The environment surrounding nursing is changing from moment to moment and nursing professionals are required to adapt to these changes and ensure the quality of nursing. Among these requirements, nurses' problem-solving competency has a direct impact on the quality of nursing. The problem-solving competency of nurses therefore needs to be improved in order to ensure the quality of nursing. In this paper, I therefore introduce research that contributes to the improvement of nurses' problem-solving competency in addition to confirming the definition of a ‘problem’ widely used in previous studies, and present my suggestions for achieving high-quality nursing.

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The purpose of this study was to develop and verify the effectiveness of a self-evaluation scale on ethical behaviors to improve and regulate the quality of ethical behaviors of nursing researchers. Phase 1 included identification of the actual ethical behaviors of nursing researchers in a qualitative and inductive study. The results of 278 responses were analyzed by using a content analysis method for nursing education based on Berelson's method, and then were formed into 44 categories. In phase 2, after 30 self-evaluation items were developed based on the 44 categories, and scaling of these items, the content validity of the items was confirmed through a panel of experts and a pilot study before national research. Valid answers (n = 492) were analyzed for reliability and validity of the scale; Internal consistency, stability and construct validity. A Self-Evaluation Scale on Ethical Behaviors for Nursing Researchers was thus completed. In phase 3, the effectiveness of self-evaluation with the scale was confirmed by interviews with 12 nursing researchers in terms of changes in perception aimed at improvement in the quality of ethical behaviors. The contents of all respondents' statements were analyzed by qualitative and inductive methods, and data were formed into six categories. Using these results and two kinds of evaluation criteria which derived from the literature, the statements of each respondent were analyzed and interpreted. Finally, almost all nursing researchers met the criteria. These results proved that self-evaluation with the scale achieved specific improvements in the quality of ethical behaviors among nursing researchers.

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This study aims to conceptualize the experiences of nurses who return to nursing after a period away from the profession, and to identify their characteristics. Methodology for Conceptualization of Nursing was applied, and data were collected from 18 nurses through semi-structured interviews. As a result of analysis, 17 concepts emerged. The concepts included: realization of a free and easy life and searching for something interesting apart from nursing, temporary satisfaction with one's situation after leaving the jobs and regrets about leaving, acceptance and rejection of advice to return to nursing, searching for a place of employment with ideal working conditions and difficulty in finding one, and setting ideal working conditions for returning to nursing and loosening conditions because of adapting to reality. These results indicate that the experiences of inactive nurses are broadly classified into five characteristics: 1) acquiring vitality to return through sufficient time for oneself, 2) returning and valuing nursing while devoting oneself to a situation after leaving or wavering between returning or not, 3) getting an opportunity to return, 4) returning while resolving various problems surrounding the return, and 5) needing continuous preparation for realization of return. Through consideration, it is suggested that though today's reinstatement courses for inactive nurses mainly focus on confirmation of nursing skills, it is also necessary to provide knowledge on preparation for return and anticipated problems one may encounter on the way to returning.

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The purpose of this study was to identify the difficulties faced by nurses when conducting unit-based educational sessions and the methods used by them to overcome those difficulties and to seek suggestions for improvement in the quality of the decentralized approach of in-service education. A questionnaire was developed for this study comprising open-ended questions regarding difficulties in conducting unit-based educational sessions and the methods used by them to overcome those difficulties. The content validity of the questionnaire was established through pilot studies. The content analysis method for nursing education based on the Berelson's method was used for analyzing the data. The questionnaire was mailed to 564 nurses in 37 hospitals. In total, 336 hospital nurses (59.6%) completed the questionnaire. Consequently, the difficulties encountered by hospital nurses were categorized into 19 categories and the methods they used by them to overcome these difficulties into 32 categories. The reliability of these was confirmed by agreement rates calculated using the Scott's formula, both of which were > 70%. Our results indicated that many hospital nurses face difficulties because of a lack of knowledge and experience in planning, implementing, and evaluating education programs. To overcome these difficulties, it is necessary for hospital nurses to autonomously learn about education and for nurse administrators to provide support for nurses. This study suggests the need to review the conventional educational sessions as in-service education.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the problems that nursing students encountered during nursing clinical practicum, and to discuss their characteristics. A questionnaire was developed for this study, and it included an open-ended question about the problems that nursing students encountered during nursing clinical practicum. The questionnaires were delivered to 2,291 nursing students. Out of the 717 (31.3%) responses returned, 335 valid responses were evaluated by qualitative analysis of nursing education based on Berelson's content analysis method. As a result, 37 problems that nursing students encountered during nursing clinical practicum emerged, e.g., a) Difficulty in applying the nursing process to satisfy the client's needs due to knowledge shortage and low degree of use, b) Loss of self-confidence because ability as a nursing student is insufficient or lacking, and c) Giving up or disliking interaction with nurses who provided inappropriate educational support. The agreement rates calculated by the formula of Scott, W. A. were over 90%; therefore, the reliability of these 37 categories was verified. Considering these problems based on the literature, six characteristics were found. The result of this study enables the students to understand the problems that they encountered during nursing clinical practicum, and may be helpful for discovering the means for solving the problems.

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This study aimed to identify doctor-nurse interactions during invasive medical examinations and treatments to identify characteristic interaction. First, we identified 20 concepts representing doctors' behaviors during the procedures. Our analytical approach was based on the principles of the Methodology for Conceptualization of Nursing. Second, doctor-nurse interactions during invasive medical examinations and treatments were analyzed using these concepts as well as the concepts representing nurses' behavior during these interactions. In total, 44 elements and 14 functions of these interactions were identified. The commonality of functions in scenes was examined, and seven doctor-nurse interaction patterns were identified. We identified seven interaction patterns: preventing problems, modifying methods, resolving problems while working on achieving the goal, and resolving problems while suspending and resuming toward medical goal, ineffective methods interrupting procedures, forcing continuation of procedures without resolving problems, and continuing procedures intermittently due to ineffective procedure and frequent problems. In conclusion, our study identified the characteristic interactions that led to the achievement of medical goals: observing to prevent problems, resolving problems surely during invasive medical examinations and treatments, changing methods toward medical goal while continuing process.

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