Purpose : The purpose of this study was to not only examine the importance and performance status of patient safety nursing activities in the intensive care unit but also to understand nurses' educational needs in this respect. Methods : In this descriptive study, 196 nurses working in the intensive care units of university hospitals located at B City and G Province were enrolled. They completed the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) questionnaire, and the data were statistically analyzed. Results : Mean±standard deviation item scores of importance and performance of patient safety nursing activities were 4.75±0.33 and 4.48±0.38, respectively. In the IPA results, a total of 10 items were included in the second quadrant, including 1 item related to 'transfer,' 1 to 'infection,' and 1 to 'firefighting surveillance.' As the second quadrant contains the high-importance, low-performance items, these 10 items resemble the nurses' educational needs that should be prioritized. Conclusion : The results of this study can be used as a basis for the development of nursing educational programs for patient safety in the intensive care unit.

Purpose : This study aimed to examine the relationships of burnout and compassion competency with job satisfaction among nurses working in the intensive care units and emergency rooms. Methods : A correlational survey was conducted from August 1 to August 14, 2018 and involved in 102 nurses working at four university hospitals for more than 1 year. A structured questionnaire was used to measure burnout, compassion competency, and job satisfaction, and data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression and mediation effect analysis. Results : The mean scores of burnout, compassion competency, and job satisfaction were 2.58, 4.35, and 2.95, respectively. Burnout and compassion competency along with working night shifts and a wish to transfer explained 35.3% of variance in job satisfaction. Compassion competency showed a small but significant mediating effect in the relationship between burnout and job satisfaction (indirect effect -.0446, 95% CI -.1133, -.0075). Conclusion : Burnout and compassion competency were the significant influencing factors of job satisfaction among nurses working in intensive care units and emergency rooms. Since compassion competency showed a significant mediating effect, further studies should focus on intervention strategies for compassion competency to improve job satisfaction in this population.

Purpose : This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the professional quality of life of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses working in university hospitals. Methods : A survey was conducted on 171 ICU nurses in university hospitals in B City, South Korea. This study used the Professional Quality of Life instrument, which consists of three subscales, namely, compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Data were analyzed using stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results : Compassion satisfaction was influenced by resilience, ICU job satisfaction, and innovation-oriented culture, and these variables explained 37.1% of the variance in compassion satisfaction. Burnout was influenced by resilience, a hierarchy-oriented culture, and ICU job satisfaction, and these variables explained 42.9% of the variance in burnout. Secondary traumatic stress was influenced by a task-oriented culture and resilience, and these variables explained 12.5% of the variance in secondary traumatic stress. Conclusion : These findings suggest the importance of improving resilience and job satisfaction to enhance the professional quality of life in ICU nurses. Moreover, creating an innovation-oriented culture rather than a hierarchical and task-oriented culture can effectively improve the professional quality of life of ICU nurses.

Purpose : This study aimed to examine the item characteristics of the Korean version of the intensive care experience questionnaire (K-ICEQ) using the Rasch analysis model of the item response theory. Methods : In this methodological study, the validity of the scale was examined, and a secondary analysis was conducted using cohort data of patients who were discharged from the intensive care units (ICU). Data from 891 patients who responded to the K-ICEQ upon ICU discharge were analyzed. The WINSTEP program was used to analyze item characteristics, including item difficulty, fit indices, appropriateness scale, and separation reliability. Results : The difficulty level of all 26 items of the K-ICEQ was appropriate, and the fit indices of the 25 items, except for item 18, were good. The 5-point scale of the K-ICEQ was not appropriate in the three subscales. The item separation reliability was good in all subscales, but did not meet the criteria in terms of respondents. Conclusion : The results of examining the item characteristics of the K-ICEQ revealed a good degree of difficulty, fitness, and item separation reliability. To increase the validity of the K-ICEQ, we suggest the rearrangement of the overall item order, modification of the item description of the "recall of experience" subscale, and reduction of the scale response level.

Purpose : This study aimed to verify the effectiveness of the clinical ladder system (CLS) by identifying the perception of the CLS, professional self-concept, self-efficacy, and organizational commitment among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. Methods : Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 173 nurses working in 11 ICUs at a tertiary hospital in Seoul. Results : The perception of the CLS, self-efficacy, and organizational commitment showed significant difference according to the CLS level. As a result of the partial Spearman correlation analysis after adjusting for demographic difference according to CLS (age, marital status, education, and clinical career), CLS positively correlated with the perception of the CLS (r=.16, p=.045), professional self-concept (r=.24, p=.001), and self-efficacy (r=.21, p=.007). On the contrary, organizational commitment negatively correlated with the perception of the CLS (r=-.43, p<.001) and self-efficacy (r=-.32, p<.001). Conclusion : The CLS is effective for professional self-concept and self-efficacy. However, specialists 2 nurses, who had high professional self-concept and self-efficacy, showed low level of organizational commitment. Thus, it is necessary to examine the factors of work burden and career plateau that are imposed after promotion and improve experience and planning according to the growth needs. Moreover, regular evaluation of the CLS will require hospital support to ensure that ICU nurses appreciate and actively participate in the support.

Purpose : This study aimed to identify the factors influencing physical restraint-related practice among nurses working in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods : The participants consisted of 169 ICU nurses in three general hospitals in B and U cities. Data were collected from December 2021 to January 2022 through a structured self-administered questionnaire. Demographic characteristics, physical restraint-related practice, Person-centered Critical Care Nursing (PCCN), work environment, and attitudes toward physical restraint use were measured. For data analyses, hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted using SPSS/WIN 25.0. Results : Clinical careers in the ICU, better work environments, higher PCCN levels, and more positive attitudes toward physical restraint use were associated with a better practice of physical restraints, which together explained 35.5% of the total variance of the outcome. Conclusion : Our findings suggest that to promote a safe physical restraint-related practice among ICU nurses, it is important to improve the nursing environment, prepare guidelines for applying PCCN, and provide education for endorsing positive attitudes toward the use of physical restraints.

Purpose : This retrospective investigation study aimed to determine the predictive validity of superficial surgical site infection assessment tools by measuring the risk score at the surgical site. Methods : This study included patients hospitalized to the general surgery department of a Hospital from January 2021 to December 31, 2021. The inclusion criteria were age ≥19 years, general abdominal surgery under general anesthesia, and hospital stay longer than 2 days. Patients who had undergone transplantation were excluded. Results : Tool validity results showed that tools including surgical time and operative procedure were more accurate than previously developed tools, with a sensitivity of 71.1%, specificity of 71.4%, positive prediction of 12.3%, negative prediction of 97.8%, and area under the curve of 0.743 (95% confidence interval, 0.678~0.745). The tool's cut-off score was 15, and the risks of infection was increased by 6.14 times at or above this cut-off point. Preoperative hair removal period, surgical wound classification, surgery time, body temperature on the second day after surgery, drainage tube type, and suture type affected the risk of infection at the surgical site. Conclusion : The incidence of healthcare-associated infections has been declining in the past decade; however, surgical site infections still account for a considerable proportion. Therefore, early identification of high-risk groups for surgical site infection is crucial for reducing the incidence of surgical site infection using appropriate management.

Purpose : This study aimed to identify risk factors for unplanned reintubation after planned extubation and to analyze the clinical outcomes in patients admitted to the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery. Methods : The study examined patients who underwent intubation and planned extubation admitted to the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021. The reintubation group comprised 58 patients underwent unplanned reintubation within 7 days of planned extubation. The maintenance group comprised 116 patients who did not undergo reintubation and were matched with the reintubation group using the rational for matching criteria. Data were collected retrospectively from electronic medical records. We used the independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, 𝑥²-test, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression analysis with SPSS/WIN 27.0. Results : The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that albumin (odds ratio [OR]=0.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.20-0.72), surgery time (OR=1.54, 95% CI=1.20-1.97), PaO₂ before extubation (OR=0.85 per 10 mmHg, 95% CI=0.75-0.97), postoperative arrhythmia (OR=2.82, 95% CI=1.22-6.51), reoperation due to bleeding (OR=4.65, 95% CI=1.27-17.07), and postoperative acute renal failure (OR=2.97, 95% CI=1.09-8.04) were risk factors for unplanned reintubation. The reintubation group had a higher in-hospital mortality rate (𝑥²=33.74, p<.001), longer intensive care unit stay (Z=-7.81, p<.001), and longer hospital stay than the maintenance group (Z=-8.29, p<.001). Conclusion : These results identified risk factors and clinical outcomes of unplanned reintubation after planned extubation after cardiac surgery. These findings should be considered when developing and managing an intervention program to prevent and reduce the incidence of unplanned reintubation.

Purpose : This study aimed to identify post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and burnout experienced by healthcare providers who cared for patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their influencing factors. Methods : Data were collected from 135 healthcare providers who cared for patients with COVID-19 in a tertiary general hospital from June 8 to September 2, 2021, using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, t-test, ANOVA and Scheffe's test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression were used for analysis using SPSS/WIN 27.0. Results : Participants' average PTSD score was 9.31 ± 11.80, and 8.9% were in the high-risk group. Participants' average burnout score was 51.77±21.28, and 62.2% were at high risk. PTSD scores differed significantly according to participants' age, education, job, position, and current workplace. Burnout scores differed significantly according to their age, gender, marital status, parental status, and education. There was positive correlation between participants' PTSD and burnout. The factors influencing participants' PTSD were term of self-isolation and age (R²=.09). There were no significant influencing factors on participants' burnout. Conclusion : This study reconfirmed that healthcare providers who cared for patients with COVID-19 experienced both PTSD and burnout, suggesting that interventions are needed such as regular pre-training or simulation training and establishing a support system.

Purpose : This study aimed to investigate sleep parameters and to identify differences according to respiratory support therapy, sedation, and pain medication in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Methods : In this observational study, sleep parameters were measured using actigraphy. We observed 45 sleep events in 30 ICU patients receiving respiratory support therapy. We measured the sleep parameters, time, efficiency, and wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO). The differences in sleep parameters according to the respiratory support therapy were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results : The average daily sleep time of the participants was 776.66±276.71 minutes, of which more than 60% accounted for daytime sleep. During night sleep, the duration of WASO was 156.93±107.91 minutes, and the frequency of WASO was 26.02±25.82 times. The high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) group had a significantly shorter night sleep time (𝑥²=7.86, p =.049), a greater number of WASO (𝑥²=5.69, p =.128), and a longer WASO duration (𝑥²=8.75, p =.033) than groups of other respiratory therapies. Conclusion : ICU patients on respiratory support therapy experienced sleep disturbances such as disrupted circadian rhythm and sleep fragmentation. Among respiratory support regimens, HFNC was associated with poor sleep parameters, which appears to be associated with the insufficient use of analgesics. The results of this study warrant the development of interventions that can improve sleep in ICU patients receiving respiratory support, including HFNC.