• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.38-47
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• 2024

Background: Korea's population of children and adolescents has decreased by 2.88 million over the past decade and is expected to decline further due to the unprecedented low birth rate. In the fee-for-service compensation system, the decline in the pediatric population relates directly to the profit decrease in the pediatric clinics. This study analyzed whether the worsening profits of pediatric clinics impacted their closure. Methods: We built annual data for pediatric and other department clinics (internal medicine, otolaryngology, and family medicine) using the status of medical institute and health insurance claims data from 2012 to 2022. Then, we analyzed whether institutional variables such as annual profit and regional variables (Herfindahl-Hirschman index, the number of clinics per 100,000, etc.) affected the closure of clinics. The methods used in this study are descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis. Odds ratios for each variable were estimated by generalized estimating equations (GEE). Results: The closure rate of pediatric clinics was 2.66%-7.04% in 2012-2022, which was consistently higher than those of internal medicine, otolaryngology, and family medicine clinics. The profit gap per institution between the pediatric and the other clinics grew from 126 million won in 2012 to 245 million won in 2019. In the GEE analysis, profit decrease compared to the previous year with lower profit was the main factor that increased the closure of pediatric and other department clinics. After adjusting profit-related variables, the decrease in the pediatric population itself did not relate to the closure of pediatric clinics. The number of pediatric clinics or monopolies also did not affect the closure of pediatric clinics. Conclusion: The worsening profit is the crucial factor for the closure of pediatric clinics, while the pediatric population is decreasing. For this reason, it is necessary to actively seek ways to maintain a stable treatment system for children and adolescents.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.178-184
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• 2024

Background: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of drug utilization review (DUR) evaluation indicators on safe drug use by comparing the changes in DUR inspection rates and drug duplication prescription prevention rates between the pre- and post-implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators of the Healthcare Quality Evaluation Grant Initiative. Methods: This study used DUR data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in 2018 (pre-implementation) and the evaluation results of the Healthcare Quality Evaluation Grant Initiative in 2023 (post-implementation). The dependent variables were the DUR evaluation indicators, including DUR inspection rate and drug duplicate prescription prevention rate. The independent variable was the implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators, and the control variables included medical institution characteristics such as type, establishment classification, location, DUR billing software company, and number of beds. Results: The results of the analysis of the difference in the prevention rate of drug duplicate prescriptions between the pre- and post-implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators of the Healthcare Quality Evaluation Grant Initiative showed that the prevention rate of drug duplicate prescriptions increased statistically significantly after the implementation of the DUR evaluation indicators. Conclusion: The policy implications of this study are as follows: First, ongoing evaluation of DUR systems is needed. Second, it is necessary to establish a collaborative partnership between healthcare organizations that utilize DUR system information and the organizations that manage it.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.149-165
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• 1997

In order that, investigating the feature of patients suffering arthritis, analysing its contents, and grasping a Primary factor affecting it, I might offerbasic datas which could help to plan and perform healthy affairs to thake precautions beforehand, I have investigated, analysed, and studied a total of 320 patients suffering arthritis, who have received physiotherapy in hospital located in Teaegu area for five months, from November 1 1995 to March 30 1996, of which summary and conclusion is this. 1. The general feature of patients in investigative objects In the distribution of the distinction of sex, men accounted for 26.9% and women, for 73.1%, and, in the fistribution of age, 60-year-old or more, most for 27.2% and from 20 to 29 years old, least for 14.0%. In the distinction of a vocation, housewives most accounted for 34.7% and students(jobless men), least for 19.3%. In the distinction of a matrimonial state, married persons most accounted for 76.7% and people living alone(divorce, separation by death, separation), least for 11.4%. In the distinction of an economic state, the middle classes most accounted for 73.5% and the upper classes, least for 2.9%. In the distinction of their academic careers, graduates of a primary school most accounted for 26.9% and graduates of university, for 14.1%, of which patients, having the ability to decode the national language, reached to 11.3%. In the distinction of the house form, people living in independent houses most accounted for 76.4% and residents in apartment(having an elevator), least for 9.4%. 2. In the distribution of the recurring state in the distinction of the feature, the recurring group was more than the group of patients falling that ill at first as 62.2% and in the distinction of the feature of the recurring group, the recurring group turned high in case of men being from 50s to 60s years old or more, people living alone (divorce, separation by death, separation), students (joblessmen), people working in farming, stockbeeding, forestry, fisheries, a simple labour, graduates of a primary school I having the ability to decode the national language, the upper classes, people part two years since they begined to suffer arthritis, people who had members having ever experienced arthritis among families. 3. In the distribution of arthritis on the distinction of bodily pars, a knee articulation most accounted for 50.2% and the articulation of fingers, for 8.8%, wile the simultaneous, several parts (multiple) accounted for 35.1%. In the distinction of the feature, arthritis of a knee turned high in case of men being from 20s to 30s years old, unmarried persons, people having academic careers of university, the middle classes, residents in apartment (having stairs). In the dictnction of a feature the case of several parts (multiple) turned high in case of women being from 50s to 60s years old or more, people living alone (divorce, separation by death, separation), people having the ability to decode th. national language, the graduates of a primary school, the upper classes, residents in apartment (having elevator). 4. In the distribution of arthritis on e distinction of a contracting term, two years or more most accounted for 51.6% and the case of contacting from one year to two years, for 15.3%. Analysing the distinction of the feature, the case of two years or more turned high in case of women being from 50s to 60s years old or more, people living alone (divorce separation by death, separation), the upper classes, people having the ability to decode the national language, residents in apartment (having elevator). 5. In the distribution of an treatment institution before patients came to help, their not curing most accounted for 39.1%, general, orthopedic, neurological surgery (physical therapy), for. 20.0%, and th. therapy of Chinese medicine (acupuncture, moxacautery, Chinese medicine), for 17.5%, and a pharmacy (medical therapy), for 13.4%. The case of patients not curing, in the distinction of a feature, turned high in case of men 20s years old, unmarried, the lower classes, people having academic careers of university, residents in apartment (having elevator). 6. In e distribution of the extent of satisfaction with treatment, common most accounted for 54.4% and some satisfaction, for 32.8%. The case of common, in the distinction of a feature, turned high, in case of men living alone from 50s to 60s years old (divorce, separation by death, separation), married persons, the upper classes, people having academic careers of university, residents in independent house, residents in apartment (having elevator), 7. In the distribution of the degree of knowledge of the cause of arthritis, patients knowing that the cause is to use very much a articulation in normal times most accounts for 60.1%, and patients knowing the state of short nutrition as a cause, for 2.5%. The case of patients knowing that the cause is to use very much in normal times, in the distinction of a feature, turned high in·case of ment being 20s and 60s years old or more, unmarried persons, e lower classes, people having the ability to decode. the national language, people having academic careers of university, residents in apartment (having stairs), 8. In the distribution of the state of physical exercise before arthritis contracted, patients exercising very much on the whole most accpimend for 40.3%, and patients not exercising, for 34.7%. The case of patients exercising very much on the whole, in the distinction of the feature, turned high in case of men being from 50s to 60s years old or more, people living alone(divorce, separation by death, separation), the lower classes, people having the ability to decode the national language, graduates of a primary school, residents in apartment (having elevator). 9. In the taste of patients suffering from arthritis, while the group of patients falling that ill at first and the recurring group didn't smoke cigarets, during alcohol and coffee on the whole, and the group of patients falling once again that ill drank a cup of distilled linquor and three cup of coffee or more on the whole per one day, and the group of patients falling that ill at first liked sort of vegetables and the recurring group liked very much sons of vegetables and fresh and meat in their loving food normal times. 10. Analysing the distribution on the dining table used by patients and the structure of a powder room, at first, in the structure of a powder room, the group of patients filling that ill have a toilet stool using as their sits, and a Bush toilet on the whole, and the recurring group, a toilet stool using as their sits and conventional type, and in the structure of a dinning table, the group of patients falling that ill at first and the recurring group turned high, each as 66.9% and 6.3%, who have a dining table carring here and there. 11. In the distribution of patients of arthritis in relation to stress, the case that they feeled severly symptoms of arthritis when thay got stress, turned high, each, as 78.6% in the recurring poop, and the case not knowing, as 61.5% in the first group. In the extent of stress normal times, the case that they got much stress on the whole turned high, each, as 72.4% in e recurring group, and the care that got less stress on the whole, as 60.0%. 12. In the distribution on the distinction of symptoms and impedimental extent, the recurring group turned high in each variable. Analysing the feature of the recurring group, in the distinction of symptoms, the case that they fooled much that the node of an articulation is stiff, turned high, as 71.6, and in the distinction of treatment before. patients came to helpk, the theraphy of Chinese medicine (physical theraphy), as 84.4%, the theraphy of Chinese medicine (acupuncture, moxacautery, Chinese medicine), as 73.2%, and in the distinction of the satisfing extent on treatment, the case of comman, as 72.3%, and in the cause of arthritis, the case not recruiting their health after a birth, as 68.5%, and the case not recovering wholely an articulation having got hurt, as 62.8%, and in the state of physical exercise before they begined suffering from arthritis, the case exercising very much on the whole, (as 74.2%), and in the extent of subjective impediment, the case of not being able to act almost, as 66.7%, the case of acting but feeling some hard, as 66.3%. 13. The correlation in variables in relation to arthritis Analysing realted variables, the recurring frequency showed correlation with such as the extent that patients got stress normal times, and the exercising state before suffering arthritis, and showed contra-correlation with academic careers, the wights, coffee. The cigaret, e loving food of taste, showed corralation with the weight, stature, alcohole as the loving food of taste. On the basis of this result medical members of heal, who are related to the regular education, public education or development of this program, should be concerned to prevent orthris.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.323-327
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• 2002

Purpose : To evaluate the outcome of early stage non-small cell lung cancer patients who were treated with radiation therapy alone and define the optimal radiotherapeutic regimen for these patients. Materials and Methods : A retrospective review was peformed on patients with sage I or II non-small cell carcinoma of the lung that were treated at our institution between June, 1987 and May, 2000. A total of 21 patients treated definitively with radiation therapy alone were included in this study. The age of the patients ranged from 53 to 81 years with a median of 66 years. All the patients were male. The medical reasons for inoperability were lack of pulmonary reserve, cardiovascular disease, poor performance status, old age, and patient refusal in the decreasing order. Pathological evidence was not adequate to characterize the non-small cell subtype in two patients. Of the remaining 19 patients, 16 had squamous cell carcinoma and 3 had adenocarcinoma. Treatment was given with conventional fractionation, once a day, five times a week. The doses to the primary site ranged from 56 Gy to 59 Gy. No patients were lost to follow-up. Results : The overall survival rates for the entire group at 2, 3 and 5 years were 41, 30 and $21\%$, respectively. The cause specific survivals at 2, 3 and 5 years were 55, 36 and $25\%$, respectively. An intercurrent disease was the cause of death in two patients. The cumulative local failure rate at 5 years was $43\%$. Nine of the 21 patients had treatment failures after the curative radiotherapy was attempted. Local recurrences as the first site of failure were documented in 7 patients. Therefore, local failure alone represented $78\%$ of the total failures. Those patients whose tumor sizes were less than 4 cm had a significantly better 5 year disease free survival than those with tumors greater than 4 cm $(0\%\;vs\;36\%)$. Those patients with a Karnofsky performance status less than 70 did not differ significantly with respect to actuarial survival when compared to those with a status greater than 70 $(25\%\;vs\;26\%,\;p>0.05)$. Conclusion : Radiation therapy 리one is an effective and safe treatment for early stage non-small ceil lung cancer patients who are medically inoperable or refuse surgery. Also we believe that a higher radiation dose to the primary site could improve the local control rate, and ultimately the overall survival rate.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.824-835
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• 1999

Background: Sleep-related breathing disorders are commonly found in patients with chronic renal failure and particularly, sleep apnea may have an influence on the long-term mortality rates in these patients. Maintenance hemodialysis is the mainstay of medical measures for correcting the metabolic derangements of chronic renal failure but it is uncertain whether it may alleviate sleep disorders including sleep apnea. Methods: Forty seven patients on maintenance hemodialysis were surveyed with the sleep questionnaire about their clinical symptoms related to sleep disorders. Among them, 15 patients underwent the polysomnography and their blood levels of urea nitrogen, creatinine, electrolytes and the arterial blood gases in the nights before and following hemodialysis were measured. Results: Forty(85.1%) of the 47 patients complained of the symptoms associated with sleep-wake cycle disturbances, 55.3% experienced snoring and 27.7% reported witnessed apneas. The duration of REM sleep increased significantly in the nights after hemodialysis compared to the nights without hemodialysis(p<0.05) and the percentage of total sleep time comprising NREM sleep decreased significantly in the nights following hemodialysis compared to the nights before hemodialysis(p<0.05). The percentage of total sleep time consisting of the stage 1 and 2 NREM sleep showed the trend for a decrease in the nights after hemodialysis(p=0.051), while the percentage of total sleep time comprising the stage 3 and 4 NREM sleep did not change between nights. The obstructive sleep apnea was more predominant type than the central one in both nights and there were no differences in the apnea index and the apnea-hypopnea index between the nights. The decrease in the blood level of urea nitrogen, creatinine, potassium and phosphorus was observed after hemodialysis(p<0.05), but the differences of parameters measured during polysomnography between the nights did not correlate with the changes of biochemical factors obtained on the two nights. Arterial blood gas analysis showed that pH was significantly greater in the nights after hemodialysis than in the nights before hemodialysis(p<0.05), but there were no correlations between the parameters examined during polysomnography and the parameters of arterial blood gas analysis(p<0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that chronic renal failure is an important systemic disorder which is strongly associated with sleep disorders. Maintenance hemodialysis, although it is a widely accepted measure to treat chronic renal failure, did not significantly modulate the sleep architecture and the severity of sleep apnea. Thus, taking the patients with chronic renal failure into account, it is advisable to try not only to find a substantial way for correcting metabolic derangements but also to consider the institution of more effective treatments for sleep disorders.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2021

Purpose If a new test is introduced or reagents are changed in the laboratory of a medical institution, the characteristics of the test should be analyzed according to the procedure and the assessment of reagents should be made. However, several necessary conditions must be met to perform all required comparative evaluations, first enough samples should be prepared for each test, and secondly, various reagents applicable to the comparative evaluations must be supplied. Even if enough comparative evaluations have been done, there is a limit to the fact that the data variation for the new reagent represents the overall patient data variation, The fact puts a burden on the laboratory to the change the reagent. Due to these various difficulties, reagent changes in the laboratory are limited. In order to introduce a competitive bid, the institute conducted a full investigation of Radioimmunoassay(RIA) reagents for each test and established the range of reagents available in the laboratory through comparative evaluations. We wanted to share this process. Materials and Methods There are 20 items of tests conducted in our laboratory except for consignment tests. For each test, RIA reagents that can be used were fully investigated with the reference to external quality control report. and the manuals for each reagent were obtained. Each reagent was checked for the manual to check the test method, Incubation time, sample volume needed for the test. After that, the primary selection was made according to whether it was available in this laboratory. The primary selected reagents were supplied with 2kits based on 100tests, and the data correlation test, sensitivity measurement, recovery rate measurement, and dilution test were conducted. The secondary selection was performed according to the results of the comparative evaluation. The reagents that passed the primary and secondary selections were submitted to the competitive bidding list. In the case of reagent is designated as a singular, we submitted a explanatory statement with the data obtained during the primary and secondary selection processes. Results Excluded from the primary selection was the case where TAT was expected to be delayed at the moment, and it was impossible to apply to our equipment due to the large volume of reagents used during the test. In the primary selection, there were five items which only one reagent was available.(squamous cell carcinoma Ag(SCC Ag), β-human chorionic gonadotropin(β-HCG), vitamin B12, folate, free testosterone), two reagents were available(CA19-9, CA125, CA72-4, ferritin, thyroglobulin antibody(TG Ab), microsomal antibody(Mic Ab), thyroid stimulating hormone-receptor-antibody(TSH-R-Ab), calcitonin), three reagents were available (triiodothyronine(T3), Tree T3, Free T4, TSH, intact parathyroid hormone(intact PTH)) and four reagents were available are carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA), TG. In the secondary selection, there were eight items which only one reagent was available.(ferritin, TG, CA19-9, SCC, β-HCG, vitaminB12, folate, free testosterone), two reagents were available(TG Ab, Mic Ab, TSH-R-Ab, CA125, CA72-4, intact PTH, calcitonin), three reagents were available(T3, Tree T3, Free T4, TSH, CEA). Reasons excluded from the secondary selection were the lack of reagent supply for comparative evaluations, the problems with data reproducibility, and the inability to accept data variations. The most problematic part of comparative evaluations was sample collection. It didn't matter if the number of samples requested was large and the capacity needed for the test was small. It was difficult to collect various concentration samples in the case of a small number of tests(100 cases per month or less), and it was difficult to conduct a recovery rate test in the case of a relatively large volume of samples required for a single test(more than 100 uL). In addition, the lack of dilution solution or standard zero material for sensitivity measurement or dilution tests was one of the problems. Conclusion Comparative evaluation for changing test reagents require appropriate preparation time to collect diverse and sufficient samples. In addition, setting the total sample volume and reagent volume range required for comparative evaluations, depending on the sample volume and reagent volume required for one test, will reduce the burden of sample collection and planning for each comparative evaluation.