• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.12-16
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• 2017

Purpose: Anterior drawer and varus stress radiographs are commonly to diagnose chronic lateral ankle instability. We compared the preoperative stress radiographs with the intraoperative radiographs under anesthesia to determine the accuracy and efficacy of stress radiographs in an outpatient clinical environment. Materials and Methods: Data was collected from patients who underwent a modified $Brostr{\ddot{o}}m$ operation for painful chronic unilateral lateral ankle instability between January 2014 and June 2016. Subjects were divided into three groups-complete tear, partial tear, and instability without rupture-according to the status of preoperative MRI findings of the anterior talofibular ligament. The anterior drawer and varus stress radiographs were taken preoperatively and intraoperatively under anesthesia. Results: Ninety-six patients, with a mean age of 29.63 years, were enrolled. There were 39, 46, and 11 patients in the complete tear, partial tear, and instability without rupture groups, respectively. On the anterior drawer and varus stress radiographs of the affected limb, talar anterior translation and varus tilting were significantly increased by 2.56 mm and $2.0^{\circ}$. The gaps between the unaffected limbs were also increased by 2.47 mm and $1.32^{\circ}$ after anesthesia. Although the stress radiographs were taken under anesthesia, the results were often smaller than the diagnostic value. Conclusion: Stress radiographs for painful chronic lateral ankle instability taken at the outpatient clinic might be inaccurate for diagnosis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.30-34
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• 2016

Purpose: Although Bednar's aphthae are common and regress spontaneously, these lesions may lead to feeding intolerance and are often misdiagnosed, rendering examinations useless. This study sheds new light on the clinical features of Bednar's aphthae. Methods: Sixteen neonates and infants were newly diagnosed with Bednar's aphthae via routine health check-ups in an outpatient clinic. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed, and the following parameters were analyzed; sex, gestational age, birth weight, mode of delivery, and perinatal problems. A physical examination was carried out during the next outpatient visit to examine the healing process and check for the existence of scars or complications. Results: Initial presentation included changes in feeding habits (n=10), longer feeding time, reduced intake, and increased irritability. In 6 patients, Bednar's aphthae were discovered incidentally, without prior symptoms. Feeding posture and method of feeding are important causes of Bednar's aphthae. Eleven patients were fed in a horizontal position, whereas 5 patients were fed in a semiseated position. Fifteen patients were bottle-fed, whereas 1 patient was exclusively breastfed. After correcting the feeding position, the ulcerative lesions disappeared within 1 month of diagnosis. During the follow-up period, lesions did not recur in any of the patients. Conclusion: This study suggests that Bednar's aphthae are caused by mechanical pressure. A diagnosis of Bednar's aphthae should be considered when lesions are found on the palate of infants and when symptoms seem to be feeding related. Proper education of parents can both treat Bednar's aphthae and easily prevent its recurrence.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.37-49
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• 2017

In order to maximize the efficiency and the quality of care in a hospital, hospitals in general operate by appointments. Patient no-shows or missed appointments waste the time of staffs who prepare for appointments, deprive patients of needed care, and increase burden on clinic capacity. The purpose of this study is to examine the importance and significance of factors that affect patient no-shows. The actual data of 50,000 outpatient appointments is compiled and analyzed from a VAMC in the United States with aims to identify the factors that contribute to outpatient no-shows and to draw meaningful implications. Random forest along with logistic regression analysis identify the factors affecting no-shows; appointment leadtime, show-up rate, travel distance, no-show rate in previous period, patient age, severity, complexity of disease, chronic pain, depression, drug dependence. The appointment leadtime, show-up rate, travel distance and previous no-show rate can be improved by enhancing SMS pre-notification and by improving afterwards telephone counseling. For other factors, it needs to study on the service differentiation with the characteristics of each patient group.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.141-150
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• 2013

Objectives : The objective of this report is to identify the utilization of hospital school service during hospitalization among patients in their childhood and adolescence with psychiatric disorders. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical record of child and adolescent psychiatric who were hospitalized during March 2009 through October 2012. We compared the one-year successful schooling and outpatient follow up rate between users and nonusers of the inpatient hospital school service. The hospital schooling experiences of the users were investigated upon follow-up visits to the outpatient clinic. Results : Sixty-three students received hospital school service during hospitalization among total 122 child and adolescent inpatients. Hospital school participants showed a significantly higher school reentry rate (61.9%) than non-participants (40.7%). However, there was no difference on follow up rate between the two groups. More than 60% of the 22 interviewed participants expressed an above-average level of satisfaction about hospital school service. Conclusion : Many patients with mental illness experience difficulty in receiving school education during treatment. That induces deterioration in disease, academic failure, poor social skills, low self-esteem, economic difficulties, and future job opportunities. The results of this study emphasize the importance of hospital school service and offer useful guidance for hospital school operation.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.389-399
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to identify effects of a 12 weeks Tai Chi exercise and education intervention program on HbA1C, sexual function and IL-12 (Interleukin 12), IL-4 (Interleukin 4), TNF-${\alpha}$ (Tumor Necrosis Factor) for women with type 2 diabetes. Methods: The study had a nonequivalent control group pretest posttest design. The participants were 64 women with diabetes recruited from an outpatient clinic of a university hospital. The Tai Chi exercise and education intervention program was provided twice a week for 12 weeks for the 32 women in the experimental group. The 32 women in the control group were maintained on basic outpatient treatment. Outcome variables were HbA1C, sexual dysfunction scores, IL-4, IL-12 and TNF-${\alpha}$. Results: The experimental group showed significantly improved HbA1C (F=3.10, p=.004), and sexual function (F=3.78, p=.001) compared to the control group. Also for the experimental group TNF-${\alpha}$ (F=-2.69, p=.004) significantly increased compared to the control group. Conclusion: Results indicate that a Tai Chi exercise and education intervention program can be utilized effectively for women with type 2 diabetes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4515-4518
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• 2013

Background: This study was planned to investigate the personality traits of cancer patients in different treatment settings, and to correlate the demographics with the personality features. Materials and Methods: A total of 237 patients referred either to Marmara University School of Medicine (MUSM) Oncology Outpatient Unit or to the private office of the faculty between March 10th and April 22nd, 2010 were enrolled in the study. The Big Five Mini Test was used to evaluate the 40 personality traits of the patients. Results: The study group consisted of 98 males (41.35%) and 139 females (58.65%) with a mean age of 51. Out of the 237, 73.9% had an educational level beyond the junior high school, and 47.3% of all patients reported a positive family history for cancer. A significant difference in terms of reconcilability, extraversion, and responsibility was observed between patients admitting to the university outpatient clinic and the private office (p<0.05). Reconcilability and extraversion were found to differ between genders significantly (p<0.05). The description of the patients by him/herself or by relatives displayed a significant difference in terms of openness (p<0.05). Parameters such as educational level, family history of cancer, age and marital status showed no relevance to their characters. No discordance was observed between the self-analysis of the patient and the patient's relatives. Conclusions: Patients with cancer are typically highly reconcilable and responsible, moderately stable, open and extraverted.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.340-350
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• 2016

The Medical Service Act of Korea describes a clinic as providing services primarily to outpatients, while a large general hospital provides specialized medical services requiring a high level of expertise for treating serious diseases. The portion of medical revenue for clinics has been decreasing gradually compared with large hospitals. This article proposes two fundamental medical policies to fix the distorted medical delivery system of Korea. Firstly, uniform additional medical remuneration rates based on the type of medial institution should be divided into outpatient additional rates and inpatient additional rates. Secondly, to normalize the function of clinics and large general hospitals, an outpatient medical target budget system should be introduced. Finally, to properly implement the proposal, it is important to establish healthcare policy-making governance. The success of policy implementation strongly depends on the participation and incentives of the government, suppliers, and patients. Healthcare policy-making governance must be designed to encompass this fact and improve quality of care.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.136-142
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• 2008

Background: A transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) is one of the methods for the conservative treatment of the lumbar spinal stenosis. As efforts to prolong the therapeutic duration and to predict the outcome of TFESI are very important, we analyzed factors considered to be associated with the therapeutic duration of a TFESI. Methods: Between August 2006 and March 2007, 69 patients (Group A: patients with no pain relief, Group B: patients with pain relief of less than 6 months, Group C: patients with pain relief of more than 6 months) who failed to the medical treatment were included to undertake a fluoroscopic-guided TFESI. Prior to treatment, the VAS (visual analogue scale), ODI (Oswestry disability index), BDI (Beck depression inventory), and BAI (Beck anxiety inventory) scores were determined to evaluate the degree of pain, disability, and psychological status. The VAS and ODI scores were used to assess the degree of pain relief. To identify the total duration of pain relief, regular outpatient visits for six months were conducted, and for the patients who were not able to visit the outpatient clinic regularly, outcome was assessed by telephone interviews after six months. Results: The dural sac cross-sectional area (DSCSA), ODI, pain duration, BDI, BAI, and age showed similar distribution for patients in the A, B, and C groups. Conclusions: The DSCSA, ODI, pain duration, BDI, BAI, and age were not associated with the therapeutic duration of TFESI in lumbar spinal stenosis patients.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.151-155
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• 2018

Purpose: Toe ulcers have been implicated as a causative factor in diabetic foot amputation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of percutaneous needle flexor tenotomies of diabetic claw toes with ulcers or pending ulcers. Materials and Methods: The authors undertook a retrospective chart review between January 2014 and June 2016 to identify those patients who underwent a percutaneous needle flexor tenotomy for diabetic claw toe deformities. We evaluated 54 toes in 42 patients. Twenty-four patients were female and the mean age at the time of operation was 57 years. The mean follow-up time was 11 months. Thirty-four patients (46 toes) had tip toe ulcers or pending ulcers and 8 patients (8 toes) had dorsal pending ulcers. All patients had palpable pulses and good capillary refill. Results: Forty-three of 46 tip toe ulcers (93.5%) healed without significant complications and 8 dorsal ulcers showed no specific changes within 5 weeks. There were no recurrent ulcers at final follow-up. Four patients developed transfer lesion of the adjacent toe and needed subsequent tenotomy. Conclusion: Percutaneous needle tenotomy in an outpatient clinic was an effective and safe method for treating toe ulcers in neuropathic patients to offload the tip of the toe so that ulcer healing could occur.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.890-902
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• 2023

Objective: The clinical impact of artificial intelligence-based computer-aided detection (AI-CAD) beyond diagnostic accuracy remains uncertain. We aimed to investigate the influence of the clinical implementation of AI-CAD for chest radiograph (CR) interpretation in daily practice on the rate of referral for chest computed tomography (CT). Materials and Methods: AI-CAD was implemented in clinical practice at the Seoul National University Hospital. CRs obtained from patients who visited the pulmonology outpatient clinics before (January-December 2019) and after (January-December 2020) implementation were included in this study. After implementation, the referring pulmonologist requested CRs with or without AI-CAD analysis. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses to evaluate the associations between using AI-CAD and the following study outcomes: the rate of chest CT referral, defined as request and actual acquisition of chest CT within 30 days after CR acquisition, and the CT referral rates separately for subsequent positive and negative CT results. Multivariable analyses included various covariates such as patient age and sex, time of CR acquisition (before versus after AI-CAD implementation), referring pulmonologist, nature of the CR examination (baseline versus follow-up examination), and radiology reports presence at the time of the pulmonology visit. Results: A total of 28546 CRs from 14565 patients (mean age: 67 years; 7130 males) and 25888 CRs from 12929 patients (mean age: 67 years; 6435 males) before and after AI-CAD implementation were included. The use of AI-CAD was independently associated with increased chest CT referrals (odds ratio [OR], 1.33; P = 0.008) and referrals with subsequent negative chest CT results (OR, 1.46; P = 0.005). Meanwhile, referrals with positive chest CT results were not significantly associated with AI-CAD use (OR, 1.08; P = 0.647). Conclusion: The use of AI-CAD for CR interpretation in pulmonology outpatients was independently associated with an increased frequency of overall referrals for chest CT scans and referrals with subsequent negative results.