• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.1699-1705
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• 2015

Background: Medication errors in oncology may cause severe clinical problems due to low therapeutic indices and high toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. We aimed to investigate unintentional medication errors and underlying factors during chemotherapy preparation and administration based on a systematic survey conducted to reflect oncology nurses experience. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in 18 adult chemotherapy units with volunteer participation of 206 nurses. A survey developed by primary investigators and medication errors (MAEs) defined preventable errors during prescription of medication, ordering, preparation or administration. The survey consisted of 4 parts: demographic features of nurses; workload of chemotherapy units; errors and their estimated monthly number during chemotherapy preparation and administration; and evaluation of the possible factors responsible from ME. The survey was conducted by face to face interview and data analyses were performed with descriptive statistics. Chi-square or Fisher exact tests were used for a comparative analysis of categorical data. Results: Some 83.4% of the 210 nurses reported one or more than one error during chemotherapy preparation and administration. Prescribing or ordering wrong doses by physicians (65.7%) and noncompliance with administration sequences during chemotherapy administration (50.5%) were the most common errors. The most common estimated average monthly error was not following the administration sequence of the chemotherapeutic agents (4.1 times/month, range 1-20). The most important underlying reasons for medication errors were heavy workload (49.7%) and insufficient number of staff (36.5%). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the probability of medication error is very high during chemotherapy preparation and administration, the most common involving prescribing and ordering errors. Further studies must address the strategies to minimize medication error in chemotherapy receiving patients, determine sufficient protective measures and establishing multistep control mechanisms.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7119-7123
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• 2014

Background: The role of second-line therapy in metastatic pancreatic cancer is not clear. In this study, we aimed to explore the second-line efficiency of capecitabine and oxaliplatin (XELOX) in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who have received gemcitabine-based first-line therapy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 47 patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer previously treated with gemcitabine-based first-line regimens. Treatment consisted of oxaliplatin $130mg/m^2$ and capecitabine $1000mg/m^2$ twice daily with a 3 week interval, until unacceptable toxicity or disease progression. Results: Median number of cycles was 4 (range, 2-10). The overall disease control rate was 38.3%. The median overall survival and progression-free survival from the start of second-line therapy were 23 weeks (95%CI: 16.6-29.5 weeks) and 12 weeks (95%CI: 9.8-14.4 weeks), respectively. The most common grade 3-4 toxicities were nausea, vomiting and hematologic side effects. Conclusions: Our result suggests that the combination of capecitabine and oxaliplatin was tolerated with manageable toxicity and showed encouraging activity as second-line treatment of advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer patients with ECOG performance status 0-2.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2413-2418
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• 2015

Background: Although adjuvant chemotherapy is a standard treatment in stage III colon cancer, its benefit is not as clear for stage II patients. In this retrospective analysis, we aimed to evaluate the survival of patients with low-risk stage II colon cancer, the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk stage II colon cancer patients, and prognostic factors in stage II disease. Materials and Methods: One hundred and seventeen patients who were diagnosed with stage II colon cancer between January 2006 and December 2011 were included in the study. Patients were stratified into two groups as being low-risk and high-risk according to risk factors for stage II disease. Adjuvant 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy were administered to the patients with risk factors. Results: Ninety-four patients were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy due to high risk factors and 23 were monitored without treatment. Median follow-up time was 43 months. In terms of disease free survival and overall survival, adjuvant chemotherapy did not provide a statistically significant difference. Univariate analysis demonstrated that bowel obstruction was the major risk factor for shortened disease-free survival, while bowel perforation and perineural invasion were both negative prognostic factors for overall survival. Conclusions: The recommendation of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer is not clear. In our study, it was found that adjuvant chemotherapy did not contribute to survival in high-risk stage II patients. Due to the fact that prognosis of stage II patients is good, many more patients will be needed for statistically significant differences in survival. Adjuvant chemotherapy containing 5 fluorouracil is being used to high-risk stage II patients although it is not a standard treatment approach.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.2101-2105
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• 2013

Background: Long-term survival is a problem with locally advanced and metastatic renal cell carcinomas. Sunitinib malate is an oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, but data on sunitinib use as a second line treatment in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) are limited. Prognostic and predictive value of peripheral blood markers has been shown for many cancers. Materials and Methods: Efficacy and safety profiles of sunitinib after interferon alpha (IFN-${\alpha}$) were evaluated based on retrospective data for 23 patients with mRCC. Hematological parameters (neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, mean platelet volume, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio) were recorded at the time of metastasis. It was evaluated whether hematological parameters were prognostic and predictive factors. Results: Median progression-free survival (PFS) time was 16.5 months (95%CI: 0-34.5). Median overall survival (OS) time was 25.7 months (95%CI: 10.8-40.0). Most common side effects were neutropenia (52.2%), stomatitis (26.1%) and hand-food syndrome (26.1%). PFS was found 3.13 vs 17.1 months in patients with neutrophil / lymphocyte ratio (NLR)>3 vs $NLR{\leq}3$ (p:0.012). Median OS was 6.96 vs 27.1 months in patients with NLR>3 vs $NLR{\leq}3$ (p:0.001).While 75% of patients who responded to sunitinib had $NLR{\leq}3$, in 72% of patients with no response to sunitinib NLR>3 was detected (p:0.036). The association between the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) criteria and NLR was statistically significant (p:0.022). Conclusions: Data on second line sunitinib treatment following cytokine in mRCC are limited. In our study, we observed second line sunitinib treatment following IFN-${\alpha}$ to be effective and tolerable. NLRappeared to have prognostic and predictive value.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.4781-4786
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• 2014

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the predictive value of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to better clarify which patient groups will benefit the most from particular treatments like bevacizumab. Materials and Methods: A total of 245 treatment-naive metastatic colorectal cancern (mCRC) patients were retrospectively enrolled and divided into 2 groups: 145 group A patients were treated with chemotherapy in combination with bevacizumab, and 100 group B patients were treated as above without bevacizumab. Results: Group A patients had better median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) (24.0 and 9.0 months) than group B patients (20 and 6.0 months) (p=0.033; p=0.015). In patients with low NLR, OS and PFS were significantly longer in group A patients (27 vs 18 months, p=0.001; 11 vs 7 months, p=0.017). Conclusions: We conclude that NLR, a basal cancer related inflammation marker, is associated with the resistance to bevacizumab-based treatments in mCRC patients.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.20 no.1 s.21
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• pp.56-66
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• 1987

Information on productivity of hospital personnel is required for optimum staffing and hospital management. This study deals with the quantitative aspects of workload of medical personnel in training hospitals by their specific characteristics. Specifically this study attempted to find relevant determinants of the productivity of medical personnel using multiple stepwise regression analysis based on data obtained from 135 training hospitals. The findings of this study were as follows: 1) Daily average number of outpatients and inpatients treated by a physician were 20.4 and 10.2, respectively. 2) Daily average number of patients cared by a nurse was 8.2. Daily average number of tests performed by pathologic technician and radiologic technician were 83.2 and 21.5, respectively. 3) Productivity of medical personnel were significantly different for the three groups of factors: hospital sire (number of beds, number of medical personnel per 100 beds): institutional characteristics (medical school affiliation, training type, profit status); and environmental factors (location, number of physician and beds per 1,000 population in the region). 4) The factors a(footing the productivity varied according to the types of medical profession: the number if beds, the number of physicians per 100 beds, training type, and profit status for physicians; the number of nurses per 100 beds, the number of beds, medical school affiliation for nurses; the number of physicians per 100 beds, the number of technicians per 100 beds, and ownership for pathologic technicians; the number o( technicians, training type, and the number of physicians per 100 beds for radiologic technician.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10631-10636
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• 2015

Background: We aimed to investigate anxiety, depression and sexual satisfaction levels and the effects of depression and anxiety upon the sexual satisfaction of Turkish breast cancer patients and their partners. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from one hundred breast cancer patients and their partners, using three forms: one covering information about socio-demographic characteristics of the patients, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADs) and the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS). Results: The frequencies, avoidance and touch subscores were statistically significantly high in the patients. Among those with high anxiety scores, the frequency, communication, satisfaction, touch, and anorgasmic subscale scores of GRISS were found to be significantly high. Among the partners whose anxiety scores were high, only the premature ejaculation subscale was statistically significant. It was determined that for partners with higher depression scores, the communication, satisfaction, avoidance, premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction subscores of GRISS were statistically higher compared to partners with lower depression scores. Conclusions: Patients' quality of life may be increased by taking precautions to reduce their and their partners' psychosocial and psychosexual concerns.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.69-74
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• 2013

This study aimed to review the expected changes in the medical educational environment and to evaluate approaches to coping with the abolition of the postgraduate intern training system. It is expected that after the intern training system is dismantled, postgraduate medical students will be deprived of the opportunity to practice opportunity for clinical practice and to inquire into their medical specialization. Therefore, major improvements in the clinical education curriculum must be made so that students can do so through the clinical education program. Offering students the opportunity to perform clinical practice through the clinical education program might require a revision in the laws and regulations on clinical education as well as the standardization of the clinical education curriculum in line with international practices. Reform measures to provide students the opportunity to inquire their specializations might be the introduction of a medical curriculum containing diverse fields and the establishment of a matching program to assign medical students to their residency programs after medical school. Finally, the fact that the basic concern of postgraduate medical education is the cultivation of primary care physicians must not be forgotten even after the dismantling of the postgraduate intern training system.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.59-73
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to enhance the efficiency of clinical training education by understanding paramedic students' perceptions of their hospital clinical training experiences. Methods: The subjects were 31 third paramedic students who participated in a population survey from June 25 to August 13, 2016. A Q card and Q sample distribution chart were created, and the P sample was selected by Q classification. The collected data were analyzed by factorial analysis using PC QUANL. Results: Four different perceptions were identified from the survey, which explained 44.1% of the variables. The four types were classified as Self-improvement-oriented (Type 1), Training-site avoidant (Type 2), Confidence acquiring (Type 3), and Over-willed (Type 4). Conclusion: Paramedic instructors and clinical training managers may want to consider these four perception types when planning clinical training and education programs to improve job performance.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.21-32
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to assess individual decisive factors for distribution of medical specialists in Korea. A data set was constructed using several published data sources. including the Korean Medical Association's physician master file as a principal source for physician information. Linear logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between the location of private specialist clinic for practice with six variables related with individual characteristics: age. sex. location of postgraduate training hospital. location of medical school graduated, size of hospital for training, and specialty. Analysis showed that location of practice. classified into urban and rural areas, was significantly associated with the variables of sex. location of postgraduate training hospital. location of medical school. In addition, significant association was found between the location of practice which was categorized into "near-Seoul area" and others, and sex, location of postgraduate training hospital. and location of medical school. We could conclude that to improve area maldistribution of physicians locations of hospitals for training and medical schools have to have the highest priority in the policymaking.icymaking.