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Jefferson Garcia Guerrero,1 Ayidah Sanad Alqarni,1 Rock Parreno Cordero,2 Imad Aljarrah,3 Mohsen Ali Almahaid4 1College of Nursing, King Khalid University, Abha, Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia; 2Emergency Health Services Department, Fatima College of Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 3Faculty of Nursing, Philadelphia University, Amman, Jordan; 4Nursing Department, King Khalid Hospital, Najran, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Jefferson Garcia Guerrero, College of Nursing, King Khalid University, Building C, Gate 2, Al-Qureiger Campus, Abha, Aseer Region, 62529, Saudi Arabia, Email jgarcia@kku.edu.saPurpose: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a significant concern in many hospitals in Saudi Arabia, resulting in long waiting times, delays in treating patients who need urgent care, and, consequently, decreased patient satisfaction. Additionally, ED overcrowding has been linked to increased nurse turnover rates. Therefore, this study aimed to assess nurses’ perceived causes and effects of overcrowding in the EDs of five tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia.Methods: This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. We surveyed 311 nurses working in the EDs of five tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia using the convenience sampling technique. The self-administered questionnaires used in the study were developed by the researchers. The study was conducted from October 16 to November 10, 2022. Consensus-Based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies was followed.Results: The results revealed that the primary perceived causes of ED overcrowding in five tertiary hospitals were unnecessary visits due to a lack of standard procedures (mean = 2.70; SD = 0.58) and lack of inpatients beds (mean = 2.69; SD = 0.65). The perceived effect of overcrowding was stress and burnout among nurses (mean = 2.85; SD = 0.47). The perceived causes and effects of overcrowding in the ED were found to be highly significant (p < 0.001) based on Pearson correlation and Spearman’s rank correlation.Conclusion: Unnecessary visits due to a lack of standard procedures lead to overcrowding. In addition, a lack of inpatient beds in the ED affects the care provided to patients seeking immediate medical attention. This may prolong patient waiting time, causing their conditions to deteriorate and prolonging hospital stay. Overcrowding leads to increased stress and burnout among nurses. The results of this study can be used to develop a comprehensive action plan to address ED overcrowding and its effects on patients, staff, and ED flow.Keywords: nurses, overcrowding, patient safety, quality of care, stress, burnout, staff turnover

Grace Medalyn T Castro,1 William D Taala,1 Jefferson G Guerrero,1 Niela S Rosales,1 Rino S De Sagun,2 Rock P Cordero,3 Rolven N Ciriaco,4 Rayson G Javines4 1Nursing Department, Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2College of Nursing, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia; 3Nursing Department, University of Fujairah, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates; 4College of Nursing, University San Agustin, Iloilo, PhilippinesCorrespondence: William D Taala, Nursing Department, Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 2537, Jeddah, 21461, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966 532543021, Email wtaala@fcms.edu.saPurpose: The study aimed to determine nursing educators’ and students’ perspectives concerning the shift of teaching methodologies to online learning platform in nursing education during the COVID-19 pandemic.Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study investigated nursing educators’ and students’ perspectives on online learning. Non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 120 educators and 350 students, who answered the Test of e-Learning Related Attitudes scale. The data collection was conducted from November to December 2020 in five selected colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia.Results: The findings of the study revealed that the overall mean score of the nursing educators’ perspectives on online learning based on the 4 dimensions were 4.18 with a SD of 0.57 and an overall mean score of 4.22 with a SD of 0.61 for the students. Furthermore, the perspectives of both participant groups on challenges and benefits dimensions shows that there was significant difference as supported by a p-value of < 0.001 and 0.046. However, it shows in the attitude and interest dimensions that there was no significant difference as supported by a p-value of 0.313 and 0.088, respectively.Conclusion: Nursing educators and students shows an agreement on their perspectives on online learning in terms of attitude and interest dimensions. However, they show their disagreement in terms of challenges and benefits dimensions. Unfortunately, the current COVID-19 pandemic situation could persist for several years. But modern technologies can partially solve current problems in nursing education.Keywords: COVID-19, nursing education, online learning, teaching and learning, methodologies

Introduction: Pressure ulcer (PU) care is pivotal in the practice of nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs). Therefore, nurses must possess adequate knowledge about the potential risks leading to the development of PUs, as well as managing complications that worsen patient conditions., Objective: To evaluate the level of knowledge of ICU nurses concerning PU prevention in tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the researchers recruited 320 ICU nurses from four tertiary hospitals using convenience sampling. Nurses' knowledge regarding PU prevention was assessed using the revised and updated version of the Pressure Ulcer Knowledge Assessment Tool (PUKAT) 2.0. Data were collected between May and June 2022. The CROSS checklist was observed for reporting., Results: The mean scores of nurses' level of knowledge regarding PU prevention according to the themes of the revised and updated version of the PUKAT 2.0 were as follows-etiology: 62.81  ±  23.77; classification and observation: 50.86  ±  23.28; risk assessment: 31.19  ±  24.26; nutritious diet: 46.04  ±  25.96; prevention: 22.36  ±  12.41; and specific patient groups: 14.84  ±  22.88. Furthermore, the score for nurses' overall level of knowledge of PU prevention was 39.55  ±  8.84 out of 100, interpreted as low based on the 60% cutoff; the minimum knowledge score was 0. Notably, knowledge of PU etiology, classification, observation, and specific patient groups differed based on the hospital of affiliation. Interestingly, gender was the only demographic characteristic based on which nurses' knowledge regarding specific patient groups differed., Conclusion: This study identified insufficient knowledge among ICU nurses regarding PU prevention, which can lead to complications among patients. Simulation scenarios related to PU prevention and management will be an effective way to help nurses gain appropriate knowledge that can be applied in clinical practice., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2023.)