ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the current status of evidence-based practice (EBP) courses and EBP-related courses in Korean nursing education systems.MethodSubject institutions were 159 institutions including 99 universities and 60 colleges with a bachelor's degree program accredited by the Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing Education. Two researchers independently collected data from the subject institutions based on the curricula published on the website of each university or college, and the collected datasets were cross-checked to ensure data accuracy.ResultsEBP courses were found in a small portion of institutions (13.2%). Research courses were offered in most institutions (98.7%), but they were usually provided to third- or fourth-year students.ConclusionUnderstanding the concept of EBP and knowledge of nursing research and statistics are both prerequisites to strengthening the EBP competence of nursing students. Therefore, it is imperative to equip them with the required knowledge prior to their clinical practicum.

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Traditional pyramidotomy models have a high mortality rate from breathing difficulties and show early recovery from the induced motor deficits. This study establishes a novel pyramidotomy technique in Sprague Dawley rats that generates persistent motor deficits and has a reduced mortality rate. We used viral neural tracing to identify the course and relative distribution of forelimb and hindlimb motor fibers (n = 9). On basis of the neural tracing data, the medullary pyramid was targeted dorsally from the cerebellar cortex for photothrombotic infarct lesioning (n = 18). The photothrombotic technique selectively destroyed the corticospinal fibers in the medullary pyramid with relative preservation of neighboring grey-matter tissue. MicroPET imaging using 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG-microPET) showed a decrease in regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCGM) in the bilateral pyramid and ipsilateral sensory cortex (p < 0.001, FDR q < 0.05). In addition, the trapezoid bodies and superior olivary nuclei showed a decrease in rCGM, compatible with damage caused during the introduction of the optical fiber. Connected structures such as the inferior colliculi and auditory cortices also showed decreases in rCGM in both hemispheres (p < 0.001, FDR q < 0.05). There was a significant and persistent decrease in motor and sensory function in the contralateral limb following pyramidotomy, as demonstrated by performance in the single pellet reaching task and the foot-fault test. There was no operative mortality or loss of respiratory function in this study. These results indicate that photothrombotic pyramidotomy with a dorsal transcortical approach is a safe and reliable technique for generating a pyramidotomy model with persistent motor deficits.