• 한국임상약학회지
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.24-32
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• 2016

Objective: The visually impaired have limited access to health care services and related information, and thus, they can have serious hurdles against properly taking medications. Despite that it is important to improve self-care ability of the visually impaired for correct medication use, there have been few studies investigating their needs for health care services in Korea, particularly focusing on proper medication usage. This study is to explore safety-related issues regarding mediation usage among the visually impaired based on in-depth interview. We particularly focus on any obstacles for safe use of medicines including experience on medication-related adverse effects in order to provide preliminary evidence for policy measures to improve proper medication use among the visually impaired. Methods: Study sample was visually impaired individuals who resided in Seoul area and were registered in the National Association of Visually Impaired. The association helped the process of recruiting the study participants. In-depth interview for each study participants was conducted. Each interview was recorded and later converted into a written script to extract core contents for the analysis. Results: The study participants comprised of three women (42.9%) and four men (57.1%). One was in his 20's, and there were four participants in 30's and two in 40's. Fully impaired participants were majority (5 out of 7). Limitation to physical access to health care providers and health information were the key factors to hamper safe medication utilization among the study participants. Difficulty reading medication information and may take the wrong medication or incorrect doses of medication, resulting in serious consequences, including overdose or inadequate treatment of health problems. Visually impaired patients report increased anxiety related to medication management and must rely on others to obtain necessary drug information. Pharmacists have a unique opportunity to pursue accurate medication adherence in this special population. This article reviews literature illustrating how severe medication mismanagement can occur in the visually impaired elderly and presents resources and solutions for pharmacists to take a larger role in adherence management in this population. Conclusion: The visually impaired had difficulties reading medication information and identifying medicines, and took incorrect doses of medications. Public support for safe medication use and medication management among the visually impaired is necessary.

• 한국치위생학회지
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.344-356
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• 2009

To identify subjective health status of senior citizens' oral health following senior citizens' general characteristics and knowledge and behavior for the oral hygiene, this research conducted individual interview with 237 senior citizens in some parts of Seoul. The results are as follows. 1. Degree of senior citizens' knowledge on the oral hygiene is about Middle. Among the categories on the senior citizens' knowledge on the oral hygiene, teeth's brushing was the highest while knowledge on fluorine was the lowest. 2. Senior citizens who feel that their oral health is healthy when it comes to the subjective health state of senior citizens' oral health following behavior for the oral hygiene, brush their teeth, three times in a day, for more than three minutes (p<.01). Moreover, senior citizens who feel that their oral health is healthy brush different corners of the tongue when brushing (p<.01). 3. In case of knowledge on the oral hygiene following general characteristics, knowledge on the oral hygiene was higher when economic status was higher (p<.01). In case of living expenses, knowledge on the oral hygiene was higher for the senior citizens with pay or income (p<.01). 4. In case of behavior for the oral hygiene, women tended to act for the oral hygiene more than men. As for the method for raising living expenses, senior citizens who receive basic social security check or those at the highest tier tended to act less for the oral hygiene (p<.01). 5. Senior citizens who answered that their oral health is healthy when it comes to the subjective health state of senior citizens' oral cavity tended to have high knowledge on the oral hygiene (p<.01). In conclusion, subjective health status of senior citizens' oral health is higher when the knowledge on the oral hygiene and behavior for the oral hygiene are higher. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop and execute oral hygiene training program to change senior citizens' behavior incrementally and the dental hygienists who can conduct this training should be actively attracted into the senior citizens' oral hygiene training.

• 한국치위생학회지
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• 제11권5호
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• pp.671-683
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine the oral health knowledge and actual oral health care of the selected subjects, their decision making about prosthetic treatment, the state and characteristics of their prosthetic treatment and their satisfaction with prosthetic treatment in an attempt to provide some information on the improvement of the quality of life related to oral health and the promotion of oral health. Methods : The subjects in this study were 250 people who received education in two different lifelong education institutions in the city of Busan. After a survey was conducted from May 23 to June 15, 2011, the answer sheets from 217 respondents were analyzed. Results : 1. As for the general characteristics of the respondents, the men(52.1%) outnumbered the women. Those who were in their 60 and up(47.5%) made up the largest age group, and the married people(65.4%) outnumbered the unmarried ones. By occupation, the company employees(20.3%) made up the biggest group. By education, the greatest group was high-school graduates(36.1%). By monthly mean income, the biggest group gained an income of 2.01 million won or more(36.9%). As to medical security, community-based insurance was most prevailing (36.9%). In terms of health promotion, the largest group worked out to stay fit(52.4%). 2. Regarding oral health knowledge, they had a good knowledge about the cause of dental caries(56.7%), but they weren't well aware of the right time for regular dental checkup(47.9%). In relation to oral health care, regular scaling wasn't prevailing(16.9%). 3. Regarding connections between the general characteristics and satisfaction with prosthesis, the less-educated respondents expressed significantly more dissatisfaction(p=0.015). By monthly mean income, those who had a smaller income were dissatisfied in general(p=0.028). Conclusions : The findings of the study illustrated that it's required to spread awareness of the importance of oral health among people in general, and that differentiated incremental oral health care should be provided for different age groups. In order to raise the satisfaction of patients with prosthesis, how to relieve their pain and anxiety and how to adjust prosthetic treatment cost properly should carefully be considered. In addition, the government should take measures to offer assistance for the low-income classes in preparation for an increase in the elderly population.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.38-59
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• 2017

Objectives: Few attempts have been made to develop a generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument and to examine its validity and reliability in Korea. We aimed to do this in our present study. Methods: After a literature review of existing generic HRQoL instruments, a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews, and expert consultations, we selected 30 tentative items for a new HRQoL measure. These items were evaluated by assessing their ceiling effects, difficulty, and redundancy in the first survey. To validate the HRQoL instrument that was developed, known-groups validity and convergent/discriminant validity were evaluated and its test-retest reliability was examined in the second survey. Results: Of the 30 items originally assessed for the HRQoL instrument, four were excluded due to high ceiling effects and six were removed due to redundancy. We ultimately developed a HRQoL instrument with a reduced number of 20 items, known as the Health-related Quality of Life Instrument with 20 items (HINT-20), incorporating physical, mental, social, and positive health dimensions. The results of the HINT-20 for known-groups validity were poorer in women, the elderly, and those with a low income. For convergent/discriminant validity, the correlation coefficients of items (except vitality) in the physical health dimension with the physical component summary of the Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2) were generally higher than the correlations of those items with the mental component summary of the SF-36v2, and vice versa. Regarding test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient of the total HINT-20 score was 0.813 (p<0.001). Conclusions: A novel generic HRQoL instrument, the HINT-20, was developed for the Korean general population and showed acceptable validity and reliability.

• 대한영양사협회학술지
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.122-132
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• 2010

Elderly people comprise an increasing proportion of the population, and nutritional impairments may contribute to health problems among this group. This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional status by Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and to identify relationships among anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, bone Mineral Density (BMD) and MNA results among older adults (${\geq}$65 yrs, n=98, 66.7${\pm}$2.5 yrs; M=52, F=46, BMI 24.5${\pm}$2.8 $kg/m^2$) at a Health Care Center. A dietitian administered MNA and collected anthropometric measurements (weight, height, waist circumference), biochemical indicators (albumin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, TLC, glucose, lipids) and the BMD (spine, femur, F=46). Subjects were grouped into a normal nutrition group (0~2 risk factors of malnutrition) and a high risk of malnutrition group (>=3 risk factors of malnutrition) based on their risk factor status for malnutrition. The risk factors for malnutrition include age ${\geq}$65 years, PIBW <90%, albumin <3.5 g/dl, TLC <1,500%, Hgb <14 g/dl (men), Hgb <10 g/dl (women), loss of appetite and weight loss 1~3 kg/last 3 months. In addition, subjects were grouped into a normal, osteopenia and osteoporosis group by BMD. We found that 12% of the subjects were at risk of malnutrition (MNA score, 21.4${\pm}$2.1) and that 88% were well nourished (27.3${\pm}$1.5) according to the MNA. Full-MNA scores were positively and significantly (p<0.05) associated with BMI, mid-arm circumference (MAC), calf circumference (CC), albumin and hemoglobin, respectively. The full-MNA score of the high risk of malnutrition group (23.0${\pm}$3.8) was lower than that of the normal nutrition group (27.0${\pm}$2.1) (p<0.05). In addition, the Full-MNA score was negatively associated with the risk factor of malnutrition (r=－0.35, p=0.0004). We found that 39.1% of the subjects had osteoporosis, 45.7% had osteopenia and 15.2% were normal according to their BMD. The MNA score of osteoporosis group (24.58${\pm}$3.3) was lower than that of the normal (27.4${\pm}$1.1) and osteopenia group (26.9${\pm}$1.5) (p<0.05). These results suggested that MNA can be useful as a nutritional screening tool of older adults in Health Care Centers.

• 한국보건간호학회지
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.13-29
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to describe about elders with dementia, their families, and their living environment by visiting the households where demented elders resided. The findings will be used as a basis to develop future individualized adjustment programs for demented elders and their families living in communities. The study participants were 64 demented elders and their families who were registered to a dementia counseling center at Nam-Gu community health center located in Inchon, Korea. Data were collected for two months, from May to June 2001. The length of data collection for each home visit ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Conclusion are as follows based on these study findings: Those demented elders had more than one chronic health problem in addition to their pre-existing dementia condition. Two thirds of the demented elders were not receiving any specific treatment for dementia. They showed a moderate level of independence in basic ADL, but were mostly residing at home because of lack of ability to perform more delicate and complicate routine daily activities by themselves. In addition, the primary caregivers were not well adjusted to the care-giving activities for their demented family members due to the lack of knowledge and information about dementia. The caregivers were mostly women including daughters-in-law, woman spouses and daughters, over a half of whom perceived their physical and mental health status as poor. Their image toward the demented elders was considerably negative. while their level of knowledge on dementia was moderate. The burden for the care-giving was high, whereas their coping method was passive. As the difference in image toward elderly before and after the onset of dementia in their family member increases, the caregiver burden also increased. The main resource of social support for the caregivers was their children. The caregivers showed high level of needs for knowledge and information on dementia, and day care service was the most preferred type of service by the caregivers. There was lack of safety in the living environments for the demented elders and their families, and in the surrounding environments to prevent dementia-related symptoms. Considering that home-based family care-giving is the most culturally appropriate model of providing care for the demented elders in Korea, we need to develop and apply an individualized adjustment program for the demented elders and their families.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제52권6호
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• pp.405-415
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• 2019

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations of frailty with perceived neighborhood walkability and environmental pollution among community-dwelling older adults in rural areas. Methods: The participants were 808 community-dwelling men and women aged 65 years and older in 2 rural towns. Comprehensive information, including demographics, socioeconomic status, grip strength, polypharmacy, perceived neighborhood environment (specifically, walkability and environmental pollution), and frailty, was collected from participants using face-to-face interviews conducted between June and August 2018. Perceived neighborhood walkability was measured using 20 items that were selected and revised from the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale, the Neighborhood Walkability Checklist from the National Heart Foundation of Australia, and the Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Survey. The Kaigo-Yobo Checklist was used to assess participants' frailty. Results: The overall prevalence of frailty in this community-dwelling population was 35.5%. Sex, age, cohabitation status, educational attainment, employment status, grip strength, and polypharmacy were significantly associated with frailty. In the logistic regression analysis, frailty was associated with low perceived neighborhood walkability (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.881; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.833 to 0.932; p<0.001) and severe perceived neighborhood environmental pollution (aOR, 1.052; 95% CI, 1.017 to 1.087; p=0.003) after adjusting for sex, age, cohabitation status, educational attainment, employment status, monthly income, grip strength, and polypharmacy. Conclusions: More studies are warranted to establish causal relationships between walkability and environmental pollution and frailty.

• 한국문헌정보학회지
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• 제55권4호
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• pp.245-266
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• 2021

본 연구에서는 도서관의 사회적 포용을 실천하기 위해 현재 제3차 도서관종합발전계획에 발표된 관련 정책을 살펴보고, 해당 정책을 기반으로 중앙행정기관과 시·도 도서관에서 추진한 과제 현황을 살펴보았다. 그 결과, 첫째, 적극적 정보 복지 실현 측면에서는 지식정보 격차 해소를 위한 다양한 프로그램 및 서비스가 수행되고 있으나, 향후 대상 범위를 확대 및 유관기관과의 협력체제 구축 및 인프라 개선이 이루어져야 할 것으로 보인다. 둘째, 공간의 개방성 확대 측면에서는 열린공간으로서의 개방공간 확장 및 유니버설 디자인 적용이 수행되고 있다. 향후 지속적인 공간 재구성을 위한 예산 투자 및 이용자의 다양성을 고려한 유니버설 디자인 적용 범위 확대가 이루어져야할 것으로 보인다. 셋째, 경계를 넘는 서비스의 연계 측면에서는 영·유아, 어린이, 여성, 노인, 소외계층, 구직자, 다문화 가정 등을 대상으로 서비스 및 프로그램이 제공되고 있다. 향후 도서관의 포용적 서비스 확장을 위한 서비스 제도 개선이 선행되어야 할 것으로 보이며, 차별화된 서비스 제공을 위해 관련 부처들간의 협력이 이루어져야 할 것으로 보인다. 마지막으로 향후 사회적 포용을 위한 정책 수립 시 장서, 프로그램, 공간에 대한 과제 뿐만 아니라 이와 관련한 사서의 교육과 유관기관과의 협력 네트워크 구축, 서비스 및 프로그램에 대한 마케팅에 관한 추진과제가 고려되어야 할 것으로 보인다.

• 디지털융복합연구
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• 제18권12호
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• pp.389-399
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• 2020

지역사회 내의 노인의 독립적 생활을 지원하기 위하여, 미국과 영국은 오래 전부터 비공식 돌봄자에 대한 지원을 정책적으로 마련하였다. 본 연구는 최근 미국의 가족 돌봄자 지원법(The Recognize, Assist, Include Support and Engage, RAISE)과 영국의 돌봄자법 2014(Carer Act 2014)를 바탕으로 새로운 정책적 전략과 이에 관련한 문서를 분석하여 비공식 돌봄자를 위한 정책을 검토하여 국내 시사점을 찾고자 하였다. 미국의 경우는 가족 비공식 돌봄자의 역할을 확대하여 신약개발 및 치료방법 개발에 일정 부분 개입을 시켜 환자와 돌봄자 중심의 가정의로 환경 모델을 기획하고 있다. 무엇보다, 영국은 노동시장에서의 돌봄자 지원정책을 심화하였다. 근무하는 비공식 돌봄자를 다각적 방법으로 지원하는 것이 노동시장에서 경제적으로 효율적이라는 실증적 연구와 연계하여 근거 중심의 지원 정책을 시도하고 있었다. 재정적 지원, 직접 서비스 제공, 유연 근무, 권익 보장이라는 네 범주 안에서 지원되는 미국과 영국의 비공식 돌봄의 지원정책은 돌봄의 가치 인정과 돌봄자의 건강권과 인권에 대한 보장이라는 근본적인 합의를 토대로 이루어졌다. 현재 국내에서 장기요양정책과 노인복지 정책에서 제공되고 있는 비공식 돌봄자에 정책적인 지원들이 근거를 중심으로 지원된다면, 지역사회 내의 통합적인 돌봄 체계의 실질적인 효과가 있으리라 본다.

• 의료법학
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.125-144
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• 2021

본 연구는 '코로나19'로 인한 팬데믹 상황에서 우리 사회의 건강취약계층의 건강보장을 위한 법적 개선 방안을 제시하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 첫째, 기존의 (사회)취약계층 의미를 살펴본 뒤, 건강이라는 사회적 위험을 연계하여 확장된 개념으로서 건강취약계층을 비판적으로 고찰하였다. 취약계층이라는 용어는 전통적인 관점에서 노인, 장애인, 여성 등의 계층과 낮은 소득 등으로 인한 생활능력이 없는 조건, 이를테면 저소득층의 기준을 모두 충족하는 개념으로서 사용되었던 경향이 있다. 건강취약계층의 개념은 이러한 취약계층의 개념이 건강 위협 등 사회적 위험 등과 연계되어 확장된 개념으로 나타나고 있는 최근의 동향을 반향하고 있다는 점에서 의의가 있다. 둘째, 법률상 건강취약계층과 함께 보건의료 취약계층이라는 용어가 사용되면서 나타나는 문제점을 살펴보았다. 두 용어를 각각 사용하는 법률과 정책들로 인해서 건강 및 보건의료에 관한 사회보장제도 안에서 사각지대가 발생할 수 있는 문제점이 있었다. 셋째, 건강취약계층에 대한 건강보장을 위한 법률적 개선 방안들을 제시하였다. 건강취약계층에 대한 개념 확대와 법률적 용어의 포괄성, 통합적인 보건의료서비스를 위한 법률 간 체계성, 건강취약계층을 보호하기 위한 맞춤형 정책 및 인적 역량 강화 등을 제언하였다.