• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2024

Objectives : This study aims to systematically examine the determinants of the intention to take herbal medicine among individuals with experience in Korean medicine. Methods : This study utilized the 3,245 respondents from the 2020 Korean Medicine Utilization and Herbal Medicine Consumption Survey who reported having used Korean medical services; the responses were selected through a complex sample analysis, and analytics techniques including frequency analysis, Rao-scott chisquare test, and logistic regression were used to analyze the responses. Results : The results of data analysis reveal that the intention to take herbal medicine in the future among these individuals was significantly influenced by factors such as enrollment in private health insurance, the facility environment of Korean medical institutions, and treatment outcomes. Conclusions : Therefore, it is imperative for Korean medical institutions to continuously try reasonable action strategies, including improving medical facilities/environments and building institutional mechanisms among medical staff and members to enhance the quality of Korean medical services. Additionally, the Ministry of Health and Welfare needs to make policy efforts to reduce patients' medical expenses, such as reducing the co-insurance rate in the pilot project of applying health insurance to herbal medicine.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.47-67
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• 2023

Objectives : The objective of this study is to examine the findings of a survey assessing the treatment and management status of individuals with diabetes and pre-diabetes, along with their inclination to participate in the Korean Medicine Chronic Disease Management Program. Methods : The survey focused on individuals with diabetes and pre-diabetes, gathering information on respondents' demographic details, diabetes diagnosis, duration of diabetes, attitudes and experiences regarding Korean medicine diabetes treatment, and their willingness to participate in the 'Korean Medicine Chronic Disease Management Program'. Results : 33.1% of participants reported prior experience with Korean medicine treatment for diabetes. The intention to actively utilize Korean medicine treatment was positively observed, with a response rate of 61.1% expressing a favorable inclination and 8.9% indicating a negative stance. Furthermore, 75.3% of patients expressed their intention to participate in the 'Korean Medicine Chronic Disease Management Program' in the future. Among those expressing this intention, 81.4% stated a preference for the 'Korean-Western medicine combined management' in the chronic disease management Program. Conclusions : Patients' willingness to participate in 'Korean Medicine Diabetes Management Program' is high, but lack of information about Korean medicine is a factor that deprives people of the opportunity to experience Korean medicine treatment, and non-medical factors such as difficulty in visiting and administrative complexity are factors that impede participation in the 'Korean Medicine Chronic Disease Management Program'. It should be considered for improvement when formulating policies.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.197-211
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• 2024

Objectives: Recovery from drug addiction often poses challenges for the recovering person. The coping mechanisms employed by these individuals to resist temptations and manage stress play a key role in the healing process. This study was conducted to explore the coping strategies or techniques that individuals with addiction use to handle stress and temptation while undergoing treatment. Methods: A qualitative meta-synthesis approach was utilized to critically evaluate relevant qualitative research. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines were used for article selection, with these standards applied to 4 academic databases: Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, and CINAHL. The present review included studies published between 2014 and 2023, selected based on pre-established inclusion criteria. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Studies Checklist. This review was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under the registration number CRD42024497789. Results: The analysis of 13 qualifying qualitative articles revealed 5 major themes illustrating the coping mechanisms employed in the pursuit of recovery by individuals who use drugs. These themes include seeking social support, as well as psychological coping strategies, spiritual experiences, professional interventions, and the enhancement of awareness. Conclusions: Among individuals with drug addiction, coping mechanisms are crucial for resisting stress and temptations throughout the recovery process. Healthcare professionals, as medical specialists, can establish more thorough and effective plans to support these patients on their path to recovery.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.54-58
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• 2013

There has been an increase in the number of female doctors worldwide. Women now represent half of all medical students, with almost the same numbers of men and women becoming physicians. There is a pool of talented women in our midst, and it is our responsibility as leaders to find those individuals and groom them for progress. However, residency training and academic education still resemble the historical model when there were few women in medicine. Gender differences in medical specialty choices can cause a maldistribution of doctors by specialty and geographical area, which could cause significant problems at the national health care system level. Major challenges facing female physicians include gender discrimination and sexual harassment, and work/family conflicts. Women are largely under-represented in academic medicine and experience discrimination in the academic environments. Recent issues about related to the "feminization of medicine" raise important questions forabout how academic medicine deals with gender issues. To better accommodate the needs of female doctors and ensure that they will have successful careers, structural and cultural changes to medical educations are needed.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.23-27
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• 2001

Penile amputation results primarily from attempts at self-emasculation in the psychotic individual or from felonious assault. Because of the complex nature of patients whom perform self-emasculation and low incidence of felonious assault, large series of these individuals do not exist, and experience with amputation injuries of the genitals is confined to individual case reports. Fortunately, complete amputation of penis is quite rare but potentially devastating occurrence. The repels of the treatment of penile amputation by coporal reapproximation that have been published since 1977 indicate that microreplantation techniques are propably superior to the technically simpler nonmicroscopic coporal reapproximation techniques. As microsurgical techniques have been demonstrated to superior, the preferred method of replantation involves this routine whenever possible. We have experience of a case of successful replantation of completely amputated penis by using microneurovascular repair, with the good result of cosmetic and functional concern. Herein, we report this case with the review of the literatures.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.13
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• pp.5531-5536
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• 2015

Background: Increased pricing of cigarettes might be one of the most effective approaches for reducing the prevalence of smoking. This study aimed to investigate the effects of increasing cigarette prices through taxation by a tobacco intervention policy on the changes in smoking prevalence in Korean university students. Materials and Methods: The participants in this study were 23,047 healthy university students aged 18-29 years from a health examination in 2011-2015. We investigated the adjusted prevalence of daily and occasional smoking before and after increasing cigarette prices through taxation. Results: The prevalence of occasional smoking was significantly decreased in 2015 from 2014 in both male (from 10.7% in 2014 to 5.4%) and female (from 3.6% to 1.1%) students, but the prevalence of daily smoking did not decrease significantly. The frequency of individuals who had attempted smoking cessation during the past year was significantly higher among occasional smokers in male students (90.2%) compared with daily smokers (64.9%). For female students, there were no differences in experience of smoking cessation, willingness for smoking cessation, or E-cigarette experience between daily and occasional smokers. Conclusions: We found that a policy of increasing cigarette prices through taxation is associated with decreases in the prevalence of occasional smokers, who have relatively lower nicotine dependence compared with individuals who smoke daily. The results of our study suggest that social support and direct intervention for smoking cessation at the community level are needed for university students alongside the pricing policy.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.95-105
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• 2010

Background and Purpose : Forest-Therapy has received attention as a treatment of regulating living habits with the increase of chronic disease. Forest-Therapy and Korean Medicine are in same as their philosophy to adapt to nature and they can suggest new alternative treating of chronic diseases. Now we want to look the possibility of development of Forest-Therapy program adopting Korean Medicine with the analysis of research status and cases of Forest-Therapy. Methods : We searched articles in Korea by using keyword 'Forest-Therapy', 'Forest & Therapy' 'Forest' and 'Therapy' Korean. Results : Even though the domestic research about Forest-Therapy is still insufficient, there is a need of try referring the cases of Germany and Japan. Forest-Therapy program was used to get psychological stability, release stress and treat alcohol diseases. There was some cases that adopt the nature to clinical field actively. The clinical articles were mainly published about stress and health. Conclusions : It seems that running the constitutional program that considers different among individuals adopting Sasang constitutional medicine, utilizing Forest-Therapy Doctor through the participation of Public Oriental Medicine Doctor, and operating experience program applying Herb have sufficient possibility.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2001

Objectives : To examine predictors of successful control for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear(SDRF) among Korean Alcoholics Anonymous(AA) members. Methods : This study was a cross-sectional study. The study group included members from 18 different AA groups which were enrolled in the Korean AA Association in 1998. 207 Out of 300 self administered questionnaires were completed by AA members (response rate 69.0%). Alcoholics who attended AA meetings were divided into two groups according to their self reported level of success in SDRF control; one with very successful experience after AA participation and the other with little or no success. In this study, the general characteristics, AA activities, relapse experience, and degree of effort exerted for SDRF control were compared between two groups. In order to study predictors of successful SDRF control after joining AA, 4 logistic regression analyses were performed for each of the 4 SDRF indices. Results : The proportion of those reporting a 'very successful' experience was 19.9% for selfishness, 20.7% for dishonesty, 25.5% for resentment, and 24.7% for fear. After control for the effect of general characteristics, the practice of the 12th step(taking alcoholics to an AA meeting after conveying messages) was found to be a significant predictor for the successful control of both selfishness(OR=6.04) and the dishonesty(OR=7.77). And individuals making every effort for SDRF control showed more successful control of selfishness(OR=4.10), dishonesty(OR=4.01, and fear(OR=34.89). Conclusions : Bivariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that especially practicing the 12th step and making every effort themselves, may help alcoholics to control SDRF successfully after joining AA.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.2
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• pp.101-110
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• 2022

There is a considerable number of individuals who exhibit features of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), defined as asthma-COPD overlap (ACO). Many studies have reported that these patients have a greater burden of symptoms, including cough and dyspnea, and experience more exacerbations and hospitalizations than those with non-ACO COPD or asthma. Although diagnostic criteria for ACO have not yet been clearly established, their clinical significance remains to be determined. As interest in ACO grows, related studies have been conducted in South Korea as well. The present review summarizes ACO-related studies in South Korea to better understand Korean ACO patients and guide further research. Several cohort studies of asthma and COPD and population-based studies for ACO were reviewed and the key results from demographics, clinical features, lung function, biomarkers, treatment, and prognosis were summarized.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.107-119
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• 2017

Purpose : Recently, cancer has become a chronic disease that requires supervision because of early diagnosis and the development of therapeutic technology. As a result, cancer patients are interested in improving the quality of their lives besides the treatment of cancer itself. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a qualitative research to understand the vivid experiences of cancer patients and structure their treatment experience. Among qualitative researches, grounded theory is developed based on the data collected in the field. The grounded theory research method is easy to analyze for the process and structure of the treatment experience. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide basic data on the integrated medical experience of cancer patients Methods : Participants were conveniently selected, and the criteria for selection were for those who had more than 1 month of hospitalization so that they could dictate their situation and experience in a meaningful manner. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and continued until the data were saturated through theoretical sensitivity and continuous comparison methods. The collected data were analyzed through the process of open-coding, axial coding, and selection coding, which are the research methods of grounded theory. Results : Cancer patients differ in their path, purpose, and attitudes depending on their respective situations and the internal and external resources of individuals. There is also a difference in the perception of their situation among the cancer patients and their families. Cancer patients were shown to recognize and cope with problems in the integrated medical treatment process, and have been classified into 6 different types after the results. Cancer patients showed positive changes in terms of physical, emotional, and lifestyle after their integrated medical treatment. Cancer patients perceived the integrated medical treatment process as a horizontal relationship structure and with diversity. Conclusions : The experience of integrated medical treatment of cancer patients is a process of rehabilitation that heals the body and restores life within the interaction of support system, contextual situation, and internal resources of the individual. Despite this, there is a need not only for the efforts of integrated medical service providers but also institutional support in the future with regards to the current weaknesses and points for improvement. In addition, there is a need for an objective criterion to measure the outcome of integrated medicine for the standardization of integrated medical services.