Purpose: This study examines the current status of a second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in South Korea, identifies its advantages and limitations, and provides future directions for improving the program. Methods: A mixed-methods, sequential explanatory design was employed. A cross-sectional survey (n=28 faculty members, 122 enrolled students, 20 graduates) was conducted, followed by focus group interviews (n=six faculty members, 13 enrolled students, six graduates). Results: Among the 28 nursing colleges, 19 had a second-degree BSN program enrollment capacity of less than 10% of their total student capacity, whereas six colleges had a capacity ranging from 20% to 30%. The advantages of the program included producing nurses with diverse backgrounds, demonstrating a strong aspiration for the nursing profession, diligent attitude, and mature interpersonal skills among the second-degree BSN students. The limitations included inadequate support and resources for program operations, difficulties in ensuring the quality of classes and clinical practice, and limited opportunities for interaction with other students. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of establishing clear policies and guidelines for such programs and developing standardized curricula to ensure high-quality nursing education while accommodating an increasing number of students.

Purpose: This study examines the current status of a second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in South Korea, identifies its advantages and limitations, and provides future directions for improving the program. Methods: A mixed-methods, sequential explanatory design was employed. A cross-sectional survey (n=28 faculty members, 122 enrolled students, 20 graduates) was conducted, followed by focus group interviews (n=six faculty members, 13 enrolled students, six graduates). Results: Among the 28 nursing colleges, 19 had a second-degree BSN program enrollment capacity of less than 10% of their total student capacity, whereas six colleges had a capacity ranging from 20% to 30%. The advantages of the program included producing nurses with diverse backgrounds, demonstrating a strong aspiration for the nursing profession, diligent attitude, and mature interpersonal skills among the second-degree BSN students. The limitations included inadequate support and resources for program operations, difficulties in ensuring the quality of classes and clinical practice, and limited opportunities for interaction with other students. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of establishing clear policies and guidelines for such programs and developing standardized curricula to ensure high-quality nursing education while accommodating an increasing number of students.

Purpose: This study examines the current status of a second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in South Korea, identifies its advantages and limitations, and provides future directions for improving the program. Methods: A mixed-methods, sequential explanatory design was employed. A cross-sectional survey (n=28 faculty members, 122 enrolled students, 20 graduates) was conducted, followed by focus group interviews (n=six faculty members, 13 enrolled students, six graduates). Results: Among the 28 nursing colleges, 19 had a second-degree BSN program enrollment capacity of less than 10% of their total student capacity, whereas six colleges had a capacity ranging from 20% to 30%. The advantages of the program included producing nurses with diverse backgrounds, demonstrating a strong aspiration for the nursing profession, diligent attitude, and mature interpersonal skills among the second-degree BSN students. The limitations included inadequate support and resources for program operations, difficulties in ensuring the quality of classes and clinical practice, and limited opportunities for interaction with other students. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of establishing clear policies and guidelines for such programs and developing standardized curricula to ensure high-quality nursing education while accommodating an increasing number of students.

Purpose: This study examines the current status of a second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in South Korea, identifies its advantages and limitations, and provides future directions for improving the program. Methods: A mixed-methods, sequential explanatory design was employed. A cross-sectional survey (n=28 faculty members, 122 enrolled students, 20 graduates) was conducted, followed by focus group interviews (n=six faculty members, 13 enrolled students, six graduates). Results: Among the 28 nursing colleges, 19 had a second-degree BSN program enrollment capacity of less than 10% of their total student capacity, whereas six colleges had a capacity ranging from 20% to 30%. The advantages of the program included producing nurses with diverse backgrounds, demonstrating a strong aspiration for the nursing profession, diligent attitude, and mature interpersonal skills among the second-degree BSN students. The limitations included inadequate support and resources for program operations, difficulties in ensuring the quality of classes and clinical practice, and limited opportunities for interaction with other students. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of establishing clear policies and guidelines for such programs and developing standardized curricula to ensure high-quality nursing education while accommodating an increasing number of students.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) induces endothelial dysfunction and inflammation, which are the main factors for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. The present study aimed to compare the effects of rosuvastatin monotherapy and rosuvastatin/ezetimibe combination therapy on lipid profile, insulin sensitivity, and vascular inflammatory response in patients with T2DM. Methods: A total of 101 patients with T2DM and dyslipidemia were randomized to either rosuvastatin monotherapy (5 mg/day, n=47) or rosuvastatin/ezetimibe combination therapy (5 mg/10 mg/day, n=45) and treated for 12 weeks. Serum lipids, glucose, insulin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), and peroxiredoxin 4 (PRDX4) levels were determined before and after 12 weeks of treatment. Results: The reduction in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by more than 50% from baseline after treatment was more in the combination therapy group. The serum sICAM-1 levels increased significantly in both groups, but there was no difference between the two groups. The significant changes in homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and PRDX4 were confirmed only in the subgroup in which LDL-C was reduced by 50% or more in the combination therapy group. However, after adjusting for diabetes mellitus duration and hypertension, the changes in HOMA-IR and PRDX4 were not significant between the two groups. Conclusion Although rosuvastatin/ezetimibe combination therapy had a greater LDL-C reduction effect than rosuvastatin monotherapy, it had no additional effects on insulin sensitivity and vascular inflammatory response. Further studies are needed on the effect of long-term treatment with ezetimibe on insulin sensitivity and vascular inflammatory response.

Safe and effective sedation depends on various factors, such as the choice of sedatives, sedation techniques used, experience of the sedation provider, degree of sedation-related education and training, equipment and healthcare worker availability, the patient’s underlying diseases, and the procedure being performed. The purpose of these evidence-based multidisciplinary clinical practice guidelines is to ensure the safety and efficacy of sedation, thereby contributing to patient safety and ultimately improving public health. These clinical practice guidelines comprise 15 key questions covering various topics related to the following: the sedation providers; medications and equipment available; appropriate patient selection; anesthesiologist referrals for high-risk patients; pre-sedation fasting; comparison of representative drugs used in adult and pediatric patients; respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and sedation depth monitoring during sedation; management of respiratory complications during pediatric sedation; and discharge criteria. The recommendations in these clinical practice guidelines were systematically developed to assist providers and patients in sedation-related decision making for diagnostic and therapeutic examinations or procedures. Depending on the characteristics of primary, secondary, and tertiary care institutions as well as the clinical needs and limitations, sedation providers at each medical institution may choose to apply the recommendations as they are, modify them appropriately, or reject them completely.

Purpose: This study investigated the mediating effect of patient participation culture in the relationship between ethical leadership and performance in patient-engaged nursing services. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional descriptive online survey design. The sample comprised 104 nurses from small- and middle-sized Korean hospitals.Data were collected between May 10 and September 10, 2019 using the Smart Patient Engagement Assessment Checklist, Korean versions of the Patient Participation Culture Tool for healthcare workers, the Ethical Leadership Scale, and a questionnaire about nurses' demographic and work characteristics. A mediation analysis was conducted using multiple regression and a simple model applying the PROCESS macro using SPSS/WINdows software version 26.0. Results: Ethical leadership directly affected (c'=0.28, p<.001) performance in patient-engaged nursing services. Patient participation culture partially mediated the relationship between ethical leadership and performance in patient-engaged nursing services (a ․ b=0.51×0.20=0.10, 95% Boot CI=0.18~0.20). Conclusion Optimizing the patient participation culture and adherence to ethical leadership among hospital administrators and managers can improve nurses' performance in patient-engaged nursing services. Nurse managers' ethical leadership should be strengthened, and patient participation culture should be encouraged at policy levels through systematic nurse education on patient safety and engagement to enhance performance-engaged nursing services.

Background: Sleep duration is associated with hearing loss, especially presbycusis, which is the most common type of hearing loss; however, there is limited evidence regarding this association among the Korean population. We aimed to determine the relationship between sleep duration and high-frequency hearing loss in Korean adults aged ≥40 years. Methods: We examined 5,547 Korean adults aged ≥40 years who completed audiometric tests and questionnaires regarding sleep duration during the 2010–2012 cycle of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Mild presbycusis was defined as >25 decibels (dB) and <40 dB, whereas moderate-to-severe presbycusis was defined as >40 dB pure tone averages at high frequencies (3,000, 4,000, and 6,000 Hz) for both ears. Additionally, the sleep duration was divided into quartiles. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using multivariable logistic regression after adjusting for covariates. Results: The prevalence of presbycusis in South Korean adults was 62.1%, of which 61.4% showed moderate to severe presbycusis. The incidence of moderate-to-severe, but not mild, presbycusis showed a significant positive correlation with sleep duration. Conclusion Our findings suggest that sleep duration is associated with the prevalence of presbycusis.

Purpose: It is essential to ensure the readiness for practice among undergraduate nursing students since the purpose of such education is to cultivate competent nurses who deliver high-quality and safe nursing. Astin's theory of student involvement suggests that this is affected by their personal factors and learning environment. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study between November 16, 2020 and December 21, 2020 which examined personal factors and aspects of the clinical learning environment among senior nursing students (n = 838) enrolled across 54 nursing schools in Korea. The participants were asked to fill out a self-administered online survey, which assessed demographic characteristics, self-esteem, depression, work-life balance, clinical learning environment, anxiety during clinical practicum, and readiness for practice. Readiness for practice was measured using the Casey-Fink Readiness for practice survey. We used structural equational modeling to test our hypothetical model. Results: The nursing students' readiness for practice was significantly affected by their self-esteem, work-life balance satisfaction, and clinical learning environment. Anxiety during clinical practicum directly influenced their readiness for practice. Conclusion Increasing self-esteem and work-life balance satisfaction, and improving their clinical learning environment by providing sufficient educational and clinical support, could help facilitate the transition from nursing schools to real-world practice for nursing students.

Purpose: To investigate whether the signal or morphological changes in the adjacent bone or soft tissue after intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) occur due to postprocedural inflammation or infectious spondylodiscitis. Materials and Methods: Ten patients (female:male = 5:5; age range, 18–71 years; mean age: 36.5 years) who underwent lumbar IDET between January 2018 and December 2020 and complained of fever or pain were included in this study. The presence and extent of bone marrow and paraspinal soft tissue signal changes were evaluated using the first follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after IDET. Signal changes in the treated discs and the presence and extent of epidural enhancement were evaluated. Additionally, we investigated the presence and margins of subchondral erosions in the vertebral body. Results: Two radiologists analyzed the imaging findings by consensus. Six patients were diagnosed with postprocedural inflammation and four with infectious spondylodiscitis, which was confirmed by specimen culture after surgery. All 10 patients showed signal changes in the bone marrow of the vertebral bodies adjacent to the treated disc. Signal changes in the paraspinal soft tissue were observed in only five patients: three with infectious spondylodiscitis and two with postprocedural inflammation. In six patients with postprocedural inflammation, subchondral erosions had well-defined margins with a sclerotic rim and in four patients with infectious spondylodiscitis, subchondral erosions had ill-defined margins. Epidural enhancement showed an extensive pattern in all cases of infectious spondylodiscitis and localized patterns in cases of postprocedural inflammation. Conclusion MRI or computed tomography findings of well-defined subchondral erosions with a sclerotic rim and more localized signal changes in the paraspinal soft tissue or epidural space might aid in the differentiation of infectious spondylodiscitis and postprocedural inflammation in patients who underwent IDET.