Purpose: This study examined nursing students' experiences of using digital healthcare applications in terms of the source and demand of socio-psychological needs, expectations, exposures, use satisfaction, and derivative effects based on the components of use satisfaction theory. Methods: This study was conducted using focus group interviews, and data were collected from 12 nursing students enrolled in two universities located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from April 1 to May 31, 2023. Results: The nursing students mainly used digital healthcare applications to address needs such as sleep, exercise, goal setting, social support, and motivation, which included the need for physical well-being, growth and development, emotional stability, and social needs. Participants met various needs such as achieving goals, feeling of achievement, enhancing self-confidence, and acquiring helpful information through digital healthcare applications. The satisfaction gained in setting and achieving goals was the driving force for motivation. Conclusion Nursing students value intuitive interfaces, personalized features, and appropriate notifications. Step-by-step rewards and reasonable pricing are also vital for using digital healthcare apps.These findings should be incorporated into developing programs to improve nursing students' health management and digital healthcare skills.

Purpose: This study examined nursing students' experiences of using digital healthcare applications in terms of the source and demand of socio-psychological needs, expectations, exposures, use satisfaction, and derivative effects based on the components of use satisfaction theory. Methods: This study was conducted using focus group interviews, and data were collected from 12 nursing students enrolled in two universities located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from April 1 to May 31, 2023. Results: The nursing students mainly used digital healthcare applications to address needs such as sleep, exercise, goal setting, social support, and motivation, which included the need for physical well-being, growth and development, emotional stability, and social needs. Participants met various needs such as achieving goals, feeling of achievement, enhancing self-confidence, and acquiring helpful information through digital healthcare applications. The satisfaction gained in setting and achieving goals was the driving force for motivation. Conclusion Nursing students value intuitive interfaces, personalized features, and appropriate notifications. Step-by-step rewards and reasonable pricing are also vital for using digital healthcare apps.These findings should be incorporated into developing programs to improve nursing students' health management and digital healthcare skills.

Purpose: This study examined nursing students' experiences of using digital healthcare applications in terms of the source and demand of socio-psychological needs, expectations, exposures, use satisfaction, and derivative effects based on the components of use satisfaction theory. Methods: This study was conducted using focus group interviews, and data were collected from 12 nursing students enrolled in two universities located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from April 1 to May 31, 2023. Results: The nursing students mainly used digital healthcare applications to address needs such as sleep, exercise, goal setting, social support, and motivation, which included the need for physical well-being, growth and development, emotional stability, and social needs. Participants met various needs such as achieving goals, feeling of achievement, enhancing self-confidence, and acquiring helpful information through digital healthcare applications. The satisfaction gained in setting and achieving goals was the driving force for motivation. Conclusion Nursing students value intuitive interfaces, personalized features, and appropriate notifications. Step-by-step rewards and reasonable pricing are also vital for using digital healthcare apps.These findings should be incorporated into developing programs to improve nursing students' health management and digital healthcare skills.

Purpose: This study examined nursing students' experiences of using digital healthcare applications in terms of the source and demand of socio-psychological needs, expectations, exposures, use satisfaction, and derivative effects based on the components of use satisfaction theory. Methods: This study was conducted using focus group interviews, and data were collected from 12 nursing students enrolled in two universities located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province from April 1 to May 31, 2023. Results: The nursing students mainly used digital healthcare applications to address needs such as sleep, exercise, goal setting, social support, and motivation, which included the need for physical well-being, growth and development, emotional stability, and social needs. Participants met various needs such as achieving goals, feeling of achievement, enhancing self-confidence, and acquiring helpful information through digital healthcare applications. The satisfaction gained in setting and achieving goals was the driving force for motivation. Conclusion Nursing students value intuitive interfaces, personalized features, and appropriate notifications. Step-by-step rewards and reasonable pricing are also vital for using digital healthcare apps.These findings should be incorporated into developing programs to improve nursing students' health management and digital healthcare skills.

Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has been used for over a century and has been demonstrated to be effective in treating patients with various allergic diseases. AIT allergens can be administered through various routes, including subcutaneous, sublingual, intralymphatic, oral, or epicutaneous routes. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has recently gained clinical interest, and it is considered an alternative treatment for allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma. This review provides an overview of the current evidence-based studies that address the use of SLIT for treating AR, including (1) mechanisms of action, (2) appropriate patient selection for SLIT, (3) the current available SLIT products in Korea, and (4) updated information on its efficacy and safety. Finally, this guideline aims to provide the clinician with practical considerations for SLIT.

Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is a causative treatment of allergic diseases in which allergen extracts are regularly administered in a gradually escalated doses, leading to immune tolerance and consequent alleviation of allergic diseases. The need for uniform practice guidelines in AIT is continuously growing as the number of potential candidates for AIT increases and new therapeutic approaches are tried. This updated version of the Korean Academy of Asthma Allergy and Clinical Immunology recommendations for AIT, published in 2010, proposes an expert opinion by specialists in allergy, pediatrics, and otorhinolaryngology. This guideline deals with the basic knowledge of AIT, including mechanisms, clinical efficacy, allergen standardization, important allergens in Korea, and special consideration in pediatrics. The article also covers the methodological aspects of AIT, including patient selection, allergen selection, schedule and doses, follow-up care, efficacy measurements, and management of adverse reactions. Although this guideline suggests the optimal dosing schedule, an individualized approach and modifications are recommended considering the situation for each patient and clinic.

Purpose: It is essential to investigate the users’ needs in developing user-centered, family-based applications (apps) for managing childhood obesity. Methods: This study conducted focus group interviews with ten parents, ten children, and four app developers to investigate the need to develop a family-based mobile app for childhood obesity. The interview period was from July 17 to August 30, 2023. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The results highlighted 31 key themes critical to family-based app development, including the need for comprehensive content promoting healthy lifestyle habits, tailored expert support, and motivational factors for app engagement, which were categorized as intrinsic, extrinsic, and social motivations and technological features. Participants also highlighted potential challenges, such as app usability issues and the need for a user-friendly interface. The pivotal role of parents in guiding and supporting their children’s health behaviors was emphasized, particularly in creating a supportive environment that encourages sustained engagement with the app. Conclusion These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the needs and preferences of parents, children, and app developers in managing childhood obesity. Emphasis on integrating healthy lifestyle content, providing expert support, and incorporating motivational strategies is crucial for the app’s success. Additionally, addressing potential difficulties and recognizing the pivotal role of parents are essential considerations. These insights will inform the design and development of a user-centered mobile app that supports families in managing childhood obesity.

Objectives: Although it is difficult to define the quality of stroke care, acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with moderate-to-severe neurological deficits may benefit from thrombectomy-capable hospitals (TCHs) that have a stroke unit, stroke specialists, and a substantial endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) case volume. Methods: From national audit data collected between 2013 and 2016, potential EVT candidates arriving within 24 hours with a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥6 were identified. Hospitals were classified as TCHs (≥15 EVT case/y, stroke unit, and stroke specialists), primary stroke hospitals (PSHs) without EVT (PSHs-without-EVT, 0 case/y), and PSHs-with-EVT. Thirty-day and 1-year case-fatality rates (CFRs) were analyzed using random intercept multilevel logistic regression. Results: Out of 35 004 AIS patients, 7954 (22.7%) EVT candidates were included in this study. The average 30-day CFR was 16.3% in PSHs-without-EVT, 14.8% in PSHs-with-EVT, and 11.0% in TCHs. The average 1-year CFR was 37.5% in PSHs-without-EVT, 31.3% in PSHs-with-EVT, and 26.2% in TCHs. In TCHs, a significant reduction was not found in the 30-day CFR (odds ratio [OR], 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76 to 1.12), but was found in the 1-year CFR (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.96). Conclusions The 1-year CFR was significantly reduced when EVT candidates were treated at TCHs. TCHs are not defined based solely on the number of EVTs, but also based on the presence of a stroke unit and stroke specialists. This supports the need for TCH certification in Korea and suggests that annual EVT case volume could be used to qualify TCHs.

Many countries have their own hemodialysis (HD) quality assurance programs and star rating systems for HD facilities. However, the effects of HD quality assurance programs on patient mortality are not well understood. Therefore, in the present study, the effects of the Korean HD facility star rating on patient mortality in maintenance HD patients were evaluated. Methods: This longitudinal, observational cohort study included 35,271 patients receiving HD treatment from 741 facilities. The fivestar ratings of HD facilities were determined based on HD quality assessment data from 2015, which includes 12 quality measures in structural, procedural, and outcome domains. The patients were grouped into high (three to five stars) and low (one or two stars) groups based on HD facility star rating. Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the effects of star rating on patient mortality during the mean follow-up duration of 3 years. Results: The patient ratio between high and low HD facility star rating groups was 82.0% vs. 18.0%. The patients in the low star rating group showed lower single-pool Kt/V and higher calcium and phosphorus levels compared with subjects in the high star rating group. After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical parameters, the HD facility star rating independently increased the mortality risk (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.18; p = 0.002). Conclusion: The HD facilities with low star rating showed higher patient mortality.

Background: Using path analysis, we aimed to examine whether parenting self-efficacy and parenting styles would be significant associates with parenting behavior, and the parenting behavior would be significantly associated with the obesity status of children from socioeconomically vulnerable families. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 61 parents and their children enrolled in public welfare systems in a community in Seoul, South Korea. Parenting behavior was defined as encouraging a child’s healthy eating habits and was measured using the Child Feeding Questionnaire. Results: In the path model, higher levels of parenting self-efficacy and lower levels of authoritarian parenting were significantly associated with a higher level of parenting behavior, which was significantly associated with lower child body mass index z-scores. Conclusions Community health nurses need to provide intervention strategies for increasing parenting self-efficacy and decreasing authoritarian parenting styles to promote parenting behaviors and childhood obesity prevention among socioeconomically vulnerable families.