• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.164-171
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• 2014

Background: Safety of drugs has become a major issue in public healthcare. Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reaction (ADR) is the cornerstone in management of drug safety. We aimed to investigate the awareness and knowledge of spontaneous ADR reporting in general public of Korea. Methods: A total of 1,500 study subjects aged 19-69 years were interviewed with a questionnaire for their awareness and knowledge related to spontaneous ADR reporting. Computer assisted telephone interview was performed from 27th February 2013 to 4th March 2013. Target population was selected with quota sampling, using age, sex, and residence area. Healthcare professionals such as physicians, pharmacists, and nurses were excluded. The survey questions included awareness of spontaneous ADR reporting, opinions on ways to activate ADR reporting, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Overall awareness of spontaneous ADR reporting system was 8.3% (${\pm}2.53%$) among general population of Korea. Major source from which people got the information regarding ADR reporting was television/radio (69.9%), followed by internet (19.3%), and poster/brochure (6.1%). Awareness level differed between age groups (p<0.0001) and education levels (p<0.0001). Upon learning about the ADR reporting system, 88.5% of study subjects agreed on the necessity of ADR reporting system, while 46.6% thought promotion through internet and mass media as an effective way to activate ADR reporting. Conclusion: The overall awareness of spontaneous ADR reporting should be enhanced in order to establish a firm national system for drug safety. Adequate promotions should be performed targeting lower awareness groups, as well as various publicity activities via effective channels for the general population.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.144-155
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• 1996

During the 1990s the workplace has grown more complex and business competition has increased world-wide. All organizations, whether for-profit or non-profit have been forced to respond to market changes. More advanced information and technology, greater product diversity, shorter product life cycles, increased quality requirements, more regulation oversight, decreasing productivity, more competitors, and increasing overhead costs have motivated organizations to focus on ways to deliver products cheaper, better, and faster. Many organizations are searching for ways to reduce costs through downsizing, reengineering business processes, implementing quality management, outsourcing, and improving cost management. Support departments that provide services internal to an organization such as human resources, legal, and environmental, safety, and health (ES&H) are often the first organization targeted for cost reduction and cost control initiatives because these functions are part of a rapidly increasing overhead cost. Recently, ES&H functions are incresingly being integrated into the business of business to contribute value to organization beyond mere compliance with ES&H regulations. The discussions and development of the ISO compatible Environmental Management Standards or Occupational Safety and Health Management Standards is another impetus to integrate ES&H function into the business of business. Thus, ES&H professional need new skills to analyze the cost of their function and communicate the value of the products and services they provide. In recent years, the need for and the importance developing cost management and business skills by ES&H professionals have been emphasized in the literature. Communicating with decision makers in terms of cost and value to the organization, and by using business language and business arguments is the first step toward effectively integrating ES&H activities into the business of business. Activity-based costing (ABC) is a cost management method that measures the cost of a product or service based on the actual use of resources by activities, and based on the actual amount of activities used to produce a product or service. ABC is recommended as a tool for managers of ES&H organizations to determine the cost of developing and providing ES&H products within a for-profit firm or non-profit agency. This paper discusses the trend of integration of ES&H functions into the mainstream of business activities within an organization. The general principles of treditional cost accounting are presented as a bases for understandging why and how ABC will provide more accurate estimates of cost. The principles and concepts of ABS are presented as a tool for determining more accurately the true cost of ES&H products and services.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.122-131
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to assess the needs for nutrition programs in the public health centers by general characteristics and body mass index (BMI) of community residents. Information of general characteristics of study participants including age, education, income, marital status, residence, and job, and resident's interest in nutrition programs, the preferred educational methods and the willingness to participate in nutrition programs were collected by an interview. Weight and height were measured and were used to calculate the BMI. The program that resident's were most interested in was 'diet therapy for chronic disease and counseling' ($28.5\%$), followed by 'nutritional management for the elderly' ($21.1\%$), and 'obesity and weight control' ($17.1\%$). 'Education and counseling by nutrition professionals' was the most preferred educational method. Among the programs that the subjects would participate in, if they were offered in public health centers, $65.8\%$ subjects would participate in 'diet therapy for chronic disease and counseling' programs, $64.9\%$ would participate in 'nutritional management for the elderly' programs and $52.2\%$ would participate in 'obesity and weight control' programs. The contents of programs that the subjects were interested in, the preferred methods and their willingness to participate nutrition programs differed significantly by age, income, education, marital status, and body mass index. The results imply that the planning of nutrition interventions in the public health centers must be tailored and targeted group specific by taking the participants general characteristics and body mass index into consideration. This would surely increase the nutrition program's effectiveness

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.14-34
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to provide comprehensive information of qualification systems of developed countries needed to establish our national system for QI(Quality improvement) specialists. Methods: All articles related to any applicable domestic or foreign countries' laws, operational status, and detailed programs for professional qualification system of QI were reviewed. Result: In the United States, a non-profit organization, Healthcare Quality Certification Commission (HQCC) has set the policies, procedures and standards in the field of health care quality. And qualification system of CPHQ (certified professional in healthcare quality) has been operated in order to authenticate the qualifications in the field of quality management. IBQH(international Board for quality in healthcare), a qualification system of experts in the United Kingdom, was designed to assist the qualification of professionals to improve the quality of healthcare. In addition, Health Research Center of Feinberg School of Medicine in Northwestern University has been operating Master's and doctoral degree programs in the field of the quality of care and patient safety and IHI (institute for healthcare improvement) open school was operating a professional training course related to the quality of care and patient safety. Conclusion: Quantity and complexity of information of the quality of care and patient safety have been increased. For reform of the health care system, a special training course of the expertise and leadership are needed. So far, there is no national professional certification courses in our nation. Therefore essential job skill should be acquired individually. For systematic and effective quality improvement activities, the educational and certification system with professional development model are needed.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.35-51
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to examine relations between the job stress of radiologists, who are serving at secondary medical institutions, and their intent of separation, providing basic information necessary to earlier prevent the separation, improve the quality of radiologists and ensure a more effective personnel management of the professionals. For the purpose, this researcher conducted a structured questionnaire survey of 221 radiologists from Nov 1 to 30, 2010 who were serving at secondary medical institutions located in Busan. Findings of the study can be summarized as follows. 1) The surveyed radiologists were scored 2.82 points in average in terms of job stress. This indicates that they are suffering from job stress higher than moderate. 2) The subjects were significantly different from each other in job stress according to their age, total service period, department where they were serving, satisfaction with their hospital and satisfaction with the foresaid department. 3) The subjects were scored 2.59 points in average in terms of the intent of separation. This indicates that the surveyed radiologists are not so willing to change their job. 4) Those radiologists were significantly different from each other in the intent of separation according to their age, marital status, educational background, average monthly income, total service period, the period of service at a department where they belonged now, position, satisfaction with their hospital and satisfaction with the foresaid department. 5) There were significant correlations between the subjects' job stress and intent of separation.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.175-180
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• 2017

Fertility preservation plays a central role in cancer care since an increasingly large number of cancer patients are surviving as a result of improvements in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Physicians who take part in the initial diagnosis and management of gynecologic cancer should understand the importance of fertility preservation. Since indications for fertility preservation are limited to early-stage gynecologic cancer, a surgeon must carefully consider each indication. Before performing fertility-sparing surgery, health professionals should compare its oncologic and pregnancy outcomes with those of other standard treatments. Individualized treatment strategies should be delivered depending on the patient's situation, and physicians should provide timely information and appropriate counseling.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.240-246
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Folic acid supplementation before pregnancy is known to significantly reduce the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects (NTDs). Therefore, it is important for women to be aware of the effects of folic acid supplementation before pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness and preconceptional use of folic acid and to assess the current knowledge about folic acid among low-income pregnant women in Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2012. Five hundred pregnant women were selected from the waiting list for the Nutriplus program implemented in public health centers using a multistage clustered probability sampling design. Data from 439 women were analyzed after excluding ones with incomplete answers. RESULTS: Among women who responded to the questionnaire, 65.6% had heard of folic acid before pregnancy, and 26.4% reported on the preconceptional use of folic acid. Women with a university degree or higher education were more likely to be aware of folic acid and to take folic acid in the preconception period. In a multivariate logistic regression, when age, education level, household income, employment status, gravidity, parity, and folic acid awareness were included in the model, folic acid awareness was a strong predictor of preconceptional folic acid use. As of interview, 85.4% and 77.7% of women were aware of the NTD-preventive role of folic acid and the appropriate time to take folic acid, respectively. The main sources of information on folic acid were healthcare professionals (41.2%), friends and family members (31.2%), and the media (26.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that public health strategies are needed to increase the preconceptional use of folic acid among Korean women.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.155-166
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• 2021

Objectives: Driven by a growth of single-person households and individualized lifestyles, solo dining in restaurants is an increasingly recognizable trend. However, a research gap exists in the comparison of solo and group diners' menu-decision making processes. Based on the self-control dilemma and the temporal construal theory as a theoretical framework, this study compared the ordering intentions of solo vs. group diners with healthy vs. indulgent (less healthy) entrées. The mediating role of consumption orientation and the moderating role of amount of menu nutrition information were further explored to understand the mechanism and a boundary condition. Methods: A scenario-based online survey was developed using a 2 (dining social context: solo vs. with others) × 3 (amount of menu nutrition information: no nutrition information vs. calories vs. calories/fat/sodium), between-subjects, experimental design. Consumers' level of nutrition involvement was controlled. A nationwide survey data (n = 224) were collected from a crowdsourcing platform in the U.S. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance, independent t-test, univariate analysis of covariance, and moderated mediation analyses. Results: Findings reveal that solo (vs. group) diners have less (vs. more) intentions to order indulgent menu items due to a more utilitarian (vs. more hedonic) consumption orientation in restaurant dining. Findings also show that solo (vs. group) diners have more (vs. less) intentions to order healthy menu items when the restaurant menu presented nutrition information including calories, fat, and sodium. Conclusions: The findings contribute to the literature of foodservice management, healthy eating, and consumer behavior by revealing a mechanism and an external stimuli of solo vs. group diners' healthy menu-decision making process in restaurants. Furthermore, the findings provide restauranteurs and health professionals with insights into the positive and negative impacts of menu nutrition labelling on consumers' menu-decisions.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2020

Background: Smartphones are a modern necessity. While they are convenient to use, smartphones also have side effects such as addiction. This study assessed the relationship between smartphone use, a part of everyday life in modern society, and oral health. Methods: An analysis was conducted using 2017 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey data. The propensity score estimation algorithm used logistic regression and 1:1 matching algorithm using nearest-neighbor matching. After matching, a total of 15,032 participants were classified into two groups containing 7,516 teenagers each who did and did not use smartphones, respectively. Results: Comparison of oral health behaviors according to smartphone use revealed a statistically significant difference in the frequency of tooth brushing per day, use of oral hygiene products, intake of foods harmful to oral health, and experience of oral health education (p<0.05). The factors affecting oral pain experience of adolescents were examined. Compared to male participants, female participants had an odds ratio of 1.627 for oral pain (p<0.05). According to the household income level, compared to the group with higher income, the group with lower income showed higher oral pain experience (p<0.05). Oral pain experience was 1.601 times more frequent among teenagers using smartphones (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that use of smartphones by adolescents affected their oral health. These findings indicate the need for improved oral health management through the use of effective school oral health programs and individual counseling by oral health professionals, promotion of information dissemination through public media, and development of prevention strategies.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.74-83
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• 2006

The purposes of this study were to (1) identify the evaluation categories, areas, attributes, and criteria of the school food service program using both a qualitative and a quantitative analyses, (2) define the relative importance of the evaluation categories, areas, attributes, and criteria of the school food service program using analytic hierarchy process, (3) organize the evaluation system to improve quality of the school food service in Korea. A survey was conducted from August to October 2004 to collect data from 172 dietitians, 15 school food service officials at the educational board, 10 professionals of school food service. Statistical analyses were performed on the data utilizing the SPSS 12.0 for Windows and Excel, such as Descriptive statistics and analytic hierarchy process was performed. The result of the analytic hierarchy process indicated that relative importance of evaluation category was 0.4319 (food service manage ment), 0.2369 (nutrition education), 0.1455 (satisfaction) and 0.0912 (parent involvement program). 'Sanitation, safety and facility (0.1739)' was the most important area among the subcategories of food service management, followed by nutrition management (0.1581), procurement (0.1375), production (0.1345), organization and personnel management (0.0662), planning (0.0644), food service evaluation (0.0585), financial accountability (0.0555), and information management (0.0554). There existed a relative importance on the three areas of the nutrition program and satisfaction evaluation category: students (0.5281, 0.6221), parents (0.1812, 0.1491), and teachers (0.1838, 0.1618). In the parent involvement program evaluation category, relative importance of committee and monitoring management was 0.4658 and information communication was 0.3724. The quality of food and service to school children can be improved by the appropriate application of the developed evaluation tool for the school food service program.