• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.222-228
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• 2010

Breastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the infants. The benefits of breastfeeding practices to infants and mothers are well documented. However, information on breastfeeding practices and its effect on body mass index (BMI) of mothers are scarce, particularly in Ekiti State of Nigeria. Therefore, the present study is designed to assess breastfeeding practices and its association with BMI of mothers. A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted among breastfeeding mothers that attended postnatal clinic of the state specialist hospitals and maternity centers in the study location. The specialist hospital and two-third of the nine maternity centers were purposively selected because of their health facilities and personnel. The mother-child pairs (200 respondents) were randomly selected from the study locations. Information on demographic characteristic, socio-economic parameters, nutritional knowledge of breastfeeding and dietary intakes of mothers were collected using questionnaires. BMI of mothers was determined as described by World Health Organization. Age distribution of mothers was between 25-34 years; and almost half of respondents had good educational background and were engaged in different occupations. The respondent monthly income ranged between = N = 3500 - 26000 ($26.92 - $200); and their dietary intakes varied between starchy and protein-based food. The result also showed that the respondent consumed enough nutrients to meet up the recommended daily allowance for protein, carbohydrate, fat, zinc, magnesium, sodium and phosphorous requirements. The BMI classifications showed that over three-fifth of respondents were normal, while the remaining were underweight (6%) and overweight/obese (26.5%). Also, large proportion of respondents engaged in exclusive breastfeeding and with good knowledge of breastfeeding practices. Statistically, exclusive breastfeeding practices had no correlation between the BMI and frequency of breastfeeding. The study, therefore, concluded that mothers had good knowledge of breastfeeding practice; and that there was no association between breastfeeding practices and BMI.

• The Korean Nurse
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.66-80
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• 1996

Reacently one the main issues has been to develop useful strategies to improve hospital services for patients in the health care delivery system in our rapidly changing society. This study has focused on exploring the perceptions that the clinical nurses have concerning who they are and what they are going to become in the days ahead as medical care reaches a new stage of advancement centered around the patient and hospital services. This study in also based upon the premise that the role of the clinical nurse practitioner. is central to the progress of any patient centered nursing program. This study was carried out by the members of the academic committee of Seoul Branch of Korean Nurses Association from January 1995 to February 1995. The interview method was a semi-structured questionnaire used to collect data from 25 staff nurses who were working more than 3 years at 3 different university hospitals in Seoul. The 6 interviews were selected from each hospital and they were trained for the interviewing techniques. The data were analysed qualitatively and 10 elements of the nurse's responsibilities classified such as caring for the patients (which includes specific medical care as well as general); assessing; diagnosing; coordinating with other health personnel; careful listening; teaching and the patient guiding; administering the prescriptions; giving information and counseling the patient; ward management. Although the premise of this study was based on a wholistic concept, the overall behavioral aspects of hospital clinical nursing were the major thrust of the questionnaire. Broad philosophical questions regarding the nature of nursing need to be further explored. The data gathered for this questionnaire should be useful as a reenforcement tool in educating nursing students as well as in continuing education for clinical nurses. For the future, another study should be done to determine the nursing/patient relationship.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.259-265
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• 2018

This study investigates convergent factors associated with occupational stress among General Hospital Administrative Staff(GHAS). The survey was administered to 221 staffs from 11 general hospitals located in J city from November 1st, 2016 to January 31st, 2017, using structured self-administered questionaries without respondents' personal information. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis shows the following results. The occupational stress of respondents turned out to be significantly higher in following groups: a group in which organizational justice-distributive is lower, a group in which self-esteem is lower, a group in which self-efficacy is lower. The results show explanatory power of 39.5%. The results of the study indicate that the efforts, to increase organizational justice-distributive, to increase self-esteem, to increase self- efficacy, are required to decrease the occupational stress among GHAS. These results are expected to be utilized for organizational and personnel management to reduce occupational stress in GHAS. In the following study, the research of additional factors and the analysis of structural equation model about the occupational stress among GHAS will be needed.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.103-109
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• 2018

This study was to measure the awareness of the patient safety culture of medical workers in various occupations working in hospitals and tried to be used as useful data. As a result of evaluating department (ward), hospital, immediate supervisor/manager, communication & procedures and frequency of accident reports, the patient safety accidents considered to be the most dangerous, technicians showed high results in the department(ward), nurses showed high results in the immediate supervisor/manager area. Radiological technologists and physical therapists recognized falls and clinical pathologists and nurses recognized before during after the test as the most dangerous patient safety accidents. To raise awareness of patient safety culture, executives and practitioners should create an atmosphere in which practitioners can prioritize patient safety, gain and manage appropriate personnel, manage cooperative systems between workers or departments.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제81권4호
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• pp.274-280
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• 2018

Background: The risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection among health care workers (HCWs) is higher than as noted among workers in the general population. The prevalence and risk factors of TB infection among HCWs were assessed in a tertiary hospital in South Korea, resulting in a conclusion of an intermediate TB burden within the country. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled HCWs who underwent a QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) test to detect the presence of a latent TB infection (LTBI), in patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in South Korea in 2017. The departments of the hospital were divided into TB-related and TB-unrelated departments, which were based on the risk of exposure to TB patients. In this sense, the risk factors for LTBI, including current working in the TB-related departments, were analyzed. Results: In this case, a total of 499 HCWs (54 doctors, 365 nurses and 80 paramedical personnel) were enrolled in this study. The median age of the subjects was 31 years (range, 20-67 years), 428 (85.8%) were female, and 208 (41.7%) were working in the TB-related departments. The prevalence of LTBI was 15.8% based on the QFT-GIT. Additionally, the prevalence of experience of exposure to pre-treatment TB patents was higher among HCWs working in the TB-related departments, than among HCWs working in the TB-unrelated departments (78.8% vs. 61.9%, p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of LTBI between the two groups (17.3% vs. 14.8%, p=0.458). On a review of the multivariate analysis, only the factor of age was independently associated with an increased risk of LTBI (p=0.006). Conclusion: Broadly speaking, the factor of age was associated with an increased risk of LTBI among the HCWs in South Korea. However, those workers current working in the TB-related departments was not associated with an increased risk of LTBI.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제81권4호
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• pp.261-273
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• 2018

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results in high morbidity and mortality among patients nationally and globally. The Korean clinical practice guideline for COPD was revised in 2018. The guideline was drafted by the members of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases as well as the participating members of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, Korean Physicians' Association, and Korea Respiration Trouble Association. The revised guideline encompasses a wide range of topics, including the epidemiology, diagnosis, assessment, monitoring, management, exacerbation, and comorbidities of COPD in Korea. We performed systematic reviews assisted by an expert in meta-analysis to draft a guideline on COPD management. We expect this guideline to facilitate the treatment of patients with respiratory conditions by physicians as well other health care professionals and government personnel in South Korea.

• Health Policy and Management
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.191-210
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• 1996

This study purported to acquire information necessary to improve the operational efficiency of general hospitals. It tried to determine major indices which represent managerial performance of general hospitals and to identify the managerial characteristics of general hospital which affect the major financial indices. 201 hospitals which were subject to standardization audit by the Korean Hospital Association were investigated and 80 hospitals were finally chosen for this study. Their financial and managerial data during the period between January 1991 and December 1991 were collected. Considering financial indices in this study were the ration of net income to total asset, income growth rate, and quick ration. The results of study are summarized as followings. First. The ration of net income to total assets and quick ration were highly related to managerial characteristics of general hospitals. Therefore, the standardization of three financial indices should be needed to systematically check the operational efficiency of general hospitals. Second, the sample hospitals can be classified as four groups on the basis of their financial indices' level. 4 of those hospitals(5.0%) showed high level of performance in terms of three financial indices and 27 of them(33.7%) showed that they are highly related to only two financial indices. 34 hospitals(42.5%) showed they have high level of relationship with only one indices and 15 hospitals(18.8%) showed very weak performance level with three indices. In addition, there is no hospitals to show mid-range level of managerial performance in relation to all three financial indices. Third, there is no significant relationship between three financial indices and the managerial characteristics of hospitals such as the number of beds, type of operation, location of hospitals, and etc. However, in the case of hospitals which have high level of managerial performance, they have more specialists and medical support personnel in comparison to low performance hospitals. They also have high level of bed occupancy rate and average length of stay(ALOS). In conclusion, the study showed the standardization of 3 financial indices are necessary to systematically evaluate the managerial performance of general hospitals and provide more accurate operational information for each hospital. To do so, it is necessary to focus on management side of hospital such as the effective human resource management and quality enhancement of medical treatment.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.87-99
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• 1973

The purpose of this project is offering fundamental and proper informations for the better health control and personnel management of the enlisted men of Marine corps in Korea. Survey has been done under 1,001 marine enlisted men for the purpose of understanding their condition of physique, vital capacity, and bodily strength. 1. Under the subject of physique, 7 items, body weight, chest-girth, relative body weight, relative chest-girth, Vervaeck index, and Roehrer index are listed, and under the subject of vital capacity, BTPS vital capacity and percent predicted vital capacity are listed, and under the subject of bodily strength, 7 items, grasping power, chinning-up, throwing a hanp-grenade, forward jumping, sitting-up, 100 meter sprinting, are listed. The total items are 16 and mean score of each one is as follow. 1)Physique : a. Height : $$168{\pm}0.15cm$$ b. Body weight : $$62.7{\pm}0.17kg$$ c. Chest-girth : $$91.4{\pm}0.16cm$$ d. Relative body weight : $$37.2{\pm}0.09$$ e. Relative chest-girth : $$54.3{\pm}0.10$$ f. Vervaeck index : $$91.6{\pm}0.15$$ g. Roehrer index : $$1.31{\pm}0.003$$ 2) Vital capacity : a. BTPS vital capacity : $$4470{\pm}20cc$$ b. % Predicted vital capacity : $$150{\pm}5.1%$$ 3) Bodily strength : a. Grasping power : $$41.4{\pm}0.26kg$$ b. Chinning-up : $$5.7{\pm}0.10$$ c. Throwing a hand-grenade : $$39.7{\pm}0.20m$$ d. Forward jumping : $$214{\pm}0.58cm$$ e. Sitting-up : $$19.1{\pm}0.25$$ f. Pushing-up : $$22.1{\pm}0.18$$ g. 100 meter sprinting : $$16.1{\pm}0.04sec$$. 2. Comparative analysis has been done about the conditional classes of marine enlisted men with the results of above mentioned 16 items. 7 classes according to the branches, 3 according to the ranks, 9 according to tile length of service are adopted respectively.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• 제42권6호
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• pp.567-576
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• 2009

This study was conducted to reduce sodium (Na) intake and to establish healthy dietary lifestyles of children. To achieve these goals, we searched, collected, and analyzed the materials related to the Na education, based on which the research personnel-professors and graduate students in nutrition and child education and elementary school teachers discussed to figure out major topics, objectives, and detailed contents and activities appropriate for Na intake reduction. Also a survey was done on the sodium intake and nutrition knowledge of the elementary students. We also organized an advisory committee composed of 15 professionals in related fields to discuss the adequacy and validity of the specific contents. Finally, we systematically organized the contents and developed children's textbooks and teacher's guidebooks. Considering the different cognitive development stages of junior and senior elementary students, we developed two different textbooks for each of them which are easy to read and understand, fun to play with lots of activities, and designed to practice into daily life. The contents cover three major topics-the concept of Na, Na in food, Na in life and are composed of 6 units in total. To help teachers understand and instruct, teacher's guidebook contains an overview of the education, specific information and practical guidelines for each class. We developed these education materials with the aim of lowering children's Na consumption and eventually promoting their health welfare; hopefully we expect these materials would be useful for children's nutritional education in the field.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• 제5권2호
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• pp.40-58
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• 2000

Nurses are medical personnel, who play a key role in supporting patient care, so it is important to supply them adequately in balance with ever increasing medical demand. But there appears severe shortage of nurses in some hospitals because of their uneven distribution, especially in small sized-hospitals and rural-hospitals. As nationwide distorted distribution of nurses in Korea is just like what monopsony model(a kind of market structure model) tells us, it is attempted to explain this situation of nurse labor market in Korea on the basis of monopsony model and presented in this paper. Specifically, determinants of nurse wage and the level of their relative employment were examined, and monopsony impact on their wage and the level of relative employment controlling those determinants were studied. Major results of this study arc as follows. The most important determinant of nurse wage level in this study was the wage level of a local community where each hospital located Hospital owner's characteristics an educational function of each hospital were also important factors. With these factor controlled, it was found that monopsony power of each hospital was negativel associated with nurse wage level as expected. 1% increase in monopsony power of hospital(measured by Herfindah-Hirschman Index) reduced nurse wage by $5,674{\sim}19,19$ won(in Korean currency). With regard to the level of relative employment, the most important determinant wa the capacity for supplying nurses of the local community. Again, hospital owner characteristics and educational function of each hospital were also important. With these factors controlled, it was found that monopsony power of each hospital was negative associated with the number of nurses per bed, as expected. 1% increase in monopsony power of each hospital(again measured by Herfindah-Hirschman Index) reduced the number of nurses per 100 bed as much as $0.46{\sim}0.67$. In conclusion. structural factors of nurse labor market influence the instability of nurse labor supply in Korea. Further consideration for these market structural characteristics needed for policy making related to nurse resource allocation.