Development of a training program for foreign nurses candidate based on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) : The significance of training experience in Japan for nurses candidate in the Philippines

Purpose & Subjects: To interview foreign nurse candidates who visited Japan from the Philippines in 2009 based on the EPA in order to reveal the significance of their training experience in Japan and obtain feedback for developing an effective training system. Methods: We intervened regarding the training program for nurse candidates and analyzed subsequent interviews with them using a qualitative inductive approach. Results: The nurse candidates sustained { i n c o n v e n i e n c e } f r o m [ u n a n t i c i p a t e d geographical conditions] and {loneliness} from [being separated from family and friends]. Before the intervention, they experienced {feelings of isolation} because they [could not say what they wanted],{unjustness} concerning [lack of their desired medical department despite it having been shown] and [a training program completely different from what they wanted], and {anguish} at [bewilderment at being made to work as a helper] and [unanticipated training program]. {Complaint} was derived from the candidates’ thoughts, such as that they [complained to the researchers even though they would get in trouble because they could not endure]. After the intervention, {change} was seen in the training system and the candidates’ feelings due to [positive change of the support system], [themselves making efforts], and [determination of new study methods]; they began to show {hope} from a [change of the training program to duties fitting of nurses] and a [shift and change in feelings]. The results of this study pointed to the importance of providing a training program that prevents loss of hope and pride in candidates who had been very proud of nursing experience until then

A sleep-like state in Hydra unravels conserved sleep mechanisms during the evolutionary development of the central nervous system

Sleep behaviors are observed even in nematodes and arthropods, yet little is known about how sleep-regulatory mechanisms have emerged during evolution. Here, we report a sleep-like state in the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris with a primitive nervous organization. Hydra sleep was shaped by homeostasis and necessary for cell proliferation, but it lacked free-running circadian rhythms. Instead, we detected 4-hour rhythms that might be generated by ultradian oscillators underlying Hydra sleep. Microarray analysis in sleep-deprived Hydra revealed sleep-dependent expression of 212 genes, including cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1 (PRKG1) and ornithine aminotransferase. Sleep-promoting effects of melatonin, GABA, and PRKG1 were conserved in Hydra. However, arousing dopamine unexpectedly induced Hydra sleep. Opposing effects of ornithine metabolism on sleep were also evident between Hydra and Drosophila, suggesting the evolutionary switch of their sleep-regulatory functions. Thus, sleep-relevant physiology and sleep-regulatory components may have already been acquired at molecular levels in a brain-less metazoan phylum and reprogrammed accordingly

Development of a community’s self-efficacy scale for preventing social isolation among community-dwelling older people (Mimamori Scale)

Abstract Background Among older people in developed countries, social isolation leading to solitary death has become a public health issue of vital importance. Such isolation could be prevented by monitoring at-risk individuals at the neighborhood level and by implementing supportive networks at the community level. However, a means of measuring community confidence in these measures has not been established. This study is aimed at developing the Community’s Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES; Mimamori scale in Japanese) for community members preventing social isolation among older people. Methods The CSES is a self-administered questionnaire developed on the basis of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. The survey was given to a general population (GEN) sample (n = 6,000) and community volunteer (CVOL) sample (n = 1,297). Construct validity was determined using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha. The Generative Concern Scale (GCS-R) and Brief Sense of Community Scale (BSCS) were also administered to assess criterion-related validity of the CSES. Results In total, 3,484 and 859 valid responses were received in the GEN and CVOL groups, respectively. The confirmatory factor analysis identified eight items from two domains—community network and neighborhood watch—with goodness of fit index = 0.984, adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.970, comparative fit index = 0.988, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.047. Cronbach’s alpha for the entire CSES was 0.87 and for the subscales was 0.80 and higher. The score of the entire CSES was positively correlated with the GCS-R in both the GEN (r = 0.80, p < 0.001) and CVOL (r = 0.86, p < 0.001) samples. Conclusions The CSES demonstrated adequate reliability and validity for assessing a community’s self-efficacy to aid in its preventing social isolation among older people. The scale is potentially useful for promoting health policies, practices, and interventions within communities. This may help prevent social isolation among older people and contribute to overall well-being in aging societies in Japan and abroad

Additional file 1: of Development of a community’s self-efficacy scale for preventing social isolation among community-dwelling older people (Mimamori Scale)

Appendix 1: English version of the final CSES. (PDF 226 kb

Development of a Community Commitment Scale with Cross-sectional Survey Validation for Preventing Social Isolation in Older Japanese People

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Elderly social isolation could be prevented by facilitating communication or mutual helping at the neighborhood level. The helping of elderly neighbors by local volunteers may relate to their community commitment (CC), but ways to measure CC have not been identified. The aim of the present study was to develop a Community Commitment Scale (CCS) to measure psychological sense of belonging and socializing in the community among local volunteers, for research in prevention of elderly social isolation. We also tested the CCS in a general population of the elderly.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A pilot test of 266 Japanese urban residents was conducted to examine face validity for 24 identified items, of which 12 items were selected for the CCS, based on a 4-point Likert-type scale. The CCS was developed via self-report questionnaires to 859 local volunteers in two suburban cities and to 3484 randomly sampled general residents aged 55 years or older living in one of the cities. To assess concurrent validity, data were collected using the Brief Sense of Community Scale (Peterson; 2008) and two types of single questions on self-efficacy for helping elderly neighbors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Item analysis and factor analysis identified 8 items, which were classified between two datasets under the domains of “belonging” and “socializing” in the local volunteers and the general residents. Cronbach’s alpha (which conveyed the internal consistency of the CCS) was 0.75 in local volunteers and 0.78 in general residents. The correlation coefficients between the scores of the CCS and BSCS were 0.54 for local volunteers and 0.62 for general residents. ANOVA comparing the CCS between the confidence levels of the two types of single question of self-efficacy on helping elderly neighbors showed a strong relationship in the volunteers and residents.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results demonstrate acceptable internal consistency and concurrent validity for the CCS, with the two dimensions “belonging” and “socializing”, among the local volunteers and general residents in urban Japanese areas. Community commitment measured by the CCS was related to the degree of confidence for self-efficacy in helping elderly neighbors to prevent elderly social isolation.</p