• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.164-173
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• 2012

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the degree of burnout of 119 rescuers, to determine factors influencing their burnout, and to provide basic data for development of intervention programs to prevent the burnout. Methods: Subjects of this study were all 119 rescuers working at fire stations located in Busan and Gyeongnam. The data were collected from May 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS/WIN 17.0. Results: When the difference in the degree of burnout by general characteristics was investigated, the means of burnout were significantly different depending on age, period of service, position, license, annual salary, desire to work continuously and types of working hours. Job stress, job satisfaction, social support, self efficacy and self esteem showed a statistically significant correlation with burnout. The degree of burnout became higher with more job stress and lower job satisfaction, social support, self efficacy and self esteem. As a significant factor affecting the degree of burnout of 119 rescuers, job stress showed 47.3% of explanatory power. The explanatory power of all of job stress, job satisfaction, self efficacy, types of working hours, annual salary and license was 62% and the power of job stress was the highest. Conclusion: From these results, job stress, job satisfaction and self-efficacy were found to be factors affecting the burnout of 119 rescuers. Therefore, intervention programs to reduce job stress and to improve job satisfaction, social support, self efficacy and self esteem should be developed to lower the degree of burnout of 119 rescuers. In addition, further researches to analyze works of 119 rescuers and legal and institutional strategies to improve their treatment are necessary and supplementary training in various practices by different circumstances based on standardized protocols should be conducted.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.105-115
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• 2020

This study compares the difference of fit factors (FF) and visual acuity according to masks and eyeglasses preferences for 54 participants. We the precautions and behaviors of discomfort when wearing masks of eyewear wearers. Contact lens discomfort and priority action of complaints was investigated Glasses fitting factors is Optical Center Height(OH), Vertex Distance(VD) and Pantoscopic Angle(PA). We measured those factors and expressed by the ratio of standard point and change point. Quantitative fit factor was measured by Portacount Pro+ 8038. Also, we selected to 6 exercises among 8 exercises OSHA QNFT (Quantitative Fit testing) protocol to measure the fit factors. The pass/ fail criterion of FF was set at 100. Visual acuity(VA) test chart is developed by Chunsuk Han was used, Descriptive statistics was performed. Descriptive statistics(SAS ver 9.2), it is used geometric means, Wilcoxon analysis(P=0.05) When wearing the mask preferentially, fit factor(FF) was high according to the step of glasses fitting parameter. on the other hand, when the glasses first choice, the visual acuity(VA) was high. there was no significant difference. In the case of fit factor (FF), mask first choice/ glasses first choice is OH (p=0.671/ p=0.332), VD (p=0.602/ p=0.571) and PA (p=0.549/ p=0.607). Visual acuity (VA), mask first choice/ glasses first choice is OH (p=0.753/ p=0.386), VD (p=0.815/ p=0.557) and PA (p=0.856/ p=0.562). The workers of workplace and office chose glasses but occupational health workers and students chose mask. In case of discomforts, it was suggested to remove the mask and tolerate discomforts. The main discomforts and usual action of lens were dryness, hyperemia, foreign body sensation, ophthalmodynia, decreased vision and glasses wearing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a mask wearing method education program considering glasses fitting and develop a hybrid model that minimizes inconvenience when wearing glasses and a mask at the same time.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.33-46
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• 1998

Introduction : In Korea, national attention to the workplace health promotion programs (HPP) for employees began in early 1990s. Governmental supports for the HPP and education programs have given to the employees. The purpose of this study is to find the performance degree of employees' health promoting lifestyle(HPL). Subjects and Methods : For this study, 615 employees who attended governmental educations were selected as research samples. The tool for measuring HPL used in this study was developed for Korean by In-Sook Park in 1995. It is composed of 4-point scaled 60 items and divided into 11 subcategories. The data were collected by self reporting questionnaires from June to December in 1997. Those data were analyzed percentile, mean, standard deviation, ANOVA, t-test with SAS program. Major findings are as follows; 1. The total mean score of the employees' HPL performance was 2.66. The average scores of 'harmonious relationships' category were the highest as 3.11, whereas the one of 'professional health maintenance' were the lowest as 2.02. The remains were 'sanitary life'(2.90), 'emotional support(2.85), 'regular diet'(2.84), 'self achievement'(2.78), 'healthy diet'(2.56), 'rest and sleep'(2.56), 'exercise and activity'(2.54), 'diet control'(2.53), 'self-control'(2.52). 2. The factors affecting HLP were category of industries and sex, age, marital status, education level, major, educational experience of health promotion, among personal characteristics. The employees of service industries, female, older age, married, nurse, educated for health promotion, graduated from junior college performed HLP more than the others. 3. The participation rates of employees for HPP were 12.4%, because of limited time and facilities and equipments. Recommendations; 1. The regulation for performing the health promotion programs in the industries is essential for activating industrial health promoting movement. 2. More governmental supports for educations and services for health promotion programs in the industries are needed. 3. For behavioral changes of the employees, the contents of educations have to consist of exercise and activity, rest and sleep, diet and smoking habits. 4. The evaluating studies for ready made health promotion programs in the industries are expected.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.7093-7100
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• 2014

This study analyzed the factors related to labor market transition of job injured workers. The Workers' Compensation Insurance Panel data ver.1, which that was surveyed by the Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service in 2013, was used. Four key findings were made: first, the economically inactive populations are 7.2% and unemployed is 22.3% of occupational accident workers who finished the treatment period; second, 31.5% of laborers who returned to a new workplace went into another type of occupation; third, the results showed that socio-demographic factors, such as gender, age and education years, injury-related factors, such as the treatment period and work limitation, and workplace factors, such as company size and employment status, were associated with the return to work; and fourth, a relatively higher proportion of people who has received occupational training could not return to work and the disability grade was not associated with the return to work. These results suggest that policy makers need to understand the characteristics of labor market transition of job injured workers and develop efficient intervention programs based on the transitional labor market.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.192-199
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• 2015

Background: Overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular disease risk factors are prevalent among firefighters in some developed countries. It is unclear whether physical activity and cardiopulmonary fitness reduce cardiovascular disease risk and the cardiovascular workload at work in firefighters. The present study investigated the relationship between leisure-time physical activity, cardiopulmonary fitness, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and cardiovascular workload at work in firefighters in Hong Kong. Methods: Male firefighters (n = 387) were randomly selected from serving firefighters in Hong Kong (n = 5,370) for the assessment of cardiovascular disease risk factors (obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking, known cardiovascular diseases). One-third (Target Group) were randomly selected for the assessment of off-duty leisure-time physical activity using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Maximal oxygen uptake was assessed, as well as cardiovascular workload using heart rate monitoring for each firefighter for four "normal" 24-hour working shifts and during real-situation simulated scenarios. Results: Overall, 33.9% of the firefighters had at least two cardiovascular disease risk factors. In the Target Group, firefighters who had higher leisure-time physical activity had a lower resting heart rate and a lower average working heart rate, and spent a smaller proportion of time working at a moderate-intensity cardiovascular workload. Firefighters who had moderate aerobic fitness and high leisure-time physical activity had a lower peak working heart rate during the mountain rescue scenario compared with firefighters who had low leisure-time physical activities. Conclusion: Leisure-time physical activity conferred significant benefits during job tasks of moderate cardiovascular workload in firefighters in Hong Kong.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.69-73
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• 2013

Background: An increasing trend of cytotoxic drug use, mainly in cancer treatment, has increased the occupational exposure among the nurses. This study aimed to assess the change of nurses' safety-related knowledge as well as attitude levels and subsequently to assess the change of cytotoxic drug handling practices in wards after a series of pharmacist-based interventions. Materials and Methods: This prospective interventional study with a before and after design requested a single group of 96 nurses in 15 wards actively providing chemotherapy to answer a self-administered questionnaire. A performance checklist was then used to determine the compliance of all these wards with the recommended safety measures. The first and second assessments took 2 months respectively with a 9-month intervention period. Pharmacist-based interventions included a series of technical, educational and administrative support measures consisting of the initiation of closed-system cytotoxic drug reconstitution (CDR) services, courses, training workshops and guideline updates. Results: The mean age of nurses was $32.2{\pm}6.19$ years. Most of them were female (93.8%) and married (72.9%). The mean knowledge score of nurses was significantly increased from $45.5{\pm}10.52$ to $73.4{\pm}8.88$ out of 100 (p<0.001) at the end of the second assessment. Overall, the mean practice score among the wards was improved from $7.6{\pm}5.51$ to $15.3{\pm}2.55$ out of 20 (p<0.001). Conclusions: The pharmacist-based interventions improved the knowledge, attitude and safe practices of nurses in cytotoxic drug handling. Further assessment may help to confirm the sustainability of the improved practices.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.292-297
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• 2020

Background: Ankle sprain is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries in the sports population or during usual daily life activities. The sprain can cause functional ankle instability (FAI), and it is very important to treat FAI. However, the optimum intervention method for FAI has yet to be determined. Objects: This study investigated the impact that virtual reality (VR) training program on balance with ankle kinesio taping for FAI. Methods: Twenty-two people were selected for the study and randomly divided into the experimental (n = 11) and the control group (n = 11). The experimental group had attached kinesio taping on the ankle and then implemented a virtual reality exercise program for 30 minutes a day. Nintendo Wii Fit Plus was used for the VR intervention three times a week for four weeks. The control group performed only two measurements without intervention. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in overall, anterior-posterior (AP), medial-lateral (ML) index of the static balance, and significant differences in overall, AP, ML index of the dynamic balance when taping and VR exercise were applied at the same time (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in overall and ML index of static and dynamic balance compared with before and after assessment between the experimental and the control group, and found differences in AP index of static and dynamic balance (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Kinesio taping may not influence the balance of FAI as great as people expected. VR approach does not affect the static balance of FAI, but it influences dynamic balance in overall, AP, ML index. The authors suggest that VR-based exercises can be used as an additional concept in clinicians for FAI or as part of a home program because the exercises still have limitations.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2020

Pubescent Angelica is generally used in musculoskeletal diseases of lower extremity, itching, external contraction (外感) and furuncle, with the effect of dispelling wind, draining dampness, dispersing the external (解表) and stopping pain. The disease parts of Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine (東醫寶鑑) contain 121 examples of the usage of Pubescent Angelica. Cases of musculoskeletal diseases and itching are mainly in the External Bodily Elements section (外形篇), and those of external contraction and furuncle are mainly in the Miscellaneous Disorder section (雜病篇). Internal Bodily Elements section (內景篇) has 10 prescriptions that involve Pubescent Angelica, in Dreams (2), Voice (1), Uterus (4), Parasites (1), and Feces (2) chapters. Their specific symptoms are insomnia and sleep paralysis (Dreams), loss of voice due to external contraction (Voice), uterine hemorrhage (Uterus), phthisis (Parasites), and constipation and diarrhea (Feces). It is not easy for students beginning their clinical training to link the effects of Pubescent Angelica and its actual usage, especially in the area of internal medicine. By Analyzing the whole cases of Pubescent Angelica in the Treasured Mirror, we found various usages out of reach of basic knowledge of the herb. Such method can be utilized not only in developing herbal knowledge-based products, but also in improving Korean medicine education, by enhancing the occupational competency bridging basic and clinical knowledge.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.183-188
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• 2017

Background: Recommendations have been proposed for minimum aerobic fitness among firefighters but it is unclear if those criteria relate to performance on the fireground. Less fit individuals fatigue more quickly than fit individuals when working at comparable intensity and may have gait changes, increasing risk of falls. We evaluated the effect of fatigue during a live burn evolution on gait parameters and functional balance comparing them to aerobic fitness levels. Methods: A total of 24 firefighters had gait and balance tested before and after a live burn evolution. Data were stratified by aerobic fitness of greater/less than 14 metabolic equivalents (METs). Results: Analysis of gait cycles measurements before and after the live burn evolution revealed that single leg stance, cycle, and swing time decreased (p < 0.05) but there were no differences in the other measures. There were no differences in time to complete the functional balance test, or errors committed before or after a live burn evolution. When firefighters were sorted by fitness level of 14 METs, there were no differences for errors or time before or after the live burn evolution. Balance data were analyzed using a linear regression. Individuals with lower fitness levels required more time to complete the test. Conclusion: A 14-MET criterion failed to distinguish gait or balance characteristics in this group. However, less fit firefighters did require more time to complete the balance test (p = 0.003). Aerobic fitness alone does not predict gait changes among firefighters following a live burn evolution but does appear to influence functional balance.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.118-129
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• 2016

Purpose: This study aims to examine the levels of the perception and work performance of patient safety based on the healthcare accreditation criteria among long-term care hospital nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using questionnaires. Out of 205 criteria, 39 items relevant to patient safety were selectively adapted for this study. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The mean scores of perception and work performance were 4.36 and 4.24 out of 5, respectively, and the difference between them was significantly different (t=5.78, p<.001). The two variables were both significantly higher among those nurses who were older, married, head nurses, had many nursing experiences, and aware of Healthcare Accreditation than the other nurses. Positive correlations were observed between perception and work performance in all three sub-systems. The relations between these two in the patient care system was the most highly correlated (r=.894, p<.001). The lowest scores of perception and work performances were fire-related criteria (i.e., reporting). Conclusion: Overall, subject's perception proves to be higher than their work performance. It is necessary to develop some viable environment and training programs to enhance their work performance up to the level of their perception of patient safety.