• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.475-480
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• 2023

Objectives: This study examined differences in health care spending and characteristics among older adults in Korea by high-cost status (persistently, transiently, and never high-cost). Methods: We identified 1 364 119 older adults using data from the Korean National Insurance Claims Database for 2017-2019. Outcomes included average annual total health care spending and high-cost status for 2017-2019. Linear regression was used to estimate differences in the outcomes while adjusting for individual-level characteristics. Results: Persistently and transiently high-cost older adults had higher health care spending than never high-cost older adults, but the difference in health care spending was greater among persistently high-cost older adults than among transiently high-cost older adults (US$20 437 vs. 5486). Despite demographic and socioeconomic differences between transiently high-cost and never high-cost older adults, the presence of comorbid conditions remained the most significant factor. However, there were no or small differences in the prevalence of comorbid conditions between persistently high-cost and transiently high-cost older adults. Rather, notable differences were observed in socioeconomic status, including disability and receipt of Medical Aid. Conclusions: Medical risk factors contribute to high health care spending to some extent, but social risk factors may be a source of persistent high-cost status among older adults in Korea.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.18-32
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• 2009

The goal of this study was to predict the health outcomes of lung cancer surgery based on the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). An attempt was likewise made to assess the prognostic value of such data for predicting mortality, survival rate, and length of hospital stay. A medical-record review of 389 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer was performed. To evaluate the agreement, the kappa coefficient was tested. Logistic-regression analysis was also conducted within two years after the surgery to determine the association of CCI with death. Survival and multiple-regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between CCI and the hospital care outcomes within two-year survival after lung cancer surgery and the length of hospital stay. The results of the study showed that CCI is a valid prognostic indicator of two-year mortality and length of hospital stay, and that it shows the health outcomes, such as death, survival rate, and length of hospital stay, after the surgery, thus enabling the development and application of the methodology using a systematic and objective scale for the results.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.13
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• pp.5389-5393
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• 2014

Background: A clinical pathway (CP) can standardize and improve perioperative care for a number of interventions. In hepatic surgery, however, pertinent evidence is very limited. This study was conducted to implement a CP for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients undergoing hepatectomy, and to evaluate its effects on hospital costs, length of hospital stay (LOHS) and early clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods: Medical records for HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy were retrospectively reviewed before implementation of a CP (the non-CP group) from March 2012 to August 2012. This information was compared with the data collected prospectively from patients after implementation of the CP (the CP group) between September 2012 and April 2013. Hospital costs, LOHS and early clinical outcomes were evaluated and compared between groups. Results: There were no significant differences in terms of patient clinical characteristics between the two groups. For clinical outcome measures, no significant differences were found in postoperative complications, mortality and readmission rate. The hospital costs were significantly reduced from 24,844 RMB in the non-CP group to 19,761 RMB in the CP group (p<0.01). In addition, patients of the CP group also had shorter LOHS compared with the non-CP group (8.3 versus 12.3 days, p<0.001). Conclusions: The CP proved to be an effective approach to minimize hospital costs and LOHS with hepatectomy for HCC without compromising patient care.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.395-405
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• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the application of the Problem-Based Learning(PBL) in nursing with regard to the learning process and learning outcomes. Method: PBL modules were provided to the students so that they could identify the nursing problems related to nutrition, regulation, and elimination, and implement appropriate nursing interventions according to the problems. PBL was also used to develop ability to use self-evaluation for nursing intervention outcomes. The modules were developed by the authors for the course, Nursing 1(3 credits) at Y university, and used during one semester, March to June 2003. Evaluation of the learning process and learning outcomes was done by self-report questionnaires and a semi-structured self -report developed by the authors. Result: The PBL evaluation included role of the facilitators, group work process, and self-directed learning attitude. The students evaluated the facilitator's role positively in fostering positive interactions and cooperative study among students and stimulating students to apply various problem-solving strategies. Students evaluated their own group work performances as a good opportunity to improve their group work participation, contribution, cooperation, and leadership through the PBL session. Their responsibility for their own learning and develop self-directed learning attitudes to connect present learning to long-term goals. Conclusion: Critical thinking, problem solving skills, self-directed learning and group work accomplishments in undergraduate student nurses were fostered and improved through the PBL program.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.106-116
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• 2014

Purpose: In this paper issues and challenges of the workforce policy for nursing were explored and appropriate policy responses identified. Results: Many countries, including South Korea, are facing a shortage of nurses. In South Korea, the number of practicing registered nurses is about half the average for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries. The shortage of nurses is not necessarily a shortage of individuals with nursing qualifications but also includes complex issues, such as lack of well-educated nurses, shortage of nurses willing to work, and geographical imbalances of nurses. The present nurse workforce policies are to increase number of nursing schools, to reduce the length of training, and to replace nurses with nursing assistants. However, the findings of many studies have shown that these attempts resulted in a worsening of patient outcomes and increasingly low quality of care. Conclusion: The findings in this study indicate that nurse workforce policy should have a multi-faceted approach in order to address the many factors affecting nurse shortages.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2013

Background: In times of continuous change and volatile markets, organizations are increasingly characterized by downsizing, work intensification, and resource rationalization. This has resulted in diversification, and the emergence of newrisks within the field of occupational health and safety, with an important impact. This paper focuses on one such type of risk in the modern workplace-psychosocial risks. The current study aimed to explore stakeholder perspectives, regarding the extent to which psychosocial risks are incorporated into strategic risk management practices, at both the business and policy level. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 professionals, representing employer, expert, policy maker, and trade union stakeholder perspectives. Results: It was found that the majority of organizations do not sufficiently, if at all, understand and incorporate psychosocial risks into strategic decision making, whereby the key barrier related to practical difficulties of not knowing how to manage psychosocial risks adequately. Conclusion: The study found that there is a need to close the gap between policy and practice on a number of levels. Future recommendations comprise a policy framework and infrastructure underpinned by educational initiatives, partnerships, and networks to drive a shift in attitudes toward recognizing the duality of the concept of risk (including both potential negative and positive outcomes) and moving beyond simple regulatory compliance.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.109-125
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• 2021

For the government of president Moon's AI SW HRD policy, he proclaimed AI democracy that anyone can utilize artificial intelligence technology to spread AI education for the people of the country. Through cognitive map analysis, this study presents expected policy outcomes due to the input of policy factors to overcome crisis factors and utilize opportunity factors. According to the cognitive guidance analysis, first, the opportunity factor is recognized as accelerating the digital transformation to Covid 19 if AI SW HRD is well nurtured. Second, the crisis factor refers to the rapid paradigm shift caused by the intelligence information society, resulting in job losses in the manufacturing sector and deepening imbalance in manpower supply and demand, especially in the artificial intelligence sector. Third, the comprehensive cognitive map shows a circular process for creating an AI SW ecosystem in response to threats caused by untact caused by Corona and a circular process for securing AI talent in response to threats caused by deepening imbalance in manpower supply and demand in the AI sector. Fourth, in order to accelerate the digital circulation that has been accelerated by Corona, we found a circular process to succeed in the Korean version of digital new deal by strengthening national and corporate competitiveness through AI-utilized capacity and industrial and regional AI education. Finally, the AI utilization empowerment strengthening rotation process is the most dominant of the four mechanisms, and we also found a relatively controllable feedback loop to obtain policy outputs.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.45-54
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• 2011

This paper develops a recursive multinomial probit model and describes its estimation method. The recursive multinomial probit model is an extension of a recursive bivariate probit model. The main difference between the two models is that a single decision among two or more alternatives can be considered in each choice equation in the proposed model. The recursive multinomial probit model is developed based on a standard framework of the multinomial probit model and a Bayesian approach with a Gibbs sampling is adopted for the estimation. The simulation exercise with artificial data sets is showed that the model performed well. Since the recursive multinomial probit model can be applied to analyze the causal relationship between discrete dependent variables with more than two outcomes, the model can play an important role in extending the methodology of the causal relationship analysis in innovation research.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.54-73
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• 2013

In a knowledge economy, accelerating the pace of knowledge building and the rapid acquisition of knowledge are keys to innovative development. However, the development of the commercialization of research results and formation of new start-up companies are often not as active as they should be with a lack of motivation and incentive being one of the contributing factors for the failure to take action. In Taiwan and Japan, the reason that widely advocated idea of industry-academia collaboration is to help advance the technological capabilities of research and development as well as produce economic benefit. The assistance rendered by the government during the transformation and the assessment of outcomes from entrepreneurial pursuits are key issues explored in this study. The results indicate that the network system in the national innovation system is important for entrepreneurship development. The domestic market of Taiwan is not as large as Japan and new entrepreneurs have to face global market challenges.

• World Technopolis Review
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.97-112
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• 2018

The notion of smart cities, presently, is a highly popular topic in urban policy circles. This concept is adopted by many cities across the world-with an aim of increasing urban smartness in various ways and areas. Productivity, innovation, liveability, wellbeing, accessibility, sustainability, governance, planning, and citizen participation are among these areas. Despite good policy intentions, smart city initiatives in practice had only limited impact in delivering the desired urban outcomes. This paper aims to investigate the smart city phenomenon and its planning practice approaches from an evolutionary perspective. The study places smart city plans and strategies of a number of cities across the globe under the microscope. The findings reveal that current smart city efforts are not adequate to combat the challenges of the Anthropocene epoch-that is already upon us. This paper concludes with a consolidated definition of smart and sustainable cities and considerations for moving towards Post-Anthropocentric urbanism-that is truly smart and sustainable urbanism-to avoid an imminent urban ecocide.