• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.181-208
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• 2010

Maternity services is often perceived as a troublesome business and obstetric litigation is on the increase in Western countries. Overall, the number of claim and cost of litigation to the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) from maternity services in the UK is increasing every year. Maternity services account for 60-70% of the total sum paid. This has widespread implications for both the individual practitioners and the institutions where they work, due to increasing malpractice insurance premiums. Fear of litigation is also attracting fewer medical graduates into the specialty, leading to a recruitment crisis in obstetrics and gynaecology. The litigation process can cause pain, suffering and distress to clinicians as well as to the patients and their families. Litigation in maternity services is the result of a complex of events when malpractice (presumed or real) impacts on the attitude of pregnant women and their environment. In such complexity, information is mandatory but may often be misinterpreted. If messages are not tailored to the receiver's capacity, communicating well with the pregnant patient becomes crucial. Therefore, to reduce medicallegal issues in obstetrics, increasing attention and an applicable standard of obstetric care to avoid negligence and medical errors should go along with other measures. Considering UK's experiences, NHS redress scheme make it easier to pursue small claims and birth related claims, without necessarily reducing the number of claims processed through the conventional legal system and perhaps encouraging even more of them. The task of dealing with the greater number of inquiries into their practice would inevitably create an added burden for clinicians and hospital managers. Thus further proposals are required to limit the cost of processing inflated claims and to consider whether clinicians should be given some protection from litigation alleging a failure to prevent birth related impairment.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.9 no.3 s.28
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• pp.1-8
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• 2005

We studied on the nondestructive evaluation of the elastic wave signals of locally wall thinned straight pipe. Wavelet transform was applied for the time-frequency analysis of waveforms obtained by fracture wave detector due to the dropping steel ball. The time-frequency analysis provides time variation of each frequency component involved in a waveform, which makes it possible to evaluate the shape of local wall thinning at each frequency. In this study, comparison by wavelet transform of the AE signals and monotonic bending tests without internal pressure are conducted on 1.91 inch diameter full-scale carbon steel pipe specimens. As the results of tests, fracture behaviors could be shown by the characteristic of mechanical strength of locally wall thinned pipes and the waveforms could be evaluated for the integrity insurance of the piping system according to the length and depth range of the deffeted shape pipes in the real field.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2009.12a
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• pp.501-504
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• 2009

Sympathetic skin response (SSR) is defined as a minute change of skin potential after electrical stimulation. This test measures the change in voltage that originates from the surface of the skin and is attributed to sudomotor activity. The aim of this study was to define the criteria for validation of the responses. 40 normal subjects (20-73 years of age) with non-sympathetic dysfunction were tested and SSR was generated form all subjects. SSR latency was 1331.22${\pm}$177.51ms in the right palm, 1331.74${\pm}$156.42ms in the left palm, 1851.79${\pm}$220.99ms in the right sole, and 1874.10${\pm}$215.01ms in the left sole. And SSR amplitude was 595.83${\pm}$221.16${\mu}$V in the right palm, 605.33${\pm}$226.45${\mu}$V in the left palm, 291.76${\pm}$133.36${\mu}$V in the right sole, and 288.77${\pm}$129.70${\mu}$ V in the left sole. SSR latency and amplitude had no significantly difference between the right and the left side. SSR latency was consistently shorter (p<0.001) and SSR amplitude higher (p<0.001) in feet than in hands. SSR waveforms were P-type (32 subjects, 75%) and N-type (8 subjects, 25%), respectively. The SSR latency and amplitude in palms/soles were closely correlated with age (p<0.05) and height (p<0.05). The SSR test is one of methods assessing impairment of sympathetic fibers in peripheral neuropathy as well as a disorder of sympathetic system in other diseases and so our results from normal healthy subjects can be used as clinical criteria for SSR test.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2014

The current paper reports on a case of subdural empyema secondary to frontal sinusitis in an otherwise healthy child. Sinusitis is a common and benign condition in most pediatric cases. Because of the widespread use of antibiotics, intracranial extension of pediatric sinusitis is rarely seen today; however, complications (e.g., cavernous sinus thrombosis, orbital infection, meningitis, and subdural empyema) are potentially life threatening. A 15-year-old right-handed male presented with a 3-day history of fever, headache, and left-sided palsy. Computed tomography revealed right-sided subdural empyema with right frontal sinusitis and maxillary sinusitis. A postoperative inpatient neurological consultation was requested 2 months post-surgery due to motor function deficits. The results suggested that early and accurate diagnosis of subdural empyema leads to prompt treatment and a favorable outcome for the patient.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.1-23
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• 1999

The purpose of this paper is to survey the current status of service utilization in oriental medicine, to identify the determinants of consumers' decision in the service utilization, and then suggest policy implications for promoting the consumers' utilization. A multiple regression model was adopted to analyze the factors that influence consumer's decision in purchasing the oriental medical services. Data used in this research relied on National Survey Data conducted by Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs, and sampling survey. The results could be summarized as follows.: 1. the number of visits to oriental medical institutions has shown an overall increase during the last decade since the inception of health insurance for oriental medical services. It still, however, revealed a relatively iow figure to western medical services. 2. the main factors, after controlling demographic variables, that determine consumers' selection between oriental medical services and western medical services are considered to be price, belief in effectiveness of services, waiting time for service. Implications for policy recommendation include 1. to reduce a barrier to service utilization by discounting dramatically the price of herb medicine, which is believed to be crucial in expanding market share, 2. to encourage consumer's belief in clinical effectiveness through a specialization in competitive services compared with wertern medicine, 3. to keep the affirmative image among consumers alive through an active participation of oriental medical doctors in community activities, 4 to change the health care system in favor of oriental medicine in the long run.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.115-126
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• 2005

Purpose: The aims of this study were to describe general characteristics and needs of home health care, and to find the differences between home health care needers and non-needers. Method: In this study, 642 subjects participated who lived in Muan, Jollanam-do. Data were collected in August 2001 using a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire was a revised and simplified form of the Organization of Community Health System Program at the Seoul National University. Collected data were analyzed through Kruskal-Wallis test. t-test. and Chi-squire for cross-sectional analysis. Result: The average age of the subjects was 52.6 years and 33.3% of them aged over 65 years. Twenty six percent of them had chronic degenerative diseases. The percentages of hypertension patients and D.M. patients were 6.4% and 2.5%, respectively. The number of family members was 2.95 on the average, 2.19 in cases of families with the elderly and 3.33 in cases of families without the elderly. The rate of disability of the elderly was 10.5%. Marital status (p=.000), the number of family members (p=.000), education (p=.000), job (p=.000) and health insurance (p=.027) were significantly different between home care needers and non-needers. Home care needers had less living expenses (p=.001), more frequent hospital admissions (p=.004), higher chronic disease rate (p=.000) and more frequent visits to public health center (p=.027) than non-needers. Home care needers who wanted free service were twice as many as non-needers. Conclusion: Home care need was very high in rural areas and the needers had worse characteristics (low educational level. low income, no job and no family). Therefore, it is necessary to develop cheaper and more accessible services for home care needers in rural areas.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.12
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• pp.282-290
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• 2012

Today, home health care services needs a linkage plan of the customized home visiting health service in public health center, the medical institute home health care service, and home visiting nursing service based on long term care insurance for the elderly program which acknowledges the independence and professionalism of the home health care services while minimizing overlap through linking the projects. So, this study was performed by applying the Delphi technique, which draws agreement from professional opinion, to determine a method to link home health care services in Korea. The results of this study are as follows. Specialists agreed on 24 important items within the two domains of institutional linkage and medical linkage. And the significance of this study is as follows. The 24 items deduced for the approved nursing service linkage plan are expected to improve the home health care service business system, enhance the quality of home health care service, and bring increased satisfaction for service recipients. Also, seeking ways to minimize overlap in service can increase the effectiveness of health care and public health management at a national level. In addition, it is considered that this will ultimately reduce public medical costs as well as improve home health care service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.4-11
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• 2016

Background: Hospital admissions for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), which are widely used as an indicator of poor access to primary care, can be used as an efficiency indicator of healthcare use in countries providing good access to health care. Korea, which has a national health insurance (NHI) system and a good supply of health care resources, is one such country. To quantify admission rates of ACSC and identify characteristics influencing variation in Korean health care institutions. Methods: By using NHI claims data, we computed the mean ACSC admission rate for all institutions with ACSC admissions. Results: The average ACSC admission rate for 4,461 institutions was 1.45%. Hospitals and clinics with inpatient beds showed larger variations in the ACSC admission rate (0%-87.9% and 0%-99.6%, respectively) and a higher coefficient of variation (7.96 and 2.29) than general/tertiary care hospitals (0%-19.1%, 0.85). The regression analysis results indicate that the ACSC admission rate was significantly higher for hospitals than for clinics (${\beta}=0.986$, p<0.05), and for private corporate institutions than public institutions (${\beta}=0.271$, p<0.05). Conclusion: Substantial variations in ACSC admission rates could suggest the potential problem of inefficient use of healthcare resources. Since hospitals and private corporate institutions tend to increase ACSC admission rates, future health policy should focus on these types of institutions.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.76-81
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• 2009

Ovjectives: As the attention devoted to children's mental health increases, medical costs and burdens mount as well. In the present study, we evaluated the association between socioeconomic status(SES) and major child psychiatric symptoms. Methods: The subjects of this study were children of recruited from a mental health screening program in the Seoul Sungbuk mental health center over the course of 3 months. To establish the SES of each child, we collected data about each child's medical insurance, years of parental education, household income, family structure and housing. 149 children & parents completed questionnaires including the Childhood Depression Inventory(CDI) and the Korean Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale(K-ARS). Results: The mean K-ARS-P score was $12.1{\pm}11.1$ and the suspected prevalence of ADHD was 20.8%(n=31). The mean cm score was $12.9{\pm}7.9$, and the prevalence of suspected depression was 16.8%(25). Depressive symptoms and ADHD symptoms were both more severe than those observed in a previous epidemiologic study in Korea. Depressive symptoms were more closely associated with family SES status. Conclusion: SES status is one of the most important risk factors in the development of major child psychiatric symptoms. In our study we found that depressive symptoms in particular were most tightly associated with psychosocial factors. Evaluation of the risk factors, early screening and intervention for low SES children would be valuable mental health management tactics to implement in a community mental health system.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.48 no.12
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• pp.893-918
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• 2010

This article is purposed of reviewing the development history of Japanese dental devices and instrument, and their related advertisement activities during the Japanese colonized period in Korea in early 20th century. Japanese dental devices and instrument were redesigned to accommodate their ergonomic shape above the simple imitation, and it implies the excessive desires brought them frustrations. The tragic earthquake on Sep. l, 1923, medical insurance law enforcement on Jan. 1, 1927, celebration of "Cavity prevention Day" started on Jun. 4, 1928, and the attack of Manchuria and China by Japan after 1931, all of these historical incidents become the preliminary requirement for the development of dental devices. On Nov. 1, 1937, Japanese government started to control dental materials, driving the campaigns for excluding foreign products and encourging the use of local products. In 1939, Nakajima dental manufacturers used this political and social atmosphere on their advertisement as saying "Our Nakajima's products have no compromise with the short raw materials, but only commitment to our quality". Since after 1940, the price and supply have been strongly under control, and the control group was appeared to manage all of supply and distribution of raw materials, regular price system, and specifications. At last, the Japanese national power were devastated in its production and distribution capacities, and get to the frustrated period. The main advertised dental devices and instruments in Korea during the Japanese colonized period were 1) dental chair, unit and cabinet, 2) dental x-ray, 3) compressors, 4) dental needles, 5) small instrument and carryon medical(emergency) kit, 6) oral hygiene and pyorrhea alveolaris, infrared rays, sunlight lamp, ultrashort wave treatment devices, 7)crown former, electric furnace, casting machine, articulator, electric lathe, and laboratory equipments, etc.