• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.68-80
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to analyze ER patient's Triage and other statistical data. The subjects were 12,618 patients who visited the ER during the year 1998. The study showed the following results; 1. The male vs female ratio was 1.3 : 1.0, the male were in the majority (56.6%), and the age range of 20-29 old was the majority (15.3). The patients who visited ER at 8-10 pm were the majority (11.5%). On Sunday the number of patients who visited the ER were 2,189, and the majority were 17.4%. On Saturday the number of patients was visited the ER were 1,944 patients the second majority (15.4%). Their traffic means : the general passenger cars (75.5%), 119 or hospital ambulance (11.3%). 2.The reasons of visiting ER were : diseases (59.2%), injuries (23.7%). The disease vs injury ratio was 100 : 69. 3. Triage : urgent 40.7%, non-urgent 38.2%, acute 17.8%, and critical 3.2%. 4. The time of waiting and staying in the ER by the Triaget: the average time was 572 minutes (9.53 hrs.). The majority of critical patients (20.5%), acute patients (24.7%) and urgent patients (21.2%) stayed 12-24 hrs., but the majority of non-emergent (27.8%) stayed not longer than one hour. 5. Treatments by the Triage : the 42.9% of critical patients, and 61.3% of acute patients, 57.5% of urgent patients were admitted. But 91.8% of the non-emergents were discharged and 4.7% was admitted. Mortality of total ER visiter were 1.7%. DAA portion was 0.86%. 26.6% of the critical patients were DAA. DAA vs DOA ratio was 1.3 : 1.0. 6. Visiting time, monthly and seasonal distribution by the Triage : the majority of critical patients (12.2%), visited 10-12 am. The majority of acute (12.9%) and urgent (11.7%) visited 4-6 pm, but the majority of non-emergents (15.1%) visited during 8-10 pm. Autumn visiter were the majority (27.6%). The percentage of non-emergent visited in Spring was 41.4% and Autumn was 41.3%. The percentage of urgents who visited in the Summer was 45.3% and the Winter was 40.4%. By clinical departments: the 48.0% of critical patients was NS. The 45.5% of acute and the 33.6% of urgent patients were IM. But the majority of non-emergent patients was PS (21.2%), and the second majority of non-emergent patients was oral Surgery (12.8%).

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.362-371
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• 1995

There is no national system to manage, evaluate, and analyse the information about accidents, even though it is necessary for accident prevention policies and health promotion of the general public. The existing studies are, also limited as they focus only on particular group(for example : inpatients, emergency room patients) or on particular geographic areas. Thus the results of the studies cannot be ap-plied to the general public. In order to overcome these limitations, this research focuses on data collection and analysis from accident information for the general population. By providing the analysis on types and causes af accidents, this research aims to produce the basic data necessary for accident prevention policy development. The specific aims of this research are to : 1. Analyse the actual occurrences and characteristics of accidents. 2. Suggest for the accident prevention policies and safety education. Accident report form three major newspaper printed in Korea between January 1, 1989 and December 31, 1993 were collected, and the cause, place, time, and personal injury related to the accidents were classified and then analyzed by de-scriptive statistics. The results of this research conclude : 1. The number of accidents reported by the three newspapers were 2155. 2. The highest proportion of accidents were as follows ; occurred during the June-August(31.2%), Sunday(24.8%), and 5 p.m. (7.6%) of the day. 3. The highest proportion of the accident occurred in Seoul(33. l％), Kyunggi province(14.5%), Kangwon province (7.8％), and Kyungnam prov-ince(6.7%) were next highest. 4. The main causes include car accidents(32.4%), drowning(10.9%), falls(8.8%), explosion(7.1%), and poisoning(5.8%). 5. Slightly more than half of injuries(50.5%) and about two fifths of deaths(40.3%) were caused by car accidents. Therefore, the most serious type of accidents were car accidents. 6. The number of males in accidents were almost three times higher than that of females(males 72.3%, females : 27.7%). 7. The age group from 10 to 19 years old represents the highest proportion(21%) of accidents. 8. The number of the accidents in Korea, based on the information collected from the newspapers, is estimated to be 14, 367 per year. The number of in-juries is estimated to be 88, 480 persons, and the number of deaths 29, 007 respectively. It is said that ninety percent of accidents can be prevented. Several accidents prevention policies are suggested here. 1. Safety education should be done more actively throughtout life, with special emphasis on safety education for children. 2. Safety measures for children(halmets for cycling, children car seats, seats belts, and so on) should be emphasized. 3. An injury surveillance system should be initiated. The initiation of injury reporting system in each factory and school could contribute considerably to the reduction of accidents.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.155-160
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• 2016

Purpose: Two years have passed since a level I trauma center was officially opened in the Gacheon Gil Hospital, South Korea. We analyzed 2014 and 2015 registered patient data from the Korean Trauma Data Base (KTDB) to identify trends in trauma patient care and factors that influence the quality of trauma care at the Gacheon Gil trauma center. Methods: Data was extracted from the KTDB included patient age, sex, systolic blood pressure at emergency room arrival, revised trauma score, injury severity score, trauma injury severity score, transfusion amount, and the cause of death was analyzed. Results: A total of 3269 trauma patients were admitted to our trauma center in 2014 and 3225 in 2015. Demographics and mechanism of injury were not significantly different between years. The severity of trauma injury was decreased in 2015 although the mortality rate was slightly increased. This requires further analysis. Conclusion: The aim of this study was to determine the general status and trends in trauma incidence and management outcomes for the Incheon area. We noted no significant changes in trauma status from 2014 to 2015. We need to collect and review trauma patient data over a long period in order to elucidate trauma incidence and management trends in the trauma field. Finally, studies using trauma patient data will indicate appropriate quality control factors for trauma care and help to improve the quality of trauma management.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.16-24
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to describe and compare how emergency room (ER) nurses and coroners perceive good death and their attitudes toward death. Methods: A survey was performed with 51 ER nurses in P city and 44 coroners nationwide. Data were collected from October 1, 2010 through February 28, 2011. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANCOVA, Scheffe's test using the IBM SPSS statistics 21.0 program. Results: For the perception of good death and attitudes toward death, coroners scored higher ($3.01{\pm}0.43$ and $2.87{\pm}0.35$, respectively) than ER nurses group ($2.95{\pm}0.40$ and $2.61{\pm}0.33$, respectively), but the differences were not significant. The results of perception of good death and attitudes toward death were not statistically significant between ER nurses and coroners. Conclusion: The study showed no difference between ER nurses' perception of good death and attitudes toward death and those held by coroners. The findings of the study show that it is necessary to offer steady education on death to nurses and coroners to help them build a proper understanding of good death and grow positive attitudes toward death.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.248-266
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to create a checklist for each type of disaster and to suggest a method for establishing an appropriate response system and making accurate and rapid decision-making. Method: In order to derive checklist factors, previous case analyses (Tropical Storm Rusa (2002), Typhoon Maemi (2003), and Typhoon Chaba (2016) were conducted for typhoon disaster. Grouping was conducted to derive checklist factors by analyzing general status (climate and weather) information and characteristics by case. Result: The case study was divided into national level and county level. In terms of national unit, eight forecasts were included: weather forecast, typhoon landing status, typhoon intensity, typhoon radius, central pressure, heavy rain conditions, movement speed, and route. Local governments should reflect regional characteristics, focusing on the presence or absence of similar typhoons (paths) in the past, typhoon landing time, regional characteristics, population density, prior disaster recovery, recent disaster occurrence history, secondary damage, forecast warning system. A total of eight items were derived. Conclusion: In the event of a disaster, decision making will be faster if the checklist proposed in this study is used and applied. In addition, it can be used as the basic data for disaster planners' response plans in case of disasters, and it is expected to be a more clear and quick disaster preparedness and response because it reflects local characteristics.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2020

Background: Use of appropriate antibiotics for the treatment of pneumonia is integral in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Although it is recommended that empirical treatment regimens should be based on the local distribution of pathogens in patients with suspected hospital-acquired pneumonia, few studies observe patients admitted to ICUs with nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP). We found factors associated with the use of inappropriate antibiotics in patients with pneumonia admitted to the ICU via the emergency room (ER). Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 83 pneumonia patients with confirmed causative bacteria admitted to ICUs via ER March 2015-May 2017. We compared clinical parameters, between patients who received appropriate or inappropriate antibiotics using the Mann-Whitney U, Pearson's chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests. We investigated independent factors associated with inappropriate antibiotic use in patients using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Among 83 patients, 30 patients (36.1%) received inappropriate antibiotics. NHAP patients were more frequently treated with inappropriate antibiotics than with appropriate antibiotics (47.2% vs. 96.7%, p<0.001). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was more frequently isolated from individuals in the inappropriate antibiotics-treated group than in the appropriate antibiotics-treated group (7.5% vs. 70.0%, p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, NHAP was independently associated with the use of inappropriate antibiotics in patients with pneumonia admitted to the ICU via ER. Conclusion: NHAP is a risk factor associated with the use of inappropriate antibiotics in patients with pneumonia admitted to the ICU via the ER.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.227-234
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• 1999

An association of low total cholesterol in blood with psychiatric diseases and suicidal behavior has been suggested. As part of an attempt to further explore this relationship, we examine first, whether serum cholesterol levels in psychiatric patients with suicidal attempt would be lower than in non-suicidal psychiatric inpatients or normal controls, second, whether such significant difference of cholesterol levels would be present when the diagnostic groups are analyzed separately, third, whether low cholesterol level would be associated with a history of serious suicidal attempts, and finally, whether low cholesterol level in suicide attempters is a state or a trait marker. We determined the serum cholesterol levels in 231 patients admitted to an emergency room following an suicidal attempt, in the same numbers of age-, sex- and diagnosis- matched non-suicidal psychiatric controls, and in the same numbers of age-, sex matched normal controls. The seriousness of an attempt was divided into 5 grades according to the degree of the resulting medical injury. Total cholesterol levels in suicide attempters were significantly lower compared with both psychiatric and normal controls, when sex, age, and nutritional status (i.e., body mass index) were controlled for. This significant relationship was observed in major depressive disorders and personality disorders, but not in schizophrenia and bipolar type I disorders. The severity of suicide by a lowering of blood cholesterol was related to the magnitude of the cholesterol reduction. After treatment of their psychiatric ailments, the cholesterol levels in suicide attempters were significantly increased. This result suggests that low cholesterol level in psychiatric patients might be a potential biological marker of suicide risk. It is hypothesized that low cholesterol levels is associated with the suicide by modifying the serotonin metabolism, the production of interleukin-2 and melatonin metabolism in psychiatric patients.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.148-153
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• 2015

Purpose: We investigated trends in antibiotic resistance for gram-negative bacteria in infants with a urinary tract infection (UTI) over 15 years at a single institution. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for children younger than 24 months who visited the emergency room and were diagnosed with a UTI between January 2000 and December 2014. We selected urine culture data that grew Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Baseline clinical information and results of antimicrobial susceptibility tests were analyzed by dividing the 15-year study time frame into three periods (A: 2000-2004, B: 2005-2009, and C: 2010-2014). Results: During the study period, 478 applicable children were identified (E. coli, 89.7% and K. pneumoniae, 10.3%). Antibiotic resistance to third-generation cephalosporins was increased from period A to period C (A, 2.1%; B, 8.3%; C, 8.8%; P=0.025). Resistance to quinolones also showed a steady pattern during periods A to C, although it was not statistically significant (A, 7.9%; B, 9.7%; C, 12.4%; P=0.221). The incidence of Extended-spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamase (ESBL)-producing gram-negative bacteria increased from period A to period C (A, 1.4%; B, 7.6%; C, 8.2%; P=0.012). Conclusion: This study revealed that the common uropathogens E. coli and K. pneumoniae experienced increasing resistance rates against third-generation cephalosporins and a constant antibiotic resistance to quinolones in children younger than 24 months. We also showed a recent increased incidence of ESBL-producing gram-negative bacteria in patients with community-acquired UTIs. Therefore, it is necessary to actively surveil resistance in order to properly select empirical antibiotics.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.863-871
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• 2007

Objects : To gain better insights of East-west integrated treatment of ischemic stroke. We analyzed 89 patients with severe acute ischemic stroke who were admitted to the East-west integrated intensive care unit. Methods : Subjects enrollment was from the East-west integrated intensive care unit of Kyung Hee Medical Center from March 2006 to February 2007. Patients were admitted within 14 days after the onset of ischemic stroke. We assessed the subjects' general characteristics, risk factors, admitting routes and periods, diagnostic imaging, process of western treatment and Korean traditional treatment, complication and consequence. Results : The proportion of males was 50.6%, of females 49.4%, average age was male 66.0$\pm$10.3 and female 71.1$\pm$10.5. Average length of hospital stays was 19.5 days. Monthly admissions were highest in November and December. The admission route was through emergency room (61.8%) or ward (34.8%). Mean Glasgow coma scale score was 10.0$\pm$2.5, average time from symptom of onset to hospital admission was 2.3$\pm$2.2 days. Dominant ischemic vascular territory was middle cerebral artery (66.3%). Initial western treatment was argatroban (22.5%), urokinase (28.1%), and heparinization (38.2%). Distribution of Sasang constitution of So-yang to Tae-eum to So-eum was equal to 5.4 to 2.9 to 1.5. Major complications were observed in 40 (42.7%) patients. In hospital mortality was 12.4% (11 deaths), all of them caused by aggravation of neurological deficit and only 3 of them with major complications. There appears to be a significant positive relationship between length of hospital stay and occurrence of complications (P<0.05). After discharge from the ICU, 64 (71.9%) patients were improved, 11 (12.4%) patients had expired, and 14 (15.8%) patients were transferred. Conclusions : From this study, we suggest that patients with severe acute ischemic stroke should be treated with East-west integrated therapy for more favorable consequences and decreased mortality.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.208-217
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• 2001

Background : The objective of this study is proving the basic data for developing a management system for the discharges against medical advice(AMA) by identifying the characteristics of the AMA patients of an university hospital for 10 years. Methods : By using discharge abstract data base, we divided the total discharges(435,254) into two groups, discharge against medical advice and discharge with discharge order. We confirmed the characteristics of AMA group by analyzing discharge abstract data of the both groups by SAS software V6.12 and $x^2$ test. Medical records of AMA patients in the year 2000 were reviewed to identify the reasons for AMA which we couldn't extract from discharge abstract DB. Result : The total number of AMA for 10 years were 9,358(2.15%) and the AMA rate has been continuously decreased for 10 years. Male, admission through emergency room, discharges admission via other hospital, patients without operation during hospitalization, discharges in hopeless or not improved condition showed higher AMA rate. The AMA rate was higher as the age of the patients was higher, and the average length of stay was longer in AMA patients than in those with discharge order. The AMA rate in psychiatry was highest(14.3%) and it was higher in surgery departments than those of medical or other sections. The AMA rate varied by attending physicians even in the same department and it was statistically significant. Patients with the principal diagnosis of "medical observation and evaluation for suspected diseases" showed the highest AMA rate(15.5%), and that of schizophrenia or psychosis was the nest. One hundred twenty-one patients(19.5%) out of 622 AMA in 2000 discharged against medical advice for transfer to order health care facilities. Among them 71 patients(58.7%) discharged with their medical care information, such as copies of medical record, medical certificates, summaries, etc. Written oath of the patients discharged AMA was filed in their medical records in 466 cases(74.9%) although some of them were incomplete. Conclusion : Characteristics of AMA discharge could be used as the basic data in developing a system to manage the patients who have risk factors to leave the hospital against medical advice. By reducing number of patients leaving the hospital against medical advice we can increase satisfaction of medical providers and consumers.