• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.51-74
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• 2007

This study applied Data Envelopment Analysis to a set of Korean Public Corporation Medical Centers and Japanese Municipal Hospitals to compare their relative human resource efficiencies. Based on the data provided on the inputs and outputs, the analysis showed Japanese municipal hospitals were relatively efficient than Korean hospitals. The result of analysing BCC model shows 5 hospitals in Japan and 7 in Korea with an efficiency rating of less than 1 as considered relatively inefficient. For the inefficient hospitals the manner in which inefficient hospitals may be made efficient were indicated by the managerial strategies based on dual variables. A subsequent analysis of Wilcoxon rank-sum test revealed that the medical revenue per medical expense, labor cost per value added revenue were statistically significant between efficient and inefficient Korean hospitals and medical revenue per medical expense, labor cost per value added revenue, bed occupancy rate, average length of stay, rate of personnel expenses per medical revenue were statistically significant between efficient and inefficient Japanese hospitals.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.639-643
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• 2021

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a microsporidian pathogen. Recently, the equestrian population is increasing in Korea. The horse-related zoonotic pathogens, including E. bieneusi, are concerns of public health. A total of 1,200 horse fecal samples were collected from riding centers and breeding farms in Jeju Island and inland areas. Of the fecal samples 15 (1.3%) were PCR positive for E. bieneusi. Interestingly, all positive samples came from Jeju Island. Diarrhea and infection in foals were related. Two genotypes (horse1, horse2) were identified as possible zoonotic groups requiring continuous monitoring.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.715-721
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of the study is to investigate the perception of elderly oral health care in the care workers in nursing homes. Methods : A self-reported questionnaire was filled out by 200 care workers in nursing homes in Daegu and Busan. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18.0 program. Results : The oral health care was maintained by innately healthy mouth(49.5%), dentists(48.5%), public health centers including institution and dentistry(46.5%), regular visit to dentistry(44.0%), and ingestion of healthy food(38.5%). Fifty eight percent of the respondents(116 persons) agreed that regular and proper toothbrushing is the most important behavior to maintain the healthy teeth. The regular visit to dental clinics(Wald=7.076, p=0.008) and an oral care by specialist (Wald=5.210, p=0.022) influenced on elderly oral health status(p<0.05). Conclusions : The oral health care education is very important for the workers in the nursing homes that the education can improve the perception toward the elderly oral health.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.28-37
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• 2015

Objectives: Among the Korean elderly (those 65 years of age and older), the suicide rate is 80.3/100 000 people, which is ten times higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average. Because South Korea is rapidly becoming an aging population, this high elderly suicidal rate will only get worse. Although the size of the elderly suicide problem is quite large, previous research in South Korea has surveyed restricted areas and not the entire country. Even though the factors that affect elderly suicide are complicated, there has been little research into these influencing factors. Thus, this research uses the national survey data (Community Health Survey) that was obtained in 2009. Additionally, we analyze factors affecting elderly suicidal ideation and attempts as well as the paths of these effects. Methods: Community Health Survey data obtained by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009 was used for this study. We additionally examined the factors that affect suicide with chi-squared tests, t-tests, Pearson's correlation test, and path analysis. Results: Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation are the only factors that directly affect suicidal attempts. Demographic, behavioral, and physical activity factors have indirect effects on suicidal attempts. Conclusions: Depression has the strongest influence on suicidal ideation and attempts. Demographic, behavioral, and physical activity factors affect suicidal attempts mostly through depressive symptoms. In addition, there is a path that suggests that demographic, behavioral, and physical activity factors affect suicidal attempts not through depression symptoms but only through suicidal ideation. This means that the elderly who do not have depression symptoms attempt suicide according to their own situations and characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.142-151
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• 2015

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to investigate the degree of presenteeism, which lowers productivity when call center workers come to work with illness, and analyze the factors influencing it. Methods: A survey was conducted for three months from July to September, 2013 to collect data. Questionnaires were distributed to 1,500 workers at 30 call centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, of which were 1,274 returned and analyzed for the study. Results: The findings show that the call center workers scored 15.4 points out of the maximum 30 on presenteeism based on SPS-6. The study examined factors that affect the presenteeism of call center workers and identified inner emotional labor, depression, subjective health condition, age and turnover intention as those factors. Their presenteeism was low when they engaged in more inner emotional labor, and when they had a good subjective health condition. The presenteeism was high when they had a higher degree of depression, were young, and had a higher turnover intention. Conclusion: The findings call for a need to implement a mental health promotion program to resolve call center workers' depression at work, help them manage their emotional labor to lower their turnover intention, improve their subjective health conditions, and run a health management program to consider the uniqueness of the young age group in order to prevent their increasing presenteeism.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.60-68
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• 2012

The purpose of this research is to identify green roofs based on how to utilize the diverse space. This research also aims to discover the correlation between the use of the green roof and the overall level of the public's health condition, through which it is intended to grasp the health effects by means of the space of the green roof. The current use patterns of the green roof have been identified generally to have more than 60% accessibility, less than 30 minutes of short-tenn use, relaxation or removing stress, enjoy the view of the surrounding, smoking, walking and exercise. It will be highly effective to furnish facilities and plants for tree planting, and to get financial maintenance & management subsidy for the purpose of revitalizing the green roof. It is expected that if the green roof is created in educational institutes, hospitals and shopping centers, where the current level of health conditions is generally low, it will contribute in promoting the city dwellers' health benefits. In addition, the physical environmental renovation through establishing the green roof will bring about producing a healthy city because the emotional health benefits also will make a positive impact upon physical health.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2003

Objectives: This paper introduces need and supply level of rural mental health care service and especially focuses on the evaluation for the community mental health programs of Public Health Centers(PHCs) in rural areas as the facilities for primary mental health care. Methods: We defined the need as prevalance rate and service utilization rate, for which reviewed the results of the epidemiological study of mental disorders using Korean Composite International Diagnostic Interview surveyed on a nationwide scale in 2001. Supply was appraised in terms of psychiatric beds and primary mental heath care facilities such as private psychiatric clinics, facilities for social rehabilitation, PHCs running community mental health programs. For this, we reveiwed a variety of annual reports related mental health published by Ministry of Health and Welfare. To evaluate the community mental health programs of PHCs in rural areas, we selected. randomly samples out of the 3rd community health plans including the contents of community mental health programs, which submitted by 89 rural counties and 44 cities mixed with rural areas, and used the program's guideline established by central government as a standard. Results: Prevalence rates of major psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, alcoholism, major depression, anxiety disorder were higher in rural area than in urban area and 8.9% of psychiatric patients in both areas stayed at homes contacted with mental health manpower more than one time during the last year. Psychiatric beds were sufficiently supplied, but urban area had less beds than rural area contrary to general health care service. Psychiatric clinics were supplied very insufficiently in rural areas and PHCs bridged the gap instead. However rural PHCs got less financial support for community mental health programs from higher positioned agencies than urban PHCs. Rural community health programs not supported hardly worked out. Conclusions: Central government should consider a special policy for rural primary mental health care, because private psychiatric clinics can't be introduced in rural areas due to demand-deficiency and the financial independence of rural counties was very vulnerable.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.90-102
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• 1996

This study is a descriptive survey research to investicate the relation between the performance of self-care behavior and degree of self-efficacy by evaluating them respectively. The subjects were consisted of seventy nine tuberculosis patients registered in two different public health care centers in the city of Kwangju from April 1st to 30th June, 1995. The results were as follows : 1) Demorgraphically, the proportion of males was$(59.5\%)$, the highest proportion of age group was twenties with $(31.6\%)$, the higest proportion of the patients graduated high school. the married was much more than the single$(51.9\%)$. The highest proportions in each variables were as followes : middle class in economic status with $70.9%$, the jobless in job status with $26.6\%$. the duration less than 6 months in ailing duration with $63.3\%$. The patients of $60.8\%$ and $74.7\%$ showed no family history and received no health education respectively. 2) The average drgree of self-care behavior was 3.44 points (1-5 points). 3) The average dregee of recognized self efficacy was 78.18 points(10-100points). 4) The recognized self efficacy showed close relationship with the performance of self-care behavior (r=0.6378. p<0.001) 5) The points of performance of self-care nursing behavior showed statistical significance in the variables of martial status. duration of treatment and economic status. (F=3.142. p<0.05), (F=3.701. p<0.05). (F=6.213. p<0.01) 6) The point of self efficacy showed statistical significance in the variables of sex. degree of education and marital status. (F=5.438. p<0.05), (F=4.28. P<0.01), (F=2.899, p<0.05) These results suggest as follows: 1) It is necessary to develop a program to improve the ability of self health care for the family member as well as the patient. 2) It is necessary to do further study on much more variables that influence on the performance of self-care behavior by expanding the number of subjects and duration of study. and to evaluate the self efficacy with time interval.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.96-116
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• 2006

To assess the economic value of pharmaceutical therapy with Kremezin, we investigated the maximum amount of willingness-to-pay (WTP) of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) for a hypothetical effect of Kremezin in delaying the initiation of dialysis treatments. A face-to-face survey was carried out in a sample of 141 CRF patients from 2 dialysis centers, composed of 82 hemodialysis patients, 38 peritoneal dialysis patients, and 21 non-dialysis CRF patients. Using a bidding game method with a starting point of 320,000 Won, which is the average monthly out-of-pocket payment for dialysis treatment, we asked the study subjects how much they would pay per month to receive Kremezin therapy. The mean out-of-pocket monthly WTP for Kremezin was 310,000, 430,000, and 520,000 Won (p<0.05, repeated one-way ANOVA)) when Kremezin delays the initiation of dialysis treatments by 1, 2, and 4 years. Significant correlation between the respondent's WTP and income $(r=0.266{\sim}0.368,\;p<0.05)$ confirmed the construct validity of the WTP instrument. Regression results showed that patients with a higher education, with diabetes as a major causes of CRF, and undergoing hemodialysis treatments tended to express higher WTP for Kremezin. The economic value of WTP from the perspective of patients varied from 310,000 to 520,000 Won depending on the effect size of Kremezin. The mean WTP was higher than 32,000 Won, only when the hypothetical effect of Kremezin in delaying the initiation of dialysis is for 2 years. This implies that Kremezin might be the preferred choice of therapy by CRF patients if it delays the initiation of dialysis treatment for at least 2 years.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 1995

Based on the questionnaires sent to 270 nurses of public health centers in kyungnam during the period of March 19 to April 11 in 1992, this study was written for the of finding out the grade of satisfaction, obstacles in carrying out duties concerned with nursing services and the change of nurses role needed according to the change of the local public health administration. The first-ranking tasks carried by nurses of public health center are believed to have been family planning activities before the 1970's, nursing services during the 1970's, mother-child health activities during the 1980's, and nursing services during the period of 1990 to 1992. As far as the priority order of all the family planning activities is concerned, the counseling of the insertion of intrauterine contraceptive device, the use of oral pill or the distribution of condom was placed emphasis on before 1970, and publicity activities of family planning after that time. The first priority order of mother-child health activities has been put on the registration of pregnant women since 1970, with prenatal examination and vaccination ranking next to it. The priority order for activities against tuberculosis was laid on finding out and registration of new T.B. patients every year, with patients' control, and medication or injection ranking next to it. As for the priority order of nursing services, traveling medical examination and treatment ranked the first-stressed activity before 1970, with medication and injection ranking next to it. The first priority order management activity of communicable diseases was put on vaccination before 1970, with medication and injection. ranking next. And consultation and education ranked second to it during 1990 to 1992. As for the health services of the aged, traveling examination and treatment ranked the order, with the assistance of medical examination ranking next to it. As far as troubles and obstacles shown in case of family planning, the rate of residents' lack understanding was 28.8%, that of lacking budget 13.6%, and the imperfection of public health administration system 11.9%. In the case of tuberculosis control, residents' lacking understanding was 32.5%, the deficiency of public health administration system 18.2%, over-duty(shortage of hands) 15.6%, and the insufficiency skill and know-how 13.0%. In the case of nursing services, the deficiency of public health administration system was 18.2%, each over-duty(the shortage of hands) and the shortage of facilities and equipment 15.6% respective, and residents' lacking understanding 13.0%. The rate of dissatisfaction with the chance or possibility of promotion for his or her career or capability was shown to be 49.2%, and 65.9% of the health nurses expressed their complaints of the deficiency of the chance of the promotion to a professional or expert. when the public health nurses were asked in the questionably whether they were satisfied or not with current state of equipment and facilities needed for public health service, 49.6% of them answered in the negative. The grade of the satisfaction with the current individual position was shown to be low as much as the status of his or her position was now. 37.6% of those asked in the research answered to have the readiness to switch jobs for the reasons of dissatisfaction and so on with lacking promotion chance as well as bad working condition. Significant correlation between the grade of job satisfaction and the current status of the po as found to be in this research, which showed that the lower the status of position was, the lower the grade of job satisfaction was. But little correlation between the grade of job satisfaction and his or her schooling and career was found. In order to carry out primary health care successfully, it can be said that more education and publicity activities to make public health nurses and residents see it in a new light are requested. In addition to it, it is suggested that the improvement of promotion system for public health nurses and the enlargement of job province should also be taken in consideration of the high dissatisfaction with and complaints of the chance of promotion and the system of position. In order words, it is important that considerations for system improvement enough to make nursing services pleasant and satisfactory should be taken into.