• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.50-60
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• 2022

Purpose: To examine the degree of recognition regarding the concept of patient safety, as perceived by the patient, using a focus group discussion. Methods: A focus group discussion was conducted with a patient group comprising seven patients. Results: When the participants heard the term "patient safety" they seemed to understand it to be related to the hospital environment or satisfaction with the overall hospitalization experience. The participants emphasized communication between the medical staff and the patients in relation to the explanation of treatments, as well as the provision of information regarding prevention, experience, and the treatment of incidents with patient safety. They agreed on the need for indicators reported by patients. However, they emphasized that additional items and a questionnaire method that considers the patients' point of view are needed. Conclusion: It is necessary to establish and implement various strategies that can raise the awareness of patient safety using patient safety indicators and increase participation in patient safety activities.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.186-191
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• 2009

목적 : 체계적 문헌고찰(Systematic Review)은 Protocol 개발과 Review로 구분되며, 본 연구는 국내외 의학논문 검색엔진에 등재된 이명증의 RCT 문헌들을 대상으로 평가지표를 추출하는 Systematic Review를 진행하기 위한 Protocol의 개발을 목적으로 함. 방법 : 문헌고찰을 위한 각 과정들 및 연구에 필요한 사전 결정 인자 들을 연구자 회의와 체계적 문헌고찰 protocol 개발 방식에 근거하여 개발함. 결과 : Outcome measurement의 추출을 위한 Systermatic Review의 진행에 적합한 database의 선정, 각 database에 적합한 검색식, 검색기간, 논문의 선정 및 제외기준, PICO(patient, intervention, comparator, outcome) form의 개발, 질 평가의 근거기준, 각 연구자의 역할, data의 취합 및 분석 방법 등의 결과를 개발하고 결정하였음. 결론 : 이상에서 과정에서 도출된 결과에 근거하여, 향후 Outcome measurement 추출을 위한 Review를 진행하고 차후 Review논문으로 발표할 예정임.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.552-564
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• 2004

Purpose: This study was to develop a client health status outcome evaluation instrument, and examine content validity, reliability, construct validity, and the acceptability of this instrument. Method: A preliminary list was made of such key information as standards, criteria, indicators and measures, by means of a broad review of literature within the field. After determining the preliminary instruments, the study sought to obtain examination, consensus, and modification of two groups of experts in the home-care field. Finally, the instrument examined content validity, reliability, construct validity, and the acceptability of this instrument. Result: The tool was considered of 13 criteria, 48 indicators, and 167 detail measures. The content validity index of the tool was above 0.8 according to the expert group. Regarding the reliability of the evaluators of standards 1 and 2, the degree of agreement between evaluators was high(96.4% through 98.2%). Construct validity in this study, the difference in the mean score between the baseline point and the follow up point of each of standards 1 and 2 was significant, and the mean score of the follow up point was more than that of the baseline point. After examining the acceptability of this instrument with practice managers and home care nurses in home care institutions, a positive opinion was given of this instrument, and it was indicated that to be useful and applicable in home care practice. Conclusion: The results of evaluating client outcome will contribute to overall outcome-based quality improvement and service marketing in home care by providing a constant gauge of home care effectiveness.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.324-334
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• 1998

Background : Strategic planning is an organizationwide or systemwide, ongoing look into the future usually of 2~3 years, based on objective analysis of the current environment and trends, but it can incorporate both short-term and long-term goals. The strategic planning process includes external analysis, internal analysis, issue analysis, development of mission, vision and values, and lastly development of organizational goals and objectives. As a part of the strategic quality planning process, certain service lines, important organizationwide functions, or key processes supporting these functions can be prioritized to expedite and roll out certain strategic goals. This is called strategic quality initiatives. Methods : We organized a quality improvement team, a subgroup of 21st century vision planning corps of our medical center, and pursued QI activities for improvement of healthcare environment, particularly in the admission setting. We developed a strategic quality initiative based on the results of patient satisfaction surveys, and carried out functions of self-directed work team. Results : The strategic goal was to be the benchmark for peer group hospitals in Korea for providing cost-effective best-practice. The QI team included 3 medical doctors, 1 nurse, 1 social worker, and 1 QI consultant as well as many operational members to support services and quality initiatives met every Tuesday for 18 weeks. Outcome objectives were to improve patient satisfaction score. The issues included in the objectives were comfort, temperature, noise, cleanliness of the admission wards, quality and education of patient meals, matters regarding the admission process, and an appurtenant facility such as restaurant or convenience store. Every issue was discussed and recommendations, conclusions and opportunities were implemented. Conclusions : By developing a strategic quality initiative as a part of the strategic quality planning process, and pursuing a self-directed work team, certain sen/ice lines, important organizationwide functions, or key processes supporting these functions can be improved effectively within a short period. Strategic quality initiatives serve to support, or roll out, certain strategic goals that are relevant to performance improvement and development of specific measurable outcome objectives, and associated performance measure for each initiative. Each strategic quality initiative should include a statement of intent outcome objectives, and performance measures. We will come back with follow up of the strategic quality initiative, for improvement of healthcare environment, and results of patient satisfaction re-survey.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.216-223
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• 2011

Objective : The purposes of this study are to estimate postoperative survival and ambulatory outcome and to identify prognostic factors thereafter of metastatic spinal tumors in a single institute. Methods : We reviewed the medical records of 182 patients who underwent surgery for a metastatic spinal tumor from January 1987 to January 2009 retrospectively. Twelve potential prognostic factors (age, gender, primary tumor, extent and location of spinal metastases, interval between primary tumor diagnosis and metastatic spinal cord compression, preoperative treatment, surgical approach and extent, preoperative Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, Nurick score, Tokuhashi and Tomita score) were investigated. Results : The median survival of the entire patients was 8 months. Of the 182 patients, 80 (44%) died within 6 months after surgery, 113 (62%) died within 1 year after surgery, 138 (76%) died within 2 years after surgery. Postoperatively 47 (26%) patients had improvement in ambulatory function, 126 (69%) had no change, and 9 (5%) had deterioration. On multivariate analysis, better ambulatory outcome was associated with being ambulatory before surgery (p=0.026) and lower preoperative ECOG score (p=0.016). Survival rate was affected by preoperative ECOG performance status (p<0.001) and Tomita score (p<0.001). Conclusion : Survival after metastatic spinal tumor surgery was dependent on preoperative ECOG performance status and Tomita score. The ambulatory functional outcomes after surgery were dependent on preoperative ambulatory status and preoperative ECOG performance status. Thus, prompt decompressive surgery may be warranted to improve patient's survival and gait, before general condition and ambulatory function of patient become worse.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4609-4614
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• 2015

Background: In recent decades, the prognosis for childhood leukemia has improved, especially for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In Thailand, though, the survival rate for ALL is unimpressive. In 2006, standard national protocols for childhood leukemia treatment were implemented. We herein report the outcome of the ALL national protocols and explanations behind discrepancies in outcomes between institutions. Materials and Methods: Between March 2006 and February 2008, 486 children with ALL from 12 institutions were enrolled in the Thai national protocols. There were 3 different protocols based on specific criteria: one each for standard risk, high risk and Burkitt's ALL. We classified participating centers into 4 groups of institutions, namely: medical schools in Bangkok, provincial medical schools, hospitals in Bangkok and provincial hospitals. We also evaluated supportive care, laboratory facilities in participating centers, socioeconomics, and patient compliance. Overall and event-free survival were determined for each group using the Kaplan Meier method. Statistical differences were determined using the log-rank test. Previous outcomes of Thai childhood ALL treatment between 2003 and 2005 served as the historic control. Results: Five-year overall survival of ALL treated using the Thai national protocol was 67.2%; an improvement from the 63.7% of the 12-institute historical control (p-value=0.06). There were discrepancies in event-free survival of ALL between centers in Bangkok and up-country provinces (69.9% vs 51.2%, p-value <0.01). Socioeconomics and patient compliance were key elements in determining the outcome (65.5% vs 47.5%, 59.4% vs 42.9%) (p-value < 0.02). Conclusions: Implementation of standard national protocols for childhood leukemia in Thailand did not significantly improve the outcome of ALL. Factors leading to better outcomes included (a) improvement of treatment compliance (b) prevention of treatment abandonment and (c) financial support to the family.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.345-353
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• 2016

PURPOSE. The aim of this study was to assess the esthetic outcome of maxillary anterior single implants by comparing the esthetic perception of dental professionals and patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Twenty-three patients with single implants in the esthetic zone were enrolled in this study. Dentists of four different dental specialties (Three orthodontists, three oral surgeons, three prosthodontists, and three periodontists) evaluated the pink esthetic score (PES)/white esthetic score (WES) for 23 implant-supported single restorations. The satisfactions of the patients on the esthetic outcome of the treatment have been evaluated according to the visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS. The mean total PES/WES was $12.26{\pm}4.76$. The mean PES was $6.45{\pm}2.78$ and mean WES was $5.80{\pm}2.82$. There was a statistically significant difference among the different specialties for WES (P<.01) and Total PES/WES (P<.01). Prosthodontists were found to have assigned poorer ratings among the other specialties, while oral surgeons gave the higher ratings than periodontists, orthodontists, and prosthodontists. CONCLUSION. Prosthodontists seemed to be stricter when assessing aesthetic outcome among other specialties. Moreover, a clear correlation existed between dentists' and patients' esthetic perception, thereby providing rationales for involving patients in the treatment plan to achieve higher levels of patient satisfaction.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.119-130
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• 2024

Objectives : The objective of this review is to examine the variety of evaluation parameters utilized in clinical trials that assess the anticancer efficacy of herbal medicine, focusing on the importance of including both symptomatic management and direct anticancer effectiveness. Methods : A detailed literature review was conducted across PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify clinical trials investigating the antitumor efficacy of herbal medicine. The search was performed on February 22, 2024. This review specifically examined the employed outcome measures, which were then categorized and analyzed to understand their relevance and application in evaluating the anticancer properties of herbal medicine. Results : From an initial search of 900 records, 15 clinical trials were selected for in-depth analysis after deduplication and screening. These studies evaluated the efficacy of herbal medicine across various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer, using outcome measures such as survival rates, disease control rates, and quality of life improvements. The research spanned multiple countries, primarily in East Asia and the United States, reflecting a global interest in herbal medicine as a complementary approach to cancer treatment. The present study demonstrated that herbal medicine, especially when used alongside standard treatments, potentially improved clinical outcomes and patient well-being. Conclusions : The findings of this review highlight the need for a broader focus on the full range of therapeutic capabilities of herbal medicine, including its direct anticancer effects, in the management of cancer patients. Future oncology research involving herbal medicine should integrate a wide spectrum of clinical endpoints to fully ascertain its impact on cancer treatment and patient health.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.195-207
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• 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to confirm the change of nursing organizational characteristics and to define the difference of organizational outcome by measuring the organizational commitment and job satisfaction perceived by nursing staffs and patient satisfaction before and after organizational redesign. Method: The structured questionnaires of which contained organizational characteristics, organizational commitment and job satisfaction were developed from previous published studies after modification by researcher. The questionnaires were distributed to 1,200 and 679 nurses before and after nursing organizational change. patient satisfaction were measured before and after organizational change by direct interview with structured questionnaire from 1,566 and 1,291 patients. Results: 1. The organizational characteristics were significantly increased and the leadership of team leader and head nurse was significantly increased among the factors of organizational characteristics. 2. Organizational commitment was showed decreased tendency, but the difference was not significant. Job satisfaction was increased significantly and administration, autonomy, and job tasks were increased significantly in the factors of job satisfaction. Patient satisfaction was also increased significantly. 3. There was significant positive correlation between organizational commitment and job satisfaction and also job satisfaction and nursing organizational characteristics. All factors of organizational characteristics and satisfaction in present working unit were major factors to influence organizational commitment and explained 43.8% in a significant level by multiple regression analysis. The major factor which affect job satisfaction were the factors of nursing organizational characteristic except 'interaction with team leader' and satisfaction in present working unit among general characteristics and these factors explained 58.8% of job satisfaction. Conclusion: In conclusion, the nursing organizational change was very effective to bring about desirable change in nursing organizational characteristics and also to improve job satisfaction and patient satisfaction. Therefore the nursing productivity and comparability would be increased when the nursing organizational change is accomplished by the way of improving the factors of organizational characteristics and it would be followed by the promotion of job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.318-323
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• 2017

Objectives: Mandibular angle reduction or reduction genioplasty is a routine well-known facial contouring surgery that reduces the width of the lower face resulting in an oval shaped face. During the intraoral resection of the mandibular angle or chin using an oscillating saw, unexpected peripheral nerve damage including inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) damage could occur. This study analyzed cases of damaged IANs during facial contouring surgery, and asked what the basic standard of care in these medical litigation-involved cases should be. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a total of 28 patients with IAN damage after mandibular contouring from August 2008 to July 2015. Most of the patients did not have an antipathy to medical staff because they wanted their faces to be ovoid shaped. We summarized three representative cases according to each patient's perceptions and different operation procedures under the approvement by the Institutional Review Board of Seoul National University. Results: Most of the patients did not want to receive any further operations not due to fear of an operation but because of the changes in their facial appearance. Thus, their fear may be due to a desire for a better perfect outcome, and to avoid unsolicited patient complaints related litigation. Conclusion: This article analyzed representative IAN cutting cases that occurred during mandibular contouring esthetic surgery and evaluated a questionnaire on the standard of care for the desired patient outcomes and the specialized surgeon's position with respect to legal liability.