Purpose: This study aimed to address the shift toward competency-based education and the planned 2028 “Integrated Nursing” National Licensing Examination (NLE), this study aimed to establish structural alignment among NLE domains, the seven integrated nursing competencies (INCs), and curriculum goals, with a particular focus on implementing symptom-based clinical reasoning (SBCR). Methods: This Delphi-based methodological study included seven content experts for content validity index (CVI) assessment and 24 nursing education experts who participated in a consensus workshop. The item-level CVI and the scale-level CVI/average were calculated to confirm the linkage between INCs and NLE domains. In addition, qualitative analysis of workshop materials and meeting records was conducted to derive 10 integrated learning topics and to develop an SBCR educational model for the key symptom of headache, grounded in Miller’s Clinical Competence Pyramid (levels 2–4). Results: The analysis confirmed the validity of integrating the INCs within the overall curriculum structure. The resulting framework delineates staged learning objectives and core clinical questions designed to systematically enhance clinical reasoning, promote safe nursing practice, and support professional reflection within a unified curriculum. Conclusion This study provides a practical foundation for nursing curriculum redesign by facilitating a transition from fragmented, subject-based instruction to a holistic, patient-centered SBCR model. This approach aligns with the requirements of the integrated NLE and is expected to contribute to meaningful improvements in actual clinical competency.

Background: Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is a critical complication related to worse outcomes in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Herein, we addressed the impact of IDH on mortality and other outcomes in patients with severe acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring intermittent hemodialysis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1,009 patients who underwent intermittent hemodialysis due to severe AKI. IDH was defined as either dialysis discontinuation due to hemodynamic instability or a decrease in systolic blood pressure (BP) of ≥30 mmHg, with or without a nadir systolic BP of <90 mmHg during the first session. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to unstable status was additionally analyzed. Hazard ratios (HRs) of outcomes were calculated using a Cox regression model after adjusting for multiple variables. Risk factors for IDH were evaluated using a logistic regression model. Results: IDH occurred in 449 patients (44.5%) during the first hemodialysis session. Patients with IDH had a higher mortality rate than those without IDH (40% vs. 23%; HR, 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.65). The rate of ICU transfer was higher in patients experiencing IDH than in those without IDH (17% vs. 11%; HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.02–2.02). Factors such as old age, high BP and pulse rate, active malignancy, cirrhosis, and hypoalbuminemia were associated with an increased risk of IDH episodes. Conclusion The occurrence of IDH is associated with worse outcomes in patients with AKI requiring intermittent hemodialysis. Therefore, careful monitoring and early intervention of IDH may be necessary in this patient subset.

There are few studies on the severity and prognosis of patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) omicron variant. From January 11, 2022 to January 25, 2022, 181 patients were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant in a single hospital in Korea. The initial clinical characteristics were investigated through the COVID-19 basic investigation form. Outcomes were reviewed using medical records. The median age of the patients was 57 years (range 1–90), and 95 patients (52.5%) were male. None were re-infected with SARS-CoV-2, and 127 (70.2%) were fully vaccinated (boosted or within 6 months after second vaccination). Forty-two patients (23.2%) were asymptomatic. Among symptomatic patients, the frequency of symptoms was as follows: cough (37.0%), sore throat (33.7%), and fever (30.4%). In terms of disease severity, 168 (92.8%) patients did not require supplemental oxygen, 6 (3.3%) required low-flow oxygen, 5 (2.8%) required high-flow oxygen, and 2 (1.1%) died. Four of the five individuals who required high-flow oxygen and the two who died were not vaccinated. Most of the patients who contracted the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant exhibited mild clinical features; however, severe clinical features including mortality were encountered among individuals who were not vaccinated.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze articles published in the Journal of the Korean Academy of Nursing (JKAN) between 2010 and 2019, along with those published in three international nursing journals, to improve JKAN’s international reputation. Methods: The overall characteristics of JKAN’s published papers and keywords, study participants, types of nursing interventions and dependent variables, citations, and cited journals were analyzed. Additionally, the keywords and study designs, publication-related characteristics, journal impact factors (JIF), and Eigenfactor scores of International Journal of Nursing Studies (IJNS), International Nursing Review (INR), Nursing & Health Sciences (NHS), and JKAN were analyzed and compared. Results: Among the four journals, JKAN’s score was the lowest in both the journal impact factor and Eigenfactor score. In particular, while the JIF of INR and NHS has been continuously increasing; JKAN’s JIF has remained static for almost 10 years. The journals which had cited JKAN and those which JKAN had cited were mainly published in Korean. Conclusion JKAN still has a low IF and a low ranking among Social Citation Index (E) journals during the past 10 years, as compared to that of four international journals. To enhance JKAN’s status as an international journal, it is necessary to consider publishing it in English and to continuously improve the conditions of other publications.

Purpose: This year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Society of Nursing Science (KSNS). This study wasaimed to explore development of caring and describe the 50 years of history of KSNS within the sociocultural context of Korea regardingacademic footsteps, meanings, and implications for the future. Methods: This study used a historical research methodology using a literaturereview and bibliometric analysis. Relevant literature was reviewed and the published abstracts in the Journal of Korean Academy ofNursing (JKAN) were analyzed using VOSviewer. Results: Birth control and family planning in the 1970s was the main research topic. In the1980s, the development of nursing concepts, theories, and philosophies was the mission of KSNS to extend the disciplinary boundary. In the1990s, the progress of KSNS to become one of the woman-dominant healthcare professionals was the mission in the given period. Expandingthe frontiers of KSNS to the extent of global standards was the undertaking of the nursing scholars in the 2000s. Lastly, in the 2010s,the quality and quantity improvement of KSNS and JKAN is expected to make our future even prosperous. The map visualization of the 50years of research accumulation showed the comparable opposition of quantitative vs. qualitative research methodologies, equation modeling,and instrument development. Conclusion These clusters of research demonstrates the efforts to make nursing evidence by Koreannursing scholars for the last five decades. The growth in the slope of KSNS and outcomes of JKAN are to carry on to an unimaginable extentin the future.