• Title/Summary/Keyword: Prevention Focus

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The research on enhance the reinforcement of marine crime and accident using geographical profiling (지리적 프로파일링을 활용한 해양 범죄 및 해양사고 대응력 강화에 관한 연구)

  • Soon, Gil-Tae
    • Korean Security Journal
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    • no.48
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    • pp.147-176
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    • 2016
  • Korean Peninsula is surrounded by ocean on three sides. Because of this geographical quality over 97% of export and import volumes are exchange by sea. Foreign ship and international passenger vessels carries foreign tourist and globalization and internationalization increases this trends. Leisure population grows with national income increase and interest of ocean. And accidents and incidents rates are also increases. Korea Coast Guard's jurisdiction area is 4.5 times bigger than our country. The length of coastline is 14,963km including islands. One patrol vessel is responsible for 24,068km and one coast guard substation is responsible for 94km. Efficient patrol activities can not be provided. This research focus on this problem. Analyze the status and trends of maritime crime and suggest efficient patrol activities. To deal with increasing maritime crime rate this study suggest to use geographical profile method which developed early 1900s in USA. This geographical profile analyse the spatial characteristic and mapping this result. With this result potential crime zone can be predicted. One of the result is hot spot management which gives data about habitual crime zone. In Korea National Police Agency adopt this method in 2008 and apply on patrol and crime prevention activity by analysis of different criteria. Korea National Police Agency analyse the crime rate with crime type, crime zone and potential crime zone, and hourly, regionally criteria. Korea Coast Guard need to adopt this method and apply on maritime to make maritime crime map, which shows type of crime with regional, periodical result. With this geographical profiling we can set a Criminal Point which shows the place where the crime often occurs. The Criminal Points are set with the data of numerous rates such as homicide, robbery, burglary, missing, collision which happened in ocean. Set this crime as the major crime and manage the data more thoroughly. I expect to enhance the reinforcement of marine crime using this Criminal Points. Because this points will give us efficient way to prevent the maritime crime by placing the patrol vessel where they needed most.

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Studies on Effects of Channel Bed Fixation by Erosion Control Dams in Torrential Streams (황폐계류(荒廢溪流)에 있어서 사방시설물(砂防施設物)에 의한 하도고정(河道固定)에 관한 연구(硏究))

  • Chun, Kun Woo
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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    • v.79 no.3
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    • pp.269-277
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    • 1990
  • In planning the disaster prevention by the erosion control facilities, it is essential to focus on the microtopography of the channel bed and the chronological process of sedimental movement in the torrential streams. For this purpose, the microtopographical change of the channel bed and the effects of the erosion control facilities in the mountain torrents were analyzed by the experimental channel and the field survey of the torrents where low-dam series had been constructed in the channel. The results of this experiment showed that the effects of construction of the low-dam series on the channel bed fixiation were the prevention of the local scouring in the experimental channel and the expansion of flow channel width and deposit space. The results are summarized as follows : 1. When the low-dam series were constructed over the whole channel bed (L'/L=1), the conning water and the sediment were seperated, simultaneously resulting in deposition of sediment and reduction of the tractive force for the running water. Therefore, the F.A. (Fluctuation area in cross-section: value was decreased to about 65% compared with that of non-work (L'/L=0). 2. The efficiencies of the low-dam series on the channel width were increased with an increment in length of working space. After the construction of low-dam series on the whole channel bed (L'/L=1), flow channel width was increased to about 1.53 times compared with that of non-work (L'/L=0). 3. It needs a deposition area to store the sediment with decrease in tractive force. The low-dam series in the experimental channel widened the deposition area about 2.10 times compared with that of non-work.

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The Location of Medical Facilities and Its Inhabitants' Efficient Utilization in Kwangju City (광주시(光州市) 의료시설(醫療施設)의 입지(立地)와 주민(住民)의 효율적(效率的) 이용(利用))

  • Jeon, Kyung-Sook
    • Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.163-193
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    • 1997
  • Medical services are a fundamental and essential service in all urban areas. The location and accessibility of medical service facilities and institutions are critical to the diagnosis, control and prevention of illness and disease. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study on the location of medical facilities in Kwangju and the utilization of these facilities by the inhabitants. The following information is a summary of the findings: (1) Korea, like many countries, is now witnessing an increase in the age of its population as a result of higher living standards and better medical services. Korea is also experiencing a rapid increase in health care costs. To ensure easy access to medical consultation, diagnosis and treatment by individuals, the hierarchical efficient location of medical facilities, low medical costs, equalized medical services, preventive medical care is important. (2) In Korea, the quality of medical services has improved significantly as evident by the increased number of medical facilities and medical personnel. However, there is still a need for not only quantitative improvements but also for a more equitable distribution of and location of medical services. (3) There are 503 medical facilities in Kwangju each with a need to service 2,556 people. This is below the national average of 1,498 inhabitants per facility. The higher locational quotient and satisfactory population per medical facility showed at the civic center. On the other hand, problem regions such as the traditional residential area in Buk-Gu, Moo-deung mountain area and the outer areas of west Kwangju still maintain rural characteristics. (4) In the study area there are 86 general medicine clinics which provide basic medical services. i. e. one clinic per every 14,949 residents. As a basic service, its higher locational quotient showed in the residential area. The lower population concentration per clinic was found in the civic center and in the former town center, Songjeong-dong. In recently build residential areas and in the civic center, the lack of general medicine clinics is not a serious medical services issue because of the surplus of medical specialists in Korea. People are inclined to seek a consultation with a specialist in specific fields rather than consult a general practitioner. As a result of this phenomenon, there are 81 internal medicine facilities. Of these, 32.1% provide services to people who are not referred by a primary care physician but who self-diagnose then choose a medical facility specializing in what they believe to be their health problem. Areas in the city, called dongs, without any internal facilities make up 50% of the total 101 dongs. (5) There are 78 surgical facilities within the area, and there is little difference at the locational appearance from internal medicine facilities. There are also 71 pediatric health clinics for people under 15 years of age in this area, represents one clinic per 5,063 people. On the quantitative aspect, this is a positive situation. Accessibility is the most important facility choice factor, so it should be evenly located in proportion to demander distribution. However, 61% of 102 dongs have no pediatric clinics because of the uneven location. (6) There are 43 obstetrical and gynecological clinics in Kwangju, and the number of residents being served per clinic is 15,063. These services need to be given regularly so it should increase the numbers. There are 37 ENT clinics in the study area with the lower concentration in Dong-gu (32.4%) making no locational differences by dong. There are 23 dermatology clinics with the largest concentration in Dong-Gu. There are 17 ophthalmic clinics concentrated in the residential area because of the primary function of this type of specialization. (7) The use of general medicine clinics, internal medicine clinics, pediatric clinics, ENT clinics by the inhabitants indicate a trend toward primary or routine medical services. Obstetrics and gynecology clinics are used on a regular basis. In choosing a general medicine clinic, internal medicine clinic, pediatric clinic, and a ENT clinic, accessibility is the key factor while choice of a general hospital, surgery clinic, or an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, thes faith and trust in the medical practitioner is the priority consideration. (8) I considered the efficient use of medical facilities in the aspect of locational and management and suggest the following: First, primary care facilities should be evenly distributed in every area. In Kwangju, the number of medical facilities is the lowest among the six largest cities in Korea. Moreover, they are concentrated in Dong-gu and in newly developed areas. The desired number of medical facilities should be within 30 minutes of each person's home. For regional development there is a need to develop a plan to balance, for example, taxes and funds supporting personnel, equipment and facilities. Secondly, medical services should be co-ordinated to ensure consistent, appropriate, quality services. Primary medical facilities should take charge of out-patient activities, and every effort should be made to standardize and equalize equipment and facility resources and to ensure ongoing development and training in the primary services field. A few specialty medical facilities and general hospitals should establish a priority service for incurable and terminally ill patients. (9) The management scheme for the inhabitants' efficient use of medical service is as follows: The first task is to efficiently manage medical facilities and related services. Higher quality of medical services can be accomplished within the rapidly changing medical environment. A network of social, administrative and medical organizations within an area should be established to promote information gathering and sharing strategies to better assist the community. Statistics and trends on the rate or occurrence of diseases, births, deaths, medical and environment conditions of the poor or estranged people should be maintained and monitored. The second task is to increase resources in the area of disease prevention and health promotion. Currently the focus is on the treatment and care of individuals with illness or disease. A strong emphasis should also be placed on promoting prevention of illness and injury within the community through not only public health offices but also via medical service facilities. Home medical care should be established and medical testing centers should be located as an ordinary service level. Also, reduced medical costs for the physically handicapped, cardiac patients, and mentally ill or handicapped patients should be considered.

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Epidemiology and Clincal Analysis of Acute Viral Respiratory Tract Infections in Children(September, 1998-May, 2003) (소아 급성 바이러스성 하기도 감염의 유행 및 임상양상 (1998년 9월-2003년 5월))

  • Lee, Su-Jin;Shin, Eon-Woo;Park, Eun-Young;Oh, Pil-Soo;Kim, Kwang-Nam;Yoon, Hae-Sun;Lee, Kyu-Man
    • Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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    • v.48 no.3
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    • pp.266-275
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    • 2005
  • Purpose : Acute respiratory tract infections are the most common illnesses in children. The great majority of these infections involving lower respiratory tracts infections(LRTIs) are caused by respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), parainfluenza virus(PIV), influenza virus (Flu), and adenovirus(ADV), etc. Our purpose was to determine seasonal epidemiology and clinical characteristic features of each viral infection. Methods : Nasopharyngeal aspirate(NPA)s were collected from 4,554 hospitalized children diagnosed as LRTIs on the first day of admission. The study period was from September 1998(Autumn) through May 2003(Spring). Respiratory viruses were detected in 881(19 percent) cases by isolation of the virus or by antigen detection method using indirect immunofluorescent staining. We reviewed the medical records of 837 cases retrospectively. Results : The identified pathogens were RSV in 485 cases(55 percent), PIV in 152 cases(17 percent), FluA in 114 cases(13 percent), ADV in 79 cases(9 percent) and FluB in 51 cases(6 percent). Outbreaks of RSV occurred every year, mostly in the November through December period and of PIV in the April through June period. LRTIs by FluA reached the highest level in January, 2002. FluB infection showed an outbreak in April, 2002. The clinical diagnoses of viral LRTIs were bronchiolitis in 395 cases(47 percent), pneumonia in 305 cases(36 percent), croup in 73 cases(9 percent) and tracheobronchitis in 64 cases(8 percent). Conclusion : Viruses are one of the major etiologic agents of acute LRTIs in chidren. Therefore, we must continue to study their seasonal occurrence and clinical features to focus on management, and also for reasons of prevention.

Analysis of the Occurrence Characteristic of Earthquake-Induced Landslide through a Media Report : Focus on International Cases Reported in Domestic Media During the 10 years (2009-2018) (언론보도를 통한 지진에 의한 산사태 발생특성 분석 : 최근 10년(2009-2018)간 국내 언론에 보도된 국외사례를 중심으로)

  • Kang, Minjeng;Kim, Kidae;Seo, Junpyo;Woo, Choongshik;Lee, Changwoo
    • Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.440-448
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    • 2020
  • Purpose: Most of the studies in the country on earthquake-induced landslide predict the displacement of the slope. Until now, no studies have been conducted on the occurrence of landslides and damage characteristics by earthquakes. Therefore, this study was conducted to obtain basic data of landslides caused by earthquakes. Method: In order to analyze the characteristics of earthquake-causing landslides, we have collected data reported in the media over the past decade. Landslides in foreign countries were analyzed separately by cause of occurrences such as rainfall and earthquake. Landslides from abroad were analyzed according to the cause of the occurrence, and landslides caused by earthquakes were further analyzed as follows: the magnitude of an earthquake, year of occurrence, number of occurrences by continent, damage status, etc. Result: In the past 10 years, a total of 608 landslides have been reported from overseas, and the cause is the highest with 340 landslides due to rainfall. There were 70 cases of landslides caused by earthquakes, and it was analyzed as the second cause of landslides. The average magnitude for earthquakes that caused landslides was 6.5, and the minimum and maximum magnitude were 4.4 and 8.2 respectively. The earthquake-induced landslides were the most occurrence in 2011yr and 2012yr, and the continent was the most common in Asia. Also, It was analyzed that if an earthquake caused landslides, the number of casualties increased and the size of the damage increased. Conclusion: Currently, earthquakes are steadily increasing in Korea, and the possibility of strong earthquakes is also increasing. Earthquake-induced landslides are beyond human control due to natural disasters but can minimize damage through active prevention and response. It is expected that the results of this study will be used as basic data in establishing measures for earthquake landslides to reduce property and human damage in the future.

The Effects of Near Miss and Accident Prevention Activities and the Culture of Patient Safety Management for the Patient Safety (Near Miss 사고 예방 활동과 환자안전관리 문화형성이 환자안전에 미치는 영향)

  • Chang, Ho-Suk;Lee, Gui-Won
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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    • v.14 no.2
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    • pp.138-144
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    • 2010
  • Purpose: Despite the rapidly changing healthcare environment, healthcare organizations have recognized the importance of patient safety management. But patient safety management has the problem of the lack of participation of members due to the process of focusing on the follow-up service and punishment. The department of nuclear medicine in Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital started this research to reduce the near miss and prevent patient safety accidents by both initiating the participatory near-miss-proof activities as an advance management and constructing a system without disadvantages of reporting. In addition, this research aims to establish a differentiated patient safety management system in the department of nuclear medicine. Materials and Methods: 1. Colleting cases of team members' past and present near miss and accidents(First data collection). 2. Quantifying the cases of near miss and accidents after identifying the degree of importance and urgency through surveys(Second data collection). 3. Quantifying cases and indentifying important points of contact through data analysis. 4. Making and standardizing a manual for important points of contact, and initiating participatory activities to prevent errors. 5. Activating web-based community for establishing the report system of near miss. 6. Estimating the result of before and after activities through surveys and focus group interviews. Results: 1) Quantified safety accidents and near miss in the department of nuclear medicine. About 50 near misses a month and one safety accident a year. 2) Establishing improvement measurements based on quantified data. About 11 participatory activities, the improvement of process, a manual for standardization. 3) Creating a system of safety culture and high participation rate of team members. Constructing a report system, making a check list and a slogan for safety culture, and establishing assessment index. 4) Activating communities for sharing the information of cases of near misses and accidents. 5) As the result of activities, the rate of near miss occurrence declined by 50% and the safety accident did not happen. Conclusion: The best service in the department of nuclear medicine is to provide patients with safety-guaranteed high-quality examination and cure. This research started from the question, 'what is the most faithful-to-the-basics way to provide the best service for patients?' and team members' common answer for this question was building a system with participation of all members. Building a system through the participatory improvement activities for preventing near miss and creating safety culture resulted in the 50% decline of near miss occurrence and no accident. This is a meaningful result from the perspective of advance management for patient safety. Moreover, this research paved the way for creating a culture to report and admit near miss or accidents by establishing a report system with no disadvantage of reporting. The system which sticks to the basics is the best service for patients and will form a patient safety culture system, which will lead to the customer satisfaction. Therefore, all members of the department of nuclear medicine will develop a differentiated patient safety culture with stabilizing the established system.

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Concerning the Constitution Court's constitutional decision and the direction of supplemental legislation concerning Article 33 paragraph 8 of the Medical Service Act - With a focus on legitimacy of a system that prohibits multiple opening of medical instituion, in the content of 2014Hun-Ba212, August 29, 2019, 2014Hun-Ga15, 2015Hun-Ma561, 2016Hun-Ba21(amalgamation), Constitutional Court of Korea - ('의료법 제33조 제8항 관련 헌법재판소의 합헌결정'에 대한 평가 및 보완 입법 방향에 대하여 -헌법재판소 2019. 8. 29. 2014헌바212, 2014헌가15, 2015헌마561, 2016헌바21(병합) 결정의 내용 중 의료기관 복수 개설금지 제도의 당위성 및 필요성을 중심으로-)

  • KIM, JOON RAE
    • The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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    • v.20 no.3
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    • pp.143-174
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    • 2019
  • Our Constitution obliges the state to protect the health of the people, and the Medical Law, which embodied Constitution, sets out in detail the matters related to open the medical institution, and one of them is to prohibit the operation of multiple medical institutions. By the way, virtually multiple medical institutions could be opened and operated because the Supreme Court had interpreted that several medical institutions could be opened if medical activities were not performed directly at the additional medical institution which was opened under the another doctor's license. However, some health care providers opened the several medical institutions with another doctor's license for the purpose of the maximization of profit, and did illegal medical cares like the unfair luring of patients, over-treatment, and commission treatment. Also, realistic problems such as the infringed health rights have arisen. Accordingly, lawmakers had come to amend the Medical Law to readjust the system of opening for medical institution so that medical personnel could not open or operate more than one medical institution for any reason. For this reason, the Constitutional Court recently declared a constitutional decision through a long period of in-depth deliberation because the constitutional petition and the adjudication on the constitutionality of statutes had been filed on whether Article 33 paragraph 8 of the revised medical law is unconstitutional. The Constitutional Court acknowledged the "justice of purpose" in view of the importance of public medical institutions, of the prevention from seduction of for-profit patients and from over-treatment, and of the fact that health care should not be the object of commercial transactions. Given the risk that medical personnel might be subject to outside capital, the concern that the holder of the medical institution's opening certificate and the actual operator may be separated, the principle that the human body and life should not be just a means, and the current system's inability to identify over-treatment, it also acknowledged the 'minimum infringement'. Furthermore, The Constitutional Court judged it is constitutional in compliance with the principle of restricting fundamental rights, such as 'balance of legal interests'. In this regard, legislative complements are needed in order to effectively prevent the for-profit management and the over-treatment the Constitutional Court is concerned about. In this regard, consumer groups actively support the need for legislation, and health care providers groups also agree on the need for legislation. Therefore, the legislators should respect the recent Constitutional Court's decision and in the near future complete the complementary legislation to reflect the people's interests.

A Study on the Direction of Private Investigation System - Focus on the bill proposal in 2012·2013 (민간조사제도의 도입 방향에 관한 연구 - 제19대 국회 발의 법안을 중심으로(2012년·2013년))

  • Cho, Min-Sang;Oh, Youn-Sung
    • Korean Security Journal
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    • no.36
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    • pp.525-559
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    • 2013
  • Modern society has been exposed to various dangers and crimes in the process of globalization, informationization, decentralization etc. along with the development of material civilization under rapid changing societal environment. These factors are exerting a lot of effects in public security environments, as result there are gradual interest about crime and crime prevention. Realization of responsibility who take charge of social safety, from public security to private security, appears important topic at the moment. The positive point of view which private security industry is responsible to cope with security spheres instead of public security has been emerged from the reason that the public security has limitation to solve security problems for themselves. It is the time to make effort to compromise the public security and the private security industry to forecast social change and prevent dangers in the advance. In Korea, there has been close cooperation between public security and private security for decades. Strongly emerging and interesting sphere is "Private Investigation(Private Detective)" in Korea at present. There has been some proposed legislations of private investigation for decreasing burden of public security and social sympathy about possibility of private investigation system is increasing now. In this study, we focused on the introduction of private investigation system through the analysis of bill proposals for last 14 years, for instance historical aspects, contents, the differences among bill proposals. Among these, a comparison on bill proposals of the 19th National Assembly's during 2012 - 2013 were analysed mainly. We examined the importance point at issue items for introduction of private investigation system. Suggestions for introduction of private investigation system is as follows. The necessity of independent bill for developmental private investigation system is needed and the main body should be a juristic person instead of a individual for the public interest and responsibility. For the good service of private investigation and to prevent the unqualified person become a private investigator, the recruiting system and examination of private investigator should be prepared well and take into consideration anticipated problems. Also the necessity of definite jurisdiction department's appointment to divide responsibility in operation.

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A Study on Need Assessment in Health Promotion Programs for Developing Nursing Centers - Breast Self Examination- (간호센타 개발을 위한 건강증진 프로그램 요구사정 연구-유방자가검진 프로그램을 중심으로-)

  • Park, In-Hyae;Kang, Hae-Young;Lee, Jeong-Hee;Ryu, Hyun-Sook
    • Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.21-36
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    • 2000
  • The purpose of this study was to assess the needs of breast self examination education (BSEE) programs for developing nursing centers. A first, we reviewed the literature of activity and management-related factors of nursing centers: and, second. we used a questionnaire to discover the degree of knowledge, attitude, and practice on breast cancer, as well as an individual's intention to participate BSEE program. 1. Reviewing the literatures of nursing center activities. Nursing centers which were administered by a professional nurse are an ideal site for faculty and student practices. With the use of nursing models of health. professional nurses in nursing centers diagnose and treat human responses to potential and actual health problems and offer holistic, client-centered health service. In nursing centers professional nursing services include health education, health promotion, and health-related research. A nursing center is comprised of the advisory and exacutive commitee; the advisory commitee serves consultants and links community needs to the nursing center, while the director of the exacutive commitee identifies the potential resources to generate funds, support, and facilitate the activities of staffs in a nursing center. Nursing centers mobilize various financal resources for reimbursement of services from college and insurance companies, collect minimum service fees from the client, and further collect fees for providing programs to community groups, this also includes membership fees, and donations. The services provided by nursing centers focus on services related to primary prevention, health maintenance & health promotion, direct nursing care for acute & chronic diseases, and holistic care for actual and potential health problems. The client satisfaction for the services was high. Students also showed positive reponses for their clinical experiences and independent working conditions. 2. The degree of knowledge, attitudes, and practices for breast cancer. and an individual's intention to participate in the BSEE program. The subjects of this study were 308 females in K-city in the Republic of Korea. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The mean age of the respondents was 35.0 years old. Those who already participated in the BSEE were 64.9%, and those who had support and encouragement to practice BSE from significant others were 25.1 %. Clients intent to participate in the BSEE were 37.0%. The mean score of knowledge(2.4 out of 5 points) and practices(1.8 out of 5 points) for breast cancer were quite low, but the mean score of attitudes was relatively positive04.5 out of 20 point) for breast cancer. Those who already had BSEE showed significantly high scores in knowledge(t=6.48, p<0.01), attitudes (t=10.54, p<0.01). and practices(t=57.07, p<0.001) for breast cancer than those who had not participated in the BSEE. In all age groups no intention to participate in the BSEE was higher than who the intention to participate. These findings suggest some strategies should be developed to increase the awareness of breast cancer's early detection.

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Viral Patterns and Clincal Analysis of Acute Respiratory Tract Infections of Children in Korea(September, 1998~August, 2002) (바이러스에 의한 소아 급성 하기도 감염의 유행 및 임상양상(1998년 9월~2002년 8월))

  • Lee, Su-Jin;Park, Eun-Young;Oh, Phil-Soo;Lee, Kon-Hee;Kim, Kwang-Nam;Lee, Kyu-Man
    • Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.102-113
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    • 2003
  • Purpose : Acute respiratory tract infections are the most common illnesses in children. The great majority of these infections involving lower respiratory tracts infections(LRTI) are caused by respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), influenza virus(INF), adenovirus(ADV), etc. Our purpose of this study was to examine the seasonal occurrence, clinical and laboratory features of each viral infections. Methods : Nasopharyngeal aspirates(NPA) were collected from 913 hospitalized children on the first day of admission. They were all admitted to Hangang Sacred Heart hospital and diagnosed as LRTIs. The study period was from September 1998 to August 2002. Specimens were inoculated onto HEp-2 cell, LLC-MK2 cell and MDCK cell. Viruses were detected by immunofluorescent method performed at day 10 postinoculation. Respiratory viruses were detected in 251(27%) cases. Medical records of 208 cases diagnosed as acute LRTIs were all taken reviewed and analyzed. Results : The identified pathogens were RSV 122 cases(58%), PIV 30 cases(14%), INFA 20 cases(10%), INFB 21 cases(11%) and ADV 15 cases(7%) during the study period. Outbreaks of RSV infections occurred every year but mostly on December, 1998 and November, 1999. LRTIs by PIV and ADV occurred during all seasons of the year. INFA was isolated moslty on March, 1999 and January, 2000. INFB infections occurred largely on April, 2002. The clinical diagnoses were bronchiolitis 88 cases(43%), pneumonia 87 cases(42%), croup 19 cases(9%) and tracheobronchitis 14 cases(6%). Common symptoms and signs were cough, rhinorrhea, sputum and fever. WBC counts in peripheral blood showed normal findings in 123 cases(59%). Each viral infections also showed some differences in auscultatory findings and chest X-ray findings. Conclusion : We learned that viruses are one of the major and important etiologic agents of acute LRTIs of children in Korea. However, we still need to find out more about its characteristic clinical features and continue studying on their seasonal occurrence to focus on their management and also prevention.

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