• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.172-179
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• 2012

Objectives : This study was designed to quantify the characteristics, main diagnosis and complications in the intensive care unit (ICU) at an Oriental Medical Hospital. Methods : The medical records of 44 patients admitted to the ICU at Kyunghee Oriental Medical Hospital between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011 were reviewed. Basic characteristics of patients, admission channel, main diagnosis, east-western medical therapy, mortality, and complications were investigated retrospectively based on medical notes. Results : 1. The total number of patients was 44. Males were 63.6%, females 36.3%. Average admission days was 15.9. 2. The most frequent age group is eighties, 38.6%. 3. The most frequent disease is cerebrovascular disease, 61.3%. 4. The medical therapy done after admission to ICU was intubation. Central vein insertion was performed next, followed by Foley's catheter insertion, ventilator, tracheostomy, nasogastric intubation, and thoracentesis in order. The proportion of Oriental medical treatment provided to the patients of ICU was as follows: herbal medication only 6.8%; herbal medication plus acupuncture 31.8%; herbal medication, acupuncture electro-acupuncture, plus subcutaneous acupuncture 2.3%; and none 27.3%. 5. The number of cases of complications occurred since ICU admission was 18. The most frequently observed complication was infection, including 6 cases of pneumonia and 4 cases of urinary tract infection. Conclusions : We suggest that ICUs of Oriental medical hospitals need to be managed effectively to treat diseases including cerebrovascular disease and prevent complications.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.45-56
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• 2021

Purpose: Repeated hospitalization could be a proxy of unnecessary or preventive admission in South Korea where barriers to hospitalization are relatively low. This study aimed to estimate the current status of repeated hospitalization due to ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) in South Korea. Methods: Using the National Health Information Database, repeated hospitalization databases were constructed in units of episodes for patients who had been admitted more than twice between January 2017 and December 2018. The number of hospitalizations, total in-hospital days, and total medical expenditure were calculated and compared by patient characteristics in both of the entire patient group and the ACSC patient group. Results: Of total hospitalization episodes, 26.6% reported repeated admission, and 6.7% of repeated hospitalization was due to ACSC. A total of 183,110 patients with ACSC had been admitted an average of 2.9 times and spent an average of KRW5,630,118. In other words, KRW1,309 billion had been spent for repeated hospitalization due to ACSC. The scale of medical expenditure was relatively large in the highest and lowest socioeconomic status. Conclusion: Repeated hospitalization for ACSC can be considered a simple and intuitive indicator when assessing unnecessary hospitalizations or evaluating healthcare policy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.874-880
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify muscle atrophy in critically ill patients on ventilators. A comparison was made between limb circumferences and muscle areas on the day of admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and on the 8th day after admission. Methods: The data were collected from 30 critically ill patients using ventilators at S hospital ICU in Seoul during the period from October 2005 to April 2006. Limb circumferences and skinfold thickness were measured on the day of admission and on the 8th day after admission to the ICU. Limb circumferences and skinfold thickness were measured on the right mid-arm, right mid-thigh, and right mid-calf using a measuring tape and a skinfold calipers. Limb muscle areas were calculated by an equation after measuring limb circumferences and skinfold thickness. The data were analyzed by paired t-test and independent t-test. Results: 1) Mid-arm circumference, mid-thigh circumference and mid-calf circumference on the 8th day after admission to the ICU were significantly less than those on the day of admission to the ICU, 2) Mid-arm muscle area, mid-thigh muscle area and mid-calf muscle area on the 8th day after admission to the ICU were significantly less than those on the day of admission to the ICU, 3) Steroid and vecuronium medication didn't affect changes in limb circumferences (mid-arm, mid-thigh, mid-calf) and muscle areas (mid-arm, mid-thigh, mid-calf on the 8th day after admission to the ICU compared to the day of admission. Conclusion: Limb muscle atrophy may occur on the 8th day after admission to the ICU in critically ill patients using ventilator.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.80 no.3
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• pp.296-303
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• 2017

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is related to high mortality and morbidity. There are no proven therapeutic measures however, to improve the clinical course of ARDS, except using low tidal volume ventilation. Metformin is known to have pleiotropic effects including anti-inflammatory activity. We hypothesized that pre-admission metformin might alter the progress of ARDS among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study from January 1, 2005, to April 30, 2005 of patients who were admitted to the medical ICU at Seoul National University Hospital because of ARDS, and reviewed ARDS patients with DM. Metformin use was defined as prescribed within 3-month pre-admission. Results: Of 558 patients diagnosed with ARDS, 128 (23.3%) patients had diabetes and 33 patients were treated with metformin monotherapy or in combination with other antidiabetic medications. Demographic characteristics, cause of ARDS, and comorbid conditions (except chronic kidney disease) were not different between metformin users and nonusers. Several severity indexes of ARDS were similar in both groups. The 30-day mortality was 42.42% in metformin users and 55.32% in metformin nonusers. On multivariable regression analysis, use of metformin was not significantly related to a reduced 30-day mortality (adjusted ${\beta}-coefficient$, -0.19; 95% confidence interval, -1.76 to 1.39; p=0.816). Propensity score-matched analyses showed similar results. Conclusion: Pre-admission metformin use was not associated with reduced 30-day mortality among ARDS patients with DM in our medical ICU.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.137-143
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the family composition of terminally ill cancer patients admitted to the hospice unit and how it affects their hospice care. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of terminal cancer patients who died in one hospice unit between January 2009 and March 2014. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were examined, and any different made by their marital status was evaluated. We calculated the time interval between cancer diagnosis and hospice admission and the survival period from hospice admission to death and analyzed their association with family composition. Results: When divided by the median time of 13 months between diagnosis and admission, Group B (>13 months) had a significantly higher proportion of patients living with their spouses; (P<0.01). The main decision maker was a spouse (52.9%) in Group B; (P=0.04). Conclusion: Among the characteristics of the family composition, the presence of spouse was an important factor associated with admission to a hospice unit. Clinicians need to be aware of the impact of marital status on end-of-life care. This study indicates that it is helpful to understand family composition of terminallyill cancer patients for an effective palliative and hospice care.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.227-237
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• 2021

The aim of this study is to identify the influence of care services on the quality of life of elderly residents in long-term care facilities, and to determine the mediating effect of family support. The subjects of the study were 192 older adults living in long-term care facilities in the Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do region. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 program, and the methods used include descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and regression analysis. The results of the study found that the subjects' quality of life differed depending on their age, education, income level of their children, reasons for admission, and length of stay. The factors that influenced their quality life included age, education, the income level of their children, reasons for admission, length of stay, and care services. The study also revealed that family support was the mediating effect in the relationship between care services and quality of life. The results of the study will provide insight in establishing a nursing intervention plan to improve the quality of life of elderly residents in care facilities.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.193-198
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• 2023

The rapid aging of the veterans has reached a level that cannot handle the demand for veterans care through the existing veterans care infrastructure. Therefore, it is urgent to improve the quality of the overall service of veterans due to the deterioration of the quality of nursing services for veterans with various underlying diseases compared to general patients and the long-term waiting for admission to the veterans care center. In this situation, about 640,000 people are admitted to veterans care institutions, but only about 5% of them can enter the veterans care center smoothly. As of June 2020, the number of people waiting to enter the veterans care center exceeds 1,000, including 520 at Suwon Veterans Nursing Home, 1 at Gwangju Veterans Nursing Home, 47 at Gimhae Veterans Nursing Home, 39 at Daegu Veterans Nursing Home, 86 at Namyangju Veterans Nursing Home.. Therefore, in order to predict those who want to enter the Veterans Nursing Home and wait for admission, and to find an important basis for resolving the long-term atmosphere, the ratio of future care providers is predicted in 2022-2050 and 2022-2024 to establish a cooperative system. As a result, 6,988 people in 2022, 6,797 people in 2023, and 6,606 people in 2024 can be admitted when 'preferred linkage', and 12,057 people in 2022 when 'expanded linkage'. It was found that 11,837 people in 2023 and 11,618 people in 2024 could be admitted. This was derived by estimating the percentage of people who wish to enter the Veterans Nursing Home when linking private nursing homes, and eventually "additional acceptance" of 22.5% in 2022, 20.9% in 2023, 19.4% in 2024, and 38.8% in 2023, 36.3% in 2023, and 34.1% in 2024 are most efficiently available.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.243-251
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• 1996

Authors surveyed the inhabitants in Ulnung Island to assess the patterns of medical utilization. One hundred eighty six population(65 male and 121 female) were surveyed with formed questionnaire from Aug. 16 to Aug. 19 in 1994. Results are as follows. 1. The prevalence rate of acute diseases was 19.3%. 2. The prevalence rate of chronic diseases was 35.0%. In classification of chronic disease, the disease of musculoscletal system was the highest(33.9%) and that of digestive system in next order. 3. The first-visit medical facility when disease developed was community health center mainly. The admission care was taken in 37.6%. The 80.0% among location of medical facility for admission care was out of island. The surgical operative care were taken in 19.9%. The 86.5% among location of medical facility for surgical operative care was out of island. 4. Among the contents of dissatisfaction for medical service within island, 'Insufficient equipment' was the highest(35.8%), and 'Insufficient traffic networks' in next order. The results of this study suggest that public health facilities and medical personnel be strengthened and emergency transfer system be secured in Ulnung Island.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.101-113
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• 2014

This paper examined the effects of private health insurance(PHI) on the health care utilization among the Korean. The used data was the three waves of Korea Health Panel (2008, 2009, 2010), and the number of subjects was 13,951 persons. Authors employed two-stage least square panel model where the instrument variables for controlling for endogeneity of PHI were number of insurance planner per 100,000 in resident area and whether subject worked on financial profession. The results showed that healthcare expenditure of outpatients who purchasing PHI was higher than that of outpatients without PHI, and there was no difference in admission between the two groups. This article recommended the Korean government to monitor the effects of PHI on the health care utilization in order to improve the efficiency of health care finance.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.265-274
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• 2013

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors contributed to unplanned readmission to intensive care unit (ICU) and to investigate the prediction model of unplanned readmission. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records which included the data of 3,903 patients who had discharged from ICUs in a university hospital in Seoul from January 2011 to April 2012. Results: The unplanned readmission rate was 4.8% (n=186). The nine variables were significantly different between the unplanned readmission and no readmission groups: age, clinical department, length of stay at 1st ICU, operation, use of ventilator during 24 hours a day, APACHE II score at ICU admission and discharge, direct nursing care hours and Glasgow coma scale total score at 1st ICU discharge. The clinical department, length of stay at 1st ICU, operation and APACHE II score at ICU admission were the significant predictors of unplanned ICU readmission. The predictive model's area under the curve was .802 (p<.001). Conclusion: We identified the risk factors and the prediction model associated with unplanned ICU readmission. Better patient assessment tools and knowledge about risk factors could contribute to reduce unplanned ICU readmission rate and mortality.