• Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.398-406
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• 2018

Background: Hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin < 3.5 g/dL) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, costs associated with hypoalbuminemia remain unknown. This study investigated the effect of serum albumin on direct treatment costs, length of stay (LOS), and readmissions for primary and revision THA and TKA patients. Methods: All adult patients at a single institution undergoing primary or revision THA or TKA between January 2014 and December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were stratified by preoperative serum albumin level. The primary outcome was total direct costs at index hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included LOS and readmission within 30 days. Multivariable regressions were utilized to adjust for demographics and comorbidities. Results: Of 3,785 patients, 114 (3.0%) had hypoalbuminemia. After adjustment, hypoalbuminemia was associated with a 16.2% increase in costs (${\beta}=0.162$; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.112 to 0.213; p < 0.001), representing an average cost increase of $3,383 (95% CI, $2,281 to $4,485) relative to costs for serum albumin > 4.5 g/dL. The increased total costs were significantly higher in revision ($4,322, p = 0.034) than in primary ($3,446, p < 0.001) procedures. In adjusted regression, each 1.0 g/dL increase in serum albumin yielded a 6.6% reduction in costs (${\beta}=-0.066$; 95% CI, -0.090 to -0.042]; p < 0.001), for average savings of $1,282 (95% CI, $759 to $1,806) per unit albumin. Adjusted regressions demonstrated that a 1-point increase in serum albumin reduced readmissions by 53% (odds ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31-0.73; p = 0.001) and LOS by 0.6 days (${\beta}=-0.60$; 95% CI, -0.76 to -0.44; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Hypoalbuminemia is associated with increased total direct costs, LOS, and readmissions following primary and revision THA and TKA. Future efforts to predict and address total costs should take into consideration the patient's preoperative serum albumin levels.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2011

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is a Serious clinical problem in the treatment of infectious diseases that increase mortality, morbidity, hospitalization length, and the cost of healthcare. In particular, $Streptococcus$ $pneumoniae$ is a major etiologic pathogen of pneumonia, sinusitis, otitis media, and meningitis. As the definition of penicillin resistance to $S.$ $pneumoniae$ was recently changed, macrolide-resistant $S.$ $pneumoniae$ is a major resistant pathogen in the community. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains are associated with incorrect use of antibiotics and critical clinical outcomes. For the appropriate use of antibiotics to treat infections, physicians always should have up-to-date information on the current epidemiologic status of antibiotic resistance for common pathogens and their susceptibility to antimicrobials. Appropriate selection of antimicrobials, strict control of infection, vaccination, and development of a feasible national policy of infection control are important strategies for the control of antimicrobial resistance. This review article focuses on the current status of antibiotic-resistant $S.$ $pneumoniae$ in community-acquired pneumonia in Korea.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2023

Background: Like many other countries, falls and related injuries in older adults are great concerns in South Korea. In particular, falls are common in medical institutions, often causing the increase of the length of hospitalization. Objects: The purpose of this review was to help understand and address falls in hospitalized individuals in South Korea. Methods: The review was conducted on literature published in Korean from 2010 to 2022, searched in the Korea Citation Index and PubMed. Keywords used for the search were as follows: falls, fall risk, fall risk assessment, hospital, inpatient, intervention, Korea, and prevention. Results: A total of 54 articles were found and reviewed. The most common place of fall accidents was the inpatient room, where there were many cases of falls while walking. Loss of balance was the most common cause of falls, and many falls occurred in patients admitted to the internal medicine. Furthermore, a risk of falling increased with the type of medications taken. In terms of tools to assess patients' fall risk, the Morse Fall Scale (MFS) was commonly used. Patient-specific fall prevention activities were common to address falls, and they decreased the frequency of falls and the fear of falling. Factors influencing the effectiveness of the fall prevention activities included attitudes toward falls, education, environmental factors, patient safety culture, and self-efficacy in preventing falls. Conclusion: Our results should help understand and address falls and injuries in medical institutions.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.127-131
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• 1997

Objective : To evaluate the clinical efficacy of adjuvant sertraline treatment in chronic schizophrenic patients, we carried out a double-blind, placebo controlled study. Method : Thirty six inpatients who fulfilled DSM-III-R criteria for chronic schizophrenia were randomly assigned to sertraline and placebo groups in a double-blinded fashion. A history of at least 2 years of illness and at least six months of hospitalization were prerequisities for inclusion in the study. Patients were received sertraline 50mg or placebo for 8 weeks in addition to their routine haloperidol regimen. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression(CGI), Simpson-Angus Scale(S-A) were evaluated at 5 points ; baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of treatment. Results : The groups were controlled for age, gender, and length of illness. There were no significant differences in three PANSS factros(positive, negative, general), CGI, and S-A scale scores at any between sertaline and placebo treatment. Conclusion : This placebo controlled study showed no significant effects of sertraline on negative and positive symptoms in chronic schizophrenic patients.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.71-79
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• 2019

Purpose: Recent developments in minimally invasive techniques have the potential to reduce surgical morbidity, promote patient recovery, accelerate surgical procedures, and thus improve cost-effectiveness in case management. In this study, we compared the treatment efficacy and results of supraorbital keyhole approach (SOKA) with those of conventional unilateral frontal craniotomy (CUFC) for traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (TICH) in the frontal lobe. Methods: We analyzed the data of 38 patients who underwent CUFC (n=30) and SOKA (n=8) and retrospectively reviewed their medical records and radiological findings. Furthermore, we tried to identify the best surgical method for such lesions by including patients who underwent burr hole aspiration and drainage (BHAD) (n=9) under local anesthesia due to various circumstances. Results: The difference in the initial Glasgow coma scale score, operative time, and length of hospitalization between the CUFC and SOKA were statistically significant. All radiological features between the two groups including associated skull fracture, amount of pre- and postoperative hematoma, percentage of complete hematoma removal, pre- and postoperative midline shifting of the hematoma, and development of postoperative delayed hematoma were not statistically significant. Our experience of 46 patients with TICH in the frontal lobe with any of the three different surgical methods including BHAD enabled us to obtain valuable findings. Conclusions: Although it is difficult to insist that one particular approach is more useful than the other, we are confident that SOKA will have more advantages over CUFC in carefully selected patients with frontal TICH depending on the surgical experience of a neurosurgeon.

• Journal of Korean Medical Ki-Gong Academy
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.59-77
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• 2016

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of symptom improvement in patients who were treated with Sik-jeok. Methods : We investigated 31 patients who were treated with the prescription of Sik-jeok had hospitalized to hospital in M Korean medicine hospital in Gimpo city, Gyeonggi Province from January 4th, 2016 to September 10th, 2016. We evaluated the change of them by using Martins AN. Results : Prescription of Sik-jeok tend to be administered in a shorter period of time than the total length of hospitalization. We can make a hypothesis that the longer the prescription of Sik-jeok period, the more likely it would be better results, but it could not be used statistically. Pyeongwisan gagam and Jungritang is possible to expect a better score compared to other prescriptions of Sik-jeok, but it was not statistically effective. Conclusions : These outcomes suggest the need of In-depth consideration about prescription of Sik-jeok and development of medication scale associated with prescription of Sik-jeok.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.234-244
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• 2010

Purpose: This study determined the level of stress and type of coping style of spouses with high-risk pregnant women. Methods: Subjects were 102 spouses with high-risk pregnant women at 6 hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi province from January to August, 2009. The tools for this study were stress scale and coping scale. The data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe's test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The average score of subjects stress was 2.18 and coping score was 2.46 point out of 4.00. The highest score of stress categories was 2.44 point in emotional problems and the lowest score was 1.72 in communication and support resources. The stress level was significant differences according to length of marriage, number of hospital visits, satisfaction with marriage relationship, hospitalization days and gestational age respectively. Spouses tended to use an active coping style (2.60) rather than a passive coping style (2.31). There were significant differences according to mother's age and gestational age in active coping and educational level in passive coping. Conclusion: Considering the level of stress coping style and characteristics of high-risk pregnant women's spouses, a nursing intervention should be provided to help them alleviate stress and to encourage active coping.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.177-180
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• 2000

Backgrounds： Patients with respiratory failure may require prolonged mechanical ventilation. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal time for tracheostomy and complications of tracheostomy. Methods : All medical records of 27 patients who underwent tracheostomy in department of thoracic & cardiovascular surgery at Yondong Severance hospital between January 1, 1990 and December 31, 1998, were reviewed. Variables analyzed include underlying disease, primary indication of tracheostomy, interval from 1st intubation to tracheostomy, duration from tracheostomy to weaning ventilator, duration of decannulation, and complication. There were 18 men and 9 women. Mean age at the time of the tracheostomy was 54 years (rage, 11 to 64 yeras). Results : Underlying diseases included lung cancer in 14 patients (51.9%), trauma in 8 patients (29.6%), and TE fistula in 2 patients. The indication for tracheostomy were as follows: prolonged mechanical ventilation in 13 patients, purpose of bronchial toilet in 9 patients, and tracheal stenosis in 5 patients. The mean interval between the first intubation and tracheostomy was 8.1 days. The mean duration from tracheostomy to weaning ventilator was 10.1 days. Conclusions : Timing of tracheostomy Is very important. Tracheostomy may benefit patients because it can accelerate the process of weaning and thus lead to a reduction in the duration of ventilation, length of hospitalization, and cost.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.31-45
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• 2001

With an economic development and epidemiologic transition, the burden of disease due to chronic diseases and accidents is increasing. However, in most of developing countries, long-term care facilities are not available, therefore acute care facilities should provide both acute and long-term care services. It is also true in Korea. The demand for long-term care services needs to be estimated to establish the adequate supply system of health resources. This article introduces the reclassification methodology of inpatients' healthcare utilization to acute and long-term care services. All discharged patients from hospitals for one month were analyzed. The distribution of inpatients' hospital days were fitted to Chi-squared distribution by ICD disease categories, and they were grouped in five clusters. For each cluster, the lower and upper limit of classification criteria to acute and long-term care services were chosen. Summarizing all hospital days corresponding to acute and long-term care respectively, 24 to 28 percent of inpatient services fumed out to be long-term care services. The study results are consistent with those of the existing studies. They can be used practically in the allocation of long-term care resources.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the types of venous access devices (VAD) for cancer patients and investigate the factors related to the insertions of central venous catheter (CVC) in cancer patients. Methods: The subjects were 379 cancer patients. A retrospective review of all patients who were discharged from a cancer unit from November 1st to 21st in 2008 was done using a structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 82 CVC (21.6%) was inserted among 379 patients for administering anticancer therapy. There were statistically significant differences in age, length of stay (LOS), cumulative LOS, medical department, history of CVC insertion, cancer category, and albumin level between patients using peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters and CVC. In addition, factors influencing the use of CVC were LOS (odds ratio [OR]=0.286, confidence interval [CI]=1.043-1.124), history of CVC insertion (OR=3.920, CI=0.128-0.637), albumin level (OR=1.010, CI=1.879-8.179), cumulative LOS (OR=1.010, CI=1.001-1.018), and hematological diseases (OR=4.863, CI=2.162-10.925). Conclusion: We found that central venous catheterization for anticancer therapy was minimal even though CVC was safe and effective device for IV access. It is necessary to develop a strategy to use VADs efficiently and timely for cancer patients.