• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.12
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• pp.149-157
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• 2017

Unnecessary readmissions could be the result of the inadequate and unnecessary treatments. Adequate quality indicators for readmission are important because they can identify inadequate spending by inpatients as well as quality screening. This study attempted to estimate the cost incurred by unnecessary readmissions. The Health Insurance Claims Data of 18 years or older who were admitted in the tertiary hospitals in 2014 were analyzed. Admissions and readmissions were sorted and readmissions were classified into planned and unplanned readmissions. We adopted 28 days as a criteria for the classification of the readmission. Proportion of the patients were higher in readmissions among cancer, accompanied diseases, and special rehabilitation patients. Cost of the readmissions were 50% of the total cost of the admission among the patients of same diseases, same departments, and same hospitals. Almost 1,000billion Won were used by the unnecessary readmissions. We need to reduce the readmissions in regions, departments, and diseases studying the pattern of the readmissions. National level efforts are required to improve quality of care and reduce cost by the unnecessary readmissions.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.109-113
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• 2010

Objectives: Liver function tests are used as screening tests for liver injuries, but their inaccuracy on positive predictive values can result in numerous false positive results. We investigated the incidence of liver function test abnormalities of patients who came to an oriental medicine hospital, in order to present a practical way to rule out false positive results for other studies designed to investigate the safety of Korean herb medicine. Methods: We analyzed the medical records and liver function test results proceeded at admission of all in-patients admitted to Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital, from July 2008 to June 2009. Results: Among 1,117 inpatients, 941 executed liver function tests on admission, and 40 were excluded due to their diagnosed liver disease. 747 (82.9%) of 901 enrolled patients were within the normal range of all liver function tests, and 140 (15.5%) and 14 (1.6%) were classified as "abnormalities of liver tests" and "liver injury" respectively, according to the CIOMS (Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences) criteria. Conclusions: According to the results, among the outcomes of liver function tests proceeded among the patients admitted to the oriental medicine hospital, excluding who were diagnosed with liver disease, 17.1% showed abnormality. This means simple liver function test results are not sufficient in determining liver toxicity of Korean herb medicine (KHM).

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.88-98
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• 1977

This study was designed to identify a more effective method of nursing interview in gathering informations by comparing the two, the structured and unstructured methods. May through October, 1976, 40patients on psychiatric wards of Korea University Hospital and National Mental Hospital, Seoul, were sampled and interviewed on their admission/within one week of admission. Both methods were used simultaneously by different interviewers ; 48 hour interval were kept between the two approaches of interview. Contents of informations gathered were grouped according to the criteria developed by the researcher, frequency, percentile score and the means were scored, and the two methods were compared; the amount of information gathered, number of questions used, time spent and the general response towards the methodologies. Results of the study are summarized as follows ; 1. 1. 5 times as many informations were gathered through the structured interview. (1366 ; 849) 2. 68.32% of informations gathered through the unstructured interview and 42.46% of the structured interview revealed to be overlapping; through structured interview, more unique informations (57.54%) were gathered. 3. The average of 33.25 minutes were consumed for the structured interview while 95, 50 minutes for the unstructured. Much higher time consumption is revealed in the unstructured. 4. Majority of patients showed positive response towards both approaches of interview (90% each), however, interviewers responded to experience of certain degree of tension (stress) in the unstructured method (35%) 5. The average of 0.88 question were used to gather one information in the structured while 1.87questions for the unstructctured were used. 6. The average of 0.97 minutes were consumed to gather one information in the structured while 4.50minutes for the unstructured. 7. The average of 1.11 minutes were consumed for one question for the structured while 2.41 minutes for the unstructured. The results of the study revealed that the structured interview were more effective in gathering informations; a larger quantity of informations were gathered in shorter time. Recommendations for further in investigations are as follows ; 1. Comparative analysis of informations gathered through the two methods by experienced professional nurse- interviewers is recommended. 2. Comparative analysis of the quality of informations is recommended. 3. Comparative analysis of the interviewing process (interactions) in relation to the characteristics of patients'health problems is recommended.

• Kidney Research and Clinical Practice
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.347-355
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• 2018

Background: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is the most common glomerulopathy in children. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of NS, caused by severe intravascular volume depletion, acute tubular necrosis, interstitial nephritis, or progression of NS. However, the incidence and risk factors of childhood-onset NS in Korea are unclear. Therefore, we studied the incidence, causes, and risk factors of AKI in hospitalized Korean patients with childhood-onset NS. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with childhood-onset NS who were admitted to our center from January 2015 to July 2017. Patients with decreased renal function or hereditary/secondary NS, as well as those admitted for management of other conditions unrelated to NS, were excluded. Results: During the study period, 65 patients with idiopathic, childhood-onset NS were hospitalized 90 times for management of NS or its complications. Of these 90 cases, 29 met the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria for AKI (32.2%). They developed AKI in association with infection (n = 12), NS aggravation (n = 11), dehydration (n = 3), and intravenous methylprednisolone administration (n = 3). Age ${\geq}9$ years at admission and combined use of cyclosporine and renin-angiotensin system inhibitors were risk factors for AKI. Conclusion: AKI occurred in one-third of the total hospitalizations related to childhood-onset NS, owing to infection, aggravation of NS, dehydration, and possibly high-dose methylprednisolone treatment. Age at admission and use of nephrotoxic agents were associated with AKI. As the AKI incidence is high, AKI should be considered during management of high-risk patients.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.42-44
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• 2019

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a rare and underdiagnosed neuropsychiatric illness. We present the case of a 17-year-old girl who was admitted to a tertiary-care psychiatric center with acute onset psychosis and fever. Her psychotic symptoms were characterized by persecutory and referential delusions, as well as tactile and visual hallucinations. Her acute behavioral disturbance warranted admission and treatment in a psychiatric setting (risperidone tablets, 3 mg/day). She had experienced an episode of fever with a unilateral visual acuity defect approximately 3 years before admission, which was resolved with treatment. Focused clinical examination revealed an enlarged thyroid, and baseline blood investigations, including thyroid function test results were normal. Abnormal laboratory investigations revealed elevated anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (anti-TG) levels (anti-TPO of 480 IU/mL; anti-TG of 287 IU/mL). Results of other investigations for infection, including cerebrospinal fluid examination, electroencephalography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were normal. She was diagnosed with HE and was treated with intravenous corticosteroids (methylprednisolone up to 1 g/day; tapered and discontinued after a month). The patient achieved complete remission of psychotic symptoms and normalization of the anti-thyroid antibody titers. Currently, at the seventh month of follow-up, the patient is doing well. This case highlights the fact that in the absence of well-defined clinical diagnostic criteria, a high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis of HE. Psychiatrists need to explore for organic etiologies when dealing with acute psychiatric symptoms in a younger age group.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 2011

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms in stroke patients and to compare characteristics of different rating scales - Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression (HAD.D)- with regard to diagnosis and severity assessment for post-stroke depression. Methods: Participants included 44 stroke patients who could communicate. At admission, all study participants received a semi-structured interview using the HDRS and a self-completed questionnaire using the BDI and the HAD-D. Pearson's correlation method was used to examine associations among the three depression scales. The BDI and HAD-D were compared based on HDRS criteria, and the sensitivity and specificity using cut-off values were analyzed. Results: The HDRS showed that 52.30% of stroke patients had depressive symptoms on the BDI and HAD-D it was 59.10%. The HDRS correlated significantly with the BDI (r=0.81, p<0.01) and HAD-D (r=0.55, p<0.01). The BDI correlated significantly with HADS (r=0.50, p<0.01). After calculating the area under the ROC curve to decide on HDRS criteria, the BDI (AUC=0.91, 95% CI: 0.83.0.99) showed a significantly larger area compared to the HAD.D (AUC=0.82, 95% CI: 0.69-0.94). The cut-off value of the BDI was 12.50 points with a sensitivity of 81.00% and a specificity of 76.20%. Conclusion: These findings show that the BDI is a useful screening test for depression that most closely predicts the HRDS score.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2020

The field triage guidelines have been widely implemented in the Korean trauma system. This study aimed to evaluate and validate whether it is reliable to use the field triage guidelines for predicting severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and traumatic spinal injury (TSI) patients. This study retrospectively analyzed in-hospital cohort registries of all TBI and TSI patients, who visited the emergency department (ED) of the Jeju National University Hospital from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015. The primary outcome was defined as TBI and TSI patients with an injury severity score (ISS)>15. Secondary outcomes were defined as cases in which one or more of the following conditions: in-hospital death, ISS>15, admission to the intensive care unit, emergency surgery. We enrolled 14,889 TBI and TSI patients who visited ED, of which 7,966 (53.5%) were triage positive. The overall sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) of the full cumulative field triage guidelines step's model (Step 1+3+4 criteria) for primary outcome were 82.8%, 47.0%, and 0.646, respectively. In the results for secondary outcomes, the specificity did not show a significant difference, but the sensitivity decreased to 66.5% and AUC to 0.568. The results of this study suggest that further optimization of the field triage guidelines is needed to identify high-risk TBI and TSI patients.

• Journal of Neurocritical Care
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.102-109
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• 2018

Background: A sians were known to have a relatively lower incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE), and there is insufficient evidence to suggest a specific D-dimer threshold level for screening VTE in patients with acute stroke. Methods: We prospectively enrolled patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to Jeju National University Hospital. The inclusion criteria were: 1) aged ${\geq}18$ years, 2) admission within seven days of symptom onset, and 3) an initial National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score >1 for the affected lower limb. Ultrasound scans of the lower limbs and plasma D-dimer assays were performed on days 7-14 and 15-28 after stroke onset. Results: Of 285 patients admitted during the study period, 52 patients met inclusion criteria (mean age 74.5, male 40.4%, median initial NIHSS score 12, and unable to walk unassisted at discharge 76.9%). During 7-14 days, 23 of 52 patients (44.2%) had a D-dimer level above 1.57 mg/L, and 9.6% had a level above 5.50 mg/L. Proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was detected in 3 patients (5.8%, 95% confidence Interval 1.2-16.0%) on ultrasound examination. All DVTs were found in elderly female patients with severe leg weakness. No patient was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism during the study period. Conclusion: The incidence of VTE seems to be very low among Korean patients with acute ischemic stroke. Advanced age, female sex, and severe leg weakness were important risk factors for developing DVT in this study.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.5-16
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• 2007

Purpose: This study is to verify the validity and reliability of classified items and criteria of the patient classification system(PCS) based on Park's definition of nursing intensity. Methods: An expert group of 8 persons verified the content validity of the tools. The 1817 inpatients at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea were classified into 4 groups according to two tools for verifying concurrent validity and interraters' reliability. These verifications were performed from September to October, 2004. Results: Nursing domains of the tools have been divided into 12 items: hygiene, nutrition, elimination, exercise & activity, education & counseling, emotional support, communication & consciousness, treatment & examination, medication, measurement & observation, coordination of multidisciplinary team, admission & discharge & transfer management. Content validity was verified by the content validity index(above 0.75 in all 12 areas). Interraters' reliability was no significant difference in the results of the patient classification between the two raters(A group 93.75%. B group 88.24%). Concurrent validity was also verified by the agreement of two tools(73.7%). Conclusion: These results showed that the reliability and validity of the PCS based on the nursing intensity were verified. These will use an data for nursing productivity in the future.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.61-70
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• 2017

This study evaluated the human health risk in terms of the excess number of mortality and morbidity in the megacity Mumbai, India due to air pollution. AirQ software was used to enumerate the various health impacts of critical pollutants in Mumbai in past 22 years during 1992-2013. A relationship concept based on concentration-response relative risk and population attributable-risk proportion was employed by adopting World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for concentrations of air pollutants like $PM_{10}$, $SO_2$ and $NO_2$. For the year 1992 in Mumbai, it was observed that excess number of cases of total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, respiratory mortality, hospital admission due to COPD, respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease were 8420, 4914, 889, 149, 10568 and 4081 respectively. However, after 22 years these figures increased to 15872, 9962, 1628, 580, 20527 and 7905 respectively, but all of these reached maximum in the year 2006. From the result, it is also noted that except COPD morbidity the excess number of cases from 1992-2002 to 2003-2013 increased almost by 30%; and the excess number of mortality and morbidity is basically due to particulate matter ($PM_{10}$) than due to gaseous pollutants.