• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.86-94
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to identify current quality control (QC) practices of primary care clinics participating in the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) in Korea. Methods: A nationwide survey using a structured questionnaire was conducted among the primary care clinics participating in the NCSP, which were selected by a proportionate stratified sampling. The questionnaire consisted of general information about the responding clinics and the scope of QC activities undertaken. A total of 360 clinics responded and the set of data was then analyzed with Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Among 360 respondents, 332 (92%) reported that they were involved in the QC activities. Most frequently performed QC activities were 'maintenance of facility and instruments' (89%) and 'staff training' (85%). The analysis revealed, with statistical significance (p<.05), that there was an association between certain characteristics of the clinics and the scope of QC activities. These findings also indicated that the diversity of QC practices varies according to the size of the clinics. The clinics screening more types of cancer, those with more screenees, and those with more employees were more likely to implement various QC activities including 'maintenance of facility and instruments', 'external quality control', and 'management of screening data'. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the current status of QC activities conducted among primary care clinics participating in the NCSP. The results of this survey can be used as a basis for further development of policies on quality management of small- and medium-sized primary care clinics in Korea. However, further studies encompassing various aspects of QC activities and management of primary care clinics are needed to assess the current situation in a concise manner.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.497-497
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• 2005

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.207-214
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• 2006

This study was designed to assess the level of nitrogen dioxide from several microenvironments including inside the home, outdoors near the home, inside the school, outdoors near the school, and on the road for 42 primary schoolchildren during the month of December 2002 in Seoul, Korea. The average personal, indoor, outdoor $NO_2$ levels, and indoor/outdoor ratio were 45.08 ppb, 27.89 ppb, 30.96 ppb, and 0.89, respectively. The indoor $NO_2$ concentrations were significantly associated with the presence of a smoker with a gas stove. The estimated personal $NO_2$ exposure using time-weighted average equation of $34.64{\pm}5.29$ ppb was significantly lower than the measured personal exposure of $45.08{\pm}5.50$ ppb. Our results indicate that indoor $NO_2$ levels were associated with the presence of a smoker and a gas stove. Moreover, personal $NO_2$ exposure with a gas stove in the house was significantly higher than those without a gas stove.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.87-119
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• 1999

The main purpose of this research is to measure and analyze how productive the health centers are and how much inputs(or outputs) in the inefficient health centers should be decreased(or increased) for efficiency. The evaluation of the performance of health centers gives a strong incentive to improve resource allocation in regional health planning. It has been, however, implemented very rarely until now. In this regard, this paper measures the performance of the health centers with a single indicator for multiple-outputs in terms of productivity(technical efficiency), based on Data Envelopment method. The 20 Kyungnam health centers which provide clinic services and specific primary health care services were analyzed. The results show that 50.0% of 20 health centers were productive with respective to overall technical efficiency, 65.0% were productive for pure technical efficiency, and 50.0% for scale efficiency. The inefficient group includes Geoje, Mahsan, Miryang, Sahchun, Tongyoung, Gosung, Nahmhae, Euryang, Hahmahn, Hahbchun health centers. The worst case was identified as Tongyoung health center which represented a 47.5% efficiency, compared with productive health centers. The empirical results for input-output analysis indicates that the low-productive health centers have excessive manpower in administration department, producing low outputs in clinical services and vaccination program. These findings imply that a systemic evaluation of the performance of the Korean health centers and the subsequent structural reform are strongly required.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.138-140
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• 1984

An epidemiological study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infection among the primary (and infant) school schildren in Ysngyang-gun, Kyongsangbuk-do. During the period from 2 to 14 December 1983, a total of 2,227 school children in 13 schools were examined one time by means of scotch-tape anal swab technique with a simple questionaire study on perianal itching, enuresis and school record. The results are as follows: 1. The overall egg Positive rate was 64.1% and the rate ranged from 46.6 to 86.7% by schools. 2. The egg positive rates of boys and twirls were 60.5 and 68.0% respectively and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.005). 3. There was noted a tendency of decrease in prevalence by increase of the age of children. 4. It was revealed that perianal itching and school record were significantly correlated with E. vermicularis infection (P<0.05) while not in case of enuresis (P>0.1).

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.257-263
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• 2015

Objectives: Although the prevalence of depressive disorders in South Korea's general population is known, no reports on the prevalence of depression among patients who visit primary care facilities have been published. This preliminary study was conducted to identify the prevalence of depressive disorder in patients that visit two primary care facilities. Methods: Among 231 consecutive eligible patients who visited two primary care settings, 184 patients consented to a diagnostic interview for depression by psychiatrists following the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria. There were no significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics such as gender, age, or level of education between the groups that consented and declined the diagnostic examination. The prevalence of depressive disorder and the proportion of newly diagnosed patients among depressive disorder patients were calculated. Results: The prevalence of depressive disorder of patients in the two primary care facilities was 14.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.1 to 19.2), with major depressive disorder 5.4% (95% CI, 2.1 to 8.7), dysthymia 1.1% (95% CI, 0.0 to 2.6), and depressive disorder, not otherwise specified 7.6% (95% CI, 3.7 to 11.5). Among the 26 patients with depressive disorder, 19 patients were newly diagnosed. Conclusions: As compared to the general population, a higher prevalence of depressive disorders was observed among patients at two primary care facilities. Further study is needed with larger samples to inform the development of a primary care setting-based depression screening, management, and referral system to increase the efficiency of limited health care resources.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.170-172
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• 2010

Benign osteoblastoma is an uncommon primary bone tumor, extremely rare in calvarium. We present a case of a 25-year-old female with an osteoblastoma of parietal bone which was totally resected. The authors discussed the clinical presentation, radiographic finding, differential diagnosis and management of the benign calvarial osteoblastoma with a review of the literature.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.28
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• pp.8.1-8.5
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• 2013

Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Korea for the last 30 years. Cancer patients' 5-year survival rate between 2005 and 2009 was 62.0%, representing a highly advanced standard of care, as much as developed countries in the EU and the US. The Korean government formulated its first 10-year plan for cancer control in 1996 and has been carrying out a second 10-year plan for cancer control since 2006. But despite the Korean government's efforts, the cancer burden in Korea continues to increase. Many separate laws have gone into effect concerning the management of carcinogen exposure. However, there are no integrated regulatory laws or management systems against carcinogen exposure in Korea. Dead zones remain where carcinogen exposure cannot be controlled properly in Korea. In this paper, we suggest the need to establish a national carcinogen list based on international harmonization as a prerequisite for a paradigm shift in cancer control policy from treatment to primary prevention.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.502-508
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• 2020

Dual drug-eluting stents (DES) is a primary treatment method for coronary arterial diseases in current interventional cardiology practice. However, their pathological results according to the sequence of coating of drugs have not been reported yet. The peptide-dopamine dissolved in acetonitrile was coated onto the Chonnam National University Hospital (CNUH) stent using an electrospinning coating machine. For secondary coating (e.g., sirolimus coating, designated as SPS), sirolimus (SRL) and poly lactic-glycolic acid (PLGA) were mixed in tetrahydrofuran (THF), and the solution was then coated on the CNUH stent that had underwent the primary peptide coating using an electrospinning and spray technique. Next, the peptide-dopamine was coated on the SRL-PLGA coated stent (PSS). In this study, it was confirmed that endothelialization was promoted without being significantly affected by the coating order (SPS or PSS). The sequence of drug and peptide coating may affect the development of restenosis and PSS was effective in the prevention of restenosis compared to that of using SPS.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.85-107
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• 2008

This study aims to describe levels and distribution of the continuity of primary care among children and adolescent patients who are 2-19 years old, and analyze the effects of it on the risk of hospitalization. Study population was 2-19 year old child and adolescent patients as of 2002, who had more than three ambulatory care visits in the years of 2002-3 and whose most frequent provider was the primary care practices (189,660 persons). Association of levels of primary care with the risk of hospitalization was evaluated using multiple event survival analysis. Outcome variables were whether the patient had hospitalized or not, and whether the patient had hospitalized due to ambulatory care-sensitive conditions or not. Multiple event survival analysis revealed statistically significant association of the levels of primary care with the risk of hospitalization. Hazard ratio was 1.34 [1.27-1.41] at the medium level of continuity and 1.47 [1.39-1.55] at the lower level where outcome variable was whether the patient had been hospitalized or not. Hazard ratios were 1.35 [1.21-1.50] at the medium level of continuity and 1.60 [1.44-1.78] at the lower level, where outcome variable was whether the patient been had hospitalized due to ambulatory care-sensitive conditions or not. This study produced some evidences on the benefits of continuity of care, which will in turn support the introduction of personal doctor registration program in the future.