• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.8
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• pp.843-850
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• 2009

A recent High Court's decision regarding the withdrawal of life supporting medical treatment (artificial ventilator) from an elderly female patient in the terminal stage has opened up a new era of the "euthanasia dispute" in Korea. With this decision, the legitimate withdrawal of life supporting treatment became possible under certain conditions and the Korean Medical Association is working toward the establishment of practical guidelines for the terminal-stage patients. However, there are still very few debates on the cases of pediatric patients in the terminal stage or suffering from fatal diseases. For pediatric patients, the core principle of autonomy and following procedure of "advance directives" are hardly kept due to the immaturity of the patients themselves. Decisions for their lives usually are in the hands of the parents, which may often bring out tragic disputes around "child abuse", especially in Korea where parents have exclusive control of the destiny of their children. Some developed countries such as the U.S.A., the U.K. and Canada have already established guidelines or a legal framework for ensuring the rights of the healthcare system regarding children suffering from severe illness, permitting the withdrawal of Life supporting medical treatment (LSMT) in very specific conditions when the quality of life of the children is severely threatened. For the protection of the welfare and interest of the children, we should discuss this issue and develop guidelines for the daily practice of pediatricians.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.43-83
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• 2013

Medical treatment has great potential for conflict. Even the best-trained doctors can commit medical malpractice that result in continuing physical or mental disabilities or even death. Medical conflicts have been increasing over years. The medical conflicts between patient and medical professionals that result from medical professionals' mistakes are often fueled by a violation on the pretext of the injuries form medical malpractice and can lead to litigation. The litigation usually cost a lot of money and time. The extension of the litigation period as well as expensive cost and lack of medical knowledge placing a great burden on patients. Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) is more efficient than litigation. In 1988, the medical dispute mediation system has been introduces as the Act on Remedy for Damage from Medical Accident and Medical Dispute Mediation by Korean Medical Association came into effect after 23 years of enactment efforts. Medical Dispute Mediation Act(hereinafter referred to as the "MDMA") has finally entered into force from 8 April 2012. The purpose of the MDMA is to promptly and fairly redress injuries caused by medical malpractice and create a stable environment for medical services of public health or medical professionals by providing for matters regarding the mediation and arbitration of medical disputes(MDMA ${\S}1$). In an effort to secure the fair, speedy and inexpensive resolution of every malpractice case, the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency(hereinafter referred to as the "K-MEDI") was established. Following the MDMA, the K-MEDI shall endeavor to ensure the medical dispute mediation or arbitration proceedings are conducted in a prompt, fair, and efficient manner, and patients and medical professionals shall attend proceedings in good faith with mutual trust and understanding when they participate in medical dispute mediation or arbitration proceedings.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.17-31
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• 1982

A physician assumes toward his patient the obligation to use such reasonable care and skill as is commonly possessed and exercised by physicians in the same general line of practice in the same or similar localities and to use his best judgment at the times. Medical disputes between physicians and patients are, ever more increased in these days as human body, happens to cause a variety of changes in body unlike the function of machine. Such increased trends of medical disputes became a problem in common across the word under the influence of affluent living standard, high consciousness of life value and right by today's people. The aim of this dissertation is oriented to forming a physician's responsibilities in medicalcare accidents arising between physicians and patients. A general physician, for example, has not been negligent merely because, a specialist might have treated the patient with greater skill and knowledge. However, the fact that a physician may have acted to the best of his ability will not avoid legal problems for damages resulting from substandard treatment, that is the degree of care and skill which is to be expected of the ordinary practitioner in his field of practice. The duty of a physician who is, or holds himself out to be, a specialist is greater in the field of his specialty than one who is a general physician. A patient's consent to routine medical procedures is implied from the fact that patient comes to the physician with a medical problem and voluntarily submits to the procedures. For the more serious medical procedures and for major operations, however, it is preferable for the physician to have the patient's consent in writing, to facilitate proof of the consent in the event of a dispute or litigation. Suppose that mistakes on the part of physicians are likely to be blamed in all cases of malpractice. Then it will create a sort of shrinkage in activities of medical treatment. There should be some limitation on excessive application of 'The thing speaks for itself' on mistakes by physicians and availablity of cause and effect. It is a matter of complicity as well as a matter of importance to draw a definite boundary on responsibilities of physician. A series of further research on this particular aspect is strongly urged.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.384-393
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• 2012

The trigeminal nerve, one of the cranial nerves, innervates the maxillofacial area and has three branches: the ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular nerves. Paresthesia, due to damages to the inferior alveolar nerve and mental nerve (branches of the mandibular nerve), is quite frequent in dental implants and third molar extractions. As medical disputes are increasing, it is necessary to formulate an objective and reasonable disability evaluation. When evaluating the frequent rate of impairment for inferior alveolar nerve damage, it may be reasonable to follow the criteria for the rate of maxillofacial impairment of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) - the most scientific and reputable criteria based on the American Medical Association (AMA). Therefore, the Committee of Guides for Maxillofacial Impairment Ratings, in the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (KAOMS), is trying to suggest more reasonable and realistic guidelines for evaluating impairments by reviewing the current evaluation criteria and those of AMA and AAOMS.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.111-119
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• 2015

The importance of effective communication is increasingly stressed in the medical sector. This is crucial for the resolution of medical accidents and conflicts, and that can contribute to the prevention of the two as well. The careful attitude of the medical team toward patient safety and their communication with colleagues and other departments are mandatory for the successful decrease of dental accidents. The good communication within of the hospital organization is one of vital ways to ensure accurate diagnosis and successful treatment. In the field of health care, effective teamwork requires a shared goal, superb work skills, communication and cooperation, but this fact has been overlooked so far. Among those factors, communication is indispensable to the achievement of organizational goals, and how to boost communication by acquiring diverse skills and using appropriate tools in the dentistry should discreetly be considered. This study explared how to improve the teamwork and communication of organization in an effort to seek specific ways of reducing medical conflict in dental.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.283-292
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• 2017

Background Settlements between doctors and patients provide a solution to complicated disputes. However, some disputes may be renewed as a result of negligence by both parties. The purpose of this study was to review the legal issues that may potentially arise during the preparation of settlement agreements and to propose a list of requirements for ensuring the effectiveness of these settlement agreements. Methods Data from 287 civil cases concerning aesthetic surgery that took place between 2000 and 2015 were collected from a court database in South Korea. Factors that influenced the effectiveness of settlement agreements were analyzed. Results Among the 287 court precedents, there were 68 cases of covenant not to sue. Eighteen cases were dismissed because the settlement agreements were recognized as effective, and 50 cases were sent forward for judgment on their merits because the agreements were not recognized as effective. The types of surgery and types of complications were classified by frequency. We evaluated the geographical distribution of the precedents, the settlement timing, and the effectiveness and economic impact of the settlements. We found that there was no statistically significant relationship among these factors. Four major factors that made a settlement agreement legally effective were identified, and the data showed that fee-free reoperations were not considered by the court in determining the compensation amount. Conclusions When preparing a settlement agreement, it is advisable to review the contents of the agreement rather than to take the preparation of a settlement agreement per se to be legally meaningful.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.311-330
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• 2006

As issues of education, employment and so on, the medical issue is one of the hot spots of society in China today. The health system reform which was pushed ahead after China's Revolution and open to the outside world hasn't received great progress. Many actual problems haven't been solved, for example it is difficult and expensive to see a doctor. With the development of the economy and society, the citizen's legal consciousness has gradually risen. They make a claim for better medical service. At the same time, the number of the disputes of medical care arises annually. China has sped up the opening of service trade for fulfilling promises of entry the WTO since 2001. China has already opened many service trade fields, including medical field. From the domestic perspective, there are many problems in domestic medical department. From the international perspective, China's present medical level falls behind the world advanced medical level. Under this background, it is a bold act for China to open the medical service field to foreign investors. Today, a huge medical service market is developed in China. However, the government's investment to medical devices and the financing channels is limited. Therefore, it is inevitable that individuals, social organizations and foreign investors invest to the medical market. In view of the situation, Chinese government issued a series of relevant laws and rules. In recent years, many multinational companies, consortiums, charitable institutions, enterprises and individuals establish various medical institutions in China. But there are rare research in the actuality and legal subject of foreign investment to Chinese medical market. Hence, it is necessary to realize the actuality of foreign investment to Chinese medical market, to familiar with the elements and procedure of establishing foreign joint and cooperative medical institution. Meanwhile, analyzing the existing problems and posing the legal subject have important theoretic and practical value.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.249-293
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• 2012

Inter-hospital transfer, depending on its medical and legal appropriateness, affect the prognosis of patients and can even lead to legal disputes. As Emergency Medical Service Act, any physician shall, in case where deemed that pertinent medical service is unavailable for such patient with the capacities of the relevant medical institution, transfer without delay such patient to another medical institution where a pertinent medical service is available. For medico-legally appropriate inter-hospital transfer, the head of a medical institution shall, in case where he transfers an emergency patient provide medical instruments and manpower required for a safe transfer of the emergency patient, and furnish the medical records necessary for a medical examination at the medical institution in receipt of such patient. And transfer process must comply with the requirements prescribed by executive rule such as attachment of the referral, provision of ambulance, fellow riders and informed consent of transfer. Those engaged in emergency medical service shall explain an emergency medical service to an emergency patient and secure his consent. In addition to the duty to inform about emergency medical service to the patient and his or her legally representative, there is also a duty for doctors to sufficiently explain to the patient and his or her legally representative during inter-hospital transfer that the need for the transfer, the medical conditions of the patient to be transferred and emergency treatment that will be provided by the hospital from which the patient is going to transferred. Likewise, the hospital to which the patient is transferred must be thoroughly informed about matters such as the patient's conditions, the treatment the patient was given and reasons for transfer by transferring doctors.

• The Journal of Korean Association of Computer Education
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.79-90
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• 2013

Communication errors have severe consequences clinical quality and disputes in medical organizations. Thus, clinical communication has become a major practice recently, since clinical and managerial effectiveness can also be enhanced by improving the quality of the physician, medical staff, and laboratories interactions. Both medium and large-sized hospitals are increasingly adopting the philosophy to shorten clinical service time while enhancing higher medical service quality and lower healthcare service costs. From this motivation, this paper studies on the clinical collaborative communication concept and investigates approaches to the philosophy for implementation. The system has been theorized to improve communication and enhancing medical outcome qualities. In addition, to validate the system, the author analyzes the efficiency and effectiveness in S hospital, using statistical survey works.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.13-20
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to find out experiences of dental hygienists working on dental care sites, to prevent potential malpractice accidents and disputes, and to examine why it is necessary to provide corresponding education or training courses. As a result, this study came to the following conclusions: 1. It was found that 32.5% had ever experienced in malpractice suits or disputes, and 55.0% of such experienced group had ever experienced in malpractice suits or disputes concerned with dental hygienists. 2. According to inquiry on whether dental hygienists have certain liability for malpractice disputes, it was found that 66.3% respondents ascribed the medical liability to dental hygienists. And according to inquiry for those respondents on liability ratio, it was found that 57.1% of them thought 11%~30% as appropriate liability ratio. 3. According to survey on extent of doubts about potential malpractice accidents and disputes in future, it was found that 72.4% respondents sometimes had doubts about them. 4. It was found that 64.2% respondents thought it necessary and urgent to provide education related to prevention and countermeasures for malpractice disputes.