An analysis of the policy participation of field response nurses in South Korea: COVID‐19 response guidelines and the infectious disease act revision

Abstract

Introduction The Republic of Korea's response to Coronavirus disease 2019 was divided before and after global vaccine development at the end of 2020. It also varied according to the size of confirmed patients in the non‐pharmaceutical intervention. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the contribution of frontline nurses to the policy and law revision on infectious diseases and suggest health and nursing policies for emerging infectious diseases in the future. Design This case evaluation study analyzed the significant policy decisions that nurses' roles brought on changes in the infectious disease response system in the Republic of Korea and applying the health system model and those capacities on resilience under emerging infectious diseases. Methods Objective data that contributed directly to the revision of infectious disease‐related Acts and policies in 2020 were collected and analyzed through literature search and information disclosure claims from the first to third waves of Coronavirus disease 2019 in one city. Results With the rapid outbreak of COVID‐19 confirmed cases at the end of February 2020, a pan‐government support group was formed and dispatched to D City. In addition, central quarantine officials worked with local quarantine officials to share real‐time situations and find out on‐site difficulties and support requests. As a result, inquiry of opinions to working staff before changing the “response guidelines to Coronavirus disease 2019” was reflected in major contents on the revision of “policy on infectious disease response” and “Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act.” With the establishment of an epidemiological investigation team in September 2020, the number of new nurses in 17 cities and provinces increased by 19.1% compared to the previous year, the most significant increase compared to doctors (−2.3), dentists (−1.6), and health workers (3.7). Conclusion The experience of responding to Coronavirus was a reminder that the curriculum needed to be improved so that nurses will be recognized to have leadership competencies and as field experts regarding social determinants of health for population groups in the decision‐making process. In the initial COVID‐19 response process, nurses showed excellence in analyzing patient interviews and various information as field epidemiological investigation response personnel, making comprehensive judgments, and solving problems in cooperation with related agencies and severe patients' bedside nursing care. Continuous primary care and management of infectious diseases for the vulnerable should be prepared on an ongoing basis to assure the quality of care. Clinical Relevance Action strategies for developing leadership to enable nurses to have participated in the social determinants of health and the nursing policy formation for health equity should be applied in nursing education and practice, and global monitoring efforts were accelerated.

Change in Severity and Clinical Manifestation of MIS-C Over SARS-CoV-2 Variant Outbreaks in Korea

“…Per Infectious Diseases Control and Prevention Act, the surveillance case definition and reporting threshold did not change over time of observation. 14 COVID-19 vaccination started in adolescents since October 2021, reaching vaccine coverage of 67.8% for one dose and 46.3% for two doses, by the end of 2021. 15 COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 5–11 started since March 2022, with low coverage of 1% by August 2022.…”

Bacterial Contamination of Digital Panoramic Dental X-Ray Equipment

“…The rapid spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-19), which first began in Wuhan, China, in 2019, led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global pandemic in 2020 by announcing its official name due to its high pathogenicity and infectiousness, which continues to this day with mutations 7,8) . Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of infection prevention and management has emerged in most medical institutions and infection-related organizations, and with this opportunity, related studies are being actively conducted along with the need for an infection control system [9][10][11] . COVID-19 is an infectious disease that poses a high risk of air infection, and dental institutions are at high risk of cross-infection due to the presence of large amounts of droplets and aerosols 12) .…”