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Background & Aim: HIV screening is a crucial step in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, but challenges related to accessibility, efficiency, and service quality in many regions. With the rise of digital technologies, digital health applications hold significant potential to address these challenges. This review evaluates the opportunities and challenges of applying digital technologies in HIV screening, focusing on accessibility, privacy, and healthcare quality.
Materials & Methods: A scoping review was conducted using the framework of Arksey & O'Malley (2005), as modified by Levac et al. (2010). Systematic searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, DOAJ, Wiley Online Library, Cochrane Library, and EBSCOhost for studies published between 2015 and 2024. Relevant studies were selected based on criteria focused on technology accessibility, privacy, and infrastructure reliability. Data were extracted, mapped, and findings categorized by geographical context and key challenges.
Results: Ten studies involving over 3,500 participants were analysed, including randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and program evaluations. Major challenges identified included limited access to technology, particularly in low-resource areas, as well as privacy concerns and technology reliability. Despite these challenges, significant opportunities to improve healthcare services through digital technologies were noted, especially when adapted to local contexts and supported by user training.
Conclusion:  Despite challenges in accessibility and privacy, digital technologies provide opportunities to enhance HIV screening, especially with contextual adaptations and user training. These findings suggest a path forward for integrating digital solutions in HIV care.

Background & Aim: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic challenged the physical and psychological well-being of critical care nurses because of the increasing number of infected patients, demands of care, and shortage of healthcare front-liners, particularly nurses. This study determined nurses’ perceived demands and the significant predictors of their burnout level in critical care units of tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Methods & Materials: This study used a cross-sectional research design. It was conducted from November to December 2021. Two hundred seventy nurses working in critical care units of tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia were surveyed using adopted questionnaires.
Results: The findings of this study revealed that the nurses’ demands concerning safety, communication, and relationships between team members, and psycho-socio-emotional aspects were moderate, whereas their demands concerning organization and decision-making were slight. Furthermore, nurses’ levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization/ loss of empathy were high, and personal accomplishment was low, which indicates a high level of occupational burnout. Interestingly, the correlations between the dimensions of burnout and perceived demands were highly significant (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The safety demands of critical care nurses significantly predicted emotional exhaustion due to an increased workload during COVID-19. The demands were significant predictors of depersonalization and personal accomplishment due to their perception that staff shortage, imbalanced workload, increasing care demand, and fatigue might have compromised the quality of patient care. Nurses experienced increased emotional distress and frustration in conveying their feelings of exhaustion, which led to high burnout levels during COVID-19.

Background & Aim: This study aimed to clarify the aspects related to the knowledge and skills of evidence-based practice (EBP) among hospital nurses by incorporating potential factors into a single model.
Methods & Materials: This cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses at six hospitals in Japan, selected for convenience. All nurses (n=2,672) who met the eligibility criteria were invited to participate, and data were collected using a structured, self-administered paper-based questionnaire. Knowledge and skills of EBP were measured using the Japanese version of the EBP Questionnaire. Personal factors, such as educational level, participation in EBP education, and experiences conducting research, as well as work-environment factors, including access to a literature database, were measured. Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate these relationships.
Results: Seven hundred eighteen nurses (26.9%) were included in the final analysis. Having a master’s degree (β= 0.153, p < 0.001), received education on all five evidence-based practice steps (β = 0.354, p < 0.001) and any of the steps (β = 0.172, p < 0.001), and experiences conducting research twice (β = 0.201, p < 0.001) or more and once (β = 0.094, p= 0.017) were associated with higher knowledge and skills of EBP. Gender, clinical experience, position, certification, database use, and organizational attitude showed no association.
Conclusion: Effectively enhancing the knowledge and skills of hospital nurses in EBP requires education on all five steps of EBP and experience in conducting research. Furthermore, consideration could be given to strengthening EBP education and research in bachelor’s programs to potentially improve evidence-based practice knowledge and skills among more nurses.

Background & Aim: Palliative care is an approach designed to enhance the quality of life and alleviate suffering associated with life-threatening illnesses. It should also be included in Home Care Services. This study aimed to identify the needs of patients in palliative care and their caregivers from the perspective of Home Care Service providers.
Methods & Materials: This qualitative research study was conducted with a multidisciplinary team of providers under the Home Care Service program in the interior of São Paulo state, Brazil. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the Content Analysis method.
Results: Three categories emerged from the provider's narratives: insufficient knowledge about palliative care, the needs of patients in palliative care, and the needs of caregivers of patients in palliative care. Additionally, nine subcategories were identified: palliative care as end-of-life care, palliative care as an opportunity to provide comfort measures, lack of palliative care training for the multidisciplinary team, pain management, nutrition, emotional support, and psychological care, presence of family members, psychological support, and assistance in care management.
Conclusion: This study identified the needs of patients in palliative care and their caregivers from the perspective of Home Care staff. The primary needs of patients, as identified by the staff, encompassed both physical and psychosocial support, including the presence of family members. For these patients’ caregivers, staff emphasized the importance of psychological support and assistance in managing care. The study highlights the importance of continuous education in the home palliative care setting that recognizes the needs of both patients and caregivers.

Background & Aim: Moral disengagement may result in unethical behavior, compromising patient safety in Intensive Care Units. This study aims to provide a clear and culturally grounded definition of moral disengagement among Iranian ICU nurses.
Methods & Materials: This research employed a hybrid concept analysis model based on Schwartz-Barcott and Kim’s approach in three phases: 1) Theoretical phase: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using relevant keywords in Iranian and international databases. Sixteen relevant peer-reviewed articles were selected and analyzed using conventional content analysis based on Graneheim and Lundman’s method. 2) Fieldwork phase: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 ICU nurses selected via purposive sampling. Data were coded and analyzed using qualitative content analysis to extract themes. 3) Final analysis phase: The data from the previous phases were integrated to develop a refined and context-based definition.
Results: In the theoretical phase, key attributes included moral justification, cognitive reconstruction, detachment from ethical standards, and absence of moral emotions. Fieldwork analysis yielded 301 codes categorized into three main themes and seven subthemes, emphasizing illegitimate legitimization through commitment avoidance, self-justification, and cognitive reconstruction, as well as assurance of job and psychological security, and feelings of individual and organizational satisfaction. The findings from these phases contributed to the final definition.
Conclusion: Moral disengagement among ICU nurses is defined as: “The employment of protective mechanisms of justification, pleasant cognitive reconstruction of the event, and commitment avoidance to legitimize unethical activities aimed at preserving job security, psychological safety, and individual and organizational satisfaction.” This definition offers a practical foundation for future research and ethical interventions in critical care.

Background & Aim: There is a growing global reliance on sleep medications among healthcare professionals, raising concerns about dependency and health outcomes. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of insomnia, sleep medication usage, and their correlates among nurses.
Methods & Materials: This cross-sectional study employed a web-based survey to recruit 1,213 nurses from university hospitals in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, via institutional portals. Participants completed the Insomnia Severity Index and a profile of insomnia medication usage. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analytical tests, and multiple linear regression in SPSS 21 (p< 0.05).  
Results: Among 1,213 participants (84.3% female, mean age 36.9 ± 8.5 years), the majority had subclinical (52.6%) or moderate (38.3%) insomnia. While 41.2% reported using non-drug methods for insomnia, 73.5% did not use any sleep medication. Among medication users, benzodiazepines (10.5%) and herbal remedies (9.5%) were most common. Nurses working rotating shifts (t = -5.93, p< 0.001) and those with >3-night shifts per week (F=19.41, p< 0.001) had higher insomnia severity scores. Multiple linear regression revealed that female gender (β= 1.780, p= 0.009), married status (β= 0.740, p= 0.009), non-use of benzodiazepines (β=-1.284, p = 0.004), and use of non-drug methods (β = -1.789, p< 0.001) were significantly associated with higher ISI score.
Conclusion: Nurses exhibit high insomnia rates and medication dependence, necessitating urgent integration of non-drug approaches like optimized shifts and sleep hygiene programs to reduce severity and improve well-being.

Background & Aim: Emotional eating is discussed in nursing, including psychiatric and public health nursing, particularly for its behavioral and psychosocial implications at the population level. However, its interpretation and usage can differ significantly across these areas. To enhance the validity of measurements and inform effective interventions in nursing and public health, it is crucial to achieve a clearer understanding of emotional eating. This study aimed to define and clarify the attributes of emotional eating among adolescent students.
Methods & Materials: This study employed Walker and Avant’s eight-step method for concept analysis. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using Thai and international databases, including ThaiLIS, ThaiJo, CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. The search was guided by keywords such as emotional eating, binge eating, and overeating. Based on predefined criteria, 45 studies published between 2014 and 2023 were selected for analysis.
Results: Emotional eating is defined as the excessive intake of food in response to emotional states, both positive and negative, instead of being driven by physical hunger or social circumstances. The attributes of emotional eating in adolescent students encompass emotional responses, excessive eating, unhealthy food selection, and coping with stress and responding mood management. Antecedents included social-emotional problems, perceived stress, perceived self-efficacy, and eating styles and patterns. Consequences involve changes in physical health and well-being, along with unhealthy eating behaviors and compulsive eating.
Conclusion: The insights gained from this study enhance conceptual understanding for nursing assessments and tailored interventions designed to promote healthier eating practices among adolescent students.

Background & Aim: Failure to accept the disease can make a person susceptible to negative emotions, maladjustment to the disease, and disruption of the bio-psychosocial balance. This study aimed to investigate factors facilitating and inhibiting acceptance of myocardial infarction in newly diagnosed patients.
Methods & Materials: In this qualitative content analysis study, participants were patients experiencing myocardial infarction for the first time, their caregivers, nurses, and specialist physicians. Data were collected between June 2023 and January 2024 through in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews with 11 participants selected through purposive sampling. Data analysis followed the three-step method proposed by Elo and Kyngäs.
Results: Several key themes were identified as influential factors in the acceptance of disease among newly diagnosed myocardial infarction patients. Facilitators of acceptance included social support, adaptation to new roles, perceived susceptibility to the disease, spirituality, and the role of healthcare providers. Conversely, barriers to acceptance encompassed symptom reduction, unexpected diagnosis of myocardial infarction, and lack of awareness. Understanding these factors is essential for developing targeted interventions to improve patient adjustment and outcomes.
Conclusion: Identifying facilitators and barriers to the acceptance of disease can enhance patient engagement and adherence to treatment plans. Understanding these factors allows healthcare providers to tailor interventions that promote positive coping strategies. Ultimately, fostering acceptance can reduce healthcare costs by minimizing complications.