• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.104-112
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• 2020

This study was done to investigate the independent organizations established for patient safety, related policies, and the duties of experts in other countries. Australia established an organization called the Commission in 2006, the United Kingdom established the National Patients Safety Agency in 2001, and the United States assigned its work to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2005. This was done by law in all three countries. The experts for patient safety were mainly called the "patent safety and quality coordinator", and although there was no qualification system for carrying out patient safety work, all three countries had licenses in the health care field or required more than 4-5 years of practical experience. The main duties were planning on patient safety and quality of healthcare service, data collection and analysis, and education, etc. and for this, competencies such as communication, leadership, and teamwork were required.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.231-244
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• 2020

Objectives : This study was conducted to introduce the types and contents of books related to acupuncture published in North Korea that can be identified in South Korea, and to understand the general characteristics of North Korean acupuncture. Methods : Firstly, we identified books related to acupuncture in the Information Center on North Korea of the National Library of Korea. Specialized books on treatment interventions such as acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, electrotherapy, and manual therapy including acupressure which stimulate acupoints were included in the study. Two authors reviewed the title, table of contents, and contents of each book in the order of publication year for the searched books. Based on this, the characteristics and trends of North Korean acupuncture were comprehensively examined. Results : The included 18 books were published between 1964 and 2018. One of them was considered a Chinese book translated into Korean and published in China, and another was a North Korean book republished by a South Korean publisher. Except for these, all were published in North Korea, two of which were translations of Chinese books. Most of them were books on the theory and clinical applications of acupuncture, but some of them focused on specific treatment interventions such as auricular acupuncture, fire needling, manual therapy, cupping, or electrotherapy. Also, there was a book about the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia in a neurophysiological way. Conclusions : Since the mid-1960s, North Korea has been steadily attempting to combine acupuncture and Western medicine by applying the disease name and classification system of Western medicine, using modern diagnostic technique, and explaining the mechanism of acupuncture based on the latest research. After the 2000s, the standard international acupuncture nomenclature by World Health Organization was used. In recent years, there has been a tendency to publish and widely disseminate specialized books on non-pharmacological treatment such as cupping, electrotherapy, and fire needling.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.392-402
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• 2021

Purpose: The present study assessed the role of an amino acid-based formula (AAF) in the growth of infants with cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA). Methods: Non-breastfed, term infants aged 0-6 months with symptoms suggestive of CMPA were recruited from 10 pediatric centers in China. After enrollment, infants were started on AAF for two weeks, followed by an open food challenge (OFC) with cow's milk-based formula (CMF). Infants with confirmed CMPA remained on AAF until 9 months of age, in conjunction with a cow's milk protein-free complementary diet. Body weight, length, and head circumference were measured at enrollment and 9 months of age. Measurements were converted to weight-for-age, length-for-age, and head circumference-for-age Z scores (WAZ, LAZ, HCAZ), based on the World Health Organization growth reference. Results: Of 254 infants (median age 16.1 weeks, 50.9% male), 218 (85.8%) were diagnosed with non-IgE-mediated CMPA, 33 (13.0%) tolerated CMF, and 3 (1.2%) did not complete the OFC. The mean WAZ decreased from 0.119 to -0.029 between birth and enrollment (p=0.067), with significant catch-up growth to 0.178 at 9 months of age (p=0.012) while being fed the AAF. There were no significant changes in LAZ (0.400 vs. 0.552; p=0.214) or HCAZ (-0.356 vs. -0.284; p=0.705) from the time of enrollment to age 9 months, suggesting normal linear and head growth velocity. Conclusion: The amino acid-based study formula, in conjunction with a cow's milk proteinfree complementary diet, supported normal growth till 9 months of age in a cohort of Chinese infants with challenge-confirmed non-IgE-mediated CMPA.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.217-225
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• 2022

The population of pet cats has increased significantly, from 0.3% in 2002 to 5.6% in 2017. Large-scale feline demographic and disease data from Korea are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the demographic data (breed, sex, and age) and disease distribution of cats who visited private veterinary practices in Korea. Data including breed, sex, age, and disease, were compiled from 32,728 electronic medical records from 30 selected private veterinary practices, between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2017. Diseases were classified based on the International Classification of Diseases 11 by the World Health Organization, and then compared and cross-analyzed according to breed, sex, and age. Korean shorthair was the most common breed. There was a high distribution of young cats, with 77.6% of the cats under 4 years of age, and an average age of 2.5 years. Diagnoses related to preventative medicine were the most frequent and diagnoses common to young cats had higher incidence. This demographic data and information about disease distribution can be used as a basis for future research and may be helpful for determining priorities in the diagnosis of diseases and establishing strategies for health management in cats.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.273-285
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• 2022

Using data from a departmental profit and loss management questionnaire survey conducted for a group of hospitals consisting of various establishment entities, this study evaluates the effectiveness of departmental profit and loss management practices, such as break-even analysis, based on objective performance data. The study also examines whether the implementation of departmental profit and loss accounting is still effective in improving profitability in the financial year 2021 and whether the effectiveness of the implementation of departmental profit and loss accounting is robust. This study reconfirmed that the implementation of departmental profit-and-loss accounting has a positive effect on objective financial performance in hospitals and that the effect of improving profitability can be enhanced by implementing it monthly with high frequency and regularity and by using the accounting results more actively. It was also found that the department's implementation of break-even analysis had a positive impact on financial performance, which was enhanced by more active use of the data. Given the current economic climate, a hospital organization's active participation in income statement management, not only for the hospital as a whole but also for each department, would be an effective management activity.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.520-528
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• 2022

Objectives: Thiamine is thought to modify sleeping patterns, while alcohol use diminishes internal thiamine levels. We investigated the association between thiamine intake and sleep duration and explored possible heterogeneity in the effect according to alcohol use. Methods: In total, 15 384 participants aged 19-64 were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2012-2016. Nutrient intake, including thiamine, was measured using a food frequency questionnaire. Sleep duration was measured by a self-reported questionnaire. The highest thiamine intake quartile was set as the reference group. Participants were divided into 3 groups, with 7-8 hours of daily sleep as a reference group and those who slept more or less than that as "oversleeping" and "insufficient sleeping," respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was used, adjusting for socioeconomic, medical, and nutritional factors. Additionally, participants were stratified according to high-risk alcohol use defined by the World Health Organization standards on alcohol use. Results: Low thiamine intake was associated with oversleeping (Q3: odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86 to 1.32; Q2: OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.99 to 1.55; Q1: OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.91) and showed a significant trend for higher ORs at lower intake levels (p-trend<0.001). The effect was stronger in the high-risk alcohol use group (Q1: OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.28 to 2.49). Conclusions: Low thiamine intake was associated with oversleeping, and alcohol use intensified that association. These results were found in a context where overt clinical symptoms due to thiamine deficiency are considered rare. More awareness of the potential relationship of thiamine intake with oversleeping and its related risks should be considered.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.43-50
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• 2022

A comparative analysis of the state and results of the functioning of the education system of Ukraine with the national educational systems of the USA and Great Britain was carried out. Based on which we found out similar and different in the process of developing the system of training specialists in higher education institutions of the USA, Great Britain, and Ukraine. Describing the main quantitative indicators of education in the UK, USA and Ukraine, we found common features and distinctive features. Consideration in the comparative aspect of trends in the development of higher teacher education in the United States, Great Britain and in Ukraine gives grounds for conclusion. For these countries, such groups of norms as types of educational institutions, forms of Education; introduction of a unified system of credit units in order to create conditions for broad mobility of students; availability of different levels of training; study of the best experience of educational activities of other states and its introduction into the educational process in combination with the cultural traditions of Ukraine coincide. Describing the main quantitative indicators of education in the analyzed countries, we found distinctive features.Teacher development systems in the UK, USA and Ukraine are compared. It was found out that the use of methods of Great Britain and the United States on the organization of independent work in the process of professional development of teachers will have a positive impact on training in the system of advanced training of teachers in Ukraine. The article examines the information culture of future specialists, which is based on knowledge about the information environment, the laws of its functioning and development, and the perfect ability to navigate the limitless modern world of information.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2023

Background: Equating is a statistical procedure used to create a common measurement scale across two instruments. Item-level information should be taken into consideration so that scores can communicate interchangeably across the instruments. Objects: To investigate a common measurement scale across two health-related quality of life questionnaires (HRQOL) applied to various cancer survivors who underwent palliative care in healthcare institutions. Methods: A total of 139 cancer survivors who underwent palliative care were recruited from two rehabilitation hospitals and an oriental medicine hospital. Participants consisted of various cancer survivors who presented to the sites for palliative care. They were asked to fill out Korean versions of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) and EuroQOL-5 dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaires following the palliative care. For the item level comparison, the Rasch rating scale model was used to investigate how participants regarded individual test items of two instruments in relation to item difficulty calibrations. Results: All items except the three items fit the Rasch model. One item (anxiety/depression) of the EQ-5D and two items (dependence on medical aids and negative feelings) of the WHOQOL-BREF are misfit. The WHOQOL-BREF targets the survivors well, while the EQ-5D is able to target the survivors with lower HRQOL levels with some ceiling effects. By inspecting the item difficulty calibrations of the two instruments, five items of the WHOQOL-BREF are selected as common items in relation to the EQ-5D. These five items are considered compatible with each other. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis reveals that the healthcare item of the WHOQOL-BREF vs the self-care item of the EQ-5D exhibits significant DIF. Conclusion: Findings suggest that one paired item should be taken into consideration when equating the WHOQOL-BREF and the EQ-5D applied to cancer survivors who underwent palliative care.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.5-24
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• 2023

Purpose: The objective of this review was to identify the research trends in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based health-related intervention studies for children and adolescents published in South Korea over the past 10 years. Methods: A scoping review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) and the system classification framework for digital health intervention 1.0 of the World Health Organization (WHO) was applied to analyze how technology was being used to support the needs of the health system. Results: A total of 18 studies were included in the final analysis. The participants were mainly children with a variety of diseases. No studies had used innovative technology platforms such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics. In addition, the scope of application of the WHO classification criteria was quite limited. Finally, no intervention study considered technical operational indicators, such as the number of website visits and streaming as outcome measurements. Conclusions: Researchers should introduce advanced technology-based strategies to provide customized and professional healthcare services to children and adolescents in South Korea and continue efforts to integrate innovative ICT for various research purposes, subjects, and environments.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.155-162
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• 2022

Even after testing negative for COVID-19, some patients continue to struggle with a variety of symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal problems and neurological problems. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined long COVID (Post COVID-19 conditions) as "A disease occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms that last for at least 2 months, that cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis." As a possible pathological mechanism of long COVID, three hypotheses are proposed: the persistence of the infectious state due to the residual virus, the persistent inflammatory response, and the autoimmune response. The main symptoms of long COVID are shortness of breath (dyspnea), abdominal pain and dyspepsia, fatigue, cognitive problems (brain fog), anosmia and dysgeusia, and chest pain, palpitations and tachycardia. In the Chinese guidelines, COVID-19 patients were divided into mild, moderate, severe, and recovery, and prescriptions with effective therapeutic effects were summarized to encourage combined treatment of chinese and western medicine. Globally, only symptomatic therapy is recommended for long COVID, but a specific treatment has not yet been proposed. Recently, morbidity code for post COVID-19 conditions was created, and it is planned to announce guidelines for long COVID treatment and management in the first half of 2023. In line with this trend, the Korean medical community needs to make efforts to prepare treatment guidelines for patients with long COVID.