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The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' care experiences for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic in Taiwan. The qualitative approach of phenomenography was used. Thirty-four nurses were recruited from two assigned hospitals in which COVID-19 patients were treated in Taiwan from July to May 2021. The method of data collection in the study involved a semi-structured interview and drawing. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Phenomenographic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Four categories of description of experiences of caring for COVID-19 patients were identified: facing uncountable stresses from all sides, strict implementation of infection control interventions to provide safe care, confronting ethical dilemmas and making difficult decisions, and reflecting on the meaning of care in nursing. Professional accountability was the core theme found to represent the central meaning of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. Nurses were under enormous stress while caring for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic and were negatively affected physically, psychologically, and socially. Professional accountability in caring for COVID-19 patients can be enhanced through adequate support from nursing managers and by in-service training designed to update knowledge and skills related to infection control intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research develops the Osteoporosis Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviors Questionnaire (OKABQ) with the intent to evaluate the levels of osteoporosis knowledge, attitude and behavior change by developing and validating the OKABQ while establishing a mediation model of the research. A quantitative, descriptive and instrumental study was conducted in two phases: Phase I—development of the scale through Delphi Method by osteoporosis experts; and Phase II—evaluation of the validity and reliability of the scale and construction of a mediation model using SmartPLS. In Phase I, the content validity index (CVI) of the questionnaire was higher than 0.96 and the inter-rater reliability (IRR) kappa was 1.00. In Phase II, exploratory factor analysis showed that two predominating factors of attitude as a mediation were addressed by the 26-item OKABQ. The indirect effect results from the estimated model indicate that attitude mediates the relationship between knowledge and behaviors (β = 0.114, t = 2.627, p < 0.001), which is positive and statistically significant. We concluded that the OKABQ is a valid measure of osteoporosis knowledge, attitudes and behaviors for women with osteoporosis. These assessment results could assist healthcare providers in mitigating insufficiency in health education and help patients better adapt to a more active bone-healthy lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the globalization of medical services on the rise, Asia has ascended to a destination of choice for its high-quality medical services at very reasonable rates. Monitoring the quality of the international medical industry is vital to maintain service demand. The experiences of healthcare personnel (HCP) involved in international medical services (IMS) regarding the provision of services to international cancer patients have not yet been discussed. This study aimed to explore oncology HCP experiences of IMS quality in caring for international cancer patients in Taiwan. Methods: Descriptive phenomenological method and were analyzed through Colaizzi's seven-step approach. In this study, 19 respondents were collected data by using in-depth semi-structured interviews. An average interview lasted approximately 45 min. Results: Four major themes were identified from the interviews: patient selection, psycho-oncology care, predicaments, and promoting suggestions. Additionally, thirteen subthemes emerged, including necessary selection of patients, reasons for unwillingness to enroll international patients, helpless patients, emotional distress, care with warmth, insufficient manpower, an unfair reward mechanism, poor hardware equipment, the predicaments of oncology care, various publicity strategies, one-on-one service model, design of a designated area, and reasonable benefit distribution. Conclusions: This study explored oncology HCP experiences of IMS quality in caring for international cancer patients, with implications for hospitals in developing high-quality IMS. Due to the fact that IMS is a global trend, HCPs, administrators, and policy-makers are advised to improve the quality of IMS in the oncology department, which has been the least studied field in IMS quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To develop and test a mobile application that supports the disease self‐management of adolescents with type 1 diabetes during their transition to early adulthood. Design: A sequential mixed‐methods design was employed. Methods: The application content was designed according to previously identified care needs and expectations, followed by application development on the Android operating system. From the outpatient clinic of the Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism at a medical centre in northern Taiwan, 35 individuals aged between 16–25 years participated in application testing. Results: The overall median score of the QUIS was 4–5, most of the 25% quartile was 4–5, and all of the 75% quartile was 5, indicating adequate user interaction satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have proven that reflexology has been used as a complementary medical treatment. Therefore, the government has started to plan an examination system for reflexology personnel to ensure the quality of service. Reflexologists work long hours, have heavy workloads, and perform poses that do not conform to human factors, which often cause musculoskeletal fatigue. The purpose of this study is to understand the musculoskeletal pain conditions of reflexologists, the psychological empowerment status, and the perceptions of complementary medicine therapy. The data for this study were obtained in two ways: (1) 59 practitioners were surveyed by using a face-to-face questionnaire and (2) a semi-structured interview was carried out for 10 practitioners. This study discovered the following: (1) Reflexology practitioners have musculoskeletal discomfort symptoms in body parts, including the left shoulder (25.4%), left hand or wrist (25.4%), lower back (25.4%), right shoulder (23.7%), left elbow or forearm (22%). (2) Reflexology practitioners are highly psychologically empowered to work. (3) The practitioners of foot therapy hold a positive attitude towards foot therapy and believe that foot therapy is a natural therapy, which is self-serving and can help others. (4) Most reflexologists support the government's desire to promote the reflexology examination system and are willing to help develop the policy. (5) The height of most reflexologist work chairs does not match the height of the guest's seat and is not ergonomic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of aromatherapy in relieving the stress of nursing staff working in different departments during COVID-19. A total of 26 nursing staff from Taiwan were recruited for this study. Bergamot essential oil was diffused for over a four-week period in four different hospital departments. We assessed heart rate variability indicators, Nurse Stress Checklist, and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory before and after the intervention. The results of the analysis showed that during a high workload period, aromatherapy had no significant effect on regulating physical stress. Subjective measurements showed a significant impact on work concern and personal fatigue. Moreover, there were large differences among the four departments; the aromatherapy treatment had a weak effect on those with a heavy workload, whereas those with a lighter workload showed a stronger effect. Finally, this study provides practical results about aromatherapy stress reduction applied during the pandemic on first-line medical staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Despite the impact of medication literacy ( ML) on patients' safe use of medications, existing instruments are mostly for general health literacy measurement or designed for specific disease populations, with few specifically designed for ML. Objective To develop and validate the first Chinese medication literacy measure (Ch MLM). Methods The Ch MLM was developed by a multidisciplinary and bilingual expert panel and subsequently pilot-tested. The final version had 17 questions in four sections: vocabulary, non-prescription drug, prescription drug and drug advertisement. Face-to-face interviews were administered in a convenience sample of adults with diverse sociodemographic characteristics. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. Content validity was confirmed by the expert panel, and hypothesis testing was performed to assess construct validity. Results A total of 634 adults were interviewed. The mean ( SD) total Ch MLM score was 13.0 (2.8). The internal validity was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha=0.72). Nine of the ten a priori hypotheses were fulfilled. Younger age, higher income and higher education levels were significantly associated with a higher Ch MLM score. Furthermore, higher scores on the Ch MLM were associated with higher confidence or less difficulty in writing, reading, speaking and listening abilities in a health-care encounter. No association was found between Ch MLM total scores and frequency of doctor's visits. Conclusion The Ch MLM is a valid and reliable ML measure. It may help pharmacists and other health-care providers to target patients and problem areas that need interventions with the ultimate goal of preventing medication errors and harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]