• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.259-268
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• 2022

Purpose: Nursing students are susceptible to medication safety incidents in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) related to a lack of communication experience. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of a NICU medication safety simulation (NMSS) focusing on communication clarity, patient hand-off confidence, and patient safety competency in senior-year nursing students. Methods: The study utilized a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. In total, 60 nursing students were assigned to two groups. The experimental group participated in the NMSS, which included three medication error scenarios. Pairs of students completed the scenarios together in 10 to 20 minutes. Data were analyzed using the chi-squared test, independent t test, and ANCOVA. Results: The experimental group showed significant improvements in communication clarity (p=.015), and patient safety competency (p<.001) compared to the control group. Using the pretest values as covariates, patient hand-off confidence scores significantly increased (p=.027). Conclusion: Implementing the NMSS focusing on communication in the pediatric nursing curriculum helped students to communicate clearly and concisely about medication errors, and its use is recommended to promote patient safety competency in the NICU.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.69-84
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the state of infection control in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) including disinfection methods, disinfection cycles, and exchange cycles for medical devices and to suggest a basic framework which would help develop standardized infection control guidelines. Methods: From a list of NICU equipment developed from the NICUs in 4 tertiary hospitals, a structured questionnaire on 74 types of medical equipment was developed and sent to 31 hospitals by mail. The results were reviewed by panel of experts (56 persons), and analyzed for internal validity by a focus group (4 persons) using guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and the Korean Hospital Nurses Association. Results: The results showed various methods, cycles, disinfectant levels for the disinfectants and exchange cycles in the medical equipment infection control of the 31 hospitals. The focus group developed a 66-item basic framework based on validity testing. Conclusion: From the results of this study, a framework of infection control standards for 66 types of medical equipment in the NICU was developed. It is suggested that further study be done to more precisely establish standard infection control guidelines for NICU medical equipment.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.377-384
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• 2021

Purpose: This study examined the effects of a breastfeeding coaching program for mothers on growth and neonatal jaundice in late preterm infants (LPIs). Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study (non-randomized intervention) with a time-series design. The study was conducted among 40 LPIs who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital in Daegu, South Korea. In the order of admission, the first 21 infants were assigned to the experimental group, and 19 were assigned to the control group. The intervention program consisted of home- based and web-based practical breastfeeding support education for mothers across a total of 5 sessions. Infant growth was measured using body weight, length, and head circumference, and neonatal jaundice was assessed using transcutaneous bilirubin levels. Results: The likelihood of breastfeeding for infants in the experimental group at 4 weeks after discharge was the same as on the day of discharge, whereas it steadily decreased in the control group. There were significant differences in head circumference between the groups. However, weight, length, and transcutaneous bilirubin levels did not show a significant group-time interaction. Conclusion: A formal breastfeeding coaching program should be considered in clinical settings and at home within the first few weeks postpartum.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.63-68
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• 2017

Neonates have large inter-individual variability in pharmacokinetic parameters of many drugs due to developmental differences. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the pharmacokinetic parameters of drugs, which are commonly used in critically ill neonates. Factors that reflect physiologic maturation such as gestational age, postnatal age, postconceptional age, birth weight, and current body weight were correlated with pharmacokinetic parameters in neonates, especially preterm infants. Comorbidity characteristics affecting pharmacokinetics in critically ill neonates were perinatal asphyxia, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), and renal dysfunction. Administration of indomethacin or ibuprofen in neonates with PDA was associated with the reduced clearance of renally excreted drugs such as vancomycin and amikacin. Therapeutic hypothermia and extracoporeal membrane oxygenation were influencing factors on pharmacokinetic parameters in critically ill neonates. Dosing adjustment and careful monitoring according to the factors affecting pharmacokinetic variability is required for safe and effective pharmacotherapy in neonatal intensive care unit.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.38-38
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• 2006

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.691-700
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was done to analyze variations in unit staffing and recommend policies to improve nursing staffing levels in intensive care units (ICUS). Method: A cross-sectional study design was used, employing survey data from the Health Insurance Review Agency conducted from June-July, 2003. Unitstaffing was measured using two indicators; bed-to-nurse (B/N) ratio (number of beds per nurse), and patient-to-nurse (P/N) ratio (number of average daily patients per nurse). Staffing levels were compared according to hospital and ICU characteristics. Result: A total of 414 institutions were operating 569 adult and 86 neonatal ICUs. Tertiary hospitals (n=42) had the lowest mean B/N (0.82) and P/N (0.76) ratios in adult ICUs, followed by general hospitals (B/N: 1.34, P/N: 0.97). Those ratios indicated that a nurse took care of 3 to 5 patients per shift. Neonatal ICUs had worse staffing and had greater variations in stafnng ratios than adult ICUs. About 17% of adult and 26% of neonatal ICUs were staffed only by adjunct nurses who had responsibility for a general ward as well as the ICU Conclusion: Stratification of nurse staffing levels and differentiation of ICU utilization fees based on staffing grades are recommended as a policy tool to improve nurse staffing in ICUs.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.8
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• pp.284-290
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• 2020

Korea currently has the world's lowest birth rate but a rapidly inreasing number of preterm infants. The Korean Neonatal Network (KNN), launched by the Korean Society of Neonatology under the support of Korea Centers for Disease Control, has collected population-based data for very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) born in Korea since 2013. In terms of the short-term outcomes of VLBWIs born from 2013 to 2016 registered in the KNN, the survival rate of all VLBWIs was 86%. Respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia were observed in 78% and 30% of all VLBWIs, respectively. Necrotizing enterocolitis occurred in 7%, while 8% of the VLBWIs needed therapy for retinopathy of prematurity in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Sepsis occurred in 21% during their NICU stay. Intraventricular hemorrhage (grade ≥III) was diagnosed in 10%. In terms of the long-term outcomes for VLBWIs born from 2013 to 2014 registered in the KNN, the post-discharge mortality rate was approximately 1.2%-1.5%, mainly owing to their underlying illness. Nearly half of the VLBWIs were readmitted to the hospital at least once in their first 1-2 years of life, mostly as a result of respiratory diseases. The overall prevalence of cerebral palsy was 6.2%-6.6% in Korea. Bilateral blindness was reported in 0.2%-0.3% of VLBWIs, while bilateral hearing loss was found in 0.8%-1.9%. Since its establishment, the KNN has published annual reports and papers that facilitate the improvement of VLBWI outcome and the formulation of essential healthcare policies in Korea.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.9
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• pp.361-367
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• 2020

Background: Length of stay is a significant indicator of care effectiveness and hospital performance. Owing to the limited number of healthcare centers and facilities, it is important to optimize length of stay and associated factors. Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate factors associated with neonatal length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) using parametric and semiparametric models and compare model fitness according to Akaike information criterion (AIC) between 2016 and 2018. Methods: This retrospective cohort study reviewed 600 medical records of infants admitted to the NICU of Bandar Abbas Hospital. Samples were identified using census sampling. Factors associated with NICU length of stay were investigated based on semiparametric Cox model and 4 parametric models including Weibull, exponential, log-logistic, and log-normal to determine the best fitted model. The data analysis was conducted using R software. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The study findings suggest that breastfeeding, phototherapy, acute renal failure, presence of mechanical ventilation, and availability of central venous catheter were commonly identified as factors associated with NICU length of stay in all 5 models (P<0.05). Parametric models showed better fitness than the Cox model in this study. Conclusion: Breastfeeding and availability of central venous catheter had protective effects against length of stay, whereas phototherapy, acute renal failure, and mechanical ventilation increased length of stay in NICU. Therefore, the identification of factors associated with NICU length of stay can help establish effective interventions aimed at decreasing the length of stay among infants.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students' recognition and understanding of the clinical environment of high-risk neonatal nursing care after watching a documentary about the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where high-risk newborns are treated. Methods: This study was a qualitative content analysis. In total, 151 nursing students' personal essays describing their reactions to a documentary about the NICU were analyzed using the NVivo 12 program. Results: Nursing students' experiences of engaging with a documentary about the NICU were structured into four thematic categories: 'actual observations of the imagined NICU', 'observation and recognition of nursing knowledge', 'empathy with people related to the baby', and 'establishing attitudes and values as a nurse'. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that documentaries can be applied in nursing education about high-risk newborns.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.272-279
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• 2011

Purpose: The incidence of nosocomial infection caused by Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) has increased in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). This study identified the progression of sepsis caused by GNB colonization and analyzed the risk factors associated with using periodic stool culture surveillance. Methods: We included 86 newborns admitted to the NICU, Kosin University Gospel Hospital from October 2007 to May 2008. Three stool specimens were collected right after birth and two more were collected at 2 week intervals. The risk factors related to GNB colonization were established from each medical record and related references. Results: The incidence of colonization by GNB was 22 (25.6%) per 86 neonates but none had culture-proven sepsis. The three most commonly isolated GNB were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae, and Citrobacter freundii. Approximately 89% (32/36) of isolated GNB were susceptible to amikacin. The probability of GNB colonization increased in infants who were fed a small volume during enteral feeding. In contrast, delayed enteral feeding resulted in a decreased probability for GNB colonization. Conclusion: Colonized GNB in the intestine was confirmed by enteric surveillance culture of newborns admitted to the NICU. However, we found no evidence of culture-proven GNB sepsis. As lower feeding volume on the colonization day is a risk factor for GNB colonization, the chance for GNB colonization should be considered when feeding intolerance is present.