Training perinatal nurses in palliative communication by using scenario-based simulation: A quasi-experimental study.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the impact of two educational modules on enhancing the communication confidence, competence and performance of perinatal nurses in the context of palliative care.

Background: Concerns have arisen regarding the preparedness of perinatal nurses in delivering palliative care, especially in terms of deficiencies in communication skills and negative attitudes toward making life-support decisions for parents facing neonates with terminal conditions. Bridging this gap necessitates improved perinatal palliative care education for healthcare providers.

Effects of Mindfulness-Based Elder Care (MBEC) on symptoms of depression and anxiety and spiritual well-being of institutionalized seniors with disabilities: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Despite the need to incorporate seniors from various settings into mindfulness-based empirical research, issues of geriatric frailties and non-compliance remain. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based elder care (MBEC) program on mental health and spiritual well-being among seniors with disabilities in long-term care residential settings.

Methods: This single-blind, randomized controlled trial (RCT) randomly assigned seventy-seven participants into an MBEC group or control group of an eight-week MBEC program.

Effects of a biopsychosocial-spiritual group therapy on quality of life among institutionalized older adults with disabilities: A randomized controlled trial.

The traditional biomedical care approach has been unsatisfactory to meet the complex needs of seniors with long-term multimorbidity and irreversible disability, particularly for those living in residential LTC facilities. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week biopsychosocial-spiritual (BPS-S) group intervention with the attempt to enhance quality of life (QoL) and meaning in life among senior residents with disability. This single-blind randomized controlled trail was conducted in eight residential LTC facilities.

"Help me fight my constant battle": A focus group study of overweight and obese women's mHealth app experiences to manage gestational weight gain.

Objectives: To understand and describe overweight and obese pregnant women's mHealth app experiences in managing gestational weight gain (GWG) for optimal weight goals.

Design: A focus group study.

Setting: We identified and invited pregnant women from a prenatal outpatient clinic in a metropolitan city in Northern Taiwan.

Effectiveness of a nurse-led mHealth app to prevent excessive gestational weight gain among overweight and obese women: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To explore the effectiveness of a nurse-led mobile health (mHealth) intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) in overweight and obese women.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial with an experimental study design. Ninety-two pregnant women with body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m at less than 17 weeks gestation were recruited from two prenatal clinics in northern Taiwan from January to June 2020.

Developing a web-based oncofertility tool for reproductive-age women with breast cancer based on social support framework.

Purpose: To develop electronic systems for oncofertility support, and to examine the comprehensibility, feasibility, usability, and effects on social support and preparation for decision-making.

Methods: The study steps were guided, tested, and utilized to (a) identify the requirements of a patient, (b) guide the development of support interventions, and (c) evaluate the quality of web-based oncofertility support. Alpha testing and beta testing were used to ensure the quality of the web-based oncofertility support tool.

Perceptions of Behavioral Awareness, Intention, and Readiness for Advance Care Planning: A Mixed-Method Study among Older Indigenous Patients with Late-Stage Cancers in Remote Areas of Eastern Taiwan.

The first Patient Right to Autonomy Act enacted in Asia in 2019 has enabled every Taiwanese citizen to plan for his/her end-of-life (EOL) in case of incompetency. Advance care planning (ACP) has been highly promoted for individuals with terminal, life-threatening illnesses, particularly in the mainstream society, and efforts have been made by the Taiwanese government to train health care providers in order to optimize patients' quality of dying. However, such advanced decisions and discussions regarding life-sustaining treatment and EOL care remain scarce among older ethnically minority patients.

Identifying Patterns of Symptom Distress in Pregnant Women: A Pilot Study.

During pregnancy, a woman's enlarged uterus and the developing fetus lead to symptom distress; in turn, physical and psychological aspects of symptom distress are often associated with adverse prenatal and birth outcomes. This study aimed to identify the trends in the trajectory of these symptoms. This longitudinal study recruited 95 pregnant women, with a mean age of 32 years, from the prenatal wards of two teaching hospitals in northern Taiwan.

"Moving for My Baby!" Motivators and Perceived Barriers to Facilitate Readiness for Physical Activity during Pregnancy among Obese and Overweight Women of Urban Areas in Northern Taiwan.

Low levels of physical activity (PA) are of a health concern among high body mass index (BMI) women living a sedentary lifestyle and being overweight or obese during pregnancy is associated with increased risks of maternal and fetal health complications. Obstetricians often provide advice regarding recommended PA levels, yet this has not been easily achieved in this group to prevent adverse birth-related outcomes. The purpose of this study is to explore motivators/enablers and perceived barriers through in-depth qualitative inquiry, guided by a behavioral change model, for understanding of pregnant women's decisions to engage, or refrain from PA practice.

Exploring Behavioral Readiness and Program Strategies to Engage Older Community Residents in Advance Care Planning: A Pilot Mixed-Method Study in Taiwan.

Taiwan was the first Asian country to endorse patient autonomy, and advance care planning (ACP) has been highly promoted to improve quality of end-of-life (EOL). A mixed-methods pilot survey was conducted in northwestern Taiwan to investigate older community-dwelling residents' (N = 52) ACP behavioral engagement, socio-demographical correlates, and their preferred intervention strategies. An interview subset (25%, N = 13) was purposely chosen for in-depth feedback and rationales behind their ACP decision-making.

Exploring Advance Care Planning in Taiwanese Indigenous Cancer Survivors: Proposal for a Pilot Case-Control Study.

Background: Research on Taiwanese indigenous cancer survivors' end-of-life (EOL) planning is still in its infancy, despite recent government and societal efforts to promote quality EOL care. Previous national studies in Taiwan have characterized indigenous peoples as a socioeconomically disadvantaged minority group. Compared with their mainstream cohorts, these remote residents are vulnerable to multiple social welfare problems, receiving and accessing little in the way of health care in rural mountain areas.

Development and Validation of a Fertility Intention Scale in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Background: Evidence indicates that breast cancer survivors with reproductive concerns have a poorer quality of life than survivors without fertility concerns. There is a lack of reliable and valid assessments of fertility intention among breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Fertility Intention Scale (FIS) that is sensitive to the fertility intention of women with breast cancer.

Decision-Making Process Regarding Fertility Among Reproductive-Age Women With Cancer in Taiwan.

Background: Previous studies indicate that women with cancer experience infertility after cancer-related treatment. With the rapid progress in fertility science, women face diverse and uncertain choices regarding pregnancy.

Objective: The aim of this study is to understand the decision-making process regarding fertility choices among reproductive-age women with cancer in Taiwan.

Effects of non-sporting and sporting qigong on frailty and quality of life among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Purpose: To explore the effects of non-sporting qigong (NSQG) and sporting qigong (SQG) on frailty and quality of life (QOL) of breast cancer patients during chemotherapy.

Methods: A time series (three-group, pre-test-post-test) quasi-experimental design was applied in the study. Ninety-five participants were assigned to three groups: controls (n = 31), NSQG (n = 33), or SQG (n = 31).