• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.118-131
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• 2000

Background : A continuous healthcare quality improvement is needed to provide high quality healthcare service as well as to maintain trust in terms of satisfying the needs of the patients. Recently it also became an essential issue. in hospital management, recognized for it's competitive potentiality among healthcare organization groups. This study was conducted to analyze patient complaints and issues received by the Quality Improvement Department. Its purpose is to improve healthcare qualities within the hospital, as well as establish policies and appropriate strategies in hospital management. Method : From July 1st to September 30th of the year 1999, we analyzed all complaints and issues made by various patients and their families, which were received through 24 hour phone consultation, numerous suggestion boxes, letters and E-mails, The issues were classified into 16 different categories based on a Patient Satisfaction Assessment Tool. All data were segregated according to the departmental frequencies and their contents. To come up with for environmental and patient satisfaction improvement, all complaints or issues were communicated with hospital administrators, medical and nursing staff and employees. Comprehensive customer satisfaction activities including improving phone etiquette were discussed in Customer Satisfaction Team, CQI Team and each Department. All opportunities for improvement were implemented. Feedback actions were discussed. Results : A total of 317 cases were collected. Issues regarding parking and other accommodation facilities were most common complaints that were 14.5% of total. Issues regarding admission rooms (10.7%), admission procedures (10.7%), waiting room environment (8.8%), nurses and nurse assistants (7.6%), physicians (6.6%) and others (23%) followed. Thirteen of 45 departments received more than 8 complaints. The Nursing Department had the most complaint, receiving 9.8% of total complaints. Complaints regarding the Nursing Department were predominantly related to the environment of patient rooms. The Department of Psychiatry for phone etiquette (4.7%), Department of Otolaryngology for the nursing staff's attitude and phone etiquette (4.4%), and the Admission Department followed. As a part of efforts to improve patient satisfaction, a new parking structure was built and reallocation of the parking space was done. Renovation of other accommodation facilities were carried out by hospital administration, Monthly phone call and answering attitude survey was done by QI Department. Based on this survey we made a phone etiquette manual and distributed throughout the hospital. Compare to the last year, Patient Satisfaction Index measured by Korea Productivity Center using National Customer Satisfaction Index was improved 7 points. According to our organization's own study, we confirmed the phone etiquette was improved 11% than last year. Conclusions : Issues related to parking and other accommodation facilities ranked first followed by complaints made regarding the patient care area, the admission and cashier process, and nurses' and doctors' attitude. The Nursing and Psychiatry Departments need improvement regarding phone etiquette. Results were shared and played a vital role in policymaking and strategic planning of the hospital. It is imperative that we keep our database updated by listening to and solving the needs of each patient. The CQI activities can be achieved only by full commitment of the hospital top management supported by related personal.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.185-200
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• 2022

The risk of various hazardous substances in aquatic environment comprises not only the concentration of substances in the environmental medium but also their accumulation in fish through complex food web and the health risks to humans through the fish. In Korea, the monitoring of residual toxicant in aquatic ecosystems began in 2016 following the enforcement of the Acts on registration and evaluation for the management of chemicals used in daily life (consumer chemical products), and attention has been paid to potentially hazardous substances attributed to them. Recently, studies have been carried out to investigate the distribution of these hazardous substances in the ecosystem and calculate their emission factors. These include the accumulation and transport of substances, such as detergents, dyes, fragrances, cosmetics, and disinfectants, within trophic levels. This study summarizes the results of recently published research on the inflow and distribution of hazardous substances from consumer chemical products to the aquatic environment and presents the scientific implication. Based on studies on aquatic environment monitoring techniques, this study suggests research directions for monitoring the residual concentration and distribution of harmful chemical substances in aquatic ecosystems. In particular, this study introduces the directions for research on trophic position analysis using compound specific isotope analysis and trophic magnification factors, which are needed to fulfill the contemporary requirements of selecting target fish based on the survey of major fish that inhabit domestic waters and assessment of associated health risk. In addition, this study provides suggestions for future biota monitoring and chemical research in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.119-131
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• 2007

This study was to investigate the recognition level of food safety from high school students(264 male, 276 female) in Chuncheon area using questionnaires. The results of the survey are summarized as follows : Regarding the general consciousness of the conditions of food safety, the proportion of the students who worry about it is higher, while 40.0% respond they are not concerned with it. The information pertinent to food safety was usually acquired from the mass media. As a fundamental reason responsible for the food safety accidents, they pointed out deficient sense of responsibility of the personnels who produce, distribute, and sell food products. As the most problematic materials threatening food safety, they pointed out heavy metals(24.8%), and subsequent responses were environmental hormones(24.4%), food additives(17.0%). The foods, for which they are most concerned about residual pesticides, were vegetables and fruits. High proportion of the students perceived that agricultural products are not safe from residual pesticides, and most of the students(92.4%) thought that residual pesticides are bad for their health. The examination on the food safety influenced by heavy metals reveals that 87.4% of the students thought the materials do influence food safety. As the food kind that is likely to be most polluted by heavy metals, they pointed out fishery products. The highest concern about processed food stuffs was the food additives. Most of the students thought that the containers of processed foods may be toxical. 25% of the students are more seriously considering food safety when they buy foods. High proportion of the students who responded they confirm safety-related matters at the time of food purchase thought much of food safety, while high proportion of those who didn't confirm those matters lay a great importance on the taste.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.343-350
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• 2022

High-resolution data are needed to understand water body mixing patterns at river junctions. In particular, in river analysis, hydrological and water quality characteristics are used as basic data for aquatic ecological health, so observation through continuous monitoring is necessary. In addition, since measurement is carried out through a one-dimensional and fixed measurement method in existing monitoring systems, a hydrological and water quality characteristics investigation of an entire river, except for in the immediate vicinity of the measurement point, is not undertaken. In order to obtain high-resolution measurement data, a measurer has to consider multiple factors, and the area or time that can be measured is limited. Although the resolution might be lowered, an appropriate interpolation method must be selected in order to acquire a wide range of data. Therefore, in this study, a high-elevation measurement method at a river junction was introduced, and the interpolation method according to the measurement results was compared. The overall hydraulic and water quality information of the river was indicated through the visualization of the prediction and interpolation method in the low-resolution measurement result. By comparing each interpolation method, Inverse Distance Weighting, Natural Neighbor, and Kriging techniques were applied in river mapping to improve the precision of river mapping through visualized data and quantitative evaluation. It is thought that this study will offer a new method for measuring rivers through spatial interpolation.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.71-85
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• 2018

A recent topic of interest within ecology is ecosystem services that are importantly connected with biodiversity. Biodiversity is a fundamental component of ecological studies and has been the subject of many studies worldwide. However, studies on the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish were not undertaken in earnest until 2000, and the number of internationally available studies is therefore still limited. In this study, we used data from "The Survey and Evaluation of Aquatic Ecosystem Health (hereafter SEAEH)" within the framework of which whole water systems on the Korean peninsula are annually monitored to investigate and determine the current status of the diversity and distribution of freshwater fish, as well as to elucidate major factors impacting freshwater fish. A total of 130 species from 28 families were identified at around 953 sites in the SEAEH investigation of 2014. The species Zacco platypus (relative abundance: 28.2%) and Z. koreanus (19.3%) were identified as the most abundant species on the Korean peninsula, and besides these 20 endangered species, 51 endemic species and 4 exotic species were also collected. Highest (96 species) and lowest (72 species) diversity were identified in the Han River Watershed and the Yeongsan/Seomjin River Watershed, respectively. The mean endemic rate was 32.7%, which is higher than the previous rate determined in 1995. The exotic species Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis macrochirus and Carassius cuvieri were found in the whole river system except north Yeongdong, whereas Oreochromis niloticus occurred only at three sites due to the cold water temperatures in winter. Totally, 28 species were found to be translocated to different water systems not connected with known original habitats, most translocations occurring in the Nakdong River and the Yeongdong region. Among the translocated species, Opsariichthys uncirostris amurensis, and Erythroculter erythropterus were dominantly distributed in the mid- to lower reaches of Nakdong River where they may be harmful to the native fish assemblages due to their strong predation. The construction of weirs in connection with the "4 River Project" generated changes in fish assemblages before, during and after the project, resulting in altered habitat condition. Especially, a decrease in the number of endemic species and an increase in the abundance of lentic species were seen. Human-induced global warming will allow exotic species requiring high water temperatures to adapt to the environmental conditions of the Korean peninsula, which may enhance the diversity of native fishes and create changes in distribution. For the establishment of realistic and efficient management and protection strategies for Korean freshwater fish, SEAEH, which produces fundamental and quantitative data for Korean streams, is an important and necessary tool.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.21-34
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• 2006

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice toward sanitary administration of the new restaurateurs, to carry out the sanitary management of business for improvement of sanitary level, and to provide basic data which were necessary for sanitary education of the restaurateurs. Methods: The self-recording survey on the attitude and the knowledge toward the sanitation, the sanitary administration, and its education was conducted against new 393 restaurateurs by the administrative division of Gwangju city in charge of the food industry which put in the regular sanitary education annually for the new restaurateurs. Results: In regard to food sanitation, some 87.9% to 94.4% got the right knowledge about the reason and precaution of food poisoning, storage methods of frozen or cold food, and the disposal of product after expiration of validity term. But it was about 56.0% to 63.0% who knew right about the cause and the major precaution of food poisoning, storage temperature in the refrigerator. 30.6% of the subject placed an emphasis on personal sanitation of the workers as the most important thing in the sanitary management. 83.6% replied that it was necessary to improve the sanitary level. Concerning the health examination, 78.3% replied it was needed. 76.4% pointed the need for education, but respondents with higher educational level less emphasized its needs. It was most frequently pointed out by 71.6% restaurateur's poor awareness about it. 36.7% indicated the environmental sanitation like facilities in the restaurants as the first thing to be improved. The rate of personal sanitation was 43.7%. Conclusions: To improve the poor sanitary conditions of the food service business, it was recommended to offer institutional backing and financial aid from administrative office, to encourage restaurateurs to take pride in their job, and to conduct the sanitary education effectively by the technical education institution.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.285-296
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• 2019

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the factors affecting vegetable preferences of children based on the social cognitive theory to reduce imbalances in vegetable consumption. Methods: The survey investigated 177 elementary school students in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, in June of 2018. The subjects consisted of 44 fifth graders (27.7%) and 128 (72.3%) sixth graders. Results: Among personal factors of the Social Cognitive Theory, positive outcome expectation and self-efficacy of the vegetable preference group were significantly higher than those of the non-preference group. Negative barrier scores of the non-preference group were significantly higher than those of the preference group, and the biggest barrier was that vegetables were tasteless. Among behavioral factors, the nutritional knowledge of vegetables was high, but the degree of practice was low. Practice score of the vegetable preference group was significantly higher than that of the non-preference group. Among environmental factors, the vegetable preference group was more likely to accept advice from people around them than the non-preference group and the most influential people were doctors and parents. In the vegetable intake environment, children in the vegetable preference group had high accessibility to vegetables. Correlation analysis and regression analysis of the social cognitive factors and vegetable preferences revealed all factors except nutritional knowledge showed significant correlation with vegetable preference. And surrounding people (p < 0.01), practice (p < 0.01), and self-efficacy (p < 0.05) had positive effects on vegetable preference. Conclusion: These results suggest that providing the health benefits from eating vegetables and educating children for improving their self-confidence are necessary for increasing the preference for vegetables and their intake by children.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.327-337
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• 2022

Ecological restoration is considered a good means to prevent biodiversity loss in terms of the ecosystem's health and sustainability. However, there are difficulties in putting it into practice as there is no comprehensive and objective standard for the selection of plant species, such as environmental, ecological factors, and restoration goal setting. Therefore, this study developed an evaluation index necessary for selecting plant species for restoration using the Delphi method that synthesizes the opinions of the expert group. A survey with 38 questionnaires was conducted twice for experts in ecological restoration, etc., and the importance and priority of evaluation indicators were analyzed by dividing the restoration targets into inland and island regions. The result of the importance analysis showed that "native plants" had the highest average of 4.9 among the evaluation indices in both inland and island regions, followed by "seed security", "propagation", and "root growth rate". In the inland region, the index priority was analyzed in the order of "native plants", "appearance frequency", "root growth rate", "distribution range", and "seed security" in the island region, it was analyzed in the order of "native plants", "root growth rate", "appearance frequency", "distribution range", and "tolerance", showing slight differences between the two indicators. As a result of the importance and priority indicator analysis, we set the mean importance and priority of 4.1 and 2.9, respectively, in the inland region and 4.2 and 2.9, respectively, in the island region. As for the criteria of selecting plant species for ecological restoration, the "native plants" had the highest importance and priority. "Seed securing", 'viability", "topography", "proliferation", "tolerance", "soil conditions", "growth characteristics", "early succession", "distribution range", "appearance frequency", and "germination rate" were classified into subgroups of low importance and priority. The lowest indicators were "final stage of succession", "transition period", 'transition stage", "root", "reproduction", "soil", "appearance", "technology", "landscape", "climate", and "germination rate". We expected that the findings through objective verification in this study would be used as evaluation indicators for selecting native plant species for ecological restoration.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2002

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to provide preliminary information on the hospice care needs of hospice volunteers. Methods : The sample of this study was obtained from those who completed the hospice volunteer education program in three different areas in Korea. This study was conducted by a self-administered questionnaire. The sample analyzed for this study contained 88 hospice volunteers. Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and logistic regression analysis were performed to produce the findings of this study. Results : The characteristics of the study sample were $40{\sim}49$ aged, middle class, christianity, married women with high school diplomas. They attended at the hospice center with less than 1 year experience. Majority of them had no family members who received a hospice care. The hospice care was strongly required in the field of information, particularly regarding their diseases and treatments. The identified hospice care needs were the prevention and treatment of gangrene in the field of physical needs, the maintenance of closer relationship with their doctors in the field of emotional needs, and the support of supporting medical insurance in the field of socioeconomic needs. The significant predictors were 'having hospice care taker among family members' in the field of the total hospice care needs and physical needs. Two predictable variables were found in the field of emotional needs. However, none were found to be a predictable variable in the field of information and socioeconomic needs. Conclusion : The findings or this study have a weekness of generalizability due to the sampling methodology used in this study. Thus, further research should be designed in relation to this topic with a probability sampling method.