• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 2010

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the attitudes toward and contact with people with disabilities among health care professional, lay persons, and disabled persons. Method: Using 270 subjects (141 health care professionals, 79 lay persons, and 50 disabled persons), the self report or face-to-face interview were conducted from April to October in 2007. Attitudes and contacts were assessed respectively using the Attitude Towards Disabled Person scale and the Contact with Disabled Persons. Result: Overall attitude scores of the subjects in groups of health care professionals, lay persons, and disabled persons were lower than those of individuals in the corresponding groups in other countries (F=3.232, p=.031). Health care professionals and lay persons had more negative attitudes towards disabled persons than those of disabled persons. Scores of the Contact with Disabled Persons were also lower in all three groups, as compared to those of the corresponding groups from other countries. Disabled persons had significantly more contact experiences with disabled persons than individuals in other two groups. Conclusion: Health care professionals as well as lay persons and disabled persons have negative attitudes toward people with disabilities. It is needed that the modification of educational curriculums in nursing school for promoting more positive attitudes toward people with disabilities.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2017

Considerable effort has been made to address the issue of occupational health and environmental exposure to mercury. This review reports on the current literature of mercury exposure and health impacts on dental personnel. Citations were searched using four comprehensive electronic databases for articles published between 2002 and 2015. All original articles that evaluated an association between the use of dental amalgam and occupational mercury exposure in dental personnel were included. Fifteen publications from nine different countries met the selection criteria. The design and quality of the studies showed significant variation, particularly in the choice of biomarkers as an indicator of mercury exposure. In several countries, dental personnel had higher mercury levels in biological fluids and tissues than in control groups; some work practices increased mercury exposure but the exposure levels remained below recommended guidelines. Dental personnel reported more health conditions, often involving the central nervous system, than the control groups. Clinical symptoms reported by dental professionals may be associated with low-level, long-term exposure to occupational mercury, but may also be due to the effects of aging, occupational overuse, and stress. It is important that dental personnel, researchers, and educators continue to encourage and monitor good work practices by dental professionals.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.255-260
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• 2022

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has demonstrated the importance of implementing strategic management that prioritizes the safety of frontline nurse professionals. In this sense, this research was aimed at identifying factors associated with the illness of nursing professionals caused by COVID-19 according to socio-demographic, clinical, and labor variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three Brazilian university hospitals with 859 nursing professionals, which include nurses, technicians, and nursing assistants, between November 2020 and February 2021. We present data using absolute and relative frequency. We used Chi-square test for hypothesis testing and multiple logistic regression for predictive analysis and chances of occurrence. Results: The rate of nursing professionals affected by COVID-19 was 41.8%, and the factors associated with contamination were the number of people in the same household with COVID-19 and obesity. Being a nurse was a protective factor when the entire nursing team was considered. The model is significant, and its variables represent 56.61% of the occurrence of COVID-19 in nursing professionals. Conclusion: Obesity and living in the same household as other people affected by COVID-19 increases the risk of contamination by this new coronavirus.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.582-593
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• 2010

Purpose: Health care professionals represent an immediately available resource to promote smoking cessation. However, the content in smoking cessation intervention courses in most institutions is insufficiently covered due to the limited number of class hours. The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive tobacco cessation-web-based, multimedia, educational program for a range of medical professionals. Methods: Based on Jung's Teaching and Learning Structure Plan Model, a development process was proposed comprising four stages: (1) analysis, (2) planning, (3) production, and (4) operation/evaluation. The effectiveness of the program was tested using quasi-experimental design, and the participants in experimental group were required to complete the program. Changes in the level of knowledge and attitude were measured. Results: The educational program developed includes nine topics and 26 sub-topics. A total of 180 storyboards, 15 videos, and 27 pictures were made. After the education, the level of knowledge was significantly increased in the experimental group. Conclusion: This web-based program can be recommended as a potential medium for health care professionals to use in counseling smoking cessation. The study findings also indicated that the program may be either offered as a teaching aid or utilized concurrently with lectures for students studying health care-related topics.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.472-478
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• 2010

Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world. Education is at the core of cancer prevention activities, especially programs targeting empowering existing public health workforce. In the past 10 years, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have been building the Global Health Network Supercourse project, a library of over 4500 online lectures and a network of nearly 50000 public health professionals in 174 countries. As of November 2010, the overall number of Supercourse participants from Asia exceeds 7000 participants. The Supercourse network has been investigating methods for Internet based recruitment of cancer prevention professionals in order to network cancer experts locally and globally, including the use of mHealth technologies for cancer research education and for NCD registries. Supercourse is a tool that can offer a solution to the challenges of information sharing, especially in the field of NCDs and cancer. In this paper, we highlight the need for the development of Cancer Supercourse with Satellite in Asia and encourage faculty members from Asia to join the network.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.251-259
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate of mental health professionals regarding job burnout, emotional labor and mental health by verifying the moderating effect of resilience. Results from analyzing 1,020 mental health professionals(certified people with 1st, 2nd grade licence in nursing, social welfare, and psychology) collected in the academic service studies by the National Mental Health Education Research Center in 2014 showed that job burnouts and emotional labor both had negative correlation with mental health, but in cases of analyzing moderating effects in resilience, only job burnout presented significant results. Accordingly, the results indicated that resilience could buffer the danger of mental health of mental health workers from job burnouts and emotional laboring. This study shows that it is important to care about the mental health of not only the people who receive mental health care services, but also the mental health care professionals who provide services. It also shows that the research has to be conducted with convergence considering both sides. Measures regarding the mental health care of mental health professionals were further discussed based on the results of this study.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.119-129
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• 2011

A researcher examined 158 medical technologists and 140 radiologists who are working at 9 general hospitals in Gyeongsangbuk-do area using structured questionnaire to find out degree of fatigue of health professionals, the primary factors that have effect on them, and actions to control their fatigue on December 1 through December 20, 2008. The average complaining rate of fatigue subjective symptom by syndromes was overall 17.24 points, and medical technologists scored 16.48 points while radiologists scored 18.09 points. There were significant difference in the average fatigue complaining score of both medical technologists and radiologists such as when the younger their age is, when they are single, when the lower their monthly salary is, when the shorter their total working period is, and when the current status is staff at work. As a result of multiple regression analysis which sets fatigue score as dependent variable, there were significant difference on both syndromes such as satisfaction on work, work stress, and sleeping condition. It was the highest on relaxation, which was 76.6%, among the 15 questions on actions to control fatigue, and the next was enough sleep and controlling stress. And the lowest was help from medical professionals, which was 7.3%. It was the highest on enough sleep, which was 1.98 points, and next was relaxation and controlling stress, and the lowest points were help from medical professionals and taking medicine in the effective score of fatigue control action. In consequence of research, it is necessary to develop program and health education to control health professionals' various fatigue such as stress management and sleeping, and it is considered to find out the plan about effective work system.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.183-189
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• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to evaluate community mental health professionals and hospital workers attitude and awareness towards suicide. Methods : This study investigated 264 community mental health professionals and 228 hospital workers. SOQs (Suicidal Opinion Questionnaires) were used from July 2007 to September 2007. After a factor analysis for the attitude towards suicide, the items on ethics, mental illness, religion, risk, and motivation were included in the subsequent analysis. Results : There were significant differences in the attitude towards suicide according to religion, age, educational background, the marriage status, the economic position, and different professional licenses. Hospital workers' view was different from the community workers'. The hospital workers judged that suicide was due to mental illness, and suicide was high for the people in a special environment and who lacked motivation, which caused them to fall in a dangerous situation. For the lower educational group, they thought that suicide was attributable to mental illness. The awareness for suicide was significantly higher in the group with a postgraduate education, unmarried people, mental health professionals and the persons who had concern and experience with suicide. The factors that had an influence on the awareness of suicide were the items of mental illness, religion, risk and motivational factors. Conclusions : This study suggested that the factors to increase the awareness and attitude for suicide were the experience of increased education and case management of suicide. Therefore, education dealing with suicide and reinforcement of crisis management programs should be developed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.191-197
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• 2014

Background: Disabling fatigue is common in the working age population. It is essential that occupational health (OH) professionals are up-to-date with the management of fatigue in order to reduce the impact of fatigue on workplace productivity. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of one-day workshops on OH professionals' knowledge of fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and their confidence in diagnosing and managing these in a working population. Methods: Five interactive problem-based workshops were held in the United Kingdom. These workshops were developed and delivered by experts in the field. Questionnaires were self-administered immediately prior to, immediately after, and 4 months following each workshop. Questionnaires included measures of satisfaction, knowledge of fatigue and CFS, and confidence in diagnosing and managing fatigue. Open-ended questions were used to elicit feedback about the workshops. Results: General knowledge of fatigue increased significantly after training (with a 25% increase in the median score). Participants showed significantly higher levels of confidence in diagnosing and managing CFS (with a 62.5% increase in the median score), and high scores were maintained 4 months after the workshops. OH physicians scored higher on knowledge and confidence than nurses. Similarly, thematic analysis revealed that participants had increased knowledge and confidence after attending the workshops. Conclusion: Fatigue can lead to severe functional impairment with adverse workplace outcomes. One-day workshops can be effective in training OH professionals in how to diagnose and manage fatigue and CFS. Training may increase general knowledge of fatigue and confidence in fatigue management in an OH setting.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 2022

Caring for patients with cancer is highly stimulating and rewarding, attracting health professionals to the field who enjoy the challenge of managing a complex illness. Health professionals often form close bonds with their patients as they confront ongoing disease or treatment impacts, which may be associated with multiple losses involving function and/or eventual loss of life. Ongoing exposure to patient loss, along with a challenging work setting, may pose significant stress and impact health professionals' well-being. The prevalence rates of burnout and compassion fatigue (CF) are significant, yet health professionals have little knowledge on these topics. A 6-week continuing education program consisting of weekly small-group video-conferencing sessions, case-based learning, and an online community of practice was delivered to health care providers providing oncology care. Program content included personal, organization and team-related risk and protective factors associated with CF, grief models, and strategies to mitigate against CF. Content analysis was completed as part of the program evaluation. In total, 189 participants (93% nurses) completed the program, which was associated with significant improvements in confidence and knowledge of CF and strategies to support self and team resilience. Qualitative themes and vignettes from experiences with the program are presented. Key themes included knowledge gaps, a lack of support related to CF and strategies to support resilience, organization-and team-based factors that can inhibit expression about the impacts of clinical work, the health professional as a "person" in caregiving, and the role of personal variables, self-skill practices, and recommendations for education and support for self and teams.