Objectives: . Numerous minimally invasive thyroidectomy techniques have been developed and are actively utilized in hospitals around the globe. Herein, we describe a recently developed minimally invasive thyroidectomy technique that employs the da Vinci SP, and we present the preliminary clinical outcomes of single-port robotic areolar thyroidectomy (SPRA). Methods: . A 3-cm semi-circular incision on the right areola and a small 8-mm incision on the left areola were created. Using hydro-dissection and an advanced bipolar device, a subcutaneous skin flap was created, extending from the areola to the thyroid cartilage. The da Vinci SP was then inserted through the incision in the right areola. Between December 2022 and March 2023, 21 SPRA procedures were conducted. Patients’ medical records and surgical videos were subsequently reviewed. Results: . Lobectomy was performed in 17 patients, isthmectomy in 2 patients, and total thyroidectomy in 2 patients. The mean flap time was 14.9±4.2 minutes and the console time was 62.4±17.1 minutes. The mean tumor size was 0.89± 0.65 cm and the number of retrieved lymph nodes was 3.94±3.98 (range, 0–12). There were no observed instances of vocal cord palsy or hypoparathyroidism. Conclusion . We successfully developed and performed the novel SPRA for the first time worldwide. Unlike other robotic surgery methods, SPRA is less invasive and leaves no visible scars. This technique employs a sophisticated single-port robotic device. However, to assess the efficacy of this method, we need to analyze more cases and conduct comparative studies in the near future.

Objective: It is essential to measure the effect of burnout on doctors because burnout can affect doctors’ mental health as well as the functioning of medical practice. This study aims to validate a Korean version of the single-item burnout measure (SIBM), which was developed to quickly measure the level of burnout among doctors. Methods: Through an online survey, a self-report questionnaire was administered to 324 public health doctors in Korea. The Korean version of the SIBM was validated against the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) screening tool, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) scale. Pearson correlation coefficients and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine the association between the SIBM and other scales. ANOVA was additionally used to determine the associations between the subscales of the MBI-GS and those of the SIBM. Results: The correlation coefficient between the SIBM and the MBI-GS, PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PSS was positive (p<0.01), and the correlation coefficient between the SIBM and the VAX scale was not significant. Therefore, convergent and discriminant validity was verified. Exhaustion and cynicism, which were correlated with the SIBM, with r2=0.43 (p<0.01) and 0.48 (p<0.01), yielded R2 scores of 0.27 (p<0.01) and 0.20 (p<0.01) in ANOVA. Conclusion The Korean version of the SIBM is an appropriate screening tool for burnout. It can be evaluated in a short time, thereby enhancing continuous follow-up observations and response rates to burnout.

Objective: This study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an individually tailored program based on self-measurement of blood glucose on health behavior and HbA1c in diabetes and pre-diabetes patients. Methods: The program consisted of seven sessions for 12 weeks which were carried out every two weeks. Almost all sessions were progressed on untact method except for the first and last session. The 71 subjects were assessed for their knowledge of diabetes, health behavior, the experience of self-measurement of blood glucose, body mass Index (BMI) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) at before and after the program. They were also evaluated on their degree of utilization of blood glucose measurements after the program. Results: Each mean score on their knowledge of diabetes, health behavior and the experience of self-measurement of blood glucose was significantly increased from 14.77, 25.50, and 2.70 to 15.41, 28.40, and 4.81, respectively. Each mean score on both BMI and HbA1c (n=53) was significantly decreased from 24.47kg/m2 and 7.27% to 24.01kg/m2 and 6.67%, respectively. The post-HbA1c had a significant negative correlation(r=-0.415) with the degree of utilization of blood glucose measurements. The degree of utilization of blood glucose measurements had a significant positive correlation(r=0.581) with post-health behavior. Conclusions The program shows effectiveness in improving HbA1c in Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes patients. The post-HbA1c might be related to the degree of utilization of blood glucose measurements which might be related to the health behavior.

Purpose: This study was done to investigate the experience of physical and emotional safety in nursing students during fundamentals of nursing practicum. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from March to September 2019. A total of 553 nursing students, who had completed fundamental nursing laboratories, participated in this study. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires which included questions about general characteristics, physical and emotional safety during fundamental nursing laboratories along with an informed consent given prior to the practicum. Results: Of the students, 26 experienced physical safety accidents, and 18 reported emotional safety accidents. Students' mean stress score for physical safety was 1.95, and the mean score for emotional safety was 1.92. Of the students, more than 59.1% agreed to volunteer as practice models in certain nursing procedures’ training. Of the students, 55.8% were satisfied with using their bodies to train fundamental nursing skills. 61.8% of students reported that informed consent was obtained during the nursing laboratory, and 88.6% of students thought that informed consent needs to be obtained. Conclusion To prevent safety accidents during the fundamentals of nursing practicum and systematically manage accidents, standardized safety guidelines for nursing practicum should be developed. Establishing various training strategies using advanced models or simulators to increase education efficiency and satisfaction is necessary.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the antibacterial effect of mastic oil on a representative caries-inducing bacterium, Streptococcus mutans. Methods: S. mutans UA159 was maintained in a BHI medium containing 0.1% sugar at 37℃ and 10% CO2 . Strains were treated with six different concentrations of mastic oil (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5%). After incubation for 16 h, the antibacterial effect was evaluated by measuring the optical density (OD) and observing the colony-forming unit. A microtiter plate assay was performed to analyze the anti-adhesion ability of mastic oil on S. mutans. Results: More than 0.1% of mastic oil inhibited the growth of S. mutans. In addition, 0.4% mastic oil exterminated S. mutans. Mastic oil induced an anti-adhesive ability in S. mutans. Conclusions These results suggest that mastic oil may be used as a preventive measure against dental caries.

Objectives: Loneliness was associated with not only social status but also general health. Psychological conditions in older people have negative effects on general health and oral health. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between loneliness and subjective chewing discomfort in the elderly. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (KSHAP) for the questionnaire, UCLA loneliness scale data of 1,511 older adults living in a rural community. Logistic regression was conducted to identify the relevance of subjective chewing discomfort in the elderly according to the level of loneliness. Results: According to the final model that after adjustment for other risk factors (age, gender, level of education, smoking, drinking, etc.), in the elderly who rarely feel loneliness group compared to the elderly who never feel loneliness was Odds ratio (OR) 1.256 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.99-1.60) and sometimes+often feel loneliness was OR 2.110 (95% CI: 1.39-3.21). Conclusions Loneliness is associated with subjective chewing discomfort in the elderly. Older people feeling loneliness are likely to have more subjective chewing discomfort.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the safety of nursing students during fundamentals of nursing practicum in Korea. METHODS: This study used a descriptive design. A total of 106 nursing instructors teaching fundamentals of nursing longer than one year participated in this study. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires from July 24 to August 28, 2018. The questionnaires consisted of general characteristics, characteristics of fundamentals of nursing course, physical and emotional safety issues during fundamentals of nursing practicum, and obtaining an informed consent prior to practicum. RESULTS: The average number of physical safety accidents during practicum of fundamentals of nursing in the past 5 years was 1.12±2.44. The most common safety accident was punctured wound. The mean score of the participants' stress on physical safety accidents was 3.53±1.12 out of 5. The average number of emotional safety accidents of fundamentals of nursing practicum in the past 5 years was 1.05±2.72. The mean score of stress on emotional safety accident was 3.00±1.09 out of 5. We found that 47.2% of the participants obtained an oral consent or a written consent for safety of fundamentals of nursing practicum. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that it is necessary to establish safety strategies for fundamentals of nursing practicum for nursing students.
Human Body ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Korea ; Nursing ; Students, Nursing ; Wounds and Injuries

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the difficulties with end-of-life care (EOLC) experienced by intensive care unit (ICU) nurses and to investigate their educational needs for EOLC. METHODS: This study aimed to identify the difficulties with end-of-life care (EOLC) experienced by intensive care unit (ICU) nurses and to investigate their educational needs for EOLC. RESULTS: The mean score on the difficulty of EOLC was 3.41 out of 5. The education needs derived from the qualitative analysis was categorized into four themes: 1) guidelines on professional EOLC, 2) spiritual care, 3) a program to take care of feelings of patients, families and nurses, and 4) activities to think about death. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that ICU nurses were experiencing an extreme difficulty in providing EOLC. In addition, a qualitative analysis confirmed that they needed an EOL nursing program. To mitigate the difficulties experienced by nurses involved in EOLC, there is an urgent need to develop an education program for EOLC tailored to nurses' needs.
Critical Care ; Education ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Methods ; Needs Assessment ; Nursing ; Terminal Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify effects of the variables of Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) Model on physical activity. METHODS: This study has conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Sixteen articles were searched through electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, CINAHL, Web of science, Science Direct, RISS, KMBASE, KoreaMed, KISS, DBpia) and additional journals from 2000 to July, 2017. To estimate the effect size (ES), the meta-analysis of the studies was performed by using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis programs. RESULTS: The overall effect size of the variables of HAPA on physical activity was median (ES=.28). Of the core variables of HAPA model, action control (ES=.43) showed the largest effect size, followed by coping self-efficacy (ES=.31) and planning (ES=.31).Additional variables were identified as preparatory behavior (ES=.39) and past physical activity (ES=.24). Through the moderator effect analysis, the effect size was higher in the volitional phase than in the motivational phase, and higher in the healthy group than in the patient group. The higher the proportion of males and the lower the age, the larger the effect size. CONCLUSION: This finding shows empirical evidence that all core variables of the HAPA model are useful for predicting physical activity. We propose the use of the HAPA model to develop physical activity promotion intervention.
Health Behavior ; Humans ; Male ; Motor Activity