.This study sought to explore the support provided by home-visit nurses to older adults living in depopulated areas during the transition to living at home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three nurses working at home nursing stations located in a depopulated area, and support during the transition period to home was analyzed via SCAT. A total of six categories of support were identified, including “care that helps patients and their families facing anxiety develop a commitment to home care” and “providing environmental improvements and advice for home care in underpopulated areas.” Other categories encompassed “individualized support for acceptance of home nursing care,” “providing flexible nursing care tailored to the status of social resources in the community,” “practicing multidisciplinary collaboration to ensure a smooth transition to home,” and “support for caregivers that enables them to fulfill end-of-life care.” Viewing nursing care services flexibly and providing the necessary care so that older adults living in depopulated areas can continue to receive medical care at home are considered important.

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This study aimed to compare facial expression recognition of nursing students wearing and not wearing a surgical mask and to clarify the accuracy of their recognition. In order to understand the tendencies and characteristics of facial expression recognition among nursing students, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 160 students from the first, second and fourth years of a nursing university. The survey focused on perceived difficulty in communication, and facial expressions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness and surprise) were compared with and without wearing a facial mask. Wearing a surgical mask had a significant influence on the facial expression recognition of disgust, fear, and anger but did not have a significant influence on the facial expression recognition of happiness, sadness, and surprise. Moreover, for students wearing a surgical mask, had no significant differences were found in facial expression recognition based on clinical experience by year or the presence or absence of communication difficulty. The results suggest that future research should focus on the perspectives of nursing students, and that it is necessary to develop accurate facial expression recognition skills even when wearing a surgical mask.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-specific neurodegenerative disease and is the main cause of dementia. No definitive treatment for AD has been established, and non-pharmacological treatments are expected to maintain and improve the quality of life of dementia patients. In this study, we implemented a laughter yoga program for elderly AD patients and examined its effects of stress reduction, determined by measuring salivary amylase activity (sAA), and cognitive function improvement, determined on the basis of cognitive function test scores. The subjects were nine patients (nine females) who were living in a group home and diagnosed as having AD, among which two were in their 70s, five in their 80s, and two in their 90s. We conducted a seven-day intervention with laughter yoga, and the sAA of the subjects was determined by collecting saliva before and after laughter yoga each day. In addition, cognitive function tests were conducted before and after the seven-day intervention, including the Hasegawa Dementia Scale-Revised (HDS-R) and a one-minute word recall screening test. The results showed that performing laughter yoga had the effect of lowering the sAA in AD patients, which means reducing stress, but the effect was only significant on the day the laughter yoga was performed. On the other hand, the seven-day intervention with laughter yoga had no effect on lowering sAA and cognitive function test scores.

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PURPOSE: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between the psychological safety of hospital nurses and the competency of deputy head nurses. METHODS: The participants were deputy head nurses and ward nurses of 20 hospitals in the Kanto region that are affiliated with a nationwide medical corporation to which the researchers belong. The deputy head nurses completed a web survey consisting of a “competency assessment scale for deputy head nurses,” and the ward nurses completed a web survey consisting of a “psychological safety scale.” RESULTS: Eleven hospitals were analyzed, and valid responses were received from 85 deputy head nurses (response rate 56%) and 339 ward nurses (response rate 17%). Spearmans rank correlation analysis of ward nurses’ psychological safety and deputy head nurses’ competencies revealed a positive correlation with the competency item‘ Domain 3 Compliance’(p=0.025). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The results suggest a possible correlation between the psychological safety of ward nurses and the compliance-related competencies of deputy head nurses.

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This study aimed to review reports on educational practice in previous studies that utilized individual narratives, thereby clarifying the characteristics of the teaching methods and providing insights for educational practice. An analysis of 21 reports on education using individual narratives in basic nursing education courses revealed that their most common use was in courses that individuals participated in and in second year courses. The participants were individuals with mental illness, addiction, cancer, and terminal illness. Most of the reports required pre-learning activities for learners such as studying about the illness of the individuals involved, gathering information about them, and considering questions to ask them, as well as post-learning activities like writing reports or completing surveys. Participatory classes are a method for learning about the nature of medicine and society from the perspective of the individual participants themselves, as well as observing how they autonomously and independently conduct their social life. This approach can potentially contribute to the formation of attitudes in nursing professionals. On one hand, depending on the topics of the lesson, there is a possibility of triggering personal experiences or emotions of the learners. Therefore, it is considered beneficial for conducting safe classes to set pre- and post-tasks, group work, and choose teaching materials according to the topic.

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OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between self-perceived usefulness and personal recovery among persons with schizophrenia living in the community. METHOD: A self-administered questionnaire was administered to persons with schizophrenia belonging to 17 facilities. The relationships among personal attributes, self-perceived usefulness, and the Japanese version of the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale with the Japanese version of the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) were analyzed by the chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: According to the chi-square test, differences in “use of home-visit nursing services,” “use of daycare services,” “frequency of hospitalization in psychiatric hospitals,” six items in “self-perceived usefulness,” and four items in “self-stigma” were significant. According to the multivariate analysis, differences in six items in “self-perceived usefulness (I feel than I am trusted.)” and “use of home-visit nursing services” were significant. DISCUSSION: Self-perceived usefulness was found to be a factor that enhances personal recovery. These results suggest that supporters’ engagement in enhancing self-perceived usefulness in interpersonal relationships leads to improvement in the personal recovery of persons with schizophrenia living in the community.

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The purpose of this study was to identify the ethical issues that operating room nurses encounter in their clinical practice. The research employed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey of 95 operating room nurses, along with qualitative inductive analysis of the open-ended responses. The ethical issues identified were categorized into 5 groups: [inappropriate language and behavior toward surgical patients], [challenges in practicing surgical nursing], [inappropriate language and behavior from physicians and senior nurses toward nurses], [difficulties in interactions with patients and families], and [the working environment of operating room nurses].　Operating room nurses, as “advocates of patients’ rights,” are required to continuously acquire and skills in nursing ethics while also expressing the ethical issues they encounter. It is crucial for nursing managers to address these ethical concerns not as individual problems but as systematic challenges for the entire operating room. This can be achieved by creating opportunities for interdisciplinary discussions among nurses, physicians and other healthcare professionals.

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This review aims to compare dental hygienists' attitudes and practices toward oral management for patients with diabetes in Japan with findings in the United States. A literature review was conducted using Ichushi-Web and PubMed databases. Nine articles met the inclusion criteria. Dental hygienists in Japan acknowledged having insufficient knowledge about the practice of screening and the systemic condition of patients with diabetes, and about 60% were careful in their approach to oral management of patients with diabetes. At the same time, most dental hygienists in the United States were aware of the link between periodontal disease and diabetes and felt that it was important to practice chairside screening for diabetes. Moreover, they spent more time educating patients with diabetes about oral health than other patients. In both countries, dental hygienists acknowledged the need for medical-dental collaboration regarding the oral management of patients with diabetes. The present results may be helpful in considering the actual situation of dental hygienists in Japan. However, it is necessary to consider the scope of practice of dental hygienists in Japan and the United States when interpreting these results.

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OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to get suggestions for the development of VR teaching materials for the use of DX in nursing education.　METHODS: The target literature was 23 items extracted using Ichushi Web. The overview of VR teaching materials in basic nursing education was classified and analyzed. RESULTS: The development and use of VR teaching materials for basic nursing education were triggered by COVID-19, and the VR space of many of them were experienced only visually and audibly. The aims of using these VR teaching materials were to enable learners to develop emphatic understanding, observation and assessment skills, and nursing techniques. Simulation-based education was often used as a teaching method. DISCUSSION: It is assumed that VR materials for basic nursing education were urgently adopted as a response to emerging infectious diseases and were often simplified. The objectives of the materials were universal and highly compatible with simulation education. However, we consider that there is still room for developing teaching materials that satisfy the three elements of VR. CONCLUSION: In basic nursing education, two types of teaching materials need to be developed: those that can be used for simulation education and those that take advantage of the features of VR.

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This review aimed to assess the effects of an infectious disease pandemic on dietary behaviors and physical activity of pregnant women and to identify any differences in this impact that were caused by the characteristics of pregnant women. A search was performed through six databases (Ichushi-Web, CiNii, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and SocINDEX) using keywords such as “infectious disease,” “pregnancy, ” and “lifestyle ” to identify relevant articles published in Japanese and English until April 2024. The authors screened the identified articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and selected thirteen articles for this review. Ten articles that examined the association between an infectious disease pandemic and dietary behaviors showed that some pregnant women improved their diets due to increased home cooking, whereas the diets of others deteriorated as a result of changes in childcare and economic circumstances. In seven out of ten relevant articles that examined the association between an infectious disease pandemic and physical activity, the physical activity level of pregnant women decreased during an infectious disease pandemic. These changes have been reported to be influenced by social contexts such as parity and country of residence. Healthcare professionals need to understand the variations in the changes caused by these factors and provide health guidance on diet and physical activity during an infectious disease pandemic while considering the individual circumstances of each pregnant woman.

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Objective: Collaboration between community health and school health systems is crucial to comprehensively support the health of children and families. The aim of this study was to identify the barriers and facilitators of effective collaboration between community and school health systems and classify them into stages of a collaboration promotion model. Methods: In this literature review, the ICHUSHI online database was searched using the keywords “community health”, “school health”, and “collaboration” for articles published since 2003. From the 41 retrieved studies, 17 articles were included in the review. Descriptions of the barriers and facilitators related to collaboration were extracted from each study, coded, and classified into nine stages of the collaboration promotion model. Results: The most frequently occurring barriers and facilitator codes were classified at Stage 0, with many barriers related to “soft” factors such as individual perceptions, awareness, and understanding. Conversely, Stages 1-8 were formed by “hard” factors such as organizational structures and systems, that were predominantly facilitators. Conclusion: To promote collaboration between community health and school health systems, priority should be given to addressing the identified “soft” barriers (Stage 0). Additionally, strengthening the “hard” facilitators (Stages 1-8) could enable sustainable collaboration that is less influenced by individual discretion or organizational culture.

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This study investigated the challenges faced by health, medical, and welfare service providers in supporting the community life of individuals with mental disorders on a remote island without psychiatric hospitals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants to identify barriers to providing community life support for individuals with mental disorders on a remote island. Data were analyzed qualitatively and descriptively. The following issues were identified: psychosocial constraints in community life on the island, vulnerability of privacy and psychological burden in a small community, negative image of mental illness held by islanders, psychological barriers caused by traditional values, regional and social constraints regarding employment and economic support, and difficulties in accessing psychiatric care because of remoteness. The study recommends promoting close cooperation among health, medical care, and welfare service providers; understanding mental disorders among islanders; collecting information; and enhancing services to address the need to support and stabilize the community life of individuals with mental disorders on remote islands without psychiatric hospitals.

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In recent years, Realist Evaluation (RE) has emerged as a prominent approach for assessing complex programs and interventions in the area of personal support services. This study examines the features and potential application of research methodologies that utilize the “Context + Mechanism = Outcome” heuristic, which is trending in RE research within the field of healthcare. In particular, it focuses on programs that are constructed through collaboration with concerned parties, based on their personal experiences. A review of ten relevant cases highlights a diverse range of themes, including care for elderly people with dementia, support for expectant and nursing mothers experiencing social adversity, and discussion groups for individuals with mental disorders. Introducing RE enabled the parties to express their perspectives openly, which in turn led to fostering organic relationships, the creation and improvement of collaborative programs, and the empowerment of those involved to make their own decisions. This suggests that RE is a useful evaluation method for developing programs that mitigate the health disparity and social isolation of the modern age.

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The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects and learning outcomes of case study meetings for enhancing the practical skills of novice first-year public health nurses. The participants were eight first-year public health nurses who were hired on April 1, 2019. A questionnaire survey was conducted before and after the case study meeting, and a focus group interview was also conducted after the meeting. Of the 36 items in the questionnaire, 28 were analyzed based on the number of individuals in the top quartile who moved from the ‘unable to do’ group to the ‘able to do’ group. Four items improved on the questionnaire, and they were closely related to categories such as [visualizing the process of organizing information and understanding the case], [the steps of assessment make it easier to consider goals and support strategies], and [reaching specific solutions that seem achievable]. The results showed that, after participation, more nurses were able to perform tasks such as “accurately understand the individual’s daily living needs” and “identify the additional information required moving forward to deepen the assessment from a health, medical, and social care perspective ”. From the interview, nine categories of learning were extracted and included [making it easier to organize and for everyone to speak] and [becoming aware of perspectives previously unnoticed]. These findings suggest that following all the steps in the case study meetings can contribute to improving the skills of first-year novice public health nurses in providing individualized support and demonstrating their expertise as public health nurses.

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Objective: This study aimed to introduce neuroscientific insights into psychiatric nursing by reviewing the impact of psychological interventions on neuroplasticity, with a particular focus on trauma closely linked to psychiatric disorders, and discussing the significance of adopting neuroscience-based psychiatric nursing. Methods: An electronic database search was conducted to identify relevant English articles. The search terms were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: participants with trauma or negative emotions, interventions involving psychological therapies, and outcomes that included neurological changes. Results: Five articles were included in this narrative overview. Psychotherapy indicated neuroplasticity in brain regions involved in emotional processing or reward systems, and cognitive functions. Conclusion: Recovery support through neuroscience-based psychiatric nursing facilitates the understanding of recovery based on neuroplasticity and promotes psychological care practices that enhance neuroplasticity. Neuroscience-based psychiatric nursing enhances professional competence in providing psychosocial support, contributes to high-quality recovery support, and promotes psychiatric medical services that protect human rights.

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This study aimed to identify the factors associated with presenteeism among psychiatric nurses. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with 436 registered and associate nurses working at single-department psychiatric hospitals. The questionnaire included items on demographics and the Health Concern Scale, Work Functioning Impairment Scale (WFun; to assess presenteeism), Negative Feeling Scale (NFS), Social Support Scale (SSS), and Psychiatric Care Stress Scale (PCSS). Associations between the WFun score and other variables were assessed using the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and Mann-Whitney U test. Variables showing significance were used as independent variables in a stepwise multiple regression analysis to determine relationships, and the WFun score was the dependent variable. The results showed that the WFun score was associated with the PCSS, NFS, SSS. To prevent presenteeism in terms of work dysfunction in psychiatric nurses, it is important to address stressors specific to psychiatry and support those around them.

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Japan is projected to be a super-aged society where one in four people will be aged 75 years or older by 2065. For older adults, low health literacy (HL) hinders health maintenance and the prevention of long-term health needs, ultimately leading to a decline in quality of life (QOL). Therefore, HL is an important indicator. This study used a self-administered questionnaire to investigate factors influencing HL among community-dwelling older adults in two cities of Nagasaki Prefecture, a regional area experiencing severe depopulation. No associations were found between the total HL score and basic attributes or depressive tendencies. However, significant associations were observed between HL subscale scores and both age and household income, and participants with higher dietary awareness had significantly higher scores (p<0.05). The total HL score in Nagasaki City, where 28% of the population was aged 75 years or older, was significantly higher (p<0.01) than in Omura City, where 82% of the population was aged 75 years or older. However, no significant difference was observed in the critical HL score. We concluded that when promoting social activities or providing useful information on dietary habits, it is important to consider local characteristics and age groups, use communication methods suited to the target population, and offer support that makes it easy to incorporate the information into daily life.

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