• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.18-29
• /
• 2000

Back injury is frequent in industry workers and is a common cause of productivity loss. It has been reported that the insured of industrial accident insurance tend to stay in hospital longer than that of other types of insurance. The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting the length of hospital stay for the treatment of back injury in the workers under industrial accident insurance. The results of this study help insurers develop reasonable industrial accident insurance policy for back injury claims and prevention strategies of work-related back injury. A total of 2,949 patients whose industrial accident insurance claim has been approved for the treatment of work-related back injury from January to December 1999 were included in this study. Relationship between the length of hospital stay and characteristics of patient, work place, back injury, and hospital were assessed using ANOVA, t-test, simple linear regression and multiple resgression. The major findings of this study are as follows : 1. The average length of hospital stay(LOS) was 91.82 days, respectively. 2. Characteristics of Patient LOS of male patients was longer than that of female patients, there was positive correlation between age and LOS and between average wage and LOS. Working period was negatively correlated with LOS. Distance from resident to hospital was positively correlated with LOS and LOS was significantly different dependign on type of duty. 3. Characteristics of Work Place LOS was significantly different depending on types of industry and geographical region of work place. Size of work place was positively correlated with LOS. 4. Characteristics of Back Injury Occupational back pain required shorter LOS compared with back injury due to electric shock. Number of concomitant illnesses and severity of disability were positively correlated with LOS. 5. Characteristics of Hospital Patients treated in community hospitals required significantly longer LOS. Treatment in hospitals with rehabilitation program required decreased LOS. This was more prominent as number of physicians specialized in rehabilitation. 6. Multiple regression analysis revealed that distance form resident to hospital, geographical region of work place, size of work place, number of concomitant illnesses, severity of disability, and type of hospital were factors affecting LOS.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.17-21
• /
• 2012

Objectives: Asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) have increased globally over the decades, causing an economic burden and increased health care costs. It is difficult to predict the risk of development of ARDs and of respiratory disability among workers with a history of asbestos exposure. Blood based biomarkers have been reported as promising tools for the early detection of malignant mesothelioma. This study investigated whether serum soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP) would reflect severity of disablement in compensable ARDs. Methods: SMRP levels were measured in a cohort of 514 asbestos-exposed subjects. Severity of ARDs was assessed by a Medical Authority comprising four specially qualified respiratory physicians. Severity of ARDs and SMRP levels were compared. Results: Mean (standard deviation) serum SMRP level in the population with compensable ARDs (n = 150) was 0.95 (0.65) nmol/L, and was positively associated with disability assessment (p = 0.01). Mean SMRP level in healthy asbestos-exposed subjects was significantly lower than those with pleural plaques (p < 0.0001) and in subjects with ARDs who received compensation (p < 0.01). Conclusion: This study indicates that serum SMRP levels correlate with severity of compensable ARDs. Serum SMRP could potentially be applied to monitor progress of ARDs. Further prospective work is needed to confirm the relationship between SMRP and disability assessment in this population.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.99-110
• /
• 1978

For the study on occurrence of backache related to types of daily activities in adulthood Nine hundred twenty six adults living in Seoul were randomly selected as subjects from the eight kinds of occupation; housewives, teachers, nurses, officers, physicians, labourers, beauticians & barbers, and students. The purpose of this study was to identify various factors related to backache in daily activities and to apply these factors in clinical situations as well as in the community situations. This survey was conducted from September 21 through October 8, 1976. Under the ten hypothesis designed for this study, the. followings were obtained; 1. Significant difference on occurrence of backache was revealed according to sex difference at 0.5% level. (x$^2$= 27.85, df: 1, p<0.005) 2. Significant difference on occurrence of backache was revealed according to age groups at 2.5% level. (x$^2$= 11.13, df= 3, p<0.025) 3. Significant difference on occurrence of backache was revealed according to types of occupation at 2.5% level. (x$^2$= 18.04, df: 7, p<0.025) 4. Significant difference on occurrence of backache was revealed according to types of movement originated by hand during occupational activities at 1% level. (x$^2$= 14.23, df= 4, p<0.01) 5, Significant difference on occurrence of backache was revealed according to types f movement of legs during occupational activities at 0.5% level. x$^2$= 20.78, df: 3, p<0.005) . No significant difference on occurrence of backache was revealed according to length f daily working hours. . Significant difference on occurrence of backache was revealed according to degree of exercises at the level. x$^2$= 6.01, df= 2, p<0.05) . Significant difference on occurrence of backache was revealed according to sleeping posture at 1% level. x$^2$= 9.61, df: 2, p<0.01). Significant difference on occurrence of backache was revealed according to ordinary pattern of mean posture score at 0.5% level. (t : 4.27, df: 924, p<0.005) 10. Significant difference was revealed mean posture scores according to period of backache history at 0.5% level. (f- ratio = 3.73, df= 4, 562 p<0.005).

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.270-278
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This study tries to identify experience of verbal abuse, emotional response, and ways to deal with verbal abuse against nurses in hospitals. Methods: This study was a descriptive research and conducted from April to July 2011. One hundred and seventeen nurses with over one-year experience in general wards were selected and evaluated. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, independent t-tests, and one-way ANOVA. Results: The nurses' experience rate of verbal abuse during the entire period of work in hospitals was 98.3%. The majority of the nurses were verbally abused by patients (70.9%), followed by patients' relatives (65.8%), physicians (61.5%), and coworkers (58.1%). Overall negative emotional response score of nurses after verbal abuse was $38.82{\pm}8.28$. Ways to deal with verbal abuse were as follows: suppression was 74.4%, complaining of an injustice to close people, 67.5%, and ignoring, 43.6%. Conclusion: Nurses have significantly been exposed to verbal abuse while working in hospitals. Therefore, hospital managers and nurse managers are required to inform other staff and visitors in hospitals the real condition of verbal abuse against nurses and provide a safe work environment by developing the report and disposal system of verbal abuse.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.339-346
• /
• 2018

Background: Workplace bulling is a pervasive phenomenon with negative consequences for the health of victims and the productivity of organizations. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence and forms of workplace bullying among employees working at the public health-care sector of Cyprus using the Greek version of Leymann Inventory of Psychological Terror (LIPT) instrument. Methods: A translation process was followed from the French to the Greek version of LIPT questionnaire. Test-retest reliability expressed by Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.98 indicating excellent reproducibility. Internal consistency reliability assessed by Cronbach ${\alpha}$ coefficient was 0.87 suggesting high reliability. LIPT instrument was distributed among 403 employees working at the primary health-care setting and at the largest public hospital of Cyprus with response rate of 73.4%. Results: Women comprised the majority of participants (71.4%). Mean age was 43.3 years. Prevalence of workplace bulling according to Leymann's definition was 5.9%. Most common forms of bullying were "Being continuously interrupted" (17.2%) and "continuously being given new work assignments" (13.5%). Women were significantly more often exposed to at least one mobbing behavior than men within the previous year (49% vs. 35.7%, p = 0.038), whereas nurses were significantly exposed to at least one mobbing behavior as compared to physicians (53.3% vs. 31.4%, p = 0.004). Conclusion: This was the first study that examined the prevalence of workplace bullying in the public health-care sector by elaborating the Greek version of LIPT instrument. Results showed that workplace bullying is a common and complex phenomenon among health-care organizations.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.45-57
• /
• 1993

The study was conducted with 27 health mangers working in manufacturing industries. The purpose of this study was to analyze the health manager's employment status, health examination, and it's follow. up health management level(about the industrial type). The results are as follows: 1. Characteristics of Manufacturing Industries: The ratio of nurse to employees is 1 : 552.6 and the percentage of physician employed was 51.9% All of the physicians were part time except one. 2. Health Examination and Follow Up ; 1) Periodic screening examinations were provided to 92.39% of the employees. Of these 11.56% required a detailed examination. Follow up on routine cases were done for 51.69%. Follow up on intensive cases were done 13.97%. 2) 62% of all employees working in hazardous conditions(noise, artificial light 74.1%) are required to receive a special health examination bi annually. Of these 96.66% were examined. 11.24% of these employees required a detailed follow up examination. 3. Relevancy between health management level, industrial type, and health manager's status 1) Health clinic operated separately except one case. Nursing activity level :. health diagnosis(0.27) Occupational condition (0.97) Health education(0.81) Health assessment(0.74) Health education level is higher at the industries working in environmental technician(P=0.017). The other's significance is not shown by any type of the staff.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.605-622
• /
• 1996

Needle stick injury, in which blood-borne pathogens including Human Immune-Deficiency virus and hepatitis B virus are transmitted, is one of the major occupational hazards that health professionals face everyday. In order to provide basic data for the development of educational programs for health professionals aimed at preventing and effectively managing needle stick injuries, a retrospective descriptive study was carried out .The subjects of the study were 630 health professionals, 499 nurses and 131 physicians, from two university hospitals in Seoul, Korea. Data on episodes of needle stick experiences over the past is months September 1994 through August 1995, were collected between September 1 and 7, 1995. A Questionaire developed by the researcher was used. The frequencies and the percentile score for episodes of needle stick injuries were calculated using the PC-SAS program. The differences and similarities in reference to the structure, career, and specialty variables were analysed by X$^2$-tests. Results are as follows : 1. Of the sample, 521(82.7%) reported a needle stick injury, 33.4% reported 3 or more episodes of needle stick injuries. 2. The needle stick injuries occured in the following processes : process of percutaneous venepuncture for intra-venous injection and infusion(55.3%), medical examination and treatment(48.9%), per-cutaneous venepuncture for blood sampling (46.3%) and intra-muscular injection(42.2%). 3. The study showed that needle stick injuries occured before(19%), during(25%), and after (56%) client treatment. The major causes of needle stick injuries were perceived to be hastiness(82.2%) and carelessness(48.3%). Of these injuries, 91.8% occured in emergency situations. 4. Follow of care for the injury consisted of : treating the injured site immediately using disinfectants(89.7%), reviewing the clinical records of the patient involved(84.2%), immunological investigation for the status of antibodies(11.1%) and self-medication of antibiotics (10.7%). Only 16.3% of the total episodes were founded to have been reported to the administrative unit. 5. The length of clinical experience of the nurses, clinical specialty and length of clinical experience in physicians were found to have influenced the episodes of needle stick injuries ; nurses with less than 1 year and with more than 6 years of clinical experiences had significantly lower levels (X$^2$=25.04, P=.00), surgeons had significantly higher levels (X$^2$=9.89, P=.02) compared to that of internists and interns, higher(X$^2$=4.54, P=.03)than residents.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.229-240
• /
• 2008

Purpose: To develop the patient classification system based on the resource utilization for reimbursement of long-term care hospitals in Korea. Method: Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) conducted a survey in July 2006 that included 2,899 patients from 35 long-term care hospitals. To calculate resource utilization, we measured care time of direct care staff (physicians, nursing personnel, physical and occupational therapists, social workers). The survey of patient characteristics included ADL, cognitive and behavioral status, diseases and treatments. Major category criteria was developed by modified delphi method from 9 experts. Each category was divided into 2-3 groups by ADL using tree regression. Relative resource use was expressed as a case mix index (CMI) calculated as a proportion of mean resource use. Result: This patient classification system composed of 6 major categories (ultra high medical care, high medical care, medium medical care, behavioral problem, impaired cognition and reduced physical function) and 11 subgroups by ADL score. The differences of CMI between groups were statistically significant (p<.0001). Homogeneity of groups was examined by total coefficient of variation (CV) of CMI. The range of CV was 29.68-40.77%. Conclusions: This patient classification system is feasible for reimbursement of long-term care hospitals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.30-38
• /
• 2008

Objectives : The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the core properties of professional socialization and social status satisfaction, economic reward satisfaction, and subjective class identification. Methods : Medical knowledge and skill, autonomy, and professional value factors were used as essential properties of professional socialization to determine the association with job satisfaction and subjective class identification. The authors used a self-administered questionnaire survey and collected nationwide data between July and August 2003, with 211 responses used for final analysis. Results : 'Age' and 'trust and respect' were positively associated with social status satisfaction, and 'occupation' was negatively associated. 'Income' and 'trust and respect' were positively related to economic reward satisfaction, and 'practicing for oneself', and 'a sense of duty and attendance' were negatively related. 'Practicing for oneself', 'not believing explanations', and 'a sense of duty and attendance' had a positive relationship with subjective class identification. 'Income', 'knowledge system', 'medical mistakes', 'treating like goods', 'meaning and joy', and 'trust and respect' had a negative relationship. Conclusions : The core property variables of professional socialization had a different relationship with social status satisfaction, economic reward satisfaction and subjective class identification. In particular, many core property variables were associated with subjective class identification positively or negatively. The development of professional socialization would help promote job satisfaction and subjective class identification.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.14
• /
• pp.5869-5873
• /
• 2015

Background: Breast and cervical cancers are among the most frequent and most fatal cancers in women. Life span of patients may be increased and quality of life improved through early diagnosis and treatment. This investigation was performed in order to determine knowledge and practices of female health personnel working at a university hospital regarding breast and cervical cancers. Materials and Methods: This descriptive investigation was performed in Erciyes University Hospitals in 2014. A total of 524 female health personnel were included in the study. Data were collected through a questionnaire of 36 questions prepared by the researchers. The Chi square test and logistic regression were used for statistical analyses. Results: The mean age of the study group was $32.8{\pm}6.9$ years, 18.3% being doctors and 81.7% nurses. Of the study group, 60.5% stated that they performed self breast-examination, 4.4% underwent HPV testing, 26.3% thought about taking an HPV test, 34.7% of those who are 40 years and over had mammography regularly and 19.5% of those who were married had a Pap smear conducted regularly. Most important causes of not performing the methods for early diagnosis of breast and cervical cancers are "forget and neglect". Conclusions: It was concluded that female doctors and nurses do not pay sufficient attention to screening programs for breast and cervical cancers. The importance of early diagnosis and treatment should be emphasized during the undergraduate education and in-service training programs. Health condition of personnel and their utilization of preventive health care should be followed by occupational physicians.