Purpose: The purposes of this study was to identify the nurses' experiences of prolonged mask wearing in the context of COVID-19. Methods: This study was a qualitative study that used the content analysis method. Data were collected using focus group interviews with 18 nurses at a tertiary general hospital from April 13 to 27, 2023. Results: Five themes and 15 sub-themes emerged through qualitative content analysis. The themes included: “Mandatory or optional experience of wearing a mask unrelated to COVID-19”, “Mandatory KF94 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic”, “Multifaceted changes in life due to mandatory mask wearing”, “Unexpected benefits of wearing a mask”, “Difficulties with wearing masks continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic”. Conclusion: This study confirmed the discomfort and difficulties of prolonged mask wearing among nurses in the context of COVID-19. Our findings suggest that there is a need for organizational and national support for nurses who are required to continue wearing masks after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the practical experience of nursing graduates through a clinical practicum alternative program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants in this study comprised sixteen students who had gone through clinical field practice and clinical alternative programs during 4 semesters at nursing college. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews and analyzed via the phenomenological research method developed by Colaizzi. Results: From the meaningful statements offered by the participants, six theme clusters emerged: (a) interest in new experiences, (b) practice that doesn’t feel like practice, (c) limits on yourself, (d) ambivalence about alternative programs, (e) longing for vivid clinical settings, and (f) choice in an unavoidable situation. Conclusion: This study provides a profound understanding of the practical experiences of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic situation about the clinical practicum alternative program. Based on this study, it is necessary to determine how students who have participated in the implementation of the clinical practice alternative program are adapting to the actual field as nurses. It is also necessary to develop various programs that reflect the needs of students and utilize technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and metaverse along with current teaching methods.

Purpose: To determine whether artificial -intelligence quarantine robots can positively contribute to environmental management in medical institutions. We conducted in-depth interviews to understand the experiences of hospitalized patients receiving environmental management from such robots. Methods: Data were collected during March 20~May 20, 2023. individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 hospitalized patients, who could provide specific details of their experience of receiving environmental management from a quarantine robot. Results: Qualitative content analysis identified four themes, including “First encounter with an amazing and new quarantine robot,” “Efficiently performs non-face-to-face quarantine work in hospitals,” “Problems with quarantine robots,” and “Recommendations for improving the functionality of quarantine robots in medical institutions so quarantine robots and humans can coexist.” Conclusion: Currently, quarantine robots have limited functionality, and additional research is needed to identify various other functions in consideration of future infectious disease situations and the level of quarantine appropriate in a hospital.

Purpose: This study aims to not only understand the meaning and essence of patients’experiences visiting the Raphael Nanum Homeless Clinic but also explore what kind of healthcare programs they would like to have in the future by appraising patients’experiences in depth. Methods: This study employed a qualitative content analysis method. The data were collected from June 11, 2023, to June 25, 2023. A total of 17 patients who could provide detailed experiences of their visit to the Raphael Nanum homeless clinic participated in this study. We conducted a focus group interview with 6 patients and in-depth one-on-one interviews with the remaining 11 patients. Results: The qualitative content analysis result revealed five themes: “visiting a free clinic for various paths,” “positive experiences at the free clinic,” “negative experiences at the free clinic,” “dissatisfaction with the clinic site,” and “anticipation for the future of the free clinic.” Conclusion: To ensure the right to health and survival of marginalized populations in the future, it is necessary to establish comprehensive healthcare support measures, which include enhancing the facilities of the free clinic and expanding the range of available medical specialties.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the perception of visiting hospice services to end-of-life patients at home. Methods: Individual in-depth interviews and qualitative content analysis were used for data collection and analysis, respectively. The study’s participants were 15 end-of-life patients receiving visiting hospice services at home. Results: Four themes emerged from nine subthemes, which were categorized from 26 condensed meaning units by interpreting underlying meanings. The four themes were “service with value started by chance”, “service that fills the care gap”, “service that the vulnerable group can rely on”, and “service that is insufficient to medical support”. Conclusion: Based on these results, it is suggested that policy support is needed to develop and apply a community-based hospice service model that connects hospitals and homes.

Purpose: This study utilizes a phenomenological research method to understand the nature of role adaptation experience of PA nurses. Methods: This was a qualitative study that applied Colaizzi’s phenomenological research method to understand the nature of role adaptation experience of PA nurses. The study participants were thirteen PA nurses (three men and ten women) with over five years of experience. For data collection, individual in-depth interviews were conducted, each about 50 to 90 minutes long. Individual interviews were conducted once or twice. Colaizzi’s method was used to analyze data. Results: The result of this study had 11 clusters of themes and 4 major themes were derived from the analysis: “parallel lines of conflict,”“anxiety about unclear future,”“disorganization of identity,”and “my own way to learn about myself.”These four major themes are structured chronologically to the extent possible but are not mechanically segmented based on time. Conclusion: This study recognizes the seriousness of PA nurses’problems in the absence of research on PA nurses’role adaptation experience and recommends that appropriate research is necessary. Standardized work guidelines and positive awareness of the role of PA nurses are necessary and are supported by PA nurses to establish their position as professionals.

Purpose: This study describes and seeks to understand the experiences of Korean nurses at a specialty hospital in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: Data were collected from September 12 to October 12, 2023, through in-depth interviews with 10 Korean nurses who had worked at a specialty hospital in the Middle East for more than five years. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed using the qualitative thematic analysis method suggested by Braun and Clarke. Results: The analysis identified four themes and 10 sub-themes. The themes are as follows: “Job insecurity and a rapid change of employment conditions”, “Stress of a dual organizational culture”, “Confusion due to cultural differences”, and “Advantages and rewards of working abroad”. Conclusion: Korean hospitals expanding into the Middle East through international medical projects can utilize the information gleaned from Korean nurses' experiences at the United Arab Emirates Specialty Hospital.

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the domestic studies on spiritual health to confirm research trends and present future direction. Methods: This study adopts the scoping review method, which comprises six stages: 1) identify the initial research question; 2) identify the relevant studies; 3) study selection; 4) “charting” the data; 5) collate, summarize, and report the results; and 6) optional consultation. An analysis of 372 research works between 1980 and 2022 was carried out. Results: Among the 372 studies reviewed, 218 were on nursing. The most frequently used study design was survey-correlational. The majority of study participants were patients and nursing students. The main research topic was spiritual well-being. In interventional research, the most frequently used program was spiritual care and spiritual care education. In the survey-correlational study, the variable of spiritual health had a positive relation with quality of life and mental health and a negative relation with depression and anxiety. The main instrument used for measuring variables was Paloutzian and Ellison’s spiritual well-being scale. Conclusion: The domestic research about spiritual health needs to utilize a variety of approaches, including tool development studies suitable for the Korean people, qualitative studies, systemic reviews and meta-analyses on spiritual health promotion program, typifying variables related to spiritual health.