• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.133-138
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• 2006

To find out influence of water fluoridation program on the economic benefit effect, this study analyzed comparatively dental treatment indicators obtained from dental clinics at Sangdang-gu in Chenongju City, fluoridated community and Manan-gu in Anyang City, non-fluoridated community, from January 1, 2003 to the end of June, and the results are as follows: 1. If water fluoridation program is carried out in Anyang, non-fluoridated community, the number of treatment from caries and disease of tissues around dental pulp and root apex from age 6 to 18 for the first half of year 2003 is expected to decrease by 1,272, 636 for low estimation, and 1,908 for high estimation. And the treatment cost is expected to decrease by 40,888,000 Wons, 20,444,000 Wons for low estimation, and 61,333,000 Wons for high estimation. 2. Assuming that water fluoridation program is spread to all over the country, the number of treatment per year is expected to decrease by 2,492,018, 1,246,009 for low estimation, and 3,738,027 for high estimation. And the treatment cost is expected to decrease by 80,105,075,000 Wons, 40,052,537,000 Wons for low estimation and 120, 157,612,000 Wons for high estimation respectively. 3. For Yeong-un water supply management office which has 48,925 water supply personnel, the benefit/cost rate was 2.9 times, and for Jibuk water supply management office which has 239,751 water supply personnel, the benefit/cost rate was 9.0 times. As the water supply personnel increased, the cost increase of water fluoridation program was little and as the scale got large, the economic effect was very large. Improving national oral health is thought to be associated with expense retrenchment of oral health insurance financial. So it may need to extend using tap water to all the area of the country and additionally establish confidence through an active public relations and education of water fluoridation program.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.111-124
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• 2002

Purpose : Although the average life expectancy has increased due to advances in medicine, mortality due to cancer is on an increasing trend. Consequently, the number of terminally ill cancer patients is also on the rise. Predicting the survival period is an important issue in the treatment of terminally ill cancer patients since the choice of treatment would vary significantly by the patents, their families, and physicians according to the expected survival. Therefore, we investigated the prognostic factors for increased mortality risk in terminally ill cancer patients to help treat these patients by predicting the survival period. Methods : We investigated 31 clinical parameters in 157 terminally ill cancer patients admitted to in the Department of Family Medicine, National Health Insurance Corporation Ilsan Hospital between July 1, 2000 and August 31, 2001. We confirmed the patients' survival as of October 31, 2001 based on medical records and personal data. The survival rates and median survival times were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test was used to compare the differences between the survival rates according to each clinical parameter. Cox's proportional hazard model was used to determine the most predictive subset from the prognostic factors among many clinical parameters which affect the risk of death. We predicted the mean, median, the first quartile value and third quartile value of the expected lifetimes by Weibull proportional hazard regression model. Results : Out of 157 patients, 79 were male (50.3%). The mean age was $65.1{\pm}13.0$ years in males and was $64.3{\pm}13.7$ years in females. The most prevalent cancer was gastric cancer (36 patients, 22.9%), followed by lung cancer (27, 17.2%), and cervical cancer (20, 12.7%). The survival time decreased with to the following factors; mental change, anorexia, hypotension, poor performance status, leukocytosis, neutrophilia, elevated serum creatinine level, hypoalbuminemia, hyperbilirubinemia, elevated SGPT, prolonged prothrombin time (PT), prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), hyponatremia, and hyperkalemia. Among these factors, poor performance status, neutrophilia, prolonged PT and aPTT were significant prognostic factors of death risk in these patients according to the results of Cox's proportional hazard model. We predicted that the median life expectancy was 3.0 days when all of the above 4 factors were present, $5.7{\sim}8.2$ days when 3 of these 4 factors were present, $11.4{\sim}20.0$ days when 2 of the 4 were present, and $27.9{\sim}40.0$ when 1 of the 4 was present, and 77 days when none of these 4 factors were present. Conclusions : In terminally ill cancer patients, we found that the prognostic factors related to reduced survival time were poor performance status, neutrophilia, prolonged PT and prolonged am. The four prognostic factors enabled the prediction of life expectancy in terminally ill cancer patients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.11 no.7
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• pp.597-603
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• 2017

High-dose $^{131}I$ therapy has been generally carried out to remove remaining thyroid tissue or to cure metastasize lesion of patients who received full thyroidectomy due to differentiated thyroid cancers. In case high-dose $^{131}I$ therapy is carried out for a patient, the patient should be hospitalized being isolated for a certain period in order to restrict the amount of exposure to radiation of people at large from the patient within the limit of a level of radiation. Effective half-life is an important value to calculate how family members are exposed to radiation from a patient or to decide the period of isolation of the patient from the family members. Therefore, in this study we calculated the effective decay constant, effective half-life and period of isolation of high-dose $^{131}I$ therapy patient using NM670 SPECT/CT. As a result of carrying out this study, the effective half-life of high-dose $^{131}I$ therapy patients was derived and the time to reach the discharge level of 1.2 GBq was confirmed. When they were compared with each other in each of curative doses, the effective half-life did not have significant difference, but the time when the level of radiation remaining in the interior of the body to reach the criteria of isolation and discharge showed significant difference and it could be confirmed that the higher the curative dose the longer the period of isolation becomes. When the effective half-lives in each type of preparation were compared with each other, they did not show significant difference. However, When the times to reach the level of radiation that is the criteria of isolation and discharge in each type of preparations, they showed significant difference. The cause of the shortening of the isolation period for rhTSH patients group is decided to be low curative dose. Accordingly, if the current national health insurance (the insurance is applied to using of rhTSH in 3.7 GBq or lower) is maintained, while discerning them in each of types of preparation, we would be able to discharge patients at the time earlier than the current period of isolation (2 nights and 3 days).

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.159-193
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• 2015

Owing to causes such as population aging, increased use of various medical devices, long-term hospitalization of various patients with reduced immune function such as cancer, diabetes, and organ transplant patients, and the growing size of hospitals, hospital infections are continuing to increase. As seen in the MERS crisis of 2015, hospital infections have become a social and national problem. In order to prevent damage due to such hospital infections, it is necessary to first strictly implement measures to prevent hospital infections, while, on the other hand, providing proper relief of damage suffered due to hospital infections. However, the mainstream attitude of judicial precedents relating to hospital infection cases has been judged to in fact shift responsibility over damages due to hospital infections on the patient. In light of the philosophy of the damage compensation system, whose guiding principle if the fair and proper apportionment of damages, there is a need to seek means of drastically relaxing the burden of proof on the patient's side relative to conventional legal principles for relaxing the burden of proof, or the theory of de facto estimation. In relation to such need, the German civil code (Burgerliches Gesetzbuch), which defines contracts of medical treatment as typical contracts under the civil code, and has presumption of negligence provisions stipulating that, in cases such as hospital infections which were completely under the control of the medical care providers, if risks in general medical treatment have been realized which cause violations of the life, body, or health of patients, error on the part of the person providing medical care is presumed, was examined. Contracts of medical treatment are entered into very frequently and broadly in the everyday lives of the general public, with various disputes owing thereto arising. Therefore, it is necessary to, by defining contracts of medical treatment as typical contracts under the civil code, regulate the content of said contracts, as well as the proof of burden when disputes arise. If stipulations in the civil code are premature as of yet, an option may be to regulate through a special act, as is the case with France. In the case of hospital infection cases, it is thought that 'legal presumption of negligence' relating to 'negligence in the occurrence of hospital infections,' which will create a state close to equality of arms, will aid the resolution of the realistic issue of the de facto impossibility of remedying damages occurring due to negligence in the process of occurrence of hospital infections. Also, even if negligence is presumed by law, as the patient side is burdened with proving the causal relationships, such drastic confusion as would occur if the medical care provider side is found fully liable if a hospital infection occurs may be avoided. It is thought that, alongside such efforts, social insurance policy must be improved so as to cover the expenses of medical institutions having strictly implemented efforts to prevent hospital infections in the event that they have suffered damages due to a hospital infection accident, and that close future research and examination into this matter will be required.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.170-178
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• 2011

Hiatal hernia is a very rare disease in the pediatric population. However information from our esophageal atresia postoperative follow-up program has hypotheses; "Hiatal hernia may more frequently occur in postoperative esophageal atresia patients (EA group) than in the general pediatric population (GP group)" and "The tension on the esophagus after esophageal anastomosis may be an important etiologic factor of hiatal hernia in EA group". To prove the first hypotheses, we compared the incidence of hiatal hernia in the GP group with the incidence in the EA group. The Incidence in the GP group was obtained from national statistic data from Statistics Korea and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea. The incidence in the EA group was obtained from the medical record and the imaging studies of our esophageal atresia postoperative follow-up program. To prove the second hypothesis, the presumptive risk factors for the development of hiatal hernia in EA group, such as the type of esophageal atresia, degree of esophageal gap, the stage operation and the redo-operation with resection and re-anastomosis of esophagus were analyzed statistically. The total number of patients in the EA group was ninety-nine and there were 5 hiatus hernias. The incidence of EA group (5 %) is significantly higher than incidence of GP group (0.024 %). (p=0.0001) The statistical analysis of the presumptive risk factors for hiatal hernia development in EA group failed to show any evidence of correlation between postoperative esophageal tension and the hiatal hernia. This study shows that the postoperative patients with esophageal atresia have high occurrence of hiatal hernia and should be followed up carefully to detect hiatal hernia.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2012

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the renal ultrasonographic findings in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 83 patients who were diagnosed with VUR and underwent ultrasonography at Ilsan hospital between January 2000 and December 2010. Results: Among 166 renal units, 108 (65.0%) were found to have vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). Fifty-one (73.9%) had VUR in renal units with abnormal ultrasonography (USG), whereas 57 (58.7%) had VUR in renal units with normal USG. Abnormal USG findings were independent risk factors for VUR (Odds ratio, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.01-3.89; $P$=0.045). In renal units with VUR, the number of normal USG finding was 52.8%, and the abnormal findings were as follows; increased cortical echogenicity 16.7%, hydronephrosis 17.6%, megaureter or ureter dilatation 8.3%, hydronephrosis and ureter dilatation 1.9%, duplication of ureter 1.9%, and atrophic kidney 0.9%. The prevalence of VUR was relatively higher in renal units with hydronephrosis (23/19, 82.6%), ureter dilatation (9/9, 100%), duplication of ureter (2/3, 66.6%), and atrophic kidney (1/1, 100%). Conclusion: Our study indicates that VUR was associated with abnormal USG findings. When there are abnormal USG findings such as hydronephrosis, ureter dilatation, duplication of ureter, and atrophic kidney in children with UTI, VCUG is recommended to detect VUR after controlling UTI.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.771-780
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• 2009

Cataract is the main cause of blindness and visual impairment, especially, age-related cataract accounts for about half of the 32 million cases of blindness worldwide. As the life expectancy and the expansion of the elderly population are increasing, the cases of cataract increase as well, which causes a serious economic and social problem throughout the country. However, the incidence of cataract can be reduced dramatically through early diagnosis and prevention. In this study, we developed a prediction model of cataracts for early diagnosis using hospital data of 3,237 subjects who received the screening test first and then later visited medical center for cataract check-ups cataract between 1994 and 2005. To develop the prediction model, we used random forests and compared the predictive performance of this model with other common discriminant models such as logistic regression, discriminant model, decision tree, naive Bayes, and two popular ensemble model, bagging and arcing. The accuracy of random forests was 67.16%, sensitivity was 72.28%, and main factors included in this model were age, diabetes, WBC, platelet, triglyceride, BMI and so on. The results showed that it could predict about 70% of cataract existence by screening test without any information from direct eye examination by ophthalmologist. We expect that our model may contribute to diagnose cataract and help preventing cataract in early stages.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2020

Purpose: Hemorrhagic shock is the leading cause of death in trauma patients worldwide. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is a technique used to improve the hemodynamic stability of patients with traumatic shock and to temporarily control arterial hemorrhage. However, further research is required to determine whether REBOA with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in near-arrest or arrest trauma patients can help resuscitation. We analyzed trauma patients who underwent REBOA according to their CPR status and evaluated the effects of REBOA in arrest situations. Methods: This study was a retrospective single-regional trauma center study conducted at a tertiary medical institution from February 2017 to November 2019. We evaluated the mortality of severely injured patients who underwent REBOA and analyzed the factors that influenced the outcome. Patients were divided into CPR and non-CPR groups. Results: We reviewed 1,596 trauma patients with shock, of whom 23 patients underwent REBOA (1.4%). Two patients were excluded due to failure and a repeated attempt of REBOA. The Glasgow Coma Scale score was lower in the CPR group than in the non-CPR group (p=0.009). Blood pressure readings at the emergency room were lower in the CPR group than in the non-CPR group, including systolic blood pressure (p=0.012), diastolic blood pressure (p=0.002), and mean arterial pressure (p=0.008). In addition, the mortality rate was higher in the CPR group (100%) than in the non-CPR group (50%) (p=0.012). The overall mortality rate was 76.2%. Conclusions: Our study suggests that if REBOA is deemed necessary in a timely manner, it is better to perform REBOA before an arrest occurs. Therefore, appropriate protocols, including pre-hospital REBOA, should be constructed to demonstrate the effectiveness of REBOA in reducing mortality in arrest or impending arrest patients.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.79-89
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to draw the implication for building domestic housing-related co-operatives by understanding activities of housing-related co-operatives from case study and by suggesting the start-up typology for possible domestic housing-related co-operatives and requisites for building them. According to their activities housing-related co-operatives are categorized into three types which are housing supply and operation type, maintain and improve the existing housing type, and design and performance improvement type. National housing policy should be connected to housing co-operatives indirectly. That is, the policy direction ought to be not toward controlling housing co-operatives, letting them supply more houses directly, but toward supporting voluntary co-operatives, showing them the overall housing policy blueprint. Co-operatives cannot be a panacea. Too much protection or support for co-operatives could lead to a reverse discrimination against private companies, and the co-operatives might overuse this kind of prominent position. We need to focus on the possibility of the role of co-operatives as a facilitator for local economy rather than a perfect substitute for the existing economy system.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.28 no.3 s.51
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• pp.623-639
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• 1995

We have never seen any method to cope basically with complicated situation and problems around medical reimbursement rates here in Korea since 1977 witnessed by the beginning of medical insurance. By the way researchers concerned are beginning to propose some kinds of innovative and detailed ideas to government these days. They are Diagnosis-related group(DRG) and Resource-based .elative value scale(RBRVS). In the light of this situation it is so encouraging that our government can come up with that and move. In case of RBRVS research we have already been reaching even to the level of reviewing and revising methodology for its further development after naive pilot study on internal medicine and general surgery last year. However there might be something different conditions between USA and Korea to apply the same Dr. Hsiao's method and it must be vital to check so called' total work approach' compared with 'intra-service work approach' before expanding to the whole medical fields. According to the' Intra-service approach', the physician's work is supposed to be divided into three sub-works by the name of intraservice work, pre, and post service work. These sub-works, again should be merged together to be the pre-postwork subset through some statistical methods of the estimation process applied by Dr. Hsiao's methodology in RBRVS development later on. But in this paper that estimation process was not taken because we could have real values for all of those surveyed items related to just one specialty, OB & GY. Instead, We used some statistical comparison procedures relevant to demographic characteristics, reliability & validity and correlation analysis with American RVU(Relative value unit) between the total work and merged total work from intraservice work approach. The unit of analysis was individual physicians of OB & GY and 300 physicians were selected for each approach through statistical sampling method based on national population of OB & GY physicians in Korea. And also with the thankful help of Advisory Committee under Korean Association of OB & GY, questionnaires were made and mailed to the subjects, two times. As a result there were not any statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics between the two approaches except for the variable 'Response time for the questionnaires', but in other sections of comparisons, response rate, representative values, reliability & validity test, correlation analysis with American RVU, all showed 'Total approach' was not only more rational and statistically meaningful than 'Intra-service approach' but also had considerable merits. But we are not absolutely sure about this paper's robustness. Because of some limitations, we'd rather like to suggest further researches should be followed. In that sense the first thing would be a research for the influence of doctor's characteristics, especially 'frequency' on the rating of work and the way to define total work more clearly.