Purpose: : This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the professional quality of life of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses working in university hospitals. Methods: : A survey was conducted on 171 ICU nurses in university hospitals in B City, South Korea. This study used the Professional Quality of Life instrument, which consists of three subscales, namely, compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Data were analyzed using stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: : Compassion satisfaction was influenced by resilience, ICU job satisfaction, and innovation-oriented culture, and these variables explained 37.1% of the variance in compassion satisfaction. Burnout was influenced by resilience, a hierarchy-oriented culture, and ICU job satisfaction, and these variables explained 42.9% of the variance in burnout. Secondary traumatic stress was influenced by a task-oriented culture and resilience, and these variables explained 12.5% of the variance in secondary traumatic stress. Conclusion : These findings suggest the importance of improving resilience and job satisfaction to enhance the professional quality of life in ICU nurses. Moreover, creating an innovation-oriented culture rather than a hierarchical and task-oriented culture can effectively improve the professional quality of life of ICU nurses.

Purpose: : This study examined the effects of work environment and organizational culture on tertiary hospital nurses’ turnover intention.
Methods: : A cross-sectional design was used, with a convenience sample of 371 hospital nurses from 16 units of three tertiary hospitals in South Korea. Data were collected through a self-report survey conducted during September and October 2016. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, independent t-test, and binary logistic regression analysis.
Results: : A total of 43.7% of the participants were identified as having turnover intention within 1 year. Factors related to turnover intention among hospital nurses were age, marital status, and total clinical career. Furthermore, a relationship-oriented organizational culture showed a negative association with turnover intention.
Conclusion : These findings suggest it is important to provide appropriate motivational programs and incentives for nurses according to their clinical career to decrease turnover intention. Moreover, establishing a relationship-oriented organizational culture will also help to reduce the turnover intention of tertiary hospital nurses.

Purpose: : This study aimed to investigate the impact of clinical reasoning competence, positive psychological capital, and nursing work environment on nursing performance of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses in tertiary general hospitals. Methods: : Data were collected from 169 ICU nurses in tertiary general hospitals in Busan, South Korea, from July 27 to August 15, 2023, using a self-report questionnaire. After excluding 12 questionnaires with insufficient responses, 157 responses were analyzed. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression analysis were employed. Results: : Factors influencing nursing performance included clinical reasoning competence (β=.51, p ＜.001), hope as a subfactor of positive psychological capital (β=.31, p ＜.001), and the nursing foundations for quality of care in the nursing work environment (β=.21, p ＜.001). The explanatory power of the regression model was 62% (F=87.41, p ＜ .001). Conclusion : The study underscores the importance of improving clinical reasoning competence among ICU nurses to enhance nursing performance and foster a hopeful attitude through reflective practices and personal growth. Organizational interventions, such as educational and psychological support programs, along with creating a supportive nursing environment, are crucial for improving nursing performance among intensive care unit nurses.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate patient safety teaching competency of nursing faculty and the extent of teaching patient safety topics in the nursing curriculum. METHODS: A national survey was conducted with full-time nursing faculty in 4-year nursing schools. Regional quota sampling method was used. An online survey was sent to 1,028 nursing faculty and 207 of them were completed. Among the 207, we analyzed data from 184 participants. The revised Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey was used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analyses. RESULTS: The faculty's self-confidence was lower than their perceived importance of patient safety education. The mean score of teaching patient safety was 3.52±0.67 out of 5, and the contents were mostly delivered through lectures. The extent of faculty's teaching varied depending on faculty's clinical career, teaching subjects, participation in practicum courses, and previous experience of patient safety education. The significant predictors of the extent of teaching patient safety were the faculty's self-confidence in teaching patient safety (β=.39) during clinical practicum, their perceived importance of patient safety education during lectures (β=.23), and the teaching subject (β=.15). CONCLUSION: To enhance the competency of nursing faculty for effective patient safety education, a patient safety education program tailored to faculty characteristics should be developed and continuously provided for faculty. In addition, it is necessary to improve patient safety curriculum, strengthen clinical and school linkages, and utilize various education methods in patient safety education.
Curriculum ; Education ; Education, Nursing ; Faculty, Nursing* ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Lectures ; Linear Models ; Methods ; Nursing* ; Patient Safety* ; Preceptorship ; Professional Competence ; Schools, Nursing

Purpose: This study aimed to develop an educational informatics system for nursing faculty to improve their competencies in teaching patient safety and to evaluate the effectiveness of the system. Methods: We developed a system called, ‘Resource to Enhance Safety Competency and Utilize for Education’ (RESCUE) based on the World Health Organization Multi-professional Patient Safety Curriculum Guide, and it was implemented with full-time nursing faculty in 4-year nursing schools. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used for evaluation. A total of 46 nursing faculty members used the system during a 3-month period. The effects of the RESCUE were measured using a survey including patient safety teaching competency, system usability and user satisfaction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: After using the RESCUE, participants showed a significant increase in self-confidence in teaching patient safety during lectures (Z=-3.61, p<.001) and practica (Z=-3.14, p=.002). Conclusion The developed informatics system was shown to be effective in improving the self-confidence of nursing faculty in teaching patient safety. To effectively integrate patient safety topics into the curriculum, it can be helpful to utilize the educational materials provided in this study with various clinical cases.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing job satisfaction among ambulatory care nurses. Methods: Data were collected through a self-evaluation survey of 129 nurses in one tertiary hospital. Data were analyzed using paired t-test, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Importance-Performance Analysis, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The mean scores were: for importance, 3.18 out of 4, for performance, 2.24 out of 4, for professional self-concept, 2.92 out of 4, and for job satisfaction 2.77 out of 5. There were statistically significant positive correlations between professional self-concept and job satisfaction (r=.37, p<.001). Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that satisfaction with professional self-concept, clinical career, and age explained 47.0% of the job satisfaction of ambulatory care nurses (F=37.51, p<.001). Satisfaction with professional self-concept, clinical career, and age were statistically significant predictors of job satisfaction. Conclusion Findings indicate motivation programs according to clinical career would be useful to improve job satisfaction of ambulatory care nurses. Additionally, continuous education should be provided to strengthen the professional self-concept of nursing professionals in both undergraduate curricula and clinical fields.

Pruritus (itching) is classically defined as an unpleasant cutaneous sensation that leads to scratching behavior. Although the scientific criteria of classification for pruritic diseases are not clear, it can be divided as acute or chronic by duration of symptoms. In this study, we investigated whether skin injury caused by chemical (contact hypersensitivity, CHS) or physical (skin-scratching stimulation, SSS) stimuli causes initial pruritus and analyzed gene expression profiles systemically to determine how changes in skin gene expression in the affected area are related to itching. In both CHS and SSS, we ranked the Gene Ontology Biological Process terms that are generally associated with changes. The factors associated with upregulation were keratinization, inflammatory response and neutrophil chemotaxis. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway shows the difference of immune system, cell growth and death, signaling molecules and interactions, and signal transduction pathways. Il1a , Il1b and Il22 were upregulated in the CHS, and Tnf, Tnfrsf1b, Il1b, Il1r1 and Il6 were upregulated in the SSS. Trpc1 channel genes were observed in representative itching-related candidate genes. By comparing and analyzing RNA-sequencing data obtained from the skin tissue of each animal model in these characteristic stages, it is possible to find useful diagnostic markers for the treatment of itching, to diagnose itching causes and to apply customized treatment.
Animals ; Biological Processes ; Chemotaxis ; Classification ; Cytokines ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Gene Expression ; Gene Ontology ; Genome ; Hypersensitivity ; Immune System ; Interleukin-6 ; Mice* ; Models, Animal ; Neutrophils ; Pruritus* ; RNA* ; Sensation ; Sequence Analysis, RNA* ; Signal Transduction ; Skin* ; Transcriptome ; Transient Receptor Potential Channels ; Up-Regulation ; Wound Healing