• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.759-771
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of life in near-poor elderly living alone and experiencing depression. We focused on their lived experiences so that we could understand the essential structure of what kind of life they live. The eligible population included those aged 65 or older, showing 9 points or higher in the Korean form of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS), currently living alone for more than 1 year, having no problems of communication difficulties, and nationally defined as a near-poor group. A purposive sample of 8 seniors enrolled in s mental health welfare center in Incheon Metropolitan City were recruited. The phenomenological approach suggested by Colaizzi was used. Data was collected from May 2018 to October 2019 through in-depth interviews. As a result of the study, 6 categories, including 48 themes and 19 theme clusters, were drawn from the data: 'a shabby life that cannot live without help', 'a life where the body and mind are sick', 'a life that wants to be self-reliant', 'a life of gratitude', 'a life with inner peace', and 'a life that needed institutional support.' Findings of this study can be evidence for developing suitable emotional support programs for the near-poor elderly living alone and to enact various welfare laws and policies at the national level.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.479-492
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• 2020

Background: As the prevalence of hypertension is increasing in Korea, the government is seeking policy actions to manage patients with hypertension more efficiently. In this paper, we aimed to identify factors associated with the use of medical care at hospitals among outpatients with hypertension. Methods: We analyzed a total of 15,040 cases of 3,877 outpatients with hypertension obtained from the Korea Medical Panel database from 2010 to 2016. The dependent variable was whether a patient with hypertension visited a hospital or not; and independent variables were the patient's various socio-demographic, health-related, and heath-status characteristics. We conducted a generalized linear mixed model analysis with logit link for all the cases and then conducted it stratified by gender. Results: As a result of a multivariable analysis, women were less likely than to visit at a hospital (odds ratio [OR], 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32-0.61) and people aged 65 years and older than those aged less than 65 years (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.57-0.89). Residents in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam were more likely than those in than Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and Jeju to visit a hospital (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.05-1.86). The likelihood of visiting a hospital was high in people belonging to a group of: the highest level of annual household income (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.30-2.29); Medical care aid recipients (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.34-2.83); people having three or more complex chronic diseases (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.19-2.11); people having diabetes (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.41-2.32); or people having ischemic heart disease or cerebrovascular disease (OR, 6.80; 95% CI, 5.28-8.76). Also, we found that factors associated with the use of medical care at hospitals among outpatients with hypertension differed between genders. Conclusion: A variety of factors seem to be associated with the use of medical care at hospitals among outpatients with hypertension. Future research needs to find a way to help patients with hypertension visit an appropriate medical institution between clinics and hospitals.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.651-659
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• 2020

The objective of this study is to provide high-quality medical service, by understanding the characteristics and death risk factors of patients at V long-term care hospital, that has established and operated the cooperative treatment system in connection with a public institution, the S veterans hospital. A follow-up survey targeting a total of 850 discharged patients was conducted for the year 2017. Average age of patients was 79.2 years, with 86.4% belonging to the 70 years or over group. The men of national merit were 75.4%, which was more than three times higher than general patients. Hospitalization for 180 days or more was 46.4%, which was higher than general long-term care hospitals (37%). The major death risk factors were age and the number of hospitalized days. Our data indicate that transfer to S veterans hospital results in providing quicker treatment and higher effectiveness of the numerous recovery therapies. We therefore propose that the cooperative treatment system should be expansively operated to increase the quality of happy life, by alleviating the health of patients with chronic diseases in a long-term care hospital.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.45-64
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• 2021

This study compares the members of children's reading and culture movement organization versus general public and their children with the aim of understanding how parents' reading activities affect children's reading activities. The study surveyed 477 elementary school students and 483 parents from five special metropolitan cities regarding their reading behaviour. Reading behavior was investigated in terms of reading frequency, book selection information source, reading awareness, and preferred books, and it was confirmed that there was a difference between members of children's reading and culture movement organization and children of the general public. Members of children's reading and culture movement organization and their children showed superior reading habits in terms of both quantity and quality than non-members and their children, and the book selection information service was used. In terms of perception regarding reading, children's reading and culture movement organization members and their children found more "joy" in reading than "help in learning" as compared to the general public and their children. In terms of reading preference, children's reading and culture movement organization members and their children intensively preferred Korean creative fairy tales and picture books while the general public and their children preferred Korean creative fairy tales, picture books, and educational comics. In order to create a healthier reading culture and environment for the long term, the development of more active reading participation methods for the general public is required.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.56-66
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the job satisfaction and quality of life of nurses in a integrated nursing care service ward (INCSW) and a general ward (GW). A total of 88 nurses working in INCSW and GW were invited and followed up for 6 months over 3 times. There was no significant difference in job satisfaction between INCSW and GW for 6 months, while there was a difference in quality of life: overall quality of life (1st p=.033, 2nd p=.030), and overall general health (1st p=.049). Comparison of two groups by period in job satisfaction, there were statistically significant differences of the item 'recognition from the organization and professional achievement' (2nd versus 3rd, p=.037) and 'interpersonal interaction with respect and recognition' (1st versus 3rd, p=.005; 2nd versus 3rd, p=.006) in the INCSW. Comparison of two groups by period in quality of life, there was a statistically significant difference of the item 'overall quality of life' (1st versus 3rd, p=.025; 2nd versus 3rd, p=.010) in the INCSW. Development of various nursing strategies (such as manpower arrangement that reflects the nursing skill levels, patient needs, job training and organizational culture before placement) can be helpful for improving nurses job satisfaction and quality of life in INCSW and GW.

• 한국노년학
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.455-468
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• 2021

This study was performed to utilize for foundation data of research related nursing communication and developing nursing intervention by examining the relationship between nurses' perception of the elderly and communication. This study is a descriptive research using a set of questionnaires that examines the relationship between nurses who provide care to the elderly by confirming their perception of the elderly, communication difficulties with the elderly, communication behavior, and satisfaction with communication. After IRB approval, data were collected either face-to-face survey or by online survey. A total of 292 nurses participated in this study. The collected data were analyzed as descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA, Duncan test and Pearson's Correlation Coefficients, Multiple Regression Analysis by using SPSS/WIN 26 program. As a result, a significant correlation was identified between perception of the elderly and communication disorders, communication behavior, and communication satisfaction. We found that nurses who had more positive perceptions about the elderly had less communication disorders, better communication behaviors, and higher communication satisfaction with the elderly. From this result, we suggest that nurses caring for the elderly should receive education on communication methods with elderly to improve their perception. Furthermore, we suggest future studies to improve nurse's perception of the elderly and communication.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2022

In December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in China and spread rapidly around the world, infecting millions of people. Cases of COVID-19 infection were observed to lead to viral pneumonia. Thirty-five patients admitted to the Gyeonggi Medical Center, South Korea, between November 2020 to January 2021, were found to have been infected with the influenza virus A and B, which cause symptoms similar to COVID-19. The records of these patients and those of COVID-19 patients who visited the hospital for medical examination were compared. The study patients included thirty patients with COVID-19 and/or influenza, five of those with influenza alone. A group of 121 patients without infection was used as control. Patients with COVID-19 and influenza had significantly higher lactate dehydrogenase levels than the patients with COVID-19 alone. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was higher in patients with COVID-19 alone than in other groups. Significant clinical outliers were observed in the COVID-19 and influenza infection group compared with the COVID-19 alone group. These results are expected to play an important role in the analysis of the hematological data of infected patients and the comparison of simultaneous and single infection data to determine clinical symptoms and other signs. These results may also assist in the development of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.119-125
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• 2022

With the recent increase in dementia patients due to aging, measures to prevent their wandering behavior and disappearance are urgently needed. To solve this problem, various authentication methods and location detection techniques have been introduced, but the security problem of personal authentication and a system that can check indoor and outdoor overall was lacking. In order to solve this problem, various authentication methods and location detection techniques have been introduced, but it was difficult to find a system that can check the security problem of personal authentication and indoor/outdoor overall. In this study, we intend to propose a system that can identify personal authentication, basic health status, and overall location indoors and outdoors by using wristband-type wearable devices in a private blockchain environment. In this system, personal authentication uses ECG, which is difficult to forge and highly personally identifiable, Bluetooth beacon that is easy to use with low power, non-contact and automatic transmission and reception indoors, and DGPS that corrects the pseudorange error of GPS satellites outdoors. It is intended to detect wandering behavior and abnormal signs by locating the patient. Through this, it is intended to contribute to the prompt response and prevention of disappearance in case of wandering behavior and abnormal symptoms of dementia patients living at home or in nursing homes.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.310-320
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• 2022

This study aimed to identify the change in the public perception of "bats" after the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. Text mining and network analysis were conducted for blog posts, the largest social network in Korea. We collected 9,241 Naver blog posts from 2019 to 2020 just before the outbreak of COVID-19 in Korea. The data were analyzed with Python and NetMiner 4.3.2, and the public's perception of bats was examined through the relationship of keywords by period. Findings indicated that the frequency of bat keywords in 2020 increased more than 25 times compared to 2019, and the centrality value increased more than three times. The perception of bats changed before and after the outbreak of the pandemic. Prior to COVID-19, bats were highly recognized as a species of wildlife while in the first half of 2020, they were strongly considered as a threat to human society in relation to infectious diseases and health. In the second half of 2020, it was confirmed that the area of interest in bats expanded as the proportion of ecological and cultural types ofresearch increased. This study seeks to contribute to the expansion and direction of future research in bats by understanding the public's interest in the potential impact of the species as disease hosts post the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.231-241
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the input status of exposure-related information in the working environment monitoring database (WEMD) and special health examination database (SHED) for the construction of a national exposure surveillance system. Methods: The industrial and process code input status of WEMD and SHED for 21 carcinogens from 2014 to 2016 was compared. Data from workers who performed both work environment monitoring and special health examinations in 2019 and 2020 were extracted and the actual status of input of industrial and process codes was analyzed. We also investigated the cause of input errors through a focus group interview with 12 data input specialists. Results: As a result of analyzing WMED and SHED for 21 carcinogens, the five-digit industrial code matching rate was low at 53.5% and the process code matching rate was 19% or less. Among the data that simultaneously conducted work environment monitoring and special health examination in 2019 and 2020, the process code matching rate was very low at 18.1% and 5.2%, respectively. The main causes of exposure-related data input errors were the difference between the WEMD and SHED process code input systems from 2020, the number of standard process and job codes being too large, and the inefficiency of the standard code search system. Conclusions: In order to use WEMD and SHED as a national surveillance system, it is necessary to simplify the number of standard code input codes and improve the search system efficiency.