• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.51-74
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• 2007

This study applied Data Envelopment Analysis to a set of Korean Public Corporation Medical Centers and Japanese Municipal Hospitals to compare their relative human resource efficiencies. Based on the data provided on the inputs and outputs, the analysis showed Japanese municipal hospitals were relatively efficient than Korean hospitals. The result of analysing BCC model shows 5 hospitals in Japan and 7 in Korea with an efficiency rating of less than 1 as considered relatively inefficient. For the inefficient hospitals the manner in which inefficient hospitals may be made efficient were indicated by the managerial strategies based on dual variables. A subsequent analysis of Wilcoxon rank-sum test revealed that the medical revenue per medical expense, labor cost per value added revenue were statistically significant between efficient and inefficient Korean hospitals and medical revenue per medical expense, labor cost per value added revenue, bed occupancy rate, average length of stay, rate of personnel expenses per medical revenue were statistically significant between efficient and inefficient Japanese hospitals.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4025-4032
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• 2013

Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for all US populations including Asian Americans. CRC screening has considerable benefits to prevent CRC and reduce mortality. The purpose of this article was to review the published literature on rates of colorectal cancer screening and factors associated with colorectal cancer screening practice among Asian Americans. Methods: Through searching electronic reference databases from 2000 to 2013, 30 articles were found on Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans. Findings: Asian Americans had significantly low ratesfor CRC screening; Korean Americans reported the lowest rates, while higher screening rates were found among Japanese Americans. Older age, longer length of stay in the US, and having a physician's recommendation were the most common facilitators to receiving screening. The common inhibiting factors were financial issues, employment status, and worries/fears about the procedure. Conclusions: Despite a number of Asian Americans being vulnerable to CRC, individual Asian subgroups were underserved with CRC screening and intervention. Further studies should focus on each individual Asian subgroup and culturally proficient CRC screening intervention programs should be developed for each.

• Journal of the Korean Professional Engineers Association
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.23-26
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• 2001

Seohae Grand Bridge is a part of the new West Coast Highway(353km) under construction, which connects Inchon and Mokpo. It is the longest bridge in Korea (7.31 km), and has 97 spans of 60m each precast segmental approach bridges, 2 main spans of 165m each free cantilever segmental bridge(500m), and 1 stay cable bridge of 990m In total length. During the seven year long construction period, many new construction technologies and methods were utilized for the first time in Korea, and gave invaluable opportunities to experience and master these in completing the project on time with safety and precision. I am proud of being a member of this project, and wish to express deep appreciations to those who participated in the project.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.529-533
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• 1985

Though esophageal cancer was not a common disease, early metastasis and direct extension to adjacent organ were important on the treatment of disease. Therefore, palliative operation was often useful in advanced esophageal cancer. Between June 1985 through July 1985, we treated three cases of inoperable esophageal cancer with Celestin`s endo-esophageal tube by esophageal intubation. Three operations were done under general anesthesia. Celestin`s tube were inserted via oral cavity and additional traction on stomach were applied. After complete insertion of tube was done, the distal end of Celestin`s tube was modified in length. Also stay suture was applied between tube and stomach wall was applied. Postoperative esophagogram revealed good esophageal patency through Celestin`s tube. Clinically, swallowing difficulty was much improved after operation.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 2024

In this study, we consider the sample size determination problem for clustered count data with many zeros. In general, zero-inflated Poisson and binomial models are commonly used for zero-inflated data; however, in real data the assumptions that should be satisfied when using each model might be violated. We calculate the required sample size based on a discrete Weibull regression model that can handle both underdispersed and overdispersed data types. We use the Monte Carlo simulation to compute the required sample size. With our proposed method, a unified model with a low failure risk can be used to cope with the dispersed data type and handle data with many zeros, which appear in groups or clusters sharing a common variation source. A simulation study shows that our proposed method provides accurate results, revealing that the sample size is affected by the distribution skewness, covariance structure of covariates, and amount of zeros. We apply our method to the pancreas disorder length of the stay data collected from Western Australia.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.132-141
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• 2021

Purpose: Intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy during reduced-port gastrectomy for proximal gastric cancer is a technically challenging technique. No study has yet reported a robotic technique for anastomosis. Therefore, to address this gap, we describe our reduced-port technique and the short-term outcomes of intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent a totally robotic reduced-port total or proximal gastrectomy between August 2016 and March 2020. We used an infra-umbilical Single-Site^® port with two additional ports on both sides of the abdomen. To transect the esophagus, a 45-mm endolinear stapler was inserted via the right abdominal port. The common channel of the esophagojejunostomy was created between the apertures in the esophagus and proximal jejunum using a 45-mm linear stapler. The entry hole was closed with a 45-mm linear stapler or robot-sewn continuous suture. All anastomoses were performed without the aid of an assistant or placement of stay sutures. Results: Among the 40 patients, there were no conversions to open, laparoscopic, or conventional 5-port robotic surgery. The median operation time and blood loss were 254 min and 50 mL, respectively. The median number of retrieved lymph nodes was 40.5. The median time to first flatus, soft diet intake, and length of hospital stay were 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively. Three (7.5%) major complications, including two anastomosis-related complications and a case of small bowel obstruction, were treated with an endoscopic procedure and re-operation, respectively. No mortality occurred during the study period. Conclusions: Intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy during reduced-port gastrectomy can be safely performed and is feasible with acceptable surgical outcomes.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.74-83
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• 2021

Purpose: No consensus exists on whether to preserve or ligate an aberrant left hepatic artery (ALHA), which is the most commonly encountered hepatic arterial variation during gastric surgery. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the clinical effects of ALHA ligation by analyzing the perioperative outcomes. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 5,310 patients who underwent subtotal/total gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Patients in whom the ALHA was ligated (n=486) were categorized into 2 groups according to peak aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels: moderate-to-severe (MS) elevation (≥5 times the upper limit of normal [ULN]; MS group, n=42) and no-to-mild (NM) elevation (<5 times the ULN; NM group, n=444). The groups were matched 1:3 using propensity score-matching analysis to minimize confounding factors that can affect the perioperative outcomes. Results: The mean operation time (P=0.646) and blood loss amount (P=0.937) were similar between the 2 groups. The length of hospital stay was longer in the MS group (13.0 vs. 7.8 days, P=0.022). No postoperative mortality occurred. The incidence of grade ≥ IIIa postoperative complications (19.0% vs. 5.1%, P=0.001), especially pulmonary complications (11.9% vs. 2.5%, P=0.003), was significantly higher in the MS group. This group also showed a higher Comprehensive Complication Index (29.0 vs. 13.9, P<0.001). Conclusions: Among patients with a ligated ALHA, those with peak AST/ALT ≥5 times the ULN showed worse perioperative outcomes in terms of hospital stay and severity of complications. More precise perioperative decision-making tools are needed to better determine whether to preserve or ligate an ALHA.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.63-73
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of total laparoscopic total gastrectomy without mesentery division (LTG without MD) and conventional total laparoscopic total gastrectomy (CLTG), as well as evaluate the appropriate method for esophagojejunostomy (EJ) reconstruction after total laparoscopic total gastrectomy (TLTG). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 301 consecutive patients who underwent TLTG for upper or middle third gastric cancer between January 2016 and May 2019. After propensity score matching, 95 patients who underwent LTG without MD and 95 who underwent CLTG were assessed. Data on clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes, including operation time, length of postoperative hospital stay, pathological findings, and postoperative complications were analyzed. Results: The LTG without MD group showed a shorter time to first flatus (3.26±0.80 vs. 3.62±0.81 days, P=0.003) and a shorter time to soft diet (2.80±2.09 vs. 3.52±2.20 days, P=0.002). The total EJ-related complications in the LTG without MD group were comparable to those in the CLTG group (9.47% vs. 3.16%, P=0.083). EJ-related leakage (6.32% vs. 3.16%, P=0.317) and EJ-related stricture (3.16% vs. 1.05%, P=0.317) rates were not significantly different between the LTG without MD and CLTG groups. No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of other early surgical outcomes such as early complications, late complications, hospital stay, and readmission rate. Conclusions: LTG without MD is a safe surgical treatment for upper or middle third gastric cancer. LTG without MD may be an alternative procedure for EJ anastomosis during TLTG.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.333-348
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• 2020

Purpose: The present study investigated the association between nurse staffing and health outcomes among psychiatric inpatients in Korea by assessing National Health Insurance claims data. Methods: The dataset included 70,136 patients aged 19 years who were inpatients in psychiatric wards for at least two days in 2016 and treated for mental and behavioral disorders due to use of alcohol; schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders; and mood disorders across 453 hospitals. Nurse staffing levels were measured in three ways: registered nurse-to-inpatient ratio, registered nurse-to-adjusted inpatient ratio, and nursing staff-to-adjusted inpatient ratio. Patient outcomes included length of stay, readmission within 30 days, psychiatric emergency treatment, use of injected psycholeptics for chemical restraint, and hypnotics use. Relationships between nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes were analyzed considering both patient and system characteristics using multilevel modeling. Results: Multilevel analyses revealed that more inpatients per registered nurse, adjusted inpatients per registered nurse, and adjusted inpatients per nursing staff were associated with longer lengths of stay as well as a higher risk of readmission. More adjusted inpatients per registered nurse and adjusted inpatients per nursing staff were also associated with increased hypnotics use but a lower risk of psychiatric emergency treatment. Nurse staffing levels were not significantly associated with the use of injected psycholeptics for chemical restraint. Conclusion: Lower nurse staffing levels are associated with negative health outcomes of psychiatric inpatients. Policies for improving nurse staffing toward an optimal level should be enacted to facilitate better outcomes for psychiatric inpatients in Korea.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2011

Purposes: Pancreatic injury is rare in abdominal trauma patients (3%~12%). but it could result in significant morbidity and even mortality. Early and adequate decision making are very important in the management of patients with traumatic pancreatic injury. The purpose of this study was to assess the kinds of management and outcome through the review of our experience of pancreatic injury with multiple trauma. Methods: We reviewed 17 patients with traumatic pancreas injury via electronic medical records from Jan. 2002 and April. 2011. We collected demographic findings; the type, location and grade of pancreas injury, the treatment modality, and patient's outcomes, such as complications, length of hospital stay (LOS), and mortality. Results: Total 17 patients were reviewed, and man was 13 (88%). Traffic accident was the most common cause of injury. Pancreas neck was the most common injured site, and occured in 5 patients. Ductal injury was detected in 7 cases. Eleven patients were treated by surgical procedure, and in this group, 3 patients underwent the endoscopic retrograde pancreas drainage procedure coincidently. ERPD was tried in 8 patients, and failed in 2 patients. The major complications were post-traumatic fluid collection and abscess which accounted for 70 % of all patients. The hospital stay was 35.9 days, and it was longer in patient with ductal injury ($38.0{\pm}18.56$ vs. $34.5{\pm}33.68$ days). Only one patient was died due to septic shock associated with an uncontrolled retroperitoneal abscess. Conclusion: Early diagnosis is the most important factor to apply the adequate treatment option and to manage the traumatic pancreas injury. Aggressive treatment should be considered in patients with a post-operative abscess.