• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.110-118
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• 2016

Background: Nefopam is a non-opioid, non-steroidal, centrally acting analgesic drug. The concomitant use of opioids and nefopam is believed to have many advantages over the administration of opioids alone for postoperative pain management. We conducted a randomized, double-blind study to determine the fentanyl-sparing effect of co-administration of nefopam with fentanyl for postoperative pain management via patient controlled analgesia (PCA). Methods: Ninety female patients who underwent laparoscopic total hysterectomy under general anesthesia were randomized into 3 groups, Group A, fentanyl $1,000{\mu}g$; Group B, fentanyl $500{\mu}g$ + nefopam 200 mg; and Group C, fentanyl $500{\mu}g$ + nefopam 400 mg, in a total volume of 100 ml PCA to be administered over the first 48 h postoperatively without basal infusion. The primary outcome was total fentanyl consumption during 48 h; secondary outcomes included pain scores and incidence of side effects. Results: Eighty-one patients were included in the analysis. The overall fentanyl-sparing effects of PCA with concomitant administration of nefopam during the first 48 h postoperatively were 54.5% in Group B and 48.9% group C. Fentanyl use was not significantly different between Groups B and C despite the difference in the nefopam dose. There were no differences among the three groups in terms of PCA-related side effects, although the overall sedation score of Group B was significantly lower than that of Group A. Conclusions: The concomitant administration of nefopam with fentanyl for postoperative pain management may allow reduction of fentanyl dose, thereby reducing the risk of opioid-related adverse effects.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.71-92
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to analyze the efficiency in management of general hospitals and investigate the major factors on efficiency. Specifically, the management of each general hospital is evaluated by using Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA) technique which is a nonparametric statistical method for measurement of efficiency. Then, the influencing factors are investigated through analyses of Decision-Tree Model and Tobit Regression. The target hospitals were general hospitals in which bed sizes are between 200 and 500 among a total of 276 general hospitals. The main data of financial indicators were collected from 48 hospitals, and it was analyzed by using two statistical models. For Model I, three input and two output variables were used for efficiency evaluation. In particular, three input variables were the number of medical doctors, the number of paramedical personnel, and the bed size. And, two output variables were the numbers of inpatients and outpatients per year, adjusted by bed-size. The results of DEA analysis showed that only seven out of 48 hospitals(15%) turned out to be efficient. The decision-tree analysis also showed that there were six significant influencing factors for Model I. Six factors for Model I were Bed Occupancy Rate, Cost per Adjusted Inpatient, New Visit Ratio of Outpatients, Retired Ratio, Net Profit to Gross Revenues, Net Profit to Total Assets. In addition, the management efficiency of hospital is proved to increase as profit and patient-induced indicators increase and cost-related indicators decrease, by the Tobit regression model of independent variables derived from the decision-tree analysis. This study may be contributable to the development of analytic methodology regarding the efficiency of hospital management in that it suggests the synthetic measures by utilizing DEA model instead of suggesting simple ratio-analyzing results.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.669-689
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• 2002

Purpose : The purpose of the present study is to develop a clinical pathway applied with activity-based management methodology for efficient clinical management to cope with rapid changing medical environments. Method : After making a preliminary pathway based on which a conceptual frame of reference was established to develop a clinical pathway, the final one was confirmed by verifying experts validity and clinical validity. The ultimate activity-based clinical pathway was restructured after clarifying, schematizing and analyzing the whole activities of clinical pathway in accordance with the conducting process of activity-based management. Result : A clinical pathway for total hip replacement was developed, in which the vertical axis consisted of assessment, examination, consultation, medication, treatment, diet, activity, and education, and the horizontal axis was composed of six days of hospitalization. Then, on the basis of the development, the clinical pathway including the improved contents and information was restructured after making the reform measure by analyzing each of activities in the pathway. And the list of contents related to the clinical management activity was made, which was described its main contents and the pre-activities that ought to be completed before conducting each of activities in the pathway. Conclusion : The clinical pathway applied with activity-based management may be used as a standard guidance for providing continuous and consistent patient care. It will provide the information for nursing activities to nurses and the management information about hospital and nursing activities to the hospital administrators. It will also be used as a tool for communication between medical staff. Besides, it will contribute to creating profits for the hospital by shortening the length of stay in patients.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.234-243
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between self-management and diabetes knowledge, diabetes-related attitudes, family support, and self-efficacy in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus based on the information-motivation-behavior skills model. Methods: Data collection was conducted between March 18 and September 30, 2018. Patients (N=87) aged 12 to 19 years were recruited from the outpatient clinic of S children's hospital and an online community for patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearsons correlation, and hierarchical multiple linear regression with SPSS IBM 23.0, with the two-tailed level of significance set at 0.05. Results: The mean score of self-management in adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus was $61.23{\pm}10.00$ out of 80. The regression analysis showed that self-efficacy and family support significantly explained 56.9% of the variance in self-management (F=21.38, p<.001). Self-efficacy (${\beta}=.504$, p<.001) and family support (${\beta}=.188$, p<.001) were significant predictors of self-management. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop individual interventions to improve self-efficacy and family support for adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus to help them enhance their self-management.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.259-279
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• 2000

This study is a descriptive analytic research measuring nursing service quality, using SERVQUAL model, to make fundamental data and strategies for nursing service improvement. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaire from 202 patients and 142 nurses, from June 7 to 14, 1999. The reliability of instrument were adequate(Cronbach ${\alpha}=.94$). SAS program was utilized for statistical analysis of collected data. The results were as follows; 1. There was a gab between patient's expectation and perception on nursing service(Gap B). Gap D was indicated an affecting factor to decide nursing service quality. Gap C was indicated an indirect affecting factor of nursing service quality. Because it was not statistically significant in total item analysis, but in individual item analysis, 7 items were appeared statistically significant. Gap A was not a gap occurrence factor of nursing service quality. 2. Focuses of nursing service quality improvement strategies were; (1) to direct qualitative improvement of nursing service in order to correspondence patient's nursing service expectation. (2) to make nurse's service activity modified because nurse's practice were not reached patient's expectation level. (3) to need internal, external factor analysis affecting nurse's service activity. 3. Nursing service quality was decided by rather environmental inappropriateness provided nursing service than itself. Therefore, to make nursing service quality improvement, it is required to improve nursing service environment. For this, followings are required; (1) to strengthen nurse's education on lower part of nursing service satisfaction and QI activities. (2) to balance demand and supply of nursing personnel. 3) to fix computerized system for reducing other duties weight except nursing care through analysis of nursing activity. (4) to construct rational cooperating system among related departments. 4. The important parts for nursing service quality improvement were indicated as follows: (1) Gap B: 'prompt reaction', 'examination symptom before patient's complaint', 'hearted nursing service reducing patient's dissatisfaction', 'explanation goals of nursing activities', 'having special Knowledge enough', 'maintenance position comfortably', 'management of patient's physical hygiene'. (2) Gap C: 'maintenance physical safety', 'explanation about hospital rules and facilities'. (3) Gap D: 'tender, safe injection and wound care'. Because above items are mostly improved through nurse's attitude change and quality improvement, it is required to establish nursing standardization and to strengthen nurse's clinical education. As the based on above results, followings are suggested; 1. SERVQUAL model is very useful to make strategies for nursing service quality improvement because it indicates multiple factors affecting hap occurrence. 2. At individual items analysis of Gap C, statistically significant 7 items appeared higher nurse's perception level than patient's perception level on nursing service were trouble perception level on nursing service quality improvement. So. it need further research to analysis about these difference occurring factors. 3. At analysis of Gap D, it is indicated that in nursing service performance process, multiple factors lowing nursing service quality were intruded. So it needs further research to analysis what these factors are and how each factors affect on nursing performance process. 4. nursing service quality measurement is changeable according to sample select time or sampled subject's characteristics. So to develope strategy for nursing service quality improvement is based on the results of periodical analysis.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 2001

Objectives : To compare the multiple outcomes of patients with cataract surgery at perioperative time,3-4 months and 12 months after surgery and to assess patient outcomes associated with visual improvement(visual acuity of operated eye, visual function-14(VF-14), symptom score). Methods : For this assessment, a prospective study was conducted with 389 patients who had undergone cataract surgery for either one eye or both eyes. The surgery was peformed by 20 ophthalmologists who were practicing at university hospitals and general hospitals. Patients were interviewed and clinical data were obtained. Doctors were questioned with self-reported questionnaire forms. Medical records were examined in order to measure variables related to the surgical process such as surgical methods and ocular comorbidity. The survey was 'conducted at 4 stages' : preoperative time(389 cases), perioperative time(344 cases, 88.4%), postoperative 3-4 months (343 cases, 88.2%), and postoperative 12 months (281 cases, 72.2%). After excluding cases with incomplete data, 198 cases were enrolled in the study. Patient outcomes was measured for any improvement in the functional outcomes(visual acuity of operated eye, visual function, symptom score) at postoperative 3-4 months. Results : The visual acuity(operated, weighted average), symptom score, VF-14 score, satisfaction with vision, and subjective health status were shown to be improved at the perioperative time, postoperative 3-4 months and 12 mouths. An improvement in the Snellen visual acuity score was observed in 190 patients(96.0%), whereas improvements of the VF-14 score and cataract symptom sure were observed in 151 patients(76.3%) and 179 patients(90.4%), respectively. All three outcome measures demonstrated improvement in 137 patients(09.2%). The improvement of the three functional outcomes at 3-4 months after receiving surgery was associated with a lower level of visual function and a higher level of cataract symptom score at perioperative time, as well as a greater experience level of the surgeon. Conclusions : In this study, the estimates of the proportion of patients benefiting from cataract surgery varied with the outcome measure of benefit. Preoperative VF-14 score, a measure of functional impairment related to vision, and symptom score may be better measures of the benefit derived from cataract surgery than the change in visual acuity.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.6 no.1_2
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• pp.136-149
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• 1999

Background : Although a number of studies are related to QA improvement, there are few studies applied various method of QA tools. This study reviewed the availability of general quality assurance(QA) tools according to ten steps in performing quality improvement activities at emergency room of a tertiary teaching hospital which has more than 1,000 beds. Methods : All patients in emergency room from 15th Oct. 1997 to 5th Sep. 1998 were surveyed. The survey data based on the patient's records of emergency room were evaluated according to length of stay, and we tried to identify problems with management of emergency room. To solve the problems, our team applied general QA tools(brainstorming, flow chart, nominal group technique, benchmarking, cause-and-effect diagram, run chart, control chart) to quality improvement activities and discussed the availability of the tools. Results : After the activities such as changes of staffing, the establishment of local area network and chest pain clinic, application of triage and so on, the percentage of patient who had stayed more than six hours was reduced from 56.0% to 46.8%. The mean number of patients per day in emergency room was increased from 49 to 62. But the reporting time for laboratory test was not changed after these activities. Conclusion : Each QA tool has unique benefit and limitation, but we can implement and evaluate the quality improvement activities more scientifically and systematically by applying these tools to practice according to QA ten steps.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.396-412
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• 2014

Background: As a reform plan of health care system, Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has became an object of attention in the United States after Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted. ACO is a group of various health care providers and provide coordinated care to its assigned beneficiaries. If ACOs improve the quality level and reduce the cost of care, they can get financial incentives. Under the discussion for a quite long time and demonstration projects, ACO has been established. We aimed to analysis and discuss the history, policy mechanism, contents, status and outcomes of ACO. Also, we intended to suggest political implication Korean health care system with regard to ACO. Methods: We searched the articles related ACO in PubMed and selected several available papers about ACO. Total 56 studies were reviewed and categorized three parts; demonstration projects for formation of ACO, policy mechanism and agenda, empirical results of ACO performance. Results: As a result, establishment of ACO was successful partly in the US. It seems to be due to various project and pilot test for verification in the long time. The empirical effect of ACO was also identified in a few study but it needs more evidences to judge its positive effect. Conclusion: In Korea, there are arguments for the application of ACO. However it is difficult to implement a ACO by different political conditions between Korean and US. Nevertheless ACO proposed us the necessity of paradigm shift in our health policy and could be significant to national policy orientation in the future.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2016

Whereas a somatic pain notifies tissue damage, a neuropathic pain presents disorder of the nerve itself. The causes of neuropathic pains are trauma, infection, chronic irritation by adjacent tissue and so on. The iatrogenic trauma or infection also causes traumatic neuropathy, which may exert a bad influence on doctor-patient relationship. Some of related dental treatments are implantation (directly or indirectly through heating), root canal treatment, teeth extraction, block anesthesia, mandibular surgery. If inappropriate management is performed after nerve trauma, there will be many chances to develop chronic neuropathy for the patient. It is important that the sign of nerve trauma have to be caught by the practitioner as soon as possible and treated properly.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.55-59
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• 2005

The proper management of the pediatric facial bone fracture is critical in the facial bone development. This study characterizes the surgically treated patient population suffering from facial bone fractures by the use of current data from a large series consisting of 201 cases. The data was gathered through a retrospective chart review of patients surgically treated for facial bone fractures at the department of plastic and reconstructive surgery, Sanggye Paik hospital, Inje university medical center, collected over 10-years period from January, 1993 to December, 2002. Data regarding patient demographics(age, sex), seasonal distribution, location of fractures, and the causes of injury with admission periods, were collected. In total, there were 201cases of pediatric facial bone fractures. Male patients outnumbered female patients by a 5.48: 1 ratio and were found to engage in a wider range of behaviors that resulted in facial bone fractures. Physical violence was the leading cause of pediatric facial bone fractures(27.9%), followed by sports-related mechanisms (22.9%) and falling down(17.9%). The most prevalent age group was 11-15 years-old(71.1%) and there was a 14.3% prevalence in March. Among the location of fractures, the nasal bone was the most prevalent, accounting for 82.3% of injuries, followed by the orbit(9.95%), and the mandible fractures(7.5%). Most patients(59.7%) were treated within 6-9 days after trauma and the mean hospitalization period was 8-11 days. We should follow up the surgically treated patients, and they will be further evaluated about postoperative sequele and effect on the facial bone development. These studies demonstrate differences in the demographics and clinical presentation that, if applied to patients, will enable a more accurate diagnosis and proper management.