• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.252-259
• /
• 2023

Purpose: Falls are a common cause of unintentional injuries in infants. This study was conducted to examine the patterns of healthcare utilization following infant falls in South Korea. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study utilized an online survey designed to gather information regarding the general characteristics of parents and infants, fall-related variables, and healthcare use. Results: The most serious falls identified by parents occurred at an average infant age of 6.97 months. Most fall incidents took place indoors (95.7%), and many occurred under the supervision of caregivers (68.0%). Following the fall, 36.4% of the participants used healthcare services. Logistic regression analysis revealed that healthcare use following an infant fall was significantly associated with being a firstborn child (odds ratio [OR]=5.32, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.19-15.28) and falling from a caregiver's arms (OR=4.22; 95% CI, 1.45-13.68). Conclusion: To prevent and decrease the frequency of infant falls, improvements are needed in both the domestic environment and parenting approaches.

• The Journal of Economics, Marketing and Management
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.13-24
• /
• 2022

Purpose: Although numerous research has covered content on trends in the adoption and use of wearable devices, their uses across several sectors such as healthcare, gaming, and fashion, there seems to be a considerable paucity with regard to empirical research focusing on the solutions for factors that undermine the effectiveness of wearable devices in healthcare. The present research aims to highlight what has been covered on wearable devices in healthcare while highlighting the limitations for future research. Research design, data, and methodology -The present authors conducted one of the most famous qualitative literature approach which has been called as PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) statement. The selecting criteria for eligible prior studies was estimated by whether studies are suitable for the current research, identifying they are peer-reviewed and issued by notable publishers between 2017 and 2022. Result - Our results indicated that (1) Increasing the Affordability and User Education on Wearable Devices in Healthcare (2) Tackling the Technological Issues in Wearable Devices to Promote Healthcare Delivery (3) Solving Security and Privacy Issues Associated with Wearable Devices (4) Promoting Standards and Appropriate Regulations for Wearable Devices. Conclusion - To add, resolving the technological issues associated with wearable devices in healthcare will ensure that the new devices in the market will have longer battery life, multiple functions, and enhanced accuracy, thus ensuring that patients receive better care. Necessary interventions are taken on time to avoid any deleterious consequences such as proliferating mortality rates among the different patient groups.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.533-536
• /
• 2020

Strengthening of the health system is a safety imperative, especially in a crisis as caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While there is a need for enhancing the number and skill sets of the public health professionals, especially the frontline workers, it will be prudent to use the digital health technologies, including artificial intelligence, in enhancing the capacity of the healthcare professional education and delivery. However, it has to be ensured that an ethical and safe approach is adopted to develop and use digital health technology and, ethically appropriate training is imparted, to enhance the capacity of the human resources for health, leading to an overall health system strengthening.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.82-103
• /
• 2023

The Zimbabwean healthcare sector faces huge challenges due to increased demands for improved services for a growing number of patients with fewer resources. The use of information and communications technologies, prevalent in many industries, but lacking in Zimbabwean healthcare, could increase productivity and innovation. The adoption of health management information systems (HMISs) can lead to improved patient safety and high-level patient care. These technologies can change delivery methods to be more patient focused by utilising integrated models and allowing for a continuum of care across healthcare providers. However, implementation of these technologies in the health care sector remains low. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the advantages to be attained by using HMISs in healthcare delivery and to ascertain the factors that influence the uptake of such systems in the public healthcare sector. A conceptual model, extending the technology, organization, and environment framework by means of other adoption models, underpins the study of adoption behavior. A mixed method methodology was used to conduct the study. For the quantitative approach, questionnaires were used to allow for regression analysis. For the qualitative approach, thematic analysis was used to analyse interview data. The results showed that the critical success factors (namely, relative advantage, availability, complexity, compatibility, trialability, observability, management support, information and communication technology expertise, communication processes, government regulation, infrastructure support, organizational readiness, industry and competitive support, external support, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, and intention to use) influenced adoption of HMISs in public hospitals in Zimbabwe.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.43-56
• /
• 2019

Purpose: Importance of patient satisfaction related to patient-centeredness has been emphasized, and it is known to have effect on various health outcomes including health resource utilization. However, the effect of patient satisfaction has been discussed mostly in terms of hospital marketing in Korea. This study aims to examine the effect of patient satisfaction in patient-physician communication on healthcare utilization in a nationally representative adult population of South Korea. Method: Patient satisfaction with physician communication is assessed using 4 items in the 2011 Korea Health Panel Survey. Generalized linear regression analysis is conducted using 9,325 adults' healthcare utilization in 2012. Findings: Adjusting for the socio-demographic, economic factors, individual health status, health behaviors and healthcare utilization in 2011, more satisfied individuals, more likely to utilize the outpatient service, especially in clinical setting. Practical Implications: The study findings suggests that in context of South Korea healthcare system such as insufficient medical consultation time and the absence of health delivery system, patient satisfaction as a subjective healthcare quality indicator would have effect on the individual's outpatient visit. This study contributes to stimulate patient satisfaction research and discussion in South Korea to further explore its relationship with potential and various health related outcomes. Further implications of the study are discussed.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
• /
• v.5 no.11
• /
• pp.2016-2034
• /
• 2011

Ubiquitous Healthcare (u-Healthcare) is the intelligent delivery of healthcare services to users anytime and anywhere. To provide robust healthcare services, recognition of patient daily life activities is required. Context information in combination with user real-time daily life activities can help in the provision of more personalized services, service suggestions, and changes in system behavior based on user profile for better healthcare services. In this paper, we focus on the intelligent manipulation of activities using the Context-aware Activity Manipulation Engine (CAME) core of the Human Activity Recognition Engine (HARE). The activities are recognized using video-based, wearable sensor-based, and location-based activity recognition engines. An ontology-based activity fusion with subject profile information for personalized system response is achieved. CAME receives real-time low level activities and infers higher level activities, situation analysis, personalized service suggestions, and makes appropriate decisions. A two-phase filtering technique is applied for intelligent processing of information (represented in ontology) and making appropriate decisions based on rules (incorporating expert knowledge). The experimental results for intelligent processing of activity information showed relatively better accuracy. Moreover, CAME is extended with activity filters and T-Box inference that resulted in better accuracy and response time in comparison to initial results of CAME.

• Journal of Communications and Networks
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.465-474
• /
• 2014

Wireless sensor network (WSN) is considered to be one of the most important research fields for ubiquitous healthcare (u-healthcare) applications. Healthcare systems combined with WSNs have only been introduced by several pioneering researchers. However, most researchers collect physiological data from medical nodes located at static locations and transmit them within a limited communication range between a base station and the medical nodes. In these healthcare systems, the network link can be easily broken owing to the movement of the object nodes. To overcome this issue, in this study, the fast link exchange minimum cost forwarding (FLE-MCF) routing protocol is proposed. This protocol allows real-time multi-hop communication in a healthcare system based on WSN. The protocol is designed for a multi-hop sensor network to rapidly restore the network link when it is broken. The performance of the proposed FLE-MCF protocol is compared with that of a modified minimum cost forwarding (MMCF) protocol. The FLE-MCF protocol shows a good packet delivery rate from/to a fast moving object in a WSN. The designed wearable platform utilizes an adaptive linear prediction filter to reduce the motion artifacts in the original electrocardiogram (ECG) signal. Two filter algorithms used for baseline drift removal are evaluated to check whether real-time execution is possible on our wearable platform. The experiment results shows that the ECG signal filtered by adaptive linear prediction filter recovers from the distorted ECG signal efficiently.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.57 no.2
• /
• pp.125-131
• /
• 2013

Biologically active peptides, including growth factors and cytokines, participate in various biological processes in human skin. They could provide a great advantage of maintaining healthy skin. Many peptide growth factors like epidermal growth factor (EGF) and human growth hormone (hGH) have been used in cosmetic formulations. The delivery of peptide growth factors across the Stratum corneum, however, seems not sufficient because of their physical properties such as high molecular weight and hydrophilicity. So increasing the penetration of growth factors of interest into skin would be a major concern for ensuring their maximum biological efficacy. In this study, we have identified several skin penetration-enhancing peptides which facilitate delivery of growth factors, when fused at N-terminus of the target protein, into skin. For efficient and rapid screening, we constructed a skin-penetrating assay system using Franz cell and porcine skin. Next, we carried out phage display screening using M-13 bacteriophage with random 12 -amino acid library on its coat protein P3 on that system. After several selection rounds, peptide sequences facilitate the penetration of phages through the porcine skin were identified from a large population of phages. We found that phages with the most potent peptide (S3-2, NGSLNTHLAPIL) could penetrate the porcine skin eight times more than those with control peptide (12 mino acids scrambled peptide). Furthermore, growth factors conjugated with S3-2 peptide penetrate porcine skin three to five times efficiently than non-conjugated growth factors. In conclusion, our data shows that the skin penetration-enhancing peptide we have characterized could increase the delivery of growth factors and is useful for cosmeceutical application.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.171-211
• /
• 2009

Because Korea has the excellent informational technology, it was expected to be able to improve the accessibility to healthcare and compete with other nations in excellence through u-Healthcare. But we can't complete the excellent u-Healthcare because of the law to be able to use only the tele-counselling between doctor to doctor or doctor to nurse. First of all, we must complete the law to be able to use the improved u-Health containing of telemedicine between doctor to patient. Though other factors, the procurement of safe IT, the credibility to healthcare service provider containing of nutritionist and occupational therapist etc. are prepared for erecting u-Healthcare, we can get the final and decisive u-Health policy only by means of Law for supporting u-Healthcare's Activation. The important sections of Law for supporting u-Healthcare's Activation are as follows. Sec. 4 The Minister for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs and the dean of associated administrative division have to erect the combined plan for u-Healthcare's Activation. Sec. 11 Government and local autonomous entity can support the facility and equipment to be necessitated for using u-Healthcare to improve the medical accessibility of person in the region with poor medicine. Sec. 13 Doctor can support other doctor's medical action through IT and if there are not medical risk, doctor can give medical act directly to the special patients. Sec. 21 If pharmaceuticals is necessitated in u-Healthcare, remote doctor has to send the patient the electronic prescription and the pharmaceutist to receive the electronic prescription has to delivery the pharmaceuticals in accordance with patient's demand.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.90-97
• /
• 2019

This study investigated the healthcare status of South Korea and member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). By employing the position value for relative comparison index, healthcare status was measured through the following components: demand, supply, accessibility, quality, and cost. Statistical analysis was conducted through the Mann-Kendall test from analyzing trends from 2000 onwards. Results showed that while Korea, on average, scores higher than the OECD average in most of the investigated components, it is below average in certain indexes including primary care and mental health care. Considering the various health issues that have been raised about these indexes, it is important these components be improved upon by policy-makers.