• Quality Improvement in Health Care
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.93-112
• /
• 2006

This study reviewed published studies on interventions used by hospitals, health insurance programs, or governments to improve use of medicines in foreign countries. Interventions to improve use of medicines are classified into two categories: 1) information strategies-dissemination of educational materials, group education, one-to-one educational outreach, drug utilization review, and feedback; 2) managerial strategies- formularies, prior authorization, and financial incentives. Dissemination of educational materials, which is a common intervention, was unsuccessful in changing physicians' prescribing behaviors. Problem-based small group education was more likely to change behaviors than didactic large group education. One-to-one educational outreach(academic detailing) was among the most effective strategies used to change prescribing behaviors. Prospective drug utilization review (DUR) program was more successful in improving use of medicines than retrospective DUR program. Feedback intervention has been reported to be ineffective to change behaviors. Formularies are frequently used to control medication use by most health insurance programs. Financial incentives provide physicians economic incentives according to appropriateness of prescribing. However, few published studies have assessed the efficacy of formularies or financial incentives. Prior authorization requires physicians to get authorization from health insurers before prescribing a certain group of drugs which is usually of high costs or risk. There is no magic bullet for quality use of medicines. Multifaceted interventions that help to predispose, enable, and reinforce desired behaviors are more likely to be successful.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.46 no.3
• /
• pp.146-153
• /
• 2021

Accurate identification of microbes facilitates the prediction, prevention, and treatment of human diseases. To increase the accuracy of microbiome data analysis, a long region of the 16S rRNA is commonly sequenced via paired-end sequencing. In paired-end sequencing, a sufficient length of overlapping region is required for effective joining of the reads, and high-quality sequencing reads are needed at the overlapping region. Trimming sequences at the reads distal to a point where sequencing quality drops below a specific threshold enhance the joining process. In this study, we examined the effect of trimming conditions on the number of reads that remained after quality control and chimera removal in the Illumina paired-end reads of the V3-V4 hypervariable region. We also examined the alpha diversity and taxa assigned by each trimming condition. Optimum quality trimming increased the number of good reads and assigned more number of operational taxonomy units. The pre-analysis trimming step has a great influence on further microbiome analysis, and optimized trimming conditions should be applied for Divisive Amplicon Denoising Algorithm 2 analysis in QIIME2 platform.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.194-204
• /
• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop long-term storage technology for Chinese cabbage in order to extend the period of availability of freshly harvested products. The scope of the paper deals with the use of a cooler with a remote monitoring and control interface in conjunction with use of packaging film. Methods: A cooler with a real time monitoring system was designed as a low-temperature storage facility to control temperature and relative humidity (RH). The effects of storage in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic boxes, 3% chitosan dipping solution, polypropylene film (PEF) with perforations, and mesh packaging bags on physiological responses were investigated. The optimal storage temperature and humidity for 120 days were below $0.5^{\circ}C$ and 90%, respectively. Physiological and biochemical features of cabbage quality were also analyzed: weight loss, texture, and sugar salinity, chlorophyll, reducing sugar, and vitamin C contents. Results: The cooler with a remote monitoring and control interface could be operated by an HMI program. A $0.5^{\circ}C$ temperature and 90% humidity could be remotely controlled within the cooler for 120 days. Postharvest freshness of Chinese cabbages could be maintained up to 120 days depending on the packaging method and operation of the remote monitoring system. In particular, wrapping the cabbages in PEF with perforations resulted in a less than a 5% deterioration in quality. This study provides evidence for efficient performance of plastic films in minimizing post-harvest deterioration and maintaining overall quality of cabbages stored under precise low-temperature conditions with remote monitoring and a control interface. Conclusions: Packaging with a modified plastic film and storage in a precisely controlled cooler with a remote monitoring and control interface could slow down the physiological factors that cause adverse quality changes and thereby increase the shelf life of Chinese cabbage.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.29-36
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This study was develop an aromatherapy hand massage program and to evaluate the effects of aromatherapy on anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and fatigue of the institutionalized elderly. Methods: The reserach design was a non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental study. The 42 subjects were divided into 2 groups. Aromatherapy hand massage was administrated to experimental group (N=20), and no treatment was administrated to the control group (N=22). Data was analyzed using the $x^2$-test, paried t-test, unparied t-test in the SPSS/Win 12.0 program package. Results: Experimental group showed significant differences in anxiety (p<.05), depression (p<.001 ), sleep disturbance (p<.05), fatigue (p<.05), with relation to the control group. Conclusion: The results showed that aromatherapy hand massage program was effective on anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and fatigue of the institutionalized elderly. Thus this reserch suggests that this aromatherapy hand massage could be recommened as nursing intervention for quality of life of the institutionalized elderly.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.225-234
• /
• 2023

This study verified the effect of a combined forest/thermal therapy (FT/TT) program on participants with depressive symptoms and smoking or alcohol dependence. The participants included 20 people in the experimental group and 18 people in the control group. The experimental group participated in the FT/TT program for 2 nights and 3 days at the National Center for Forest Healing, in Hoengseong (National Hoengseong Supchewon), and a charcoal kiln operated by the Gangwon Charcoal Farming Association. The control group carried out their daily life for the same period. Psychological, physiological, and biochemical tests were conducted to determine the effect of the program. The results showed that there were significant improvements in stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, sleep satisfaction, and IL-6 levels. However, no significant difference was found in the cortisol, serotonin and melatonin levels between the experimental and control groups. Thus, the FT/TT therapy had psychological and biochemical effects on individuals with depression and nicotine or alcohol dependency. Further studies should be conducted to verify the effect of forest healing in various conditions.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.97-106
• /
• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between mother child-rearing attitude, language control styles and preschool child's social competence, and also, to provide a basis for development of a program to promote preschool child's social competence. Methods: The present study was a descriptive research. Participants in this study were a convenience sample of 300 preschool children and their mothers. For the final analysis 264 questionnaires were used after eliminating questionnaires with incomplete responses. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 18.0 program. Results: The mean score for mother's child-rearing attitude was $3.31{\pm}0.25$ out of 5 points, for hierarchical language control styles ($2.76{\pm}0.62$), commanding ($1.95{\pm}0.58$), and humanistic ($2.48{\pm}0.62$) out of 5 points, and for child's social competence, $3.50{\pm}0.34$ out of 5 points. Negative correlations were found between commanding language control styles and child's social competence (r=-.34, p<.001), and between commanding language control style and mother's child-rearing attitude (r=-.50, p<.001). Conclusion: The results demonstrate the importance of the quality of mother's child-rearing attitude and language control styles for child's social competence. It is suggested that promotion programs to enhance preschool child's social competence should be developed in conjunction with the parenting related environment.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.326-336
• /
• 2020

This study was conducted to investigate productivity of strawberry plants as affected by propagation method and cultivation system. Transplants propagated by cutting propagation and pinning propagation were planted and grown for a whole production period in soil and hydroponic cultivation systems. Growth parameters, fruit productivity, and fruit quality were measured during the whole harvest period. The results showed that propagation method and cultivation system had significant effects on vegetative growth of strawberry plants. Total fruit yield per plant and average fruit weight per fruit during the whole harvest period were significantly lower in the plants grown in soil cultivation system. Total unmarketable fruit ratio was significantly greater in soil cultivation system than that in hydroponic cultivation system. Small fruits were the primary unmarketable fruits in soil cultivation system, while malformed fruits were the primary unmarketable fruits in hydroponic cultivation system. The overall high quality of fruit was found in February, and the plants cultivated in hydroponic cultivation system had higher quality of fruit as compared with that in soil cultivation system. It is concluded that cutting propagation is better than pinning propagation, and hydroponic cultivation system is better than soil cultivation system for fruit productivity of strawberry.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.92-102
• /
• 2006

Background : Most hospitalized children will experience physical pain as well as psychological distress. Painful procedure can increase anxiety and fear of pediatric patients and their parents who do not have understanding logical of their disease and hospitalization. This study attempted to identify pain reduction in related to therapeutic intervention by age and environmental improvement. Methods : A total of 194 hospitalized children and their parents were investigated. Data collection period was 3 months from March to May 2004. Four instruments were used to collect the data : Faces Pain Rating Scale(FPRS), Heart rate, Oxygen saturation and Pain behavioral check list. The data were analyzed by a SPSS program and tested x2-test, t-test, ANCOVA. Results : 1. Age from 0 to 3, the Heart rate, FPRS, Oxygen saturation and Pain behavioral check list were significantly different in theraputic intervention group when compare to control group. 2. Age from 4 to 6, FPRS, Oxygen saturation and Pain behavioral check list were significantly different in theraputic intervention group when compare to control group. But the heart rate were not significantly different when compare to control group. 3. Age from 7 to 9, FPRS and Pain behavioral check list were significantly lower in therapeutic intervention group when compare to control group but Heart rate and Oxygen saturation were not significantly different when compare to control group. Conclusion : The results of this study concludes that most children experience acute pain during IV therapy and it can be reduced by age specific therapeutic intervention and by change of surrounding environment.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.262-268
• /
• 2014

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to measure fatigue as an objective index, depression and health-related quality of life of patients with COPD in daily life, to understand the correlation between them, and to present reasons for using the results clinically. Methods: This study is intended to evaluate and compare depression, the health-related quality of life of each group after measuring lactic acid levels of 39 male patients with COPD, and dividing those with measurement values than the normal value into the experimental group, and those with normal values into the control group. Results: When comparing depression between the experimental group and the control group, it was measured at 10.38 in the experimental group, and at 7.00 in the control group (p<0.05). Health-related quality of life between the experimental group and the control group was measured at 51.8 in the experimental group, and at 48.67 in the control group (p>0.05). Conclusion: According to the results described above, it appears that patients with COPD have adapted to their disease in some degree for a long period of time, and they are physically and psychologically adjusting to the fatigue they experience, in their own ways of adapting. These results imply that improving physical activity is associated with relief of fatigue and improvement of the quality of life. Thus, there is a need for developing and researching an exercise program and a physical therapy intervention for enhancement of physical activity.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.16-24
• /
• 2014

A combined watershed and receiving waterbody model was developed for operational water flow forecasting of the Nakdong river. The Hydrological Simulation Program Fortran (HSPF) was used for simulating the flow rates at major tributaries. To simulate the flow dynamics in the main stream, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model, EFDC was used with the inputs derived from the HSPF simulation. The combined models were calibrated and verified using the data measured under different hydrometeological and hydraulic conditions. The model results were generally in good agreement with the field measurements in both calibration and verification. The 7-days forecasting performance of water flows in the Nakdong river was satisfying compared with model calibration results. The forecasting results suggested that the water flow forecasting errors were primarily attributed to the uncertainties of the models, numerical weather prediction, and water release at the hydraulic structures such as upstream dams and weirs. From the results, it is concluded that the combined watershed-waterbody model could successfully simulate the water flows in the Nakdong river. Also, it is suggested that integrating real-time data and information of dam/weir operation plans into model simulation would be essential to improve forecasting reliability.