• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.72-77
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• 2018

Observation of the current Korean medical education and training system shows that certain negative traits of unchangeable solidification engraft themselves so deeply into the overarching system that they are now hampering the state of the national health welfare. Focusing only on undergraduate medical education, we can point out some glaring side-effects that should be of concern to any stakeholder. For instance, a graduate can legally begin his career as an independent practitioner immediately after passing the licensing exam and return to the old stuck school-year system of 2-year-premedical and 4-year-medical programs where outcome-based and integrated curricula are incomplete and unsatisfactory. In terms of learning opportunities, the balance between patient care and public health, as well as that between in-hospital highly specialized practice and community-based general practice, has worsened. Every stakeholder should be aware of these considerations in order to obtain the insight to forge a new direction. Moreover, our medical schools must prepare our students to take on the global roles of patient care within the Fourth Industrial Revolution, health advocacy for the imminent super-aged society, and education and research in the bio-health industry, by building and applying the concept of academic medicine. We will need to invest more resources, including educational specialists, into the current undergraduate medical education system in order to produce proper outcomes, smart curriculum, innovative methods of teaching and learning, and valid and reliable monitoring and evaluation. The improved quality of undergraduate medical education is the starting point for the success of the national system for public health and medical care as a whole, and therefore its urgency and significance should be emphasized to the public. The medical society should go beyond fixing what is broken and usher in a new era of cooperation and collaboration that invites other health professionals, governmental partners, law-makers, opinion leaders, and the general public in its steps toward the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1565-1570
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• 2015

Background: In Aotearoa/New Zealand cervical screening programmes have reduced cervical cancer; however, half of cervical cancer cases among Pacific women are found among clients who had not attended cervical screening. Hence, we set out to determine health provider perspectives on barriers that prevent their services reaching Pacific women within Aotearoa/New Zealand. Materials and Methods: Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with health care providers, Pap smear takers and community workers in the Wellington region. Participants were asked their views on factors that enabled and/or constrained the participation of Pacific women in their cervical screening services. Results: Six interrelated themes influencing participation in cervical screening among Pacific women in the Wellington region were apparent: the funding and practice of service delivery; family always coming first; the cost of screening services; type of employment; the appropriateness of information; and attitudes to self and screening. Conclusions: Determining specific ethnic group actual health needs and meeting them contributes to overall improvement in New Zealand's health status. The results identified the need for improvements to the delivery of screening services including adapting cervical screening services to the requirements of Pacific women through more outreach services at alternate clinic hours; culturally appropriate practitioners; the ability to take up opportunities for health checks and foster long-term relationships; as well as appropriate monitoring and evaluation of approaches. Funding and reporting relationships also need to be compatible with the goal of improving outcomes for Pacific women. Further research into client voices for their particular needs to compliment the service provider perspective as well as minority groups is called for.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2013

Urine is a widely used matrix in biomonitoring studies on the assessment of human exposure to environmental chemicals such as phthalate esters and bisphenol A (BPA). In addition to the need to apply valid analytical techniques, assurance of specimen integrity during collection and storage is an important prerequisite for the presentation of accurate and precise analytical data. One of the common issues encountered in the analysis of non-persistent contaminants is whether shipping and storage temperature and time since collection have an effect on sample integrity. In this study, we investigated the stability of phthalate metabolites and BPA in spiked and unspiked urine samples stored at room temperature ($20^{\circ}C$) or at $-80^{\circ}C$ for up to 8 weeks. Concentrations of phthalate metabolites declined, on average, by 3% to 15%, depending on the compounds, and BPA declined by ~30% after 4 weeks of storage of spiked urine samples at $20^{\circ}C$. In a test of 30 unspiked urine samples stored at $20^{\circ}C$ and at $-80^{\circ}C$ for 8 weeks, the concentrations of phthalate metabolites and BPA decreased by up to 15% to 44%, depending on the compound and on the samples. It was found that the small reduction in phthalate concentrations observed in urine, varied depending on the samples. In a few urine samples, concentrations of phthalate metabolites and BPA did not decline even after storage at $20^{\circ}C$ for 8 weeks. We found a significant relationship between concentrations of target analytes in urine stored at $20^{\circ}C$ and at $-80^{\circ}C$ for 8 weeks. We estimated the half-lives of phthalate metabolites and BPA in urine stored at $20^{\circ}C$. The estimated half-life of monoethyl phthalate (mEP) and mono (2-ethyl-5-carboxyphentyl) phthalate (mECPP) in urine stored at $20^{\circ}C$ was over two years, of mono (2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (mEOHP) and monobenzyl phthalate (mBzP) was approximately one year, and of other phthalate metabolites was approximately 6 months. The estimated half-life of BPA in urine stored at $20^{\circ}C$ was approximately 3 months, which is much longer than that reported for aquatic ecosystems.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 1987

Authors could recognize surrounding areas induding target area by the observable film density with spot radiography using Cu mask and also, radiographic images maintained high quality. Spot radiography has been utilized for a long time for the purpose of observing detail image by the control of scattered radiation. But it has been difficult to know body part in general spot radiography. Therefore it is thought that attempt to use Cu mask in spot radiography is very advantageous in a clinical examinations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2821-2826
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• 2016

Implementation of no tobacco policies in schools is associated with lower tobacco use among teachers and students. In this study we assessed the extent that a school-based intervention for teachers resulted in adoption and implementation of tobacco control policies. From a random sample of government schools ($8^{th}-10^{th}$), 72 were randomized into intervention and control conditions. Intervention included health education programs for teachers and support for tobacco control policy implementation. Adoption and implementation of policies were assessed at baseline and immediately after intervention. All 36 intervention and one control school adopted a tobacco-control policy. Higher enforcement of tobacco-control policy was at post intervention (OR=3.26; CI: 2.35, 4.54) compared to baseline in intervention schools. Some 64% of intervention and 28% control schools showed "improvement" in policy implementation. Adoption and implementation of no tobacco policies was positively impacted by intervention. This study provides support for scaling up of school-based tobacco control interventions to promote school tobacco control policies.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2005

This study was conducted to identify the needs of introducing new medical specialties in oriental medicine. Three stakeholders in introducing new oriental medical specialties are oriental medical doctors, policy makers and medical consumers. Of the three, this study intended to focus on opinions of oriental medical doctors. About 1,150 self-administered questionaries were sent to the potential respondents, 320 specialists, 250 interns & residents and 580 private oriental medicine practitioners, and 480 doctors responded. The study revealed that 62% of respondents showed negative attitudes towards the introduction of new oriental medicine specialties. The private oriental medical practitioners were more likely not in favor of adding new medical boardmanship. The reasons of objection were as follows : First, it is more important to enrich the existing oriental medical boardmanship (70%). Second, the newly established specialties are most likely to be weakened(15%). The study revealed that the first and most likely specialties to be introduced was Chuna(18%), subspecialization of oriental internal medicine (15.8%), the next oriental family medicine (15.1%) and so on. And the second specialties to be desired most by the respondents were (1) cooperative medicine between the westem and oriental medicine (28%), (2) oriental preventive medicine (17.4%) and (3) oriental family medicine (16.8%). Caution must be exercised in introducing new oriental medicine specialties. The failures of western medicine in the operation of its specialist production should carefully by examined here.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.72-81
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• 2019

Objectives: The current study presents a new conceptual framework for physician-induced demand that comprises several influential components and their interactions. Methods: This framework was developed on the basis of the conceptual model proposed by Labelle. To identify the components that influenced induced demand and their interactions, a scoping review was conducted (from January 1980 to January 2017). Additionally, an expert panel was formed to formulate and expand the framework. Results: The developed framework comprises 2 main sets of components. First, the supply side includes 9 components: physicians' incentive for pecuniary profit or meeting their target income, physicians' current income, the physician/population ratio, service price (tariff), payment method, consultation time, type of employment of physicians, observable characteristics of the physician, and type and size of the hospital. Second, the demand side includes 3 components: patients' observable characteristics, patients' non-clinical characteristics, and insurance coverage. Conclusions: A conceptual framework that can clearly describe interactions between the components that influence induced demand is a critical step in providing a scientific basis for understanding physicians' behavior, particularly in the field of health economics.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.66-72
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• 2022

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychological well-being (PWB) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in workers of a multinational company. Methods: Employees (aged ≥18 years) were recruited from Latin American, North American, New Zealand, and European sites of a multinational company operative during all the pandemic period. The self-reported Psychological General Well-Being Index was used to assess the global PWB and the effects on six subdomains: anxiety, depressed mood, positive well-being, self-control, general health, and vitality. The influencing role of age, gender, geographical location, COVID-19 epidemiology, and restrictive measures adopted to control the pandemic was explored. Results: A total of 1335 workers completed the survey. The aggregate median PWB global score was in a positive range, with significantly better outcomes detected in the Mexican and Colombian Latin American sites compared with the other worldwide countries (p < 0.001). Among the European locations, a significantly higher PWB score was determined in Spain compared with the German and French sites (p < 0.05). Comparable geographical trends were demonstrated for all the PWB subdomains. Male workers had a significantly better PWB compared with females (p < 0.05), whereas a negative correlation emerged with aging (p = 0.01). COVID-19 epidemiology and pandemic control measures had no clear effects on PWB. Conclusion: Monitoring PWB and the impact of individual and pandemic-related variables may be helpful to clarify the mental health effects of pandemic, define targeted psychological-supporting measures, also in the workplace, to face such a complex situation in a more constructive way.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.72-88
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• 1992

The purpose of the present study was to identify the charateristics and social activities of graduates from a School of Public Health in Seoul and to provide basic information which might contribute to the improvement of new established Schools of Public Health in Korea. The Subjects were composed of 199 persons who graduated from a School of Public Health in Seoul during the period of 1987 through 1989. The response rate was 59.8% (199 graduates). The survey was conducted from December 1st 1991 to the end of February 1992 with a self-administered questionnaire by mail. Descriptive analysis with Chi-square test was employed for analysis. The major results were as follows : 1. 462% of students were the group aged 24-28 and 76.5% of them were married at the time of entrance to the School. 2. The major motives to come to the School were continuous study in a graduate school(41.2%), and strengthening of job opportunities(35.3%). 3. The major expectation of students were to acquire new professional knowledge(31.9%), to improve present work performance(22.7%) and to become an educator(22.7%). 4. 84.9% of students had some kinds of expectation at the entrance to the School, but only 48.8% of them met their expectations they had had. 5. The most preferred subjects were Health Statistics and Epidemiology in order. 6. 59.7% of students insisted that a professor should advise 4-5 students in maximum for a thesis. 7. Students suggested that the candidate for scholarship should he selected from those who had earned high credits in the previous semester(33.6%), who were low economic status(31.l%) or who were recommended by academic adviser(24.4%). 8. 57.1% of students were positive in utilizing their major subjects studied in their current works. 9. Students expressed that if the School of Public Health is to be further developed full-time professors should be added (37.9%) and excellent students be secured (33.6%). 10. After graduation from the school, some of the respondents changed their job placement, the number of persons working in research institutes increased from 6 to 14 persons, those working in educational institutes from 16 to 35, and Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and its affiliated organization from 10 to 13.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.644-657
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to try to understand the essence of the experience early turnover of the new nurse by applying the phenomenological method and to provide basic data for a community-based management program. Method: Phenomenological approach was used to identify subjects experience. Subjects were five new nurses, with less than one year of clinical experience in clinical practice. This study used in-depth interview. Results: there were 104 meaningful sentences or phrases, with 41 generally comprehensive thema. Finally, thema were classified into 12 thema clusters. Conclusion: Finally, based on the results, some suggestions regarding management of early turnover of new nurses are needed. First, we proposed a new characterized of hospital selection method for each hospital. Second, practical training in clinical practice in the school and the community is necessary in order to reduce the real impact of new nurses. New nurses require various support elements in order to mitigate the real shock the first time they encounter clinical practice. Third, addition of work-related training and promotion of a self-esteem program will be needed. Fourth, interview opportunities with seniors who adapted successfully in clinical should be provided for new nurses. In addition, continuous communication should be provided for new nurses.