Search

Background: Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a potentially effective method of instruction that has been applied only infrequently in nursing education in Taiwan. Purpose: This study was developed to examine the effects of incorporating the TBL strategy into the course "Advanced Medical Nursing English". Methods: A quasi-experimental, single group, and pre-post test design was adopted. Nursing students who took the "Advanced Medical Nursing English" elective course used the TBL strategy for 8-weeks. Students were assigned to heterogenic groups of 12 students each based on their scores on an English pre-test. The collected data included the scores on individual and group readiness tests, a self-directed learning questionnaire, learning satisfaction, and an English posttest. Self-completed reflection papers and focused group interviews were used for qualitative appraisal. Results: A total of 72 students were enrolled. Nearly all (93.1%) were female and 21-22 years of age. The results of a paired samples t-test applied to examine the effects of the TBL strategy on learning outcomes showed that English posttest and self-directed learning ability scores had both improved significantly (all p < .05). The results of ANOVA tests showed that students with lower pre-test scores improved more than those with higher pre-test scores. The results of a sample t-test with a test value of 4.0 applied to examine learning satisfaction found a non-significant change (p > .05), indicating no change in perceived satisfaction. The qualitative analysis identified four themes regarding perceptions of the TBL strategy, including "friendships in learning", "harmonious atmosphere and participations", "inertial shock and adjustments", and " excessive learning load". Conclusion: TBL was shown to be an effective learning strategy for RN-BSN students in a Medical Nursing English Course, particularly those with relatively low pre-test scores. Future studies should focus attention on reading assignments to avoid overburdening students. The results of this study may serve as a reference for medical nursing English education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Taking antibiotics in strict adherence to physician prescriptions is crucial for maintaining the stability of the drug concentration in the blood and for achieving the best therapeutic effects. The increasing antimicrobial resistance in recent decades has led the Ministry of Health and Welfare to promote the rational use of antibiotics and the use of a computer monitoring system to control the use of antibiotics in hospitals. Although non-adherence is considered as the major factor contributing to antimicrobial resistance, patient non-adherence to antibiotic prescriptions is an issue that has been largely overlooked. This paper explores this issue due to the serious threat from antimicrobial resistance and the few studies that have investigated patient adherence to antibiotic treatments for acute infections in Taiwan. Purpose: The aims of the study include: (1) describe patient's adherence to antibiotic therapy for acute infections and (2) explore the potential factors of influence on antibiotic adherence such as demographics, disease characteristics, and knowledge of antibiotic treatment. Methods: The study used a descriptive correlational design. A convenience sample of 162 patients with acute infections was recruited from outpatient infectious disease clinics in Taoyuan City. Data were collected using the study questionnaire and analyzed using the chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, and logistic regression. Results: The study results showed that only 40.1% of patients followed their prescription to take antibiotics completely. The remainder earned lower scores than their prescription-adhering counterparts for knowledge regarding the effects of antibiotics (U = 2654.5, p = .046). Results of logistic regression showed that knowledge regarding the effects of antibiotics was the most significant predictor (B = .481, p = .046) of adherence to antibiotic therapies. Conclusion: Non-adherence to prescriptions is prevalent in short-term antibiotic treatments prescribed for acute infections. This finding reminds healthcare providers to provide proper education to the recipients of antibiotic treatments, even those treated for a very short duration for acute infections in outpatient settings. Special attention should be pay to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of patients for the therapeutic effects of antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is a worldwide epidemic that threats the health and body image of those who suffer from this condition. While bariatric surgery has been shown to effectively assist patients to achieve weight loss goals and to improve body image, related research on this intervention is lacking in Taiwan. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of bariatric surgery on body image in obese patients. Method: This study used a longitudinal design. Data was collected from 2 hospitals located in northern and southern Taiwan. A total of 56 obese patients who had undergone bariatric surgery enrolled as participants, and the completion rate was 93.3%. Participants responded to a validated body image questionnaire immediately prior to and 3 months after bariatric surgery, with data used to assess the effects of the surgery. SPSS 20.0 software for windows was used for data analysis. Result: Participant scores for body image were low on the questionnaire administered prior to surgery, with a significant negative correlation identified between body mass index (BMI) and the value of appearance (r = -.36, p < .01). After bariatric surgery, the average EWL was 42.08%, which effectively achieved expected weight loss goals. Variables including overall body image, appearance evaluation, orientation, and body satisfaction of participants were significantly improved. Only the variable of muscle tension did not improve significantly. Postoperative body image did not correlate with either BMI or EWL. Conclusion: Three months after the bariatric surgery, the body image, appearance evaluation, and physical appearance satisfaction of participants had significantly improved. However, there was no improvement in muscle tension scores. In order to improve the post-surgery body image of patients, we recommend that healthcare workers provide patients with proper expectations of bariatric surgery and teach patients appropriate muscle-tension exercises. This paper reports the relation between bariatric surgery and body image. The results provide evidence for clinical and future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evaluations of higher education programs are increasingly centered on the learner and designed to assess learning effectiveness and core competencies. Although the Taiwan Nursing Accreditation Council (TNAC) has established eight core competencies for college nursing departments, little research has been done to identify the most salient contributors to undergraduate nursing students' perceived competency levels. Purpose: This paper investigates the influence of student demographic factors and learning experience on students' development in terms of a selected sample of core nursing competencies and then identifies factors that significantly predicts such development. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study. We collected data from a sample of freshmen students currently enrolled in a two-year nursing bachelor degree program at a private vocational university in Taipei, Taiwan. Participants self-assessed abilities in designated core nursing competencies using the Competency Inventory of Nursing Students (CINS). A total of 279 of 290 distributed questionnaires were returned and used in data collection, giving this study a valid return rate of 96.2%. Results: Participants earned a mean CINS score of 5.23 (SD = 0.49). Scale dimensions from highest to lowest mean score rank were: ethics, accountability, caring spirit, communication and cooperation, lifelong learning, general clinical nursing skills, critical thinking, and basic biomedical science. Differentiated analysis revealed that nursing students who expressed a strong interest in nursing, had a clear career plan, held aspirations to pursue higher nursing education, designated "major hospital" as their first workplace of choice, designated a post-college department / workplace preference, had participated in campus activities, were outspoken in classroom discussions and debates, made consistent effort to complete homework assignments and prepare for examinations, and performed relatively strong academically earned CINS scores significantly above the mean. The three factors "having a clear career plan," "having designated a post-college department / workplace preference," and "having participated in campus activities" accounted for 14.4% of variance in subjects' CINS self-rating scores (adjusted R² = 12.5%). Conclusion: The CINS is an effective instrument for assessing the core professional competencies of nursing students. We recommend that nursing education strategies may be adjusted to enhance student interest in nursing, encourage their developing career plans, and encourage greater participation in campus activities and classroom discussions as a way to improve core professional competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rapid aging of the global population has sharply increased the prevalence of dementia. Most people with dementia (PwD) live at home and are cared for by family caregivers. The complicated care needs of PwD and family caregivers necessitate the provision of comprehensive and transdisciplinary assessment and service support. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to construct the contents of the "Assessment Tool for Family Care Needs of People with Dementia" using a transdisciplinary perspective and to establish the reliability and validity of this tool. Methods: Based on a literature review and clinical experience, the preliminary items of the assessment tool were drawn up and pilot tests of the case were conducted in the Clinic for Dementia Care. The transdisciplinary research team discussed the pilot tests and verified the preliminary items, and then experts were invited to assess the content validity of the assessment tool. Next, quota sampling was conducted in accordance with the national proportion of the severity of dementia and the questionnaire surveys were administered in an outpatient department of neurology at a medical center in southern Taiwan. Two hundred dyads of PwD and their family caregivers participated in the survey. Reliability and validity analysis of the data were completed. Results: The assessment tool contains 21 items of demographic data and 31 items in the eight subscales of "language and communication", "activities of daily living", "sleep", "activity arrangements", "nutrition and diet", "behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia", "care stress", and "obtaining resources". The overall content validity of the assessment tool was .99 and the Cronbach's alpha of each subscale ranged between .625 and .905. The concurrent validities of the "activities of daily living" subscale and the "behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia" subscale were, respectively, correlated with the Barthel Index (r = -.889, p < .001) and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (r = .750, p < .001). Conclusions/ Implications for Practice: The assessment tool was assessed as having satisfactory validity and reliability. Moreover, the tool was clear and concise, and was able to be completed quickly by the caregivers. Transdisciplinary professionals involved in dementia care may use this assessment tool in outpatient departments, centers for integrated dementia care, and discharge preparation services to acquire information related to family care needs. The results of the assessment tool may be used as a reference in developing appropriate transdisciplinary care plans to improve the quality of care and quality of life of families of patients with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Nursing is the property of Taiwan Nurses Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to analyze the health risks of insufficient activity by international comparisons, the first author obtained the permission to translate and develop a Taiwan version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The objective was to determine culturally sensitive Chinese translations for the terms "moderate", "vigorous" and "physical activity" as well as to identify representative types of physical activity for Taiwanese. This study used discussions by 12 expert focus groups, 6 expert audits, a scale survey, field study, Cognitive Aspect Survey Methodology (CASM), dual independent translation and back-translation to establish a consensus on physical activity-related concepts, terminologies and types that define the intensity of common activities of Taiwanese by integrating both local and foreign studies. The Chinese terms "fei li", "zhong dengfei li" and "shen ti huo dong", respectively, were identified as suitable and adequate translations for the English terms "vigorous", "moderate" and "physical activity". The common Taiwanese activities were accurately categorized and listed in questionnaires, forming culturally sensitive scales. Taiwan versions of IPAQ's self-administered long version (SL), self-administered short version (SS), and telephone interview short version (TS) were developed. Their content validity indices were .992, .994, and .980, as well as .994, .992, and .994 for language equivalence and meaning similarity between the English and Chinese versions of the IPAQ-LS, IPAQ-SS, and IPAQ-TS, respectively. Consistency values for the English and Chinese versions in terms of intraclass correlation coefficients were .945, .704, and .894, respectively. The IPAQ-Taiwan is not only a sensitive and precise tool, but also shows the effectiveness of the methodology (CASM) used in tool development. Subjects who did not regularly exercise and had an education less than a junior high school level underestimated the moderate-intensity physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]