Purpose: This study aimed to measure the influence of infection control fatigue and compassion competence on disaster nursing core competencies of nurses at COVID-19 designated hospitals. Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted among 128 nurses from two COVID-19 designated hospitals. Data were collected from June 1 to 14, 2022 and analyzed using the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and hierarchical multiple regression with SPSS for Windows version 26.0. Results: Disaster nursing core competencies had a significant correlation with compassion competence (r=.50, p<.001), but not with infection control fatigue. Multiple regression analysis for disaster nursing core competencies revealed that the most powerful predictor was communication (β=.31, p<.001). Communication, insight and having children explained approximately 30% of the variance in disaster nursing core competencies. Conclusion The compassion competence of nurses at COVID-19 designated hospitals was a major factor influencing disaster nursing competence. Communication was the most important sub-factor of compassion competence. It will be necessary to develop and implement a program to enhance nurses' compassion competence to improve nurses' disaster nursing core competencies.

BACKGROUND: The safety and clinical effectiveness data of peramivir in the real clinical field are limited. A prospective observational study was conducted based on the post-marketing surveillance data to evaluate the post-marketing safety and effectiveness of peramivir in Korean adults with seasonal influenza. METHODS: Among adults aged 20 years or older who were diagnosed with influenza A or B, patients who started peramivir within 48 hours from the initial symptoms of influenza were enrolled. All adverse events (AEs) that occurred within 7 days after administration of peramivir were checked. For the evaluation of effectiveness, changes in the severity of influenza symptoms and daily living performance were examined before and 7 days after the administration of peramivir. The date on which influenza related symptoms disappeared was checked. RESULTS: A total of 3,024 patients were enrolled for safety evaluation and 2,939 patients were for effectiveness evaluation. In the safety evaluation, 42 AEs were observed in 35 (1.16%) patients. The most common AE was fever. AEs were mostly rated as mild in severity. Serious AEs were observed in 10 patients and two of them died. However, both deaths were considered to be less relevant to peramivir. In the effectiveness evaluation, the severity of influenza symptoms decreased by 10.68 ± 4.01 points and daily living performance was improved 5.59 ± 2.16 points. Influenza related symptoms disappeared on average 3.02 ± 2.39 days after peramivir administration. CONCLUSION: Peramivir showed a tolerable safety profile and acceptable effectiveness in Korean adult patients with seasonal influenza.
Adult* ; Fever ; Humans ; Influenza, Human* ; Observational Study* ; Prospective Studies* ; Seasons ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Coronavirus Infections/*diagnosis/virology ; Humans ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus/genetics/isolation & purification ; Nasopharynx/virology ; RNA, Viral/genetics/metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Viral Envelope Proteins/genetics

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the diabetes education program implemented in a community hypertension and diabetes education center. METHODS: Participants were thirty nine diabetic patients who received the education program in the center from May 2014 through May 2015. The education program consisted of two sessions for 2 days (45 minutes per session) regarding clinical information, nutrition and exercise for type 2 diabetes patients. Initially, they were assessed for general characteristics, knowledge on diabetes, self-efficacy and self-care behaviors. Reassessment was performed on their knowledge and self-efficacy directly after the program, and on self-care behaviors at 12 weeks after the program. RESULTS: The mean score of diabetes knowledge was significantly increased from 5.27±2.10 to 8.21±1.20 (p < 0.001) between before and after the program. The self-efficacy score was also significantly increased from 6.88±1.72 to 8.16±1.47 (p < 0.001). The self-care behavior score was significantly increased from 3.59±1.89 before the program to 4.35±1.29 (p < 0.001) at 12 weeks after the program. CONCLUSION: The diabetes education program may be effective on the improvement of knowledge, self-efficacy and self-care behaviors in type 2 diabetic patients.
Diabetes Mellitus ; Education* ; Health Education ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Self Care* ; Self Efficacy

BACKGROUND: From May to July 2015, the Republic of Korea experienced the largest outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outside the Arabian Peninsula. A total of 186 patients, including 36 deaths, had been diagnosed with MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection as of September 30th, 2015. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We obtained information of patients who were confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection. MERS-CoV infection was diagnosed using real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 55 years (range, 16 to 86). A total of 55.4% of the patients had one or more coexisting medical conditions. The most common symptom was fever (95.2%). At admission, leukopenia (42.6%), thrombocytopenia (46.6%), and elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (42.7%) were observed. Pneumonia was detected in 68.3% of patients at admission and developed in 80.8% during the disease course. Antiviral agents were used for 74.7% of patients. Mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and convalescent serum were employed for 24.5%, 7.1%, and 3.8% of patients, respectively. Older age, presence of coexisting medical conditions including diabetes or chronic lung disease, presence of dyspnea, hypotension, and leukocytosis at admission, and the use of mechanical ventilation were revealed to be independent predictors of death. CONCLUSION: The clinical features of MERS-CoV infection in the Republic of Korea were similar to those of previous outbreaks in the Middle East. However, the overall mortality rate (20.4%) was lower than that in previous reports. Enhanced surveillance and active management of patients during the outbreak may have resulted in improved outcomes.
Antiviral Agents ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Coronavirus Infections* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Dyspnea ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Leukocytosis ; Leukopenia ; Lung Diseases ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus ; Middle East* ; Mortality ; Pneumonia ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Republic of Korea* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Thrombocytopenia

No abstract available.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; DNA/chemistry/genetics/metabolism ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics/metabolism ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Spondylitis/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Streptococcus/*genetics/isolation & purification

No abstract available.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Aortic Valve/*microbiology/surgery/ultrasonography ; Cross Infection/diagnosis/*microbiology/therapy ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Endocarditis, Bacterial/diagnosis/*microbiology/therapy ; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation ; Humans ; Klebsiella Infections/diagnosis/*microbiology/therapy ; Klebsiella pneumoniae/drug effects/*enzymology/pathogenicity ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Sepsis/diagnosis/*microbiology/therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; beta-Lactamases/*metabolism

The pneumonia severity index (PSI) and CURB-65 are widely used tools for the prediction of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study was conducted to evaluate validation of severity scoring system including the PSI and CURB-65 scores of Korean CAP patients. In the prospective CAP cohort (participated in by 14 hospitals in Korea from January 2009 to September 2011), 883 patients aged over 18 yr were studied. The 30-day mortalities of all patients were calculated with their PSI index classes and CURB scores. The overall mortality rate was 4.5% (40/883). The mortality rates per CURB-65 score were as follows: score 0, 2.3% (6/260); score 1, 4.0% (12/300); score 2, 6.0% (13/216); score 3, 5.7% (5/88); score 4, 23.5% (4/17); and score 5, 0% (0/2). Mortality rate with PSI risk class were as follows: I, 2.3% (4/174); II, 2.7% (5/182); III, 2.3% (5/213); IV, 4.5% (11/245); and V, 21.7% (15/69). The subgroup mortality rate of Korean CAP patients varies based on the severity scores and CURB-65 is more valid for the lower scores, and PSI, for the higher scores. Thus, these variations must be considered when using PSI and CURB-65 for CAP in Korean patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Community-Acquired Infections/*mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia/*mortality ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: We reviewed cellular and synaptic dysconnectivity, disturbances in micro- and macro- circuitries, and neurodevelopmentally-derived disruptions of neural connectivity in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. METHOD: We reviewed the selected articles about disturbances in neural circuits which had been proposed as a pathogenetic mechanism of schizophrenia. RESULTS: The literature review reveals that schizophrenia may be a disease related to disturbance in neurodevelopmental mechanism, shown as 'a misconnection syndrome of neural circuit or neural network'. In descriptive psychopathological view, definition of a disorder of brain connectivity has limitation to explain other aspects of schizophrenia including deterministic strictness in thought process. CONCLUSION: Schizophrenia is considered as a disorder of brain connectivity as well as a neurodevelopmental disorder related with genetic and environmental factors. We could make a suggestion that "JoHyeonByung (attunement disorder)" denotes the disturbances of psychic fine-tuning which correspond to the neural correlates of brain dysconnectivity metaphorically.
Brain* ; Metaphor ; Schizophrenia

Since microbial gene sequencing was utilized for etiologic diagnosis of culture-negative endocarditis, cases of Bartonella endocarditis have been reported in various countries. Herein we report the first case of Bartonella quintana endocarditis, which was confirmed for the first time in Korea by 16S rRNA gene sequencing from the excised valve. A 75-yr-old woman was hospitalized due to dyspnea. Echocardiography demonstrated large oscillating vegetation at the aortic valve. Blood culture was negative. She underwent valve replacement and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene from excised valve identified Bartonella quintana. She was successfully treated with combined use of ceftriaxone and gentamicin.
Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Aortic Valve/pathology ; Bartonella quintana/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Ceftriaxone/therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Dyspnea/etiology ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis, Bacterial/*diagnosis/drug therapy/microbiology ; Female ; Gentamicins/therapeutic use ; Humans ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Republic of Korea ; Sequence Analysis, RNA