• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.121-129
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• 2018

Objectives: To assess the nurses' hand hygiene (HH) knowledge, perception, attitude, and self-reported performance in small- and medium-sized hospitals after Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak. Methods: The structured questionnaire was adapted from the World Health Organization's survey. Data were collected between June 26 and July 14, 2017. Results: Nurses showed scores on knowledge ($17.6{\pm}2.5$), perception ($69.3{\pm}0.8$), self-reported HH performance of non-self ($86.0{\pm}11.0$), self-reported performance of self ($88.2{\pm}11.0$), and attitude ($50.5{\pm}5.5$). HH performance rate of non-self was $Y_1=36.678+0.555X_1$ (HH performance rate of self) (adjusted $R^2=0.280$, p<0.001). The regression model for performance was $Y_4=18.302+0.247X_{41}(peception)+0.232X_{42}(attitude)+0.875X_{42}(role model)$; coefficients were significant statistically except attitude, and this model significant statistically (adjusted $R^2=0.191$, p<0.001). Conclusions: Advanced HH education program would be developed and operated continuously. Perception, attitude, role model was found to be a significant predictors of HH performance of self. So these findings could be used in future HH promotion strategies for nurses.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.265-269
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• 2020

Korea has failed to respond to the Middle East respiratory syndrome of 2015 and the early phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) of 2020. This is due to the structural problems of the Ministry of Health and Welfare that has been more increased manpower and budgets of the welfare part relative to those of the health part, and the ministers were appointed welfare experts, not health experts. In 21 (56.8%) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, the Ministry of Health operates independently, and these countries have been relatively well coping with COVID-19. The importance of the Korean health sector is increasing even further. Korea faces on the emerging infectious diseases, chronic infectious diseases such as tuberculosis that has been being a huge burden, and rapidly increasing non-communicable diseases, suicide and mental disorders, and some diseases due to fine dust and climate change. In addition, the rapid advancement of the aging society, the entry of an era of ultra-low fertility and low-economic growth, and the unification of the Korean peninsula are calling for a health policy reform. Therefore, the Ministry of Health should be established and systematically responsible for health policy, disease policy, medical policy, and medical security policy. Ministry of Health will be the control tower for K-Disease Control, K-Bio, and K-Health.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.5-22
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• 2016

MERS(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), an acute and infectious viral disease with high fatality sneaked in South Korea in May 2016. Although MERS is officially declared to be exterminated in Korea by the date of December 24, it aroused a great panic throughout the country and remained many tasks requiring sincere deliberations and innovative actions. This study starts to summarize all that had been happening during first 7 months since last May, reconsider the whole process in light of disaster paradigm, analyze the causes and tasks of such turmoil under the framework of social medicine. It is wrapped up with the visions and prospect of the social medicine, an interdisciplinary approach that takes into account the expert knowledge of academia, administrative knowledge of government, media knowledge from traditional/new media and lay knowledge of civil society.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.7-14
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• 2018

Purpose: The outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome(MERS) in KOREA has brought up the demands for ventilation guideline and regulations for healthcare facilities since most of the infection was spreaded inside healthcare facility. Currently KOREA has no ventilation guideline or regulations covering entire section of healthcare facility. The purpose of this study is to investigate current ventilation methods in KOREA healthcare facilities to in future, propose ventilation guideline. Methods: Research of foreign counties ventilation guideline and regulation for healthcare facilities were conducted for reference. Field investigation with survey of 21 healthcare were conducted to identify the ventilation system and operating methods. Additionally survey for healthcare workers were conducted to observe the recognition related to ventilation system in healthcare facility. Results: The result showed that most of foreign countries ventilation guideline and regulation suggests similar items to reduce the spread of infection and maintain good indoor air quality. The investigation results indicated that fixed guideline for ventilation in healthcare facility were required due to different ventilation operating methods. Survey result of healthcare workers has told us that ventilation guideline and regulation is needed to prevent further infection. Implications: Absence of ventilation guideline and regulations for healthcare facility in KOREA is an urgent issue.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.301-307
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• 2018

The development of transport is being easily shared with people all over the world. It is necessary to appropriately and effectively revise the domestic quarantine law because the fatal infectious diseases are at risk of being easily shared. Today, Korea has an advanced quarantine system approved by World Health Organization, but it maintains partnerships with related ministries (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, local medical institutions) and to introduce new medical technology (electronic quarantine) is important. And since the prevention of quarantine infectious diseases and prevention of the spread, in order to maintain international cooperation with the International Health Regulations, the quarantine law and the system should be amended and improved effectively and it is also a way to prepare for the outbreak of new quarantine infectious diseases. In the past, Korea has experienced great confusion during the past outbreak of swine flu and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. To prevent similar cases from recurring in the past, the revision of the quarantine law and the improvement of the system should be done to cope with the changing environment (new infections, increased number of overseas travelers, etc.).

• Korean Linguistics
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• v.72
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• pp.199-225
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• 2016

This study has two main purposes: to establish a list of source domains in the metaphors for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and to uncover ideological meanings embedded in them in Korean news reports from KBS and JTBC. The first part of this study presents metaphors such as [MERS IS WAR], [MERS IS WAVE], [MERS IS A LIVING THING], and [MERS IS A THING], which were found in the data. The latter part of this study deals with how the two broadcasting companies use these metaphors differently according to their ideologies. In the metaphor of [MERS IS WAR], KBS tends to show less of the agents who controls the war since the war against MERS has failed which casts responsibility to the controlling agents, the government and big hospitals. In this, KBS tries to present less of the information of the responsible agents that presented in JTBC. Through the metaphor of [MERS IS WAVE], KBS presents the aftermath of MERS as something not serious. Compared to JTBC, KBS tends to suggest that the aftermath of MERS is predominantly an economic effects by metaphorically suggesting that predominantly the economic sector got hit by MERS.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.123-135
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• 2020

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the development process and the effectiveness of the EISS (epidemiological investigation support system), which prevents the spread of infectious diseases like a novel corona virus disease, COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach This study identified the existing epidemiological support system for MERS through prior research and studied the case of the development of a newly developed epidemiological support system based on cloud computing infrastructure for COVID-19 through inter-ministerial collaboration in 2020. Findings The outbreak of COVID-19 drove the Korean Government began the development of the EISS with private companies. This system played a significant role in flattening the spread of infection during several waves in which the number of confirmed cases increased rapidly in Korea, However, we need to be careful in handling confirmed patients' private data affecting their privacy.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.380-388
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• 2022

Background: Emerging infectious diseases, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome or coronavirus disease 2019, pose a continuous threat to public health, making a risk assessment necessary for infectious disease control and prevention. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the risk assessment methods for infectious diseases used by major foreign countries and organizations. Methods: We conducted an investigation and comparative analysis of risk assessment and risk determination methods for infectious diseases. The risk assessment tools included the strategic toolkit for assessing risks, influenza risk assessment tool, pandemic severity assessment framework, and rapid risk assessment methodology. Results: The most frequently reported risk elements were disease severity, antiviral treatment, attack rate, population immunity, and basic productive ratio. The risk evaluation method was evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively by the stakeholders at each institution. Additionally, the final risk level was visualized in a matrix, framework, and x and y-axis. Conclusion: Considering the risk assessment tools, the risk element was classified based on the duplicate of each indicator, and risk evaluation and level of risk assessment were analyzed.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.29-35
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• 2023

Purpose: The 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak and the recent COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the lack of negative pressure isolation rooms and the fragility of the healthcare system. The need for healthcare facility transformation for respiratory infectious diseases has become more prominent due to COVID-19, and the purpose of this study is to provide a foundation for the rapid, economical, and safe construction of negative pressure isolation wards. Methods: This study analyzes the current status of hospitals that have been converted to negative pressure isolation rooms, and provides architectural plans and examples to provide a reference for bedroom change. Research data of this study have been obtained by analyzing the drawings of negative pressure isolation wards of nationally designated inpatient treatment beds and urgent isolation beds. In addition, the relevant literature of urgent isolation beds has been analyzed to derive bedroom change type. Result: In this study, a total of 21 isolation bed conversion methods have been presented. Implications: In order to change efficiently from a general ward to an isolation ward, it is necessary to consider the actual hospital's infectious disease transmission patterns and facility conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1928-1936
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• 2018

Recently, human infections caused by severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), which can lead to fatality, have dramatically increased in East Asia. With the unavailability of vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent and/or treat SFTSV infection, early rapid diagnosis is critical for prevention and control of the disease. Here, we report the development of a simple, rapid and sensitive portable detection method for SFTSV infection applying reverse transcription-loop mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) combined with one-pot colorimetric visualization and electro-free reaction platform. This method utilizes a pocket warmer to facilitate diagnosis in a resource-limited setting. Specific primers were designed to target the highly-conserved region of L gene of SFTSV. The detection limit of the RT-LAMP assay was approximately $10^0$ viral genome copies from three different SFTSV strains. This assay exhibited comparable sensitivity to qRT-PCR and 10-fold more sensitivity than conventional RT-PCR, with a rapid detection time of 30 to 60 minutes. The RT-LAMP assay using SFTSV clinical specimens has demonstrated a similar detection rate to qRT-PCR and a higher detection rate compared to conventional RT-PCR. Moreover, there was no observed cross-reactive amplification of other human infectious viruses including Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV), Dengue, Enterovirus, Zika, Influenza and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This highly sensitive, electro- and equipment-free rapid colorimetric visualization method is feasible for resource-limited SFTSV field diagnosis.