• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.21-34
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influencing factors of prevention practices against infection exposure among emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in emergency rooms. Methods: A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 100 EMTs in emergency rooms from June 1 to August 31, 2017. The questionnaire consisted of items concerning the defensive environment for the prevention of infection exposure, perception of preventive behavior, and degree of performance of preventive actions against infection based on a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2$ test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and linear regression. Results: The defensive environment for the prevention of infection exposure was 4.12. The perception of preventive action was 4.71, and the degree of performance of preventive actions against infection was 4.54. There was a significant relationship between the degree of performance of preventive actions against infectious exposures and the degree of perception of preventive behavior(r=.506, p=.01) and prevention of infectious exposure(r=.506, p=.01). The protective environment(B=.360, t=3.236, p=.002) and perceived level (B=.904, t=4.662, p=.000) were influenced by the degree of prevention of infection exposure. Conclusion: It is important to manage the protection environment for infection exposure prevention and to enhance the awareness of infection prevention actions against infection exposure among the EMTs in emergency rooms.

• Journal of Korean Dental Hygiene Science
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.27-37
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• 2020

This study investigated the relationship between knowledge of COVID-19, the risk of exposure to subjective infectious diseases, and the degree of infection control practices for dental personnel. For dental personnel currently working in dentistry, a survey consisting of 10 questions about COVID-19 knowledge and 63 questions about infection control practices was conducted. This study analyzed 126 survey data collected by distributing questionnaires form May 30 to June 20, 2020. Data was analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. The average level of knowledge of COVID-19 was 5.44 out of 10, the average risk of exposure to infectious diseases was 3.86 out of 5, and the average level of infection control practices was 4.05 out of 5. The risk of exposure to infectious diseases was positively correlated with dental waste (r=.184). It was found that there was a significant positive correlation between infection control practices and sub-factors of infection control practices (p<0.001). To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and infectious diseases and to reduce the risk of exposure to infectious diseases for dental personnel, the practice of infection control should be improved. It is necessary to cultivate infection control experts and have mandatory infection control education and social regulations.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.17-30
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of exposure to blood and body fluid and factors affecting on blood and body fluid exposure of nursing students including knowledge, performance regarding standard precautions. Methods: 280 nursing students in D-city and S-city participated in this study. Data collection was conducted from January to March 2012. Students' knowledge and performance on standard precautions of infection control in hospitals were measured using the measurement developed by Hong(2010). Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one way-ANOVA, ${\chi}^2-test$, Pearson correlation coeficient, logistic regression by the SPSS WIN 18.0 program. Results: 58.6 percent of subjects experienced a exposure to blood and body fluid. The level of nursing students' knowledge level regarding standard precautions was $22.44{\pm}2.11$ and performance level was $4.31{\pm}0.50$. The factors affecting on blood and body fluid exposure of nursing students were knowledge level and education type about infection control. Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, to decrease the exposure to blood and body fluid of nursing students, a proper education need to be stressed to improve nursing students' infection control knowledge and awareness.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.40-49
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate nursing students' exposure experience to infectious diseases and their knowledge and performance for the nosocomial infection control. Method: The data was obtained from 292 nursing students having clinical experience at two university hospitals in Seoul from November 2005 to February 2006. Specific questionnaire was constructed and used for this study. The obtained data was analyzed by using the SPSS window program. Result: The results were as follow : 1. Among the evaluation scores of knowledge for the nosocomial infection control, the score of sterilization and the score of the intravenous therapy management were low(.14). 2. Among the evaluation scores of performance for the nosocomial infection control, the score of hand washing is low(1.63). 3. 86.3 percent of the nursing students had exposure experience to infectious disease. Many of them did not use the protective equipments in clinical experience nor took any treatment after the exposure to infectious diseases. Conclusion: Based on these results, we suggest that the programs for the nosocomial infection control should be developed for nursing students. It is also suggested that nursing students should be educated before their clinical experience to keep protected from the infection. In particular, the hand washing, sterilization and intravenous therapy management should be emphasized in the educational programs.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.169-172
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• 2018

In recent years, a number of studies have been reported on the various types of cancer arising from epigenetic alterations, including reports that these epigenetic alterations occur as a result of radiation exposure or infection. Thyroid cancer and breast cancer, in particular, have high cancer burden, and it has been confirmed that radiation exposure or onco-viral infection are linked to increased risk of development of these two types of cancer, respectively. Thus, the environment-epigenetic alteration-cancer occurrence (EEC) hypothesis has been suggested. This paper reviews the trends in research supporting this hypothesis for radiation exposure and onco-viral infection. If more evidences accumulate for the EEC hypothesis from future research, those findings may greatly aid in the prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of the thyroid cancer and breast cancer.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.466-476
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the under-reporting rate and related factors after blood and body fluid (BBF) exposure among hospital employees. Methods: Fifteen hundred l employees were conveniently sampled from ten university and acute care hospitals. The survey questionnaire consisted of 37 items. Data were collected from September 10 to November 30, 2008. Results: The survey response rate was 88.7%. The 47.9% (638/1,331) of hospital employees were exposed to BBF and the mean number of exposure was $4.7{\pm}5.942$ within the previous year. Under-reporting rate after BBF exposure was 69.4% (443/638). By multi-variate logistic regression analysis, the exposure number, exposure type, infectious disease and hospital were independently related to the under-reporting of BBF among hospital employees. Conclusion: The under-reporting rate after being exposed to blood and body fluids was relatively high. To address this problem, educational programs are needed to decrease the under-reporting rate for healthcare workers. Further, it might be helpful if other factors related to under-reporting be investigated in future studies.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2011

Invasive Candida infections (ICI) have become the third most common cause of late-onset infection among premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Risk factors include birth weight less than 1,000 g, exposure to more than two antimicrobials, third generation cephalosporin exposure, parenteral nutrition including lipid emulsion, central venous catheter, and abdominal surgery. Candida colonization of the skin and gastrointestinal tract is an important first step in the pathogenesis of invasive disease. Strict infection control measures against the infection should be done in the NICU. The following practices are likely to contribute to reducing the rate of ICI: (1) restriction of broad-spectrum antibiotics, antacids and steroid; (2) introduction of early feeding and promoting breast milk. Fluconazole prophylaxis may be an effective control measure to prevent Candida colonization and infections in individual units with high incidence of fungal infection. In addition, there is a need of further data including the development of resistant strains and the effect on long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants exposed to drugs before the initiation of routine application of antifungal prophylaxis in the NICU.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing on performance of preventive actions to be exposed to infection in emergency nurses. Methods: Participants were 200 emergency nurses working in a regional emergency medical center, 4 local emergency medical centers, and 5 local emergency medical facilities in B city. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, Scheff$\acute{e}$'s test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression analysis using SPSS/WIN 21.0 programs. Results: There was no difference in performance of preventive actions to be exposed to infection by socio-demographic and job-related characteristics. The results of stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that levels of perception of preventive actions to be exposed to infection (${\beta}$=.40, p<.001) and protective environment on exposure to infection (${\beta}$=.22, p<.001) were significantly associated with performance of preventive actions, explaining 26.3% of the variance. Conclusion: In conclusion, improving performance of preventive actions to be exposed to infection is important to protect emergency nurses from exposure to infection. Thus, efforts to enhance protective environment on exposure to infection and to improve perceptions of preventive actions to be exposed to infection are necessary to improve the performance of preventive actions in emergency nurses.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.658-670
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the predictors of blood and body fluid exposure (BBFE) in multifaceted individual (sleep disturbance and fatigue), occupational (occupational stress), and organizational (hospital safety climate) factors, as well as infection prevention behavior. We also aimed to test the mediating effect of infection prevention behavior in relation to multifaceted factors and the frequency of BBFE. Methods: This study was based on a secondary data analysis, using data of 246 nurses from the Shift Work Nurses' Health and Turnover study. Based on the characteristics of zero-inflated and over-dispersed count data of frequencies of BBFE, the data were analyzed to calculate zero-inflated negative binomial regression within a generalized linear model and to test the mediating effect using SPSS 25.0, Stata 14.1, and PROCESS macro. Results: We found that the frequency of BBFE increased in subjects with disturbed sleep (IRR = 1.87, p = .049), and the probability of non-BBFE increased in subjects showing higher infection prevention behavior (IRR = 15.05, p = .006) and a hospital safety climate (IRR = 28.46, p = .018). We also found that infection prevention behavior had mediating effects on the occupational stress-BBFE and hospital safety climate-BBFE relationships. Conclusion: Sleep disturbance is an important risk factor related to frequency of BBFE, whereas preventive factors are infection prevention behavior and hospital safety climate. We suggest individual and systemic efforts to improve sleep, occupational stress, and hospital safety climate to prevent BBFE occurrence.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.136-148
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was done to investigate the level of nursing students' awareness, attitude, safety climate, and performance of infection control, and to identify factors influencing performance. Methods: The sample consisted of 239 nursing students from 5 nursing schools. Data were collected from November 15 to December 11, 2013 and analyzed by frequency, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple stepwise regression with SPSS/WIN 21.0. Results: Of the participants, 216 (90.4%) had experienced contact with infectious diseases. The performance of personal hygiene was scored the highest followed by standard precautions, transmission precautions, and vaccination. There were significant correlations between awareness, attitude, safety-climate and performance. Awareness, safety-climate, attitude, contents of infection control education, and direct exposure to infectious disease collectively explained 30% of the variance in performance, and awareness was the most influential factor. Conclusion: The results indicate that performance of infection control by nursing students can be increased if awareness, safety climate, attitude, and contents of infection control education are improved, and exposure to infectious disease is decreased. These findings can be utilized to improve performance by developing education programs for infection control.