difference in the number of patient visits per hour for accurate and inaccurate triage (t = -0.77, p = .442). There was highly agreement between the KTAS scores determined by emergency nurses and those determined by experts. The main cause of mistriage was misapplication of the pain scale to the KTAS algorithm.

This study aims to investigate the levels of burnout, compassion satisfaction (CS), and patient safety management activities (PSMA) among nurses on shift work in general hospitals and to examine the mediating effect of CS on the relationship between burnout and PSMA. This was a descriptive-correlational study, conducted with a convenience sample of 301 nurses from four general hospitals. Data were collected from 1 August to 4 September 2021, using self-report questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the t-test, analysis of variance, Tukey test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analyses. Mediation analysis was performed according to the Baron and Kenny, and Sobel Tests. Significant relationships were found between shift nurses’ burnout and CS (r = −0.66, p < 0.001), burnout and PSMA (r = −0.32, p < 0.001), and PSMA and CS (r = 0.32, p < 0.001). Compassion satisfaction showed partial mediating effects on the relationship between burnout and PSMA (Z = −3.21, p = 0.001). The higher the burnout of shift-working nurses, the lower the patient safety management activity. Therefore, an effective support system at the organizational level as well as individual efforts are necessary to enhance CS and reduce burnout of shift-working nurses.

Handgrip strength is a simple, inexpensive health status indicator and can be used to assess mortality rate and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This study used data from the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2014) to determine the effective use of handgrip strength to predict CVD risk. We analyzed data from 2427 adults aged from 40 to 64 years without CVD at baseline. Relative handgrip strength was calculated as the sum of the maximal absolute handgrip strength of both hands divided by body mass index, and the 10-year risk of CVD was calculated using the Framingham risk score. We performed logistic regression analysis to assess the association between handgrip strength and 10-year CVD risk. Results showed that CVD risk increased with age (95% CI: 1.19–1.33, p < 0.001). Men were 38.05 times more likely to develop CVD than women (95% CI: 15.80–91.58, p < 0.001). Every increase by 1 in handgrip strength reduced the 10-year CVD risk by 1.76 times (95% CI: 1.58–3.71, p < 0.001), and when waist-to-height ratio was <0.50, the CVD risk decreased by 3.3 times (95% CI: 0.16–0.56, p < 0.001). Developing specific modifications and improving lifestyle habits that could lead to increased handgrip strength and reduced obesity, which could prevent CVD, is recommended.

Background: Although the association between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been reported, whether periodontitis and poor oral health behavior influence CVD risk remains unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine whether periodontal disease and poor oral health behavior predict 10-year general CVD risk using the Framingham Risk Score. Methods: Patients older than 30 years with no CVD history (n = 8370) were selected using cross-sectional study data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2013 and 2014. To reduce selection bias in this population-based study, propensity score matching analysis was used with SPSS and R programs to compare CVD risk. Results: Overall, 39.2% of the study population (n = 3277) had a global CVD risk of 10% or greater. In the low- and at-risk groups, 20.7% and 45.3% of patients, respectively, were diagnosed with periodontal disease by a dentist. Moreover, 43.2% and 62.8% of the low- and at-risk group patients, respectively, brushed teeth less than 3 times a day. After 1:1 propensity score matching of the low-risk (n = 1135) and at-risk (n = 1135) groups, bivariate analyses showed that a diagnosis of periodontal disease and less frequent toothbrushing were associated with a higher CVD risk (P < .001). Logistic regression analysis also showed that patients having periodontal disease and who brushed teeth less frequently were 1.38 and 1.33 times, respectively, more likely to be at risk of CVD (P < .001). Conclusion: Education on periodontitis management and oral hygiene behavior should be included, when strategies for public risk reduction of CVD are developed.