• 한국의료질향상학회지
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.12-24
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• 2014

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore whether emergency bell could shorten door to electrocardiograms (ECG) time in chest pain patients presenting to emergency department (ED) by self-transport. Methods: This was a planned 6-month before-and-after interventional study design. We set up the emergency bell in walk-in patients' waiting room. Prior to the change, patients were triaged before an ECG was obtained. In new process, as soon as patient with chest pain push the emergency bell, emergency physicians examined patient and prioritized performing ECG. We analyzed door to electrocardiograms (DTE) times for patients with chest pain and ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients between two periods. Results: During the enrollment period, a total of 63 patients called emergency bell. The median DTE time was 6 min (interquartile range: 3.0 - 9.0) and 82.5% received an ECG within 10 minutes, and only three patients were STEMI. DTE time in patient with chest pain was not different between two periods (p=0.980). Before intervention period, 15 walk-in patients admitted in ED for STEMI and 53.8% of STEMI patients received an ECG within 10 minutes. After intervention period, total 19 walk-in patients admitted in ED for STEMI. Of these, 89.5% met the time requirement. Conclusion: Because a small portion of patients with chest pain activated the emergency bell, new strategy for promotion of emergency bell must be needed.

• 대한응급의학회지
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• 제29권6호
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• pp.687-698
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• 2018

Objective: This study examined the characteristics of suicidal attempters, including pre-hospital patients and those who visited the emergency department. Methods: Suicidal attempters who had been reported to the 119 call center were selected between July 2015 and June 2016. Sex, age, place, methods of suicidal attempt, season, time, and suicide success rate were reviewed in the fire center records. Results: A total 961 suicide attempters were enrolled. Among them, 53.6% were males who had an approximately 2.6 times higher mortality than that of females (9.2%). The most preferred place to commit suicide was the home in both sexes (68.0% in male, 82.8% in female) and the most preferred methods was drug intoxication, particularly pesticide. The method with the highest mortality was hanging and the lowest was self-harm. The season of the highest mortality was spring. The success of suicide and the time variation were similar. Most of the un-transferred patients also selected fatal suicide attempts compared to transfer patients. Conclusion: Unlike previous studies, this study includes information on un-transferred patients. Overall, the probability of death was highest as more than 50 years men chose hanging as a method, which had an influence on the un-transferred patients group.

• 대한간호학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.93-103
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• 1998

Nursing works in emergency department were analyzed and the importance of nursing works that the emergency department nurses perceived at university hospitals in Seoul. 12 nursing domains including 76 nursing activities were identified. The most frequently performed nursing domain was records and the most frequently performed activity in the emergency department was checking the vital sign of patients. The most important nursing activity that emergency department nurses perceived was physical crisis intervention.

• 한국응급구조학회지
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.125-134
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• 2021

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to determine the changes in the pattern of patients who were transferred to the emergency room through inter-hospital private institutions and to determine how long transport takes following the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: This retrospective observational study analyzed the emergency medical services reports of private institutions following the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea. The study was conducted in Busan between January 19, 2019 and January 18, 2020, and between January 19, 2020 and January 18, 2021. Results: Upon comparing the patient transport times during the "Pre-COVID-19 period" and "COVID-19 period," a significant delay was noticed in the preparation for transfer of patients during the "COVID-19 period" (p<.05). There were significantly more patients with respiratory infections and patients who complained of general symptoms during the "COVID-19 period." Moreover, there was a higher frequency of patients who were transferred to a 'Level I' emergency room during the "COVID-19 period" compared to during the "Pre-COVID-19 period" (p<.05). Conclusion: Following the COVID-19 outbreak, there is a delay in patient transport to the emergency room through private institution inter-hospital transport and an increase in the number of patients complaining of respiratory infection symptoms. Thus, emergency medical services need additional administrative and economic support to transport infected patients.

• 대한응급의학회지
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.551-556
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• 2018

Cases of repeated acute gastric dilatations after binge eating in one patient are rarely reported. We report here a case of repeated acute gastric dilatations in a 22-year-old woman with bulimia nervosa. Her repeated acute gastric dilatations seem to have been related to superior mesenteric artery syndrome. On her last visit due to acute gastric dilatation, she underwent emergency gastric decompression surgery because of abdominal compartment syndrome; however, she eventually died because of ischemia reperfusion injury. Emergency physicians should be aware of the need to manage acute gastric dilatation in patients with eating disorder and should pay attention to the signs and distinctive clinical features of abdominal compartment syndrome.

• 한국응급구조학회지
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.79-88
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• 2020

Purpose: The study aimed to collect the first aid activity log data of patients who were retransferred through paramedics and to analyze the data in the hospital to improve the plan. Methods: We analyzed 434 retransferred patients, out of the 18,197 patients who visited the emergency medical center in the C area in G metropolitan city, from January 2017 through December 2018. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS software. Results: The patients were retransferred for various reasons: 17.7% (77 cases) due to the absence of specialists, 15.0% (65 cases) required first aid, and 5.3% (23 cases) due to absence of medical department. In addition, the major medical department with the largest number of retransfer was the department of emergency medicine with 38.2% (166 cases). In the prehospital stage, 38.5% (167 cases) were classified as severe, but in the hospital stage, they were classified as mild. In addition, as a result of hospitalization and discharge, 60.4% (262 cases) were discharged. Conclusion: Most of the retransferred patients were non-emergency patients, and were discharged for mild conditions. The overcrowding in the emergency room of a tertiary hospital can be prevented by reducing the retransmission.

• 대한응급의학회지
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.399-407
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• 2018

Objective: Regionalization is one of the principal subjects for the advancement of rural emergency medical service systems in South Korea. This study shows the characteristics of interhospital transfer and status of the incidence of three major emergency disorders (acute myocardial infarction [AMI], acute stroke, and severe trauma) in one local province. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted for patients with three major emergency disorders who visited emergency medical facilities in one local province from January 2013 to December 2015, on the basis of the National Emergency Department Information System (NEDIS) data. Results: The incidence of three major emergency disorders had increased annually. Patients with each of these disorders tended to choose distinguishing methods of visiting emergency medical facilities. AMI patients tended to visited emergency medical facilities using private cars or on foot, while severe trauma patients usually visited by 119 ambulance, and acute stroke patients used 119 ambulance and private car in similar amounts. Overall, 65% of AMI patients were treated in intraregional medical facilities, but about 70% of acute stoke and severe trauma patients were transferred outside of the region. Conclusion: Because each of these disorders has an individual characteristic, it is difficult to expect a solution for the problems associated with emergency disorders just by assuring the availability of medical resources. Based on regionalization, a policy to provide the optimal treatment for those emergency disorders should be developed by planning public medical service systems based on the individual characteristics of emergency disorders, the standardized transfer plans of emergency patients and the assurance for mobilization and sharing of confined medical resources.

• 한국응급구조학회지
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.129-138
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• 2022

Purpose: To analyze the frequency of emergency room visits according to socioeconomic factors of emergency room visitors. Methods: In this study, frequency analysis, percentage analysis, and x² test were performed using the SPSS 23.0 program based on the 2018 data from the Korea Health Panel. Results: Among 1,648 participants included in this study, 1,279 visited the emergency room only once in the past year, while 369 visited the emergency room more than once. The relationship between frequency of emergency room visits and socioeconomic factors was analyzed using x² test, and no statistically significant relationship was noted between emergency room visits and education, economic activity, insurance type, and individual quartile income. However, a significant relationship was noted between emergency room visits and being handicap and living in households with quintile income. Conclusion: The study determined the relationship between frequency of emergency room visits and socioeconomic factors. A follow-up study analyzing socioeconomic factors of outpatient departments, 119 ambulance transport services, and frequency of emergency room visits among chronically ill patients is needed to provide basic data for establishing health policies among different socioeconomic strata.

• 한국응급구조학회지
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.67-77
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• 2020

Purpose: The study aims to improve the quality of emergency medical services by surveying the user's satisfaction of 119 emergency medical services nationwide. Methods: From December 21 to December 27 each year from 2015 to 2017 a total of 5,889 people were surveyed by phone call in fire station. Results: The average degree of satisfaction with the emergency medical services was 4.17±0.70, with 85.1% respondents reporting being 'satisfied'. Factors like being a patient, injuries, residential area, and scene arrival time affected satisfaction. From 2015 to 2017, the satisfaction degree decreased every year, with factors affecting this results including "first aid guidance of phone call" and "rapidity of emergency medical services." The highest satisfaction factors were 'friendly acting of emergency medical services' and 'appropriate offer of emergency medical services', while the lowest satisfaction factors were 'first aid guidance of phone call' and 'adequacy of emergency medical team'. Conclusion: The quality of emergency medical services needs to be improved by managing the quality of phone call first aid guidance and the assignment of adequate emergency medical teams to increase user satisfaction.

• 한국응급구조학회지
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.159-175
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to obtain, categorize, and analyze baseline data regarding the subjective perception of ambulances from the consumers' perspective, which can be utilized for improving emergency medical service systems. Methods: Fifty people aged 20 to 40 years old were selected as P samples. Data from 35 statements of Q-cards and Q-sample distribution plots were gathered using Q-sort and analyzed using the PC-QUANL program for major factor analysis. Results: We found four unique characteristics which accounted for 57.57% of the total variation: "Considerate of emergency situations," "Identifying emergency patients," "Trusting emergency vehicles," and "Sympathizing with emergency patients." Conclusion: Organizations that provide emergency medical services using ambulances should plan and render patient care according to the four types of public perception of ambulances.