• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.395-405
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• 2017

This study was designed to examine the degree of empathic ability, gratitude disposition, and job satisfaction, and identify that the impact on job satisfaction of psychiatric nurses. Participants were 196 psychiatric nurses from 8 psychiatric hospitals in Korea. Data were collected from October 8 to 20, 2016 and were analyzed using independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and hierarchical multiple regression with the SPSS WIN 22.0 program. The mean score of job satisfaction was $3.3{\pm}0.34$, empathic ability was $3.5{\pm}0.28$, and gratitude disposition was $4.0{\pm}0.59$. The psychiatric nurses' empathic ability and gratitude disposition affected their job satisfaction, accounting for 18.5% of the total variance. Empathic ability influenced job satisfaction significantly (B=0.52, p<.001) for 17.0% of the variance. This study suggested that the development of training programs for improving job satisfaction needs to consider their empathic ability and gratitude disposition of psychiatric nurses.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.371-379
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the factors influencing inadequate energy intake among Korean elderly. Methods: Our study included 1,869 elderly people (over 60 years old) who completed a dietary survey from the fifth Korean NHANES (2010). Factors that could affect the nutritional status of the elderly included age, family status, socio-economic factors (education, family income, livelihood security, employment), and health related factors (having chronic disease, functional status, diet therapy, depression, and suicidal thoughts). Energy and protein intake were assessed using the dietary intake data from 24hr recall method. Results: The percentage of people who consumed energy less than 75% of EEA for Koreans was 23.7% in men, 31.1% in women. The carbohydrate contribution to the total energy intake in the inadequate energy intake group was significantly higher than that in the adequate intake group (p < 0.05). Factors significantly related to inadequate energy intake after adjusting for age, family status, education, family income, employment, functional status, and suicidal thoughts were education (OR: 1.480 in men, 1.614 in women) and employment (OR: 1.751 in men, 1.464 in women), age 70 years or older in men (OR: 1.475), and living with family but without spouse in women (OR: 1.496). Conclusion: In summary, the results imply that energy intake of elderly would be affected by the status of social environment with aging and nutrition-related policy for Korean elderly should be based on the social status as well as health related conditions.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.445-458
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• 2015

This research is aged 65 or older with chronic pain and social support, are subject to the elderly wanted to know the effect on depression and suicide intention. This research was done through targeting elderly with chronic pain who use welfare center. The data collection period from April 20 in 2014, implemented by May 20. finally 178 kinds of types of data were analyzed. The collected data is Person's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis by using SPSS 18.0, t-test, ANOVA. In this research results chronic pain, depression and suicide was observed a significant correlation between the degree of social support appear also showed a significant negative correlation of depression and suicide. Also, chronic pain can affect the degree of social support, suicide was identified as the most powerful variable impact on depression. The elderly with Chronic pain is more severe the higher the degree of suicide, The results were lower social support is also of increasing depression and suicide. There fore family and social care and social support services need to develop for prevent depression and suicide for the elderly, also needs programs invention for chronic pain as well.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.449-457
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• 2015

Objectives: In Korea, the system of management of medical waste largely relies on the incineration method. Our study aimed to identify any regional imbalances between the generation and treatment of medical waste, and provide reference data for future policy in Korea. Methods: We analyzed data on the amount of medical waste from 2,000 hospitals in 2012, 2013, and 2014 obtained from the Korea Environment Corporation. In the Arc GIS program (version 10.2.3), the addresses of hospitals and incinerators were transformed into map coordinates. The amount of waste generated by each hospital and the amount incinerated were represented by density and size of a triangle symbol, respectively. Results: As of 2014, the total amount of medical waste from the top 2,000 hospitals was 136,073 tons, out of which about half (49%) was generated in the capital area. Eleven incineration companies (three in the capital area, two in the Chungcheong Provinces area, one in the Jeolla Provinces area, and five in the Gyeongsang Provinces area) treated this waste. For the years 2012, 2013, and 2014, about 60% of the medical waste generated from the hospitals in the capital area was treated within the capital area and about 40% was transported to other areas, especially the Gyeongsang Provinces area, for treatment. On the other hand, about 90% of the medical waste incinerated in the capital area originated from the capital area. Conclusion: Our results suggest a spatial imbalance between the generation and treatment of medical waste in Korea and warrants multilateral policies, including the expansion of on-site treatment, strengthening regulation of the containment of medical wastes, promoting reductions in medical waste and more.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1045-1054
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• 2000

As cost pressures have escalated, policy makers, politicians, health care providers and families have tried to devise ways to reduce health care costs. While originally developed to enhance patient control and to provide better care at the end of life, hospice care has recently received significant attention as a mean of reducing health care costs. As a program providing care for patients who are dying at their homes, hospice has expanded slowly since the opening of the first hospice in Korea in 1963. Therefore, a variety of services that responds to the needs and concerns of many dying people and their families is limited The purpose of this study was to determine the potential cost savings at the end of life among patients who used home hospice compared with the patients who received institutional care in Korea. This study used a retrospective, descriptive design. The sample for this study included 46 patients who died of lung cancer: 25 patients who received home hospice care and 21 patients who received institutional care. Data on patient characteristics, kinds and frequencies of provided treatment and nursing services, and hospice and hospital charges during the last month before death were collected. Cost of care was measured by the average cost per patient per day in the last month of life. The results of the study indicated that there were significant differences in average cost of care between home hospice sample and institutional care sample (t=9.956, p<.001; home hospice sample: M=18,102 won, institutional care sample: M=317,578 won). The cost of the home hospice sample was approximately 6% of the cost of institutional care. The majority of the home hospice nursing services were education (35.7%) and supportive counseling (25.2%), followed by medication management (13.6%), assessment (12.1%), basic nursing (7.2%), treatment (5.5%) and others. In institutional care sample, basic nursing and treatment were more emphasized than education or supportive counseling among the nursing services provided. The results of this study showed the potential for hospice to reduce costs and implications for policymakers and clinicians to incorporate hospice program into the formal health care delivery system in Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.23 no.3 s.31
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• pp.285-295
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• 1990

The utilization of medical care services has been partly regionalized with the implementation of referral requirement by the government since July 1, 1989 when the health insurance coverage was extended to all the people. For the purpose of regionalization, the whole country has been primarily divided into tertiary care regions, and each of them again into secondary care regions. This study investigates the self-sufficiency for in-patient care services of secondary care regions focusing on why it varies among the regions. In doing so, analysis is performed to examine a model which embodies three sets of hypotheses as follows : 1) The regional self-sufficiency for medical care services would be subject to direct influences of regional characteristics, amount of available services and structural properties of regional medical care system ; 2) The regional characteristics would have indirect effects on the self-sufficiency which are mediated by medical care services ; and 3) The amount of available services would indirectly affect the self-sufficiency by influencing the structure of regional medical care system. The results of analysis were generally consistent with the model. The findings have some practical implications. The regional self-sufficiency for medical care services partly depends upon basic properties of each region which cannot be changed in a short period of time. Thus the self-sufficiency for medical care services can be improved mainly by health policy measures. In some of the regions the self-sufficiency for in-patient care services was much higher or lower than can be predicted from the bed-population ratio. Indication is that the allocation of health resources should be made considering a variety of factors bearing upon the supply of and demand for health care ; not on the basis of just a single criterion like the availability. The self-sufficiency of a certain region is related to not only its own characterstics but also the characteristics of neighboring regions. Therefore, attention should be also directed to the inter-regional relationships in health care when the needs for investment of health resources in a region are assessed. However, it should be noted that this study used the data collected before the referral requirement was imposed. A replication of this analysis using recent data would provide an evaluation of the impact on the self-sufficiency of the referral requirement as well as a confirmation of the findings of this study.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.56-66
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• 2001

This study examines the factors that are associated with the choice of the Sanhujoriwon utilization among the Korean postpartal women. Data were collected from 140 postpartal women in 9 hospitals around Seoul. Data were analyzed based on descriptive statistics and chi-square test. The results were as follows: 1. Forty percent of the respondents chose to go to a Sanhujoriwon while they were in a hospital after having given birth to a child. 2. The number of persons who could help a respondent beside her husband showed a statistically significant association with the choice of the Sanhujoriwon utilization. In addition, burden from multiple roles expected after the birth was positively associated with the choice of the Sanhujoriwon utilization. Recommendations by husbands or friends to use the Sanhujoriwon also increased the proportion of the choice of the Sanhujoriwon utilization. 3. Knowledge about the Sanhujoriwon appeared to be an important factor. Having heard about the Sanhujoriwon, an appropriateness of the price, and a positive image of the Sanhujoriwon were positively associated with the choice of the Sanhujoriwon utilization. It was expected that the degree of depressive symptoms and confidence of raising a newborn baby would affect the Sanhujoriwon utilization. This was not the case in this study. Intimacy developed between the postpartal women, their husbands and their relatives as well as parents in-law did not show a statistically significant relationship to the choice of the utilization. Implication of these findings and major findings of this study were discussed.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.108-120
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• 2002

This study analyzed the managerial efficiency of 11 organizations, the branch centers of a occupational health service organization in Korea, using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. The DEA is a good method for evaluating health services since it can handle multiple inputs and outputs simultaneously, and also identify the sources and amount of inefficiency. The author approached this study using two efficient models: the monetary value model and the real value model. The DEA method based on the monetary value model included cost factors, while the real value model excluded cost factors. The input variables used were manpower of physicians, medical technicians, nurses, industrial hygienists and administrators; labor, maintenance, and material expenses. The output variables used were the number of medical examinations, workplace evaluations, group health management services and income from each service. The major results were as follows: First, in the monetary value model, 6 out of 11 organizations (54.6%) showed an efficiency score of 1.0, which means that they have been operating in very efficient ways. However, 5 organizations (46.4%) showed themselves to be relatively inefficient. Second, in the real value model, 7 out of 11 organizations (63.4%) showed an efficiency score of 1.0, which means they have been operating efficiently, while 4 organizations (46.4%) showed themselves to be relatively inefficient. Third, the reliability of DEA method were analyzed by comparing the results of the monetary value model and real value model. The results of 8 out of 11 organizations were same in terms of being efficient or not. Thus, the DEA could be a valid application method for occupational health service organizations. Fourth, the organizations that displayed common inefficiency in both the monetary value model and in the real value model 3, 9, and 10, were also considered to be managed inefficiency from expertise opinion. In summary, this study evaluated the efficiency of occupational health service organizations applying the DEA method with different variables, and found that the results of analysis could be valid in terms of both modeling and expert sense. In the future, the DEA method will be used as a useful tool to identify and evaluate the efficiency of occupational health service organizations through more applications and refinements.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2010

This study was the study verifying dental technicians' motivation and job satisfaction in Seoul through the positive method as well as its purposes were to investigated the effect of dental technicians manpower supply/demand prospect on motivation, job satisfaction and the effect of other job satisfaction factors on dental technicians motivation and job satisfaction. For then, general characteristics of study objects were classified by sex, married/unmarried, age, career, salary, highest level of education, working place, position and job as well as job satisfaction factors were classified with future supply/demand prospect, future prospect, working hours, working environment and salary. We conducted a frequency analysis, crossing analysis and multi-linear regression analysis about the effect of the classified articles on motivation and job satisfaction. Also, for verifying the relationship of motivation and job satisfaction, we conducted correlation analysis and its result is as followed. First, it showed that the job related with making orthodontic appliance influenced on motivation, among the age, career and job of the general characteristics, and other jobs between working place and job influenced on job satisfaction. Second, the dark future prospect was showed to influence on motivation and job satisfaction highly so we could grasp that negative opinions are included in that. And low-paying was showed to highly influence on job satisfaction s fall so we could grasp the subjective low-salary standard at the present. But we expected that the manpower supply/demand prospect would influence on motivation and job satisfaction but there was little influence. Third, the correlation between motivation and job satisfaction was showed to be somewhat high, motivation had the standard which is above average and job satisfaction had the standard which is below the average. So with a little improving of job satisfaction, it s possible that motivation can be very high. Therefore, in rapidly changing generation, we think that the dental technicians are actively coping with the reality of low-paying and high-working. But it's implying that anxiety for uncertain future was reflected. Furthermore, because institutional strategies for dental technicians' efficient management are insufficient in relation with policies so it's necessary the policy consideration for solve the job-unsatisfying factors actively.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.87-103
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• 2010

In the study, we introduce the trend in domestic and foreign web accessibility, as well as the legal system that ensures web accessibility. Based on Korean Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (KWCAG)1.0, we investigated the web content accessibility of 80 tertiary health-care hospitals and general hospitals in Korea. We evaluated accessibility by combining accessibility-based criteria (ABC) with usability-based criteria (UBC). ABC was limited to an alternative text for Guideline 1, using a small number of frames and keyboard accessibility for Guideline 2. UBC checked the voice service (TTS), resizing text, providing multi-lingual websites, and disclosing web accessibility policy. KADO-WAH2.0 was used for representing the compliance rate. The evaluation result was a considerable improvement from previous results, even though the rate of compliance with web accessibility was generally insufficient. There was a significant difference between those medical centers which did and did not comply with web accessibility. Incidentally, many hospitals were found to have attempted to confront and come to terms with web accessibility. In future, the following factors are advisable for medical centers with publicity or public interest: they must employ active and aggressive promotion of establishment of independent accessibility guidelines to secure web accessibility, they should effect an improvement of the realization of web accessibility, there can be constant education and promotion, and there can be an institutional supplementation, as well as others.