• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.68-90
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• 2007

Nurse staffing level is an important factor that influences the quality of health service and patient outcomes. This study was carried out to examine the current state of acute hospital nurse staffing and find out factors that affect the nurse staffing level. Nurse staffing of individual hospitals was measured using the number of registered nurses per 100 beds. Descriptive and multiple regression analyses were conducted using 592 acute care hospitals' data. Regression model included structure factors such as referral level, ownership, medical and general staffing, and financial outcome factors such as occupancy rate, inpatient and outpatient revenues. Market characteristics included strength of competition, supply of nurses, and income and health status level of consumers. The average number of nurses per 100 beds was 28 and showed a great variation according to the referral level. Regression model explained this variation as much as 76.87%. Hospital structure variables which affecting the hospital nurse staffing level positively were ICU bed ratio, the staffing level of specialist, training doctor and employees except doctor and nursing personnel, while the negative factor was nurse aid staffing level. General hospitals employed more nurses than hospitals. Among outcome characteristics, occupancy rate and the amount of health insurance inpatient revenue affected positively on the hospital nurse staffing level. The more supply of the new nurse and the higher consumer income and health status in the medical service markets, the more nurses were employed by the medical institutes. According to the study result, hospitals employed more nurses when they had more financial incentive by increasing nurses. This means appropriate hospital incentive policy and regulation policy, which hospital violate nurse staffing level have to pay penality, should be needed. Clarifying job description between nurses and nurse aids and the reentry program for unemployed experienced nurses will be helpful to increase nurse staffing level.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.87-106
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• 2018

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the association between process quality of inpatient care and risk-adjusted, thirty-day potentially preventable hospital readmission (PPR) rates. Data Sources/Study Setting: This was an observational cross-sectional study of nonfederal acute-care hospitals located in two states California and Florida, discharging Medicare patients with a principal discharge diagnosis of heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, or pneumonia January through December 31, 2007. Data were obtained from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare database, and the American Hospital Association Annual Survey of Hospitals. Study Design: The dependent variable of this study is condition-specific, risk-adjusted, thirty-day potentially preventable hospital readmission (PPR). 3M's PPR software was utilized to determine whether a readmission was potentially preventable. The independent variable of this study is hospital performance for process quality of inpatient care, measured by hospital adherence to recommended processes of care. We used multivariate hierarchical logistic models, clustered by hospitals, to examine the relationship between condition-specific, risk-adjusted, thirty-day PPR rates and process quality of inpatient care, after taking clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of patients and structural and operational characteristics of hospitals into account. Findings: Better performance on the process quality metrics was associated with better patient outcome (i.e., low thirty-day PPR rates) in pneumonia, but not generally in two cardiovascular conditions (i.e., heart failure and acute myocardial infarction). Practical Implication: Adherence to the process quality metrics currently in use by CMS is associated with risk-adjusted, thirty-day PPR rates for patients with pneumonia, but not with cardiovascular conditions. More evidence-based process quality metrics closely linked to 30-day PPR rates, particularly for cardiovascular conditions, need to be developed to serve as a guideline to reduce potentially preventable readmissions.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.199-206
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• 2021

As the super-aged society is imminent, the number of people with senile diseases is also increasing, resulting in a lack of facilities and policies as a social problem. National Health Insurance Service is being talked about as a realistic alternative to medical coverage. Long-term care hospitals are classified into acute-stage hospitals and long-term care facilities and are acting as an alternative to reducing medical expenses. However, in long-term care hospitals, which are the core of maintenance rehabilitation, the quality of service issues have been raised seriously. Currently, there is a problem of mass production of refugees from rehabilitation due to a problem of the medical system. In particular, in the preceding study in 2015, the status of long-term care hospitals in Jeollabuk-do was the worst. Therefore, using public data, the general status of long-term care hospitals in Jeollabuk-do, status of frequent disease, status of rehabilitation services, and status of occupational therapy services are to be explored.

• Annals of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.271-276
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• 2023

Backgrounds/Aims: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy within one week of acute cholecystitis is considered safe and advantageous. Surgery beyond first week is reserved for non-resolving attack or complications. To compare clinical outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the first week and between two to six weeks of an attack of acute cholecystitis. Methods: In an analysis of a prospectively maintained database, all patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis were divided into two groups: group A, operated within one week; and group B, operated between two to six weeks of an attack. Main variables studied were mean operative time, conversion to open cholecystectomy, morbidity profile, and duration of hospital stay. Results: A total of 116 patients (74 in group A and 42 in group B) were included. Mean interval between onset of symptoms & surgery was five days (range, 1-7 days) in group A and 12 days (range, 8-20 days) in group B. Operative time and incidence of subtotal cholecystectomy were higher in group B (statistically not significant). Mean postoperative stay was 2 days in group A and 3 days in group B. Laparoscopy was converted to open cholecystectomy in two patients in each group. There was no incidence of biliary injury. One patient in group B died during the postoperative period due to continued sepsis and multiorgan failure. Conclusions: In tertiary care setting, with adequate surgical expertise, laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be safely performed in patients with acute cholecystitis irrespective of the time of presentation.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.639-651
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• 2013

This study aims to improve caregiver's labor conditions, to provide a high-quality care service and to offer basic research information for developing a standardized job content of caregiver. The study establishes basic principles for a standardized job content with a literature review and then collects basic information of caregiver's task with an observation technique. The study based on the observation technique develops 11 job categories and 72 duty categories expected to do by the caregiver. The study examines acute care hospitals that provide joint care services in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. Sixty caregivers who work at these hospitals are carried out a survey regarding a specific task of caregiver, an importance of task and a frequency of task. Collected data is analyzed using statistical package SPSS 18.0, and descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation) is reported. An analysis of frequency is used to analyze target for research. From the collected information, tasks of caregiver are sorted into 10 job categories and 60 duty categories. As a result of the study, tasks of caregiver are sorted into 10 job categories and 68 duty categories based on the observations technique. One job category and four duty categories are added to the final survey based on an interview with professionals and officials in the field of care service but, one additional job category and four duty categories based on the interview are excepted from the result of the analysis. The interview with professionals and officials is nothing meaningful on the task analysis of caregiver.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.594-605
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• 2023

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the Asia-Pacific region, and mortality rates differ between countries in the region. Systems of care have been shown to play a major role in determining AMI outcomes, and this review aims to highlight pre-hospital and in-hospital system deficiencies and suggest possible improvements to enhance quality of care, focusing on Korea, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia as representative countries. Time to first medical contact can be shortened by improving patient awareness of AMI symptoms and the need to activate emergency medical services (EMS), as well as by developing robust, well-coordinated and centralized EMS systems. Additionally, performing and transmitting pre-hospital electrocardiograms, algorithmically identifying patients with high risk AMI and developing hospital networks that appropriately divert such patients to percutaneous coronary intervention-capable hospitals have been shown to be beneficial. Within the hospital environment, developing and following clinical practice guidelines ensures that treatment plans can be standardised, whilst integrated care pathways can aid in coordinating care within the healthcare institution and can guide care even after discharge. Prescription of guideline directed medical therapy for secondary prevention and patient compliance to medications can be further optimised. Finally, the authors advocate for the establishment of more regional, national and international AMI registries for the formal collection of data to facilitate audit and clinical improvement.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.116-135
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• 1991

Few studies have been conducted on the detailed routes of medical care utilization under the National Health Insurance. This study was undertaken to identify the utilization patte군 of health care facilities among industrial workers and their dependents. One of the largest health insurance association was purposively chosen for this objective. The association had 345, 757 members as of 31 December, 1990. The study sample of 297, 948 subjects have been drawn from the membership pool on the basis of their continuous membership status during 1 January through 31 December 1990. This study has tried to identify differential utilization patterns between acute and chronic conditions, and among standard income classes. All the diagnoses were recoded in a manner to achieve the objective of this study. As for acute diseases, most age group had used one medical facility as much as by 60% except the age group of 1-4, This young age group had used over three different health facilities as much as by 10.9-15.8%. The finding suggests that some policy measures by sought for remedying the excessive/inappropriate use of services. In addition, mid-income classes(between 17 and 48) were more likely to use multiple sources of care than lower income classes(between 1 and 16) and upper income classes(above 49). This study has revealed that chronic cases are more likely to pursue multiple sources of care, however those with chronic conditions tend to use single health facility more than those with acute conditions(67.9% versus 52.4%). As many as 12.2% have visited more than three health facilities in chronic conditions, but 5.9% for acute conditions. The most likely source of care was primary clinics for both acute and chronic conditions. Compared with the role of general hospital, small-size hospitals found to play a minimal role in the care and referral of patients. This indicates the need of strengthening the function of small-size hospitals. While a minor cross utilization of western medicine and pharmacy was noted, no significant boundary crossing was identified between western medicine and oriental medicine, or between pharmacy and oriental medicine. It is too early to confirm that whether there is substitutability or cross utilization among these alternative sources of care. A further study is needed to identify these relationship.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze the performance difference between public and private hospitals. It is believed that private hospitals may have a better performance compared to public hospitals. The study support the hypothesis. By analyzing 425 acute-care hospitals in Korea, this research shows a less performance of public hospitals compared to private hospitals. Higher labor and administrative cost by public hospitals may account for the difference, and it means they are not effective at cost control. Managers in public hospitals, therefore, should pay attention on cost-reducing issues to regain managerial efficiency of organizations.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.3-14
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• 2008

The rehabilitation for the workplace accident victims is basically aimed to get them back to their working place through the secondary care processes which have some more special and more professional rehabilitation than any others, after the primary treatments like operation in an acute hospital since the accident. They need more concentrative rehabilitation efforts according to classified injury types during the period of acute, sub-acute and convalescent. This study is for the partial research of rehabilitation hospital for workers' accident victims and presents design data which can be used for the appropriate area calculation and spatial composition. Drawing documents analysis, interviews, observation were used to examine the condition of existing rehabilitation hospitals.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.91-104
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• 2017

Objectives : This study was a methodological study to verify the validity and reliability of the translated and modified Older Patients in Acute Care Survey-US (OPACS) tool, which was originally developed by Dikken and his colleagues. Methods : The OPACS was translated into Korean, and the content validity, composition validity, and reliability were verified using 348 nurses working for hospitals with over 200 beds and located in C city, B city, and K province. Results : The analysis showed that the Korean version of the OPACS had of eleven questions in the practice experience section and twelve in the general opinion section for older patients in the acute phase. Cronbach's ${\alpha}s$ were 0.84 for practice experience and 0.81 for general opinion. Conclusions : The study showed that the OPACS could measure the practice and opinion of Korean nurses who cared for elderly patients in the acute phase. The significance of the study was that it provided baseline data information regarding the performance and opinion of these nurses for nursing managers to improve the nursing environment.