• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.74 no.6
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• pp.256-263
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• 2013

Background: Health status measure is not only important for clinical research studies but also for clinical practices of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The objective of this study is to evaluate the validity of the Korean Version of COPD Assessment Test (CAT) in primary care clinics as well as in referral hospitals. Methods: Smokers or ex-smokers, aged 40 years or older, with a smoking history of >10 pack-years; and a COPD diagnosis in the past 6 months or more, were recruited from 4 primary care clinics and 2 referral hospitals. Demographic, medical, and spirometry data was collected from patients who completed the CAT and St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and had their dyspnea been assessed. The primary endpoint was the correlation between of the Korean version of CAT with SGRQ in patients with COPD. Results: A total 100 patients were enrolled. The mean age and smoking amounts were $69.2{\pm}8.4$ years and $40.6{\pm}22.3$ pack-years, respectively. Sixty-seven percent of the patients reported at least one exacerbation in the past year. The mean CAT score was $16.9{\pm}8.0$. The internal consistency assessed by Cronbach's alpha was 0.85. The CAT score was positively correlated with the SGRQ score (r=0.76, p<0.0001) and each component of SGRQ: symptoms, activity and impacts; r=0.68, r=0.61, and r=0.72, respectively (all p<0.0001). These positive correlations were preserved in the different groups (r=0.86, p<0.0001 in primary care clinic group; r=0.69, p<0.0001 in hospital group). The CAT score was also positively correlated to the Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale (r=0.46, p<0.0001). Conclusion: The Korean version of CAT had good internal consistency and showed good correlations with SGRQ. It can be used for assessing the impacts of COPD on the patient's health including primary care setting.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3541-3547
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• 2013

Background: This cross-sectional observational study was undertaken to establish clinico-pathological characteristics of patients with gynecological malignancies, focusing mainly on symptoms, histological type and stage of the disease at presentation, in a tertiary care setting in Eastern India. Materials and Methods: In the gynecology out-patient clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata, India, the patients with suggestive symptoms of gynecological malignancies were screened. Their diagnoses were confirmed by histopathology. One hundred thirteen patients with histopathologically confirmed gynecological malignancies were interviewed. Results: The most frequently reported symptoms by the patients with histopathologically confirmed gynecological malignancies were excessive, offensive with or without blood stained vaginal discharge (69.0%), irregular, heavy or prolonged vaginal bleeding (36.3%) and postmenopausal bleeding (31.9%). The majority of the patients (61.0%) had squamous cell carcinoma on histopathological examination, followed by adenocarcinoma (30.1%). Nearly half of the patients (48.7%) were suffering from the Federation Internationale des Gynaecologistes et Obstetristes (FIGO) stage III, followed by stage II (40.7%) malignancy. Conclusions: This study highlights that most of the patients with gynecological malignancies present late at an appropriate health care facility. Ovarian cancer may often have non-specific or misleading symptomatic presentation, whereas cervical cancer often presents with some specific symptoms. These observations point to the need for increasing awareness about gynecological malignancies in the community and providing easily accessible adequate facilities for early detection and treatment of the disease by optimal use of available resources, i.e. strengthening the primary health care system.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.217-224
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• 2021

The objective of this study is to investigate the healthcare status of South Korea and other member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) using OECD health statistics 2020. We employed the position value for relative comparison index to measure the healthcare status in five following components: demand, supply, accessibility, quality, and cost. The Mann-Kendall test was used to analyze for increasing or decreasing trend of the position value for relative comparison values from 2000 to the recent year. Results showed that Korea was positioned above than the OECD median values in most of components, but lower than the median values in certain indices including healthcare employment, primary care, and mental health care. This study sheds some light on healthcare issues to be improved and the policy-makes can take into account for prior setting process.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.144-154
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• 1997

This study is planned to gather necessary data for setting up a system on students' health care in the university. In order to obtain statistical data on the students' health care problems especially in 'depression' among the mental health problems of the students, 'The Beck Depression Inventory' by A. T. Beck and 'Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale' by W. W. K. Zung were used for gathering numerical data of scale of depression. It is evident that we have to prepare for further medical examination and health care educations for several students. For these students, it is clear that they have problems not only in mental health but also in physical health. I have screened out the high scored students for comparison and analysis. And it disclosed that we have to build up a periodical and continuous 'Health Screening System' utilizing Health Questionnaire for both physical and mental aspects, which will bring up us the very exact result to pick out any person who has healthy problem among the enormous number of the students with handy, convenient and effective procedures but with the least expense and effort. Also it is my firm confidence that this system will be applicable for primary health care control of mass population in local community or any organization.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2006

As migraine pain represents a substantial personal and social burden worldwide, there has been a great deal of effort in developing a screening instrument for migraine. Lipton et al(2003) developed and validated the ID Migraine questionnaire, which is a self-administered screener for migraine in primary care, and it is brief and easy to use for a primary care provider. The aim of this study was to determine if the ID Migraine questionnaire could be applied successfully to assess the headache patients with temporomandibular disorders(TMD) and orofacial pain. This study found that nausea, photophobia and headache-related disability had the highest individual sensitivities and specificities, and the performance of the three-item screener was equivalent to that reported in a previous study. Although the sensitivity of the three-item screener in this study (0.58) was lower than in a previous study (0.81), the specificity (0.98) was higher and the positive predictive value was 93.9%. This suggest that the ID Migraine questionnaire is very efficient in this setting. In conclusion, the ID Migraine questionnaire, which is a three-item screener consisting of nausea, photophobia and headache-related disability, is effective as a self-administered report for detecting migraine headaches in patients with temporomandibular disorders(TMD) and orofacial pain.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.305-312
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• 2001

The purpose of this study were to identify the characteristics of incontinence in adult women and to identify it's relating factors, physiology, evaluation and treatment related urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is a common health problem for adult women. And the symptoms of urinary incontinence are causes of discomfort, shame, loss of self-confidence and result in sufferers to withdraw from social life. But many do not report this problem until they have had the symptoms for a long time. So physical therapy protocol for assessment, treatments, educational programs should be implemented in primary care setting. In conclusion, this study revealed that self·care agency may be a important that it would be necessary to promote quality of life in urinary incontinence women.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.4169-4172
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• 2012

Background: The majority of women in rural India have poor or no access to cervical cancer screening services, although one.quarter of all cervical cancers in the world occur there. Several large trials have proven the efficacy of low-tech cervical cancer screening methods in the Indian context but none have documented the necessary components and processes of implementing this evidence in a low-resource setting. Methods: This paper discusses a feasible model of implementation of cervical cancer screening programme in low-resource settings developed through a pilot research project carried out in rural Tamilnadu, India. The programme used visual inspection of cervix after acetic acid application (VIA) as a screening tool, nurses in the primary care centres as the primary screeners and peer educators within Self-Help Women groups to raise community awareness. Results: The uptake of screening was initially low despite the access to a screening programme. However, the programme witnessed an incremental increase in the number of women accessing screening with increasing community awareness. Conclusions: The investigators recommend 4 key components to programme implementation in low-resource setting: 1) Evidence-based, cost-effective test and treatment available within the reach of the community; 2) Appropriate referral pathways; 3) Skilled health workers and necessary equipment; and 4) Optimisation of health literacy, beliefs, attitudes of the community.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2010

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for Patients with Primary or Secondary Insomnia. Methods: Participants were recruited from a primary care sleep clinic from January 2008 to June 2009. The study sample included 64 outpatients with primary insomnia (n=30) and secondary insomnia (n=34) according to the criteria of DSM-IV. Participants completed sleep diaries, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale-16 (DBAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before CBT and shortly after completion of CBT. CBT was provided in 7 weekly, 40-50-minute individual therapy sessions. Results: Both groups of patients with primary and secondary insomnia showed significant improvement in the DBAS and sleep parameters including sleep onset latency, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency. Repeated-measures ANOVA of the DBAS and sleep parameters showed no significant group-by-time interactions between patients with primary and secondary insomnia, suggesting the efficacy of CBT for patients with secondary insomnia was equivalent to that of CBT for patients with primary insomnia. Conclusion: This study suggests that CBT is effective for the management of primary and secondary insomnia in a primary care setting.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.126-143
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• 1996

Background : Little work has been carried out regarding quality assessment research in a primary care setting, comparing with that of hospitals. This study aims to evaluate the process of diagnosis and management of hypertension by public health doctors on the basis of pre-established clinical guideline, and to identify several modifying factors associated with them. Methods : Hypertension was selected as the target disease, because it is a chronic disease which is of great public health importance. Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to public health doctors practicing at health centers and health subcenters across the nation. The response rate was 20.9%. The questionnaire included the diagnosis and management process such as measuring blood pressure, history taking, physical examinations, and treatment approches and potentially modifying factors such as level of training, duration of practice as a public health doctor, and education on management of hypertension. Results : Public health doctors pay little attention in measuring BP, hypertension related history taking, performing physical examination and laboratory examination. But they devoted much effort in diagnosing hypertension exactly and giving nonpharmacological treatment. Among various antihypertensive drugs, calcium-channel blockers were the most preferred agent(50.9%). Level of training, duration of practice ad a public health doctor, and education on management of hypertension made no difference on quality of care(p>0.05). Conclusion : These public health doctors showed poor compliance with the pre-established clinical guidelines, which leaves much to be desired in diagnosing and managing hypertensive patients by public health doctors. This study might be able to contribute to develop some strategies, such as educational programs, which would be able to improve the process of care in hypertensives.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.344-355
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• 2020

Purpose: Recovery has a growing influence on policy for individuals with mental illness and their families. This study was designed to examine the meaning of recovery from the perspectives of community-dwelling patients with mental illness and their families. Methods: Using a descriptive qualitative approach, in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted on 24 adults (14 patients with mental illness and 10 family members). All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The findings showed that recovery for the patients with mental illness suggested gradual changes by individual will and self-awareness, the relationship with both their family and self-help group, and the support of a therapeutic environment. Seven primary themes emerged from the analysis: improving insight on illness, strong will toward hope, discovering changed myself, helping each other together, gradual influence of positivity, being oriented to a therapeutic setting, and recognizing of home as a calm place. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that based on the conceptual elements of recovery of the patients with mental illness and their families, we expect to improve the systematic, comprehensive, and quality mental health services.