• Title/Summary/Keyword: Medical Service

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Analyzing Contextual Polarity of Unstructured Data for Measuring Subjective Well-Being (주관적 웰빙 상태 측정을 위한 비정형 데이터의 상황기반 긍부정성 분석 방법)

  • Choi, Sukjae;Song, Yeongeun;Kwon, Ohbyung
    • Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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    • v.22 no.1
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    • pp.83-105
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    • 2016
  • Measuring an individual's subjective wellbeing in an accurate, unobtrusive, and cost-effective manner is a core success factor of the wellbeing support system, which is a type of medical IT service. However, measurements with a self-report questionnaire and wearable sensors are cost-intensive and obtrusive when the wellbeing support system should be running in real-time, despite being very accurate. Recently, reasoning the state of subjective wellbeing with conventional sentiment analysis and unstructured data has been proposed as an alternative to resolve the drawbacks of the self-report questionnaire and wearable sensors. However, this approach does not consider contextual polarity, which results in lower measurement accuracy. Moreover, there is no sentimental word net or ontology for the subjective wellbeing area. Hence, this paper proposes a method to extract keywords and their contextual polarity representing the subjective wellbeing state from the unstructured text in online websites in order to improve the reasoning accuracy of the sentiment analysis. The proposed method is as follows. First, a set of general sentimental words is proposed. SentiWordNet was adopted; this is the most widely used dictionary and contains about 100,000 words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs with polarities from -1.0 (extremely negative) to 1.0 (extremely positive). Second, corpora on subjective wellbeing (SWB corpora) were obtained by crawling online text. A survey was conducted to prepare a learning dataset that includes an individual's opinion and the level of self-report wellness, such as stress and depression. The participants were asked to respond with their feelings about online news on two topics. Next, three data sources were extracted from the SWB corpora: demographic information, psychographic information, and the structural characteristics of the text (e.g., the number of words used in the text, simple statistics on the special characters used). These were considered to adjust the level of a specific SWB. Finally, a set of reasoning rules was generated for each wellbeing factor to estimate the SWB of an individual based on the text written by the individual. The experimental results suggested that using contextual polarity for each SWB factor (e.g., stress, depression) significantly improved the estimation accuracy compared to conventional sentiment analysis methods incorporating SentiWordNet. Even though literature is available on Korean sentiment analysis, such studies only used only a limited set of sentimental words. Due to the small number of words, many sentences are overlooked and ignored when estimating the level of sentiment. However, the proposed method can identify multiple sentiment-neutral words as sentiment words in the context of a specific SWB factor. The results also suggest that a specific type of senti-word dictionary containing contextual polarity needs to be constructed along with a dictionary based on common sense such as SenticNet. These efforts will enrich and enlarge the application area of sentic computing. The study is helpful to practitioners and managers of wellness services in that a couple of characteristics of unstructured text have been identified for improving SWB. Consistent with the literature, the results showed that the gender and age affect the SWB state when the individual is exposed to an identical queue from the online text. In addition, the length of the textual response and usage pattern of special characters were found to indicate the individual's SWB. These imply that better SWB measurement should involve collecting the textual structure and the individual's demographic conditions. In the future, the proposed method should be improved by automated identification of the contextual polarity in order to enlarge the vocabulary in a cost-effective manner.

Analyses of the Efficiency in Hospital Management (병원 단위비용 결정요인에 관한 연구)

  • Ro, Kong-Kyun;Lee, Seon
    • Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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    • v.9 no.1
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    • pp.66-94
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    • 2004
  • The objective of this study is to examine how to maximize the efficiency of hospital management by minimizing the unit cost of hospital operation. For this purpose, this paper proposes to develop a model of the profit maximization based on the cost minimization dictum using the statistical tools of arriving at the maximum likelihood values. The preliminary survey data are collected from the annual statistics and their analyses published by Korea Health Industry Development Institute and Korean Hospital Association. The maximum likelihood value statistical analyses are conducted from the information on the cost (function) of each of 36 hospitals selected by the random stratified sampling method according to the size and location (urban or rural) of hospitals. We believe that, although the size of sample is relatively small, because of the sampling method used and the high response rate, the power of estimation of the results of the statistical analyses of the sample hospitals is acceptable. The conceptual framework of analyses is adopted from the various models of the determinants of hospital costs used by the previous studies. According to this framework, the study postulates that the unit cost of hospital operation is determined by the size, scope of service, technology (production function) as measured by capacity utilization, labor capital ratio and labor input-mix variables, and by exogeneous variables. The variables to represent the above cost determinants are selected by using the step-wise regression so that only the statistically significant variables may be utilized in analyzing how these variables impact on the hospital unit cost. The results of the analyses show that the models of hospital cost determinants adopted are well chosen. The various models analyzed have the (goodness of fit) overall determination (R2) which all turned out to be significant, regardless of the variables put in to represent the cost determinants. Specifically, the size and scope of service, no matter how it is measured, i. e., number of admissions per bed, number of ambulatory visits per bed, adjusted inpatient days and adjusted outpatients, have overall effects of reducing the hospital unit costs as measured by the cost per admission, per inpatient day, or office visit implying the existence of the economy of scale in the hospital operation. Thirdly, the technology used in operating a hospital has turned out to have its ramifications on the hospital unit cost similar to those postulated in the static theory of the firm. For example, the capacity utilization as represented by the inpatient days per employee tuned out to have statistically significant negative impacts on the unit cost of hospital operation, while payroll expenses per inpatient cost has a positive effect. The input-mix of hospital operation, as represented by the ratio of the number of doctor, nurse or medical staff per general employee, supports the known thesis that the specialized manpower costs more than the general employees. The labor/capital ratio as represented by the employees per 100 beds is shown to have a positive effect on the cost as expected. As for the exogeneous variable's impacts on the cost, when this variable is represented by the percent of urban 100 population at the location where the hospital is located, the regression analysis shows that the hospitals located in the urban area have a higher cost than those in the rural area. Finally, the case study of the sample hospitals offers a specific information to hospital administrators about how they share in terms of the cost they are incurring in comparison to other hospitals. For example, if his/her hospital is of small size and located in a city, he/she can compare the various costs of his/her hospital operation with those of other similar hospitals. Therefore, he/she may be able to find the reasons why the cost of his/her hospital operation has a higher or lower cost than other similar hospitals in what factors of the hospital cost determinants.

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Perception and Satisfaction on Nutrition Counseling Service for Patients Consuming a Therapeutic Diet at Hospitals in Busan (부산지역 일부병원 치료식 섭취 환자의 영양상담에 대한 인식 및 만족도)

  • Yi, Jeong-Ryeh;Son, Eun-Joo;Lyu, Eun-Soon
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.39 no.9
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    • pp.1305-1312
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    • 2010
  • The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception and satisfaction on the nutrition counseling service for patients consuming a therapeutic diet at hospitals in Busan. The subjects were 153 inpatients at five hospitals with over 400 beds each. The research was performed through the interviewing process using questionnaires conducted from January to February, 2008. In a total of 88 patients, 57.5% had experienced nutrition counseling and were through the motives of counseling with doctors 64.2% and themselves 29.3% of the patients. In the method of nutrition counseling, 58% of the patients had an individual counseling. In the patients' perception on the nutrition counseling, 75.0% of the patients understood very well, 83.0% of them perceived the explanation as very important, 79.5% were very satisfied and 78.7% were helped in nutrition-management. On a scale of 5.00 for the nutrition counseling satisfaction, the average scores were 3.80 for 'explanation of knowledge', 3.71 for 'cognitive communication skills', 4.05 for 'effective communication skills' and 3.60 for 'facilitation skills'. The items of low scores in the nutrition counseling satisfaction were 'follow up diet-therapy after discharge', 'providing to personalized nutrition information', 'presentation of specific menu' and 'methods of menu planning'. There were significant (p<0.01) positive correlation between perception and satisfaction on the nutrition counseling. Therefore, it was suggested that dietitians increase the patients' satisfaction on the nutrition counseling with developing the model based on the patient-centered counseling.

Development of the Information Delivery System for the Home Nursing Service (가정간호사업 운용을 위한 정보전달체계 개발 I (가정간호 데이터베이스 구축과 뇌졸중 환자의 가정간호 전산개발))

  • Park, J.H;Kim, M.J;Hong, K.J;Han, K.J;Park, S.A;Yung, S.N;Lee, I.S;Joh, H.;Bang, K.S
    • Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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    • v.4
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    • pp.5-22
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    • 1997
  • The purpose of the study was to development an information delivery system for the home nursing service, to demonstrate and to evaluate the efficiency of it. The period of research conduct was from September 1996 to August 31, 1997. At the 1st stage to achieve the purpose, Firstly Assessment tool for the patients with cerebral vascular disease who have the first priority of HNS among the patients with various health problems at home was developed through literature review. Secondly, after identification of patient nursing problem by the home care nurse with the assessment tool, the patient's classification system developed by Park (1988) that was 128 nursing activities under 6 categories was used to identify the home care nurse's activities of the patient with CAV at home. The research team had several workshops with 5 clinical nurse experts to refine it. At last 110 nursing activities under 11 categories for the patients with CVA were derived. At the second stage, algorithms were developed to connect 110 nursing activities with the patient nursing problems identified by assessment tool. The computerizing process of the algorithms is as follows: These algorithms are realized with the computer program by use of the software engineering technique. The development is made by the prototyping method, which is the requirement analysis of the software specifications. The basic features of the usability, compatibility, adaptability and maintainability are taken into consideration. Particular emphasis is given to the efficient construction of the database. To enhance the database efficiency and to establish the structural cohesion, the data field is categorized with the weight of relevance to the particular disease. This approach permits the easy adaptability when numerous diseases are applied in the future. In paralleled with this, the expandability and maintainability is stressed through out the program development, which leads to the modular concept. However since the disease to be applied is increased in number as the project progress and since they are interrelated and coupled each other, the expand ability as well as maintainability should be considered with a big priority. Furthermore, since the system is to be synthesized with other medical systems in the future, these properties are very important. The prototype developed in this project is to be evaluated through the stage of system testing. There are various evaluation metrics such as cohesion, coupling and adaptability so on. But unfortunately, direct measurement of these metrics are very difficult, and accordingly, analytical and quantitative evaluations are almost impossible. Therefore, instead of the analytical evaluation, the experimental evaluation is to be applied through the test run by various users. This system testing will provide the viewpoint analysis of the user's level, and the detail and additional requirement specifications arising from user's real situation will be feedback into the system modeling. Also. the degree of freedom of the input and output will be improved, and the hardware limitation will be investigated. Upon the refining, the prototype system will be used as a design template. and will be used to develop the more extensive system. In detail. the relevant modules will be developed for the various diseases, and the module will be integrated by the macroscopic design process focusing on the inter modularity, generality of the database. and compatibility with other systems. The Home care Evaluation System is comprised of three main modules of : (1) General information on a patient, (2) General health status of a patient, and (3) Cerebrovascular disease patient. The general health status module has five sub modules of physical measurement, vitality, nursing, pharmaceutical description and emotional/cognition ability. The CVA patient module is divided into ten sub modules such as subjective sense, consciousness, memory and language pattern so on. The typical sub modules are described in appendix 3.

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Analytical studies of bovine mastitis management by standard plate counts(SPC) and somatic cell counts(SCC) (젖소 유방염 관리에 따른 세균 및 체세포수 등급 실태 조사 분석)

  • 허정호;정명호;박영호;조명희;이주홍
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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    • v.21 no.3
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    • pp.285-300
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    • 1998
  • 1. The number of average milking cows, clinical forms of mastitis, mastitis-developing cows, and cows killed by mastitis a year were 25.7, 1.8(7%), 6.3(26%), and 2.7(10.1%)heads, respectively. The annual grade changes of standard plate counts(SPC) and somatic cell counts(SCC) showed the grade 1A of SPC diminished sharply from April to August, we think it was due to the lack of proper management in farming season and the grade 3 of SCC indirectly influenced increased in huge during August. 2. The average number of parturitions of farms was 2.3, but 50% of below 1 parturition were 22 farms(31%), 50% of above 3 parturitions were 16(23%) out of 71 farms. According to grades of the number of parturitions of milking cows per each farm, the farms' grades recording 3 parturitions and 50% were little bit excellent. 3. The actual situation research of foremilking CMT revealed 35 out of 74 farmer didn't do CMT Among them(35 out of 74 farmers), 80% did not test thanks to the troublesome process of the CMT. SCC grade 3, among farms who did foremilking CMT once or twice a month and who did not were 29% and 40% respectively and SPC grade 1A were 55% and 9%, respectively. 4. The research of actual situation on milking management let us know 29 farms(39%) did not do lastmilking, 37 farms(49%) usually did overmilking, and 34 farms(46%) did milking for 4 or 5 minutes. Grades according to average requiring times of milking showed SCC grade 1 of farms milking within 7 minutes was 11% and SPC grade 1A was 34%, on the other side, farms milking more than 7 minutes were 0% in SCC grade 1 and 13% in SPC grade 1A. Grades according to the starting time of milking after rubbing teats showed SPC grade 1A of farms starting milking at about 1 minute and over 2 minutes were 50% and 20%, respectively. 5. The research of actual situation on hygienic milking management uncovered 65 farms(88%) were using one towel which was used in washing teats and udders to wash more than 3 to 4 cows, and 53 farms(72%) were using one dried towel to dry udders not for each cow but for more than 3 to 4 cows after washing. Also, on milking turns disclosed 30 farms(40%) were milking cows in the order of incoming without isolation of a dominant group. According to grades of towels used in washing teats and udders, farms using a towel for each cow were 56% and a towel for over 3 cows were 31% in SPC grade 1A. According to using-or-not grades of dried towels after washing udders, farms using a towel for each cow were 79% and a towel for over 3 cows were 21% in SPC grade 1A. 6. Farms doing teat-dipping before milking were 7(10%), not doing teat-dipping after milking, or doing sometimes were 9(12%), and doing right after milking were 57(77%). And farms doing teat-dipping after dry cows and before delivery were 21(28a ). Farms using bethadine as an antiseptic solution were 70(95%), 40 farms(59%) diluted it with water as weak as 5 to 10 times, and on drying cows 64 farms(87%) slowly did it more than 2 days. Grade 1A of SPC of farms doing teat-dipping at every milking was 38%, farms doing occasionally or not was 33%, and farms doing it right after milking was 37% and doing after milking more than 5 cows was 20%. Grade 1A of SPC among farms diluting bethadine 5 times and diluting 5 to 10 times with water were 36% and 33%, respectively, and Grade 3 of SCC were 35% and 32%, respectively. 7. Studies on nonlactating period medical treatment, as the cows were on dry, 54 farms treated with their own hands.73 farms(98%) had bovine mastitis treated for themselves. And on applying medicines against mastitis, 55 farmers chose them on the basis of their own experience, 42 farms(57%) were treated more than 3 days. 41 farms(55%) dumped away the mastitis infected milk separately, 24 farms(32%) were feeding and milking at the same time. 8. Fifty-six farms(76%) always washed and disinfected milking machines after milking. Farms using the milking machines at low, or variable vacuum pressures, or at the vacuum pressure, set at the moment of its installation were 31(42%), and farms that did not know pulsation ratio were 27(37%). Farms changing liners when they were torn 8(11%), 58 farms(78%) said they checked milking system when there were wrong with them, 31 farms(42%) changed milking hoses when they found out problems, and 42 farms(57%) cleaned vacuum and milking systems when they felt dirty. The SPC grade 1A of farms washing and sterilizing milking machines was 38% and farms only washing was 28%.

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Database for Hospice Nursing in Electronic Medical Record (호스피스 전자기록을 위한 데이터베이스 개발)

  • Kim, Young-Soon;Lee, Chang-Geol;Lee, Kyoung-Ok;Kim, Ok-Kyum;Kim, In-Hye;Kim, Mi-Jeong;Hwang, Ae-Ran;Lee, Won-Hee
    • Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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    • v.7 no.2
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    • pp.200-213
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    • 2004
  • Purpose: The purpose of this study was to create an electronic nursing record form to build a hospice nursing process database to be used in the u-hospital EMR system. Specific aims of the study were: 1. To generate a complete, accurate, and simple electronic nursing record form. 2. To verify its appropriateness following documentation with the standardized hospice protocol. 3. To verify its validity and finalize the hospice nursing process database through discussion among hospice professionals. Methods: Nursing records from three independent hospice organizations were collected and analyzed by five expert hospice nurses with more than 10 years of experience, and a nursing record database was developed. This database was applied to 81 hospice patients at three hospice organizations to verify its completeness. Results: 1. An electronic nursing record form with completeness, accuracy, and simplicity was developed. 2. The completeness of the standardized home hospice service protocol was 95.86 percent. 3. The hospice nursing process database contains 18 items on health problems, 79 items on related causes and major symptoms, and 229 items on nursing interventions. Conclusion: The new nursing record form and database will reduce documentation time and articulate and streamline the working process among team members. They can also improve the quality of hospice services, and ultimately enable us to estimate hospice service costs.

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Effects of Private Insurance on Medical Expenditure (민간의료보험 가입이 의료이용에 미치는 영향)

  • Yun, Hee Suk
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.99-128
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    • 2008
  • Nearly all Koreans are insured through National Health Insurance(NHI). While NHI coverage is nearly universal, it is not complete. Coverage is largely limited to minimal level of hospital and physician expenses, and copayments are required in each case. As a result, Korea's public insurance system covers roughly 50% of overall individual health expenditures, and the remaining 50% consists of copayments for basic services, spending on services that are either not covered or poorly covered by the public system. In response to these gaps in the public system, 64% of the Korean population has supplemental private health insurance. Expansion of private health insurance raises negative externality issue. Like public financing schemes in other countries, the Korean system imposes cost-sharing on patients as a strategy for controlling utilization. Because most insurance policies reimburse patients for their out-of-pocket payments, supplemental insurance is likely to negate the impact of the policy, raising both total and public sector health spending. So far, most empirical analysis of supplemental health insurance to date has focused on the US Medigap programme. It is found that those with supplements apparently consume more health care. Two reasons for higher health care consumption by those with supplements suggest themselves. One is the moral hazard effect: by eliminating copayments and deductibles, supplements reduce the marginal price of care and induce additional consumption. The other explanation is that supplements are purchased by those who anticipate high health expenditures - adverse effect. The main issue addressed has been the separation of the moral hazard effect from the adverse selection one. The general conclusion is that the evidence on adverse selection based on observable variables is mixed. This article investigates the extent to which private supplementary insurance affect use of health care services by public health insurance enrollees, using Korean administrative data and private supplements related data collected through all relevant private insurance companies. I applied a multivariate two-part model to analyze the effects of various types of supplements on the likelihood and level of public health insurance spending and estimated marginal effects of supplements. Separate models were estimated for inpatients and outpatients in public insurance spending. The first part of the model estimated the likelihood of positive spending using probit regression, and the second part estimated the log of spending for those with positive spending. Use of a detailed information of individuals' public health insurance from administration data and of private insurance status from insurance companies made it possible to control for health status, the types of supplemental insurance owned by theses individuals, and other factors that explain spending variations across supplemental insurance categories in isolating the effects of supplemental insurance. Data from 2004 to 2006 were used, and this study found that private insurance increased the probability of a physician visit by less than 1 percent and a hospital admission by about 1 percent. However, supplemental insurance was not found to be associated with a bigger health care service utilization. Two-part models of health care utilization and expenditures showed that those without supplemental insurance had higher inpatient and outpatient expenditures than those with supplements, even after controlling for observable differences.

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Obstetric Complications by the Accessibility to Local Obstetric Service (지역별 분만서비스 접근도에 따른 산과적 합병증 비교)

  • Choi, Young Hyun;Na, Baeg Ju;Lee, Jin Yong;Hwang, Ji Hye;Lim, Nam Gu;Lee, Seong Ki
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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    • v.38 no.1
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    • pp.14-24
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    • 2013
  • Objectives: Pregnant women in rural areas do not have access to sufficient obstetric services in their own communities due to the shortage of obstetricians. Therefore, most of these women must seek obstetrician outside of their communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between obstetric complications and accessibility to local obstetric care in Korea. Methods: This study was an ecological study in which the unit of analysis was an administrative district. Using Korea National Health Insurance Corporation data, the total number of deliveries and the delivery proportion within and outside of the community from 2001 to 2008 were calculated for 232 administrative districts nationwide. Three outflow levels were categorized based on each district's out-of-community delivery proportion: high outflow (upper one third), moderate outflow (middle one third), and low outflow (lower one third). In addition, three obstetric complication rates (the rate of complications following abortion, ectopic and molar pregnancy, the abortion rate, and the eclampsia rate) were calculated for the 232 districts. One-way ANOVA and multivariate linear regression were used to evaluate obstetric complications among the three outflow levels. Results: The high outflow districts had higher rates of eclampsia and complications following abortion, ectopic, and molar pregnancy compared to the other districts (ANOVA, p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the abortion rate among the three groups. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that high outflow districts were statistically significant in the rate of complications following abortion, ectopic and molar pregnancy and eclampsia rate after adjusting for local tax per capita (p<0.01). Conclusion: These results indicate that poor access to local obstetric care correlate with poor obstetric outcomes (delayed or excessive bleeding, embolism, genital tract or pelvic infection, shock or other complications following abortion and ectopic or molar pregnancy, or eclampsia).

College-bound Curriculum Developement for Training of Atomic Industry Technician (원자력산업 중견전문인력 양성을 위한 전문대학 교육과정 개발)

  • Lyu, Kwang-Yeul;Kim, Sung-Soo;Ahn, Sung-Min
    • Journal of radiological science and technology
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    • v.28 no.1
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    • pp.33-44
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    • 2005
  • The objective of this study is to supply the good quality of experts the radiation industries in Korea and develop the major subject matter needed in the radiation industries and the curriculum in order to execute it for the variation of fields of employment at the department of radiation in the junior college and the development of the percentage of employment. In addition, this study is to improve the level of radiation experts engaged in the industries in quality, and it is to improve the social recognition of radiation rather negative now because of the development of radiation industry. As for the core results of this research, it was to suggest the detailed choice method curriculum proper to the service fields of radiation industries, but it may be subject to change due to each college's property and the educational objectives. From the result of this research above, it may be summed up as follows. First, as for the detailed curriculum by the service field, this study was to organize two subject matters: 1. the subject matter proper to the field of using the radiation, and 2. the subject matters proper to the safety control field of radiation. Second, as for the detailed curriculum by the pattern of industries, this study was to organize the four subject matters: 1. the subject matter needed in the manufactures, 2. the subject matter needed in the nondestructive testing industries, 3. the subject matter needed in the sales agencies, and 4. the subject matter needed in the laboratories. This study was to suggest the operational model about the curriculum in order to execute these subject matters. It could be executed as two methods below. First, one method is to execute the major systems by the medical field and industrial field in the third course at the department of radiation in the junior college now. Second, the other method is to make them specialize the industrial radiation in the Advanced Course(one year course) after the graduation of junior college. To operate these curricula successively it needs to assume the deeper research and the development of materials about the subject matters related to the nuclear radiation industries hereafter. In addition, it needs to solve the security of finance like the manpower of professor, space for practice, and the educational appliances, etc. needed in the operation of subject matters. Finally, the effect and result from the development or revision of college curriculum did not come out in a short time. It will require considerable time until the undergraduates at the department in the junior college finish a set of curriculum newly developed, and graduate the university, and can get the results while they engage in their works in the industrial sites. Accordingly, all the interested parties have to anticipate the results of this research with the patience in long-standing point of view. Also, this researcher considers it as it is willing to give them the continuous interest and support.

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The Seosan County Family Planning/Maternal & Child Health Service Research Project, Korea -Project Design and Findings of the Baseline Survey- (가족계획(家族計劃) 및 모자보건사업(母子保健事業)의 효율적 통합방안(統合方案)에 관한 연구(硏究)(서산군(瑞山郡)) -기초조사보고(基礎調査報告)-)

  • Bang, S.;Cho, T.H.;Lee, S.J.;Han, S.H.;Lim, K.J.;Ahn, M.Y.
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.163-192
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    • 1983
  • In order to facilitate the Korean government's efforts in integrating family planning and maternal & child health at the primary health care level (or township level), the Soon Chun Hyang College of Medicine, with the financial and technical assistance of WHO, has under-taken a service research project. The project has employed a quasi-experimental study design introducing interventions tat provide crucial factors lacking in the ongoing government programs such as midwives and qualified referral physicians. The study is being conducted in three locations, one control area and two study areas. Before introducing trained Nurse/Midewives into the study areas, a baseline prevalence survey was undertaken from 15 July 1981 to 10 August 1981 in selelcted townships of Seosan County. In this sample survey of bath the study and control areas, 2,484 eligible women (97% reponse rate) were interviewed to obtain benchmark data on basic evaluation indicators related to family planning and maternal and child health. The salients results were summarized as follows.: 1. CONTACT RATES WITH HEALTH WORKERS; During the year preceding the survey, 12% of women were visited by government health workers. The primary reason for such visits by health workers was family planning (45% of the visits). About 34% of the women visited the health centers during the year. The primary reason for visiting health centers was immunizations for their children (45% of the visits). 3. FAMILY PLANNING USE RATE; The baseline data showed little difference between women in the study area and the control area on contraceptive use. Approximately 59% were currently using some methods. However, among those current users, almost half were practicing less effective methods of birth control such as rhythm or withdrawal. Among other methods, the tubectomy was the most popular (16%), while use of the IUD, oral pill and condom together reached only 14%. 3. PRENATAL CARE RATE; About 75% of the women reported no prenatal care for their last births (the youngest child of each women), Additionally, among women received prenatal care, over half had only one visit. 4. ATTENDANCE AT DELIVERY; Most of the women surveyed (over 80%) were attended by a non-medical person during their last delivery. These figures are somewhat comparable to the national figure of 84% for remote areas. 5. POSTNATAL CARE; The proportion of women reporting postnatal care was only 4.5%, and postnatal care was not received by the majority of women surveyed. 6. CHILD HEALTH CARE: In contrast to the low rate of maternity care for women themselves, most women reported obtaining immunization care for their children. About 75% of the women obtained Polio and/or DPT, 58% BCG, and 44% Measles vaccine for their children. However, in terms of illness care, while 35% of the women stated that their youngest child had been sick during the month preceding the survey, only 28% of these women took their child to the clinic for treatment. 7. COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY AND DELIVERY AND ABNORMALITIES IN THE NEWBORN; Among all last deliveries, 18% of the women had pregnancy complications and 9% of the women had complications during delivery About 5% of the women reported abnormality in their most recent newborn. 8. REPRODUCTION EFFICIENCY; PERINATAL MORTALITY AND INFANT MORTALITY Based on data from the pregnancy history in this survey, reproduction efficiency was estimated. Out of the 11,154 pregnancies reported by all women surveyed, foetal loss was 21% (almost 16% were induced abortions) and infant deaths before reaching one year old were 3.1%. The reproduction efficiency was, therefore, reduced to 76%. In terms of perinatal and infant mortality rates, the former was 40.2 per 1,000 total births and the latter was 39.3 per 1,000 live births. Both rates described J shaped relationships with age of mothers and parity, and they were also correlated with birth interval and mother's education. In summary, this baseline survey data indicated a need for (1) improving contraceptive practices with more effective methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies and (2) providing better services for maternal and child care to protect wanted pregancies. In the Korean rural setting. the author believes that the latter is more important as the value of each child has increased as a result of the family planning campaign for the past two decades. This calls for more effective integration of Family Planning and MCH programmes to meet the needs of the family in each stage of the child bearing and rearing period with deploying more qualified personnel than the current government program personnel.

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