Background Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects over 236 million people worldwide, and exercise interventions are commonly used to alleviate symptoms of this condition. However, no previous systematic review has evaluated the effects of mobile health (mHealth)–based exercise interventions for patients with PAD. Objective This study aimed to assess the effect of mHealth-based exercise interventions on walking performance, functional status, and quality of life in patients with PAD. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. We searched in seven databases to identify randomized controlled trials of patients with PAD published in English up to December 4, 2020. Studies were included if patients participated in mHealth-based exercise interventions and were assessed for walking performance. We analyzed pooled effect size on walking performance, functional status, and quality of life based on the standardized mean differences between groups. Results A total of seven studies were selected for the systematic review, and six studies were included in the meta-analysis. The duration of interventions in the included studies was 12 to 48 weeks. In the pooled analysis, when compared with the control groups, the mHealth-based exercise intervention groups were associated with significant improvements in pain-free walking (95% CI 0.13-0.88), maximal walking (95% CI 0.03-0.87), 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance (95% CI 0.59-1.24), and walking distance (95% CI 0.02-0.49). However, benefits of the interventions on walking speed, stair-climbing ability, and quality of life were not observed. Conclusions mHealth-based exercise interventions for patients with PAD were beneficial for improving pain-free walking, maximal walking, and 6MWT distance. We found that exercise interventions using mHealth are an important strategy for improving the exercise effectiveness and adherence rate of patients with PAD. Future studies should consider the use of various and suitable functions of mHealth that can increase the adherence rates and improve the effectiveness of exercise.

This study examined the effects of nurse staffing levels, work environment, and education levels on adverse events in nursing homes. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 216 nurses working in 62 nursing homes in South Korea, using self-reported questionnaires and data from the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the effects of nurse staffing levels, work environment, and nursing education levels on the adverse events experienced by residents. An increase of one resident per nurse was significantly associated with a higher incidence of medication error, pressure ulcers and urinary tract infections. A poor work environment increased the incidence of adverse events. Compared to nurses with a bachelor’s degree or higher, those with diplomas reported increased incidence rates of pressure ulcers. Improving the health outcomes of residents in nursing homes requires efforts that strengthen the nursing workforce in terms of numbers and educational level, and which improve their work environment at institutional and policy levels.

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This quasi-experimental study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of special nursing units in nursing homes by comparing health outcomes and satisfaction between the general nursing units and special nursing units across nursing homes in South Korea. Surveys—paper, phone, and online—were conducted five times (March, August, and November 2019; June and October 2020) for health outcomes (health pattern changes and the number of residents with new health problems) and four times (March and August–November 2019; June and October 2020) for satisfaction. Descriptive analysis, χ²-test, paired t-test, and McNemar test were performed using the SPSS 25.0 program. The results showed an improvement in the health outcomes of residents in the special nursing units. Regarding health pattern changes, there was a decrease in the number of residents facing problems related to consciousness, cardiovascular function, urination, defecation, and pain and of those with new health problems such as aches, falls, pressure sores, and urinary incontinence. Furthermore, caregivers’ satisfaction in the special nursing units was higher than that of their counterparts in the general nursing units. The results of this study will be used as evidence to expand this special nursing unit’s services in the future.

This study examined the effect of registered nurse (RN) staffing level, work environment, and education on adverse events experienced by residents in nursing homes. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 216 RNs working in nursing homes who were selected using random stratified sampling by location and bed size. Self-reported questionnaires regarding staffing level, work environment, education level, adverse events, and nurse characteristics were administered. Data from the National Health Insurance Service were used to describe nursing home characteristics. Both multiple and multinomial logistic regressions were used to control for the characteristics of nurses and nursing homes, and investigate the effects of nursing staffing level (number of older adults assigned to a nurse), work environment (Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Working Index), and level of nursing education on the adverse events experienced by residents. An increase of one resident per RN was significantly associated with a higher incidence of pressure ulcers (OR= 1.019, 95% CI=1.004-1.035). Poor work environment increased the incidence of adverse events such as pressure ulcers (OR= 3.732, 95% CI=1.155-12.056) and sepsis (OR=3.871, 95%CI=1.086-13.800). Compared to RNs with a baccalaureate or higher, RNs with diplomas reported increased incidence rates of pressure ulcers (OR=2.772, 95%CI= 1.173-6.549). RN staffing, work environment, and education level affect the incidence of pressure ulcers, and the work environment affects the incidence of sepsis among residents in nursing homes. Policy-wise, improving the level of nurse staffing, nursing work environment, and nursing education will improve health outcomes of residents.