• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.52-60
• /
• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of lifestyle modifications on the constipation relief, the time required to see the effects, and the effective lifestyles for constipation in older adults admitted to a geriatric hospital. Methods: Nonequivalent control group pre-post test design was used. The subjects consisted of 25 elderly in the control group and 23 in the experimental group. Constipation was measured with symptoms of constipation, number of bowel movement and use of laxatives. Life style modification consisted of drinking water before breakfast, having a breakfast, scheduled toileting after breakfast and walking everyday for 3 weeks. Results: Symptoms of constipation (t=2.23, p=.030) and number of bowel movement per week (t=-2.55, p=.014) were significantly different between two groups after 3 weeks. Drinking water, scheduled toileting and walking might contribute to the results. Conclusion: Lifestyle modification was effective on constipation in older adults admitted to a geriatric hospital. However, the effects were produced after 3 weeks. Nevertheless, it is recommended that nurses continuously encourage older adults for drinking water, regular trying for bowel movement and walking to relieve constipation, since the lifestyle modification does not need any special education and skill.

• Annals of Geriatric Medicine and Research
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.159-166
• /
• 2018

The Korean Geriatrics Society was founded on October 3, 1968. Over the 50 years since then, the Society has incessantly strived to stay attuned to the aging society and to achieve an increasingly greater research impact in the field of gerontology and geriatric medicine. The Society has passed through periods of preparation for a leap forward, followed by rapid growth, expansion, and maturity. As a result, the Society has gained a firm foothold at home and abroad as a leading research society for both qualitative and quantitative achievements in geriatric medicine. At this juncture, with an ultra-aging society being just around the corner, we are celebrating its 50th anniversary and anticipating our second half-century with great enthusiasm about our mission and role as a leading geriatric research organization.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.297-305
• /
• 2022

The presence of artificial light enables humans to be active 24 h a day. Many people across the globe live in a social culture that encourages staying up late to meet the demands of various activities, such as work and school. Sleep deprivation (SD) is a severe health problem in modern society. Meanwhile, as with cardiometabolic disease, there was an obvious tendency that coronary heart disease (CHD) to become a global epidemic chronic disease. Specifically, SD can significantly increase the morbidity and mortality of CHD. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for the effects of SD on CHD are multilayered and complex. Inflammatory response, lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and endothelial function all contribute to cardiovascular lesions. In this review, the effects of SD on CHD development are summarized, and SD-related pathogenesis of coronary artery lesions is discussed. In general, early assessment of SD played a vital role in preventing the harmful consequences of CHD.

• Journal of Korean Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.391-399
• /
• 2018

Background : The Antimicrobial Stewardship Program promotes interdisciplinary interventions and targeted recommendations for the proper utilization of antibiotics. In particular, the aim of the program is to avoid indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics based on the documented literature on the significant impact of unsystematic usage of antibiotics on the distribution of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. To improve the care process for pneumonia treatment using antimicrobial agents, institution-level guidelines were established and disseminated at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in April 2016. In this study, we evaluated changes in the physicians'antibiotic prescribing patterns both before-and after-the implementation of the guidelines. Methods : The electronic medical records of inpatients who were prescribed with one or more antibiotics in May 2014 (Group A) and May 2016 (Group B) were reviewed. Data on demographic characteristics, clinical outcomes, and antibiotic prescriptions were collected and the prescription records were compared both before- and after- the implementation of the guidelines. Results : A total of 180 patients were included in the study: 77 patients in group A and 103 patients in group B. The baseline characteristics of the patients were not significantly different between the two groups. Community-acquired pneumonia was the most common diagnosis in both the groups and the difference was not significant (68.8% vs. 67.9%; p=0.67). The type of antibiotic prescriptions used for empirical treatment was not different between the two groups. The most commonly prescribed empirical antibiotics were cephalosporins, with no significant difference (p=0.31). One of the most inappropriately used antibiotics was piperacillin/tazobactam and the rate of prescription was similar in both the groups (p=0.68). The rates of appropriate empirical selection of antibiotics remained unaltered between the two groups (67.5% vs. 71.8%; p=0.53). Conclusions : Implementation of the guidelines only exhibited no significant effect on the antibiotic prescribing patterns of physicians for the treatment of pneumonia. To improve the adequate use of empiric antibiotics, more active interventions and closer monitoring of the feedbacks should be additionally considered and evaluated in future studies.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.128-136
• /
• 2019

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship among professional self-concept, moral sensitivity and elderly care performance nurses in geriatric hospitals, as well as to clarify factors that affect nurses' elderly care performance. Participants consisted of 153 nurses working in geriatric hospital in G Province were evaluated. Date were collected from September 15 to October 15, 2018 and analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 23.0 program. The mean of professional self-concept was $2.87{\pm}0.35$ out of 4, that of moral sensitivity was $4.70{\pm}0.47$ out of 7 and that of elderly care performance $3.51{\pm}0.41$ out of 4. Elderly care performance was siginificantly positively correlated with professional self-concept (r=.48, p<.001) and moral sensitivity (r=.31, p<.001). Factors influencing elderly care performance were professional self-concept (${\beta}=.32$, p=.001), moral sensitivity (${\beta}=.18$, p=.021), educational experience of geriatric nursing (${\beta}=.17$, p=.029), which explained 31.6% of elderly care performance. The results of this study suggest that supporting systems should be arranged to provide various learning opportunities as a way to increase the professional self-concept of nurses with short career as well as intervention strategies may be necessary to make education of geriatric nursing obligatory.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.36-45
• /
• 2011

Objectives : Though a proportion of Alzheimer's disease(AD) patients treated with donepezil have shown positive response on cognition, but the responders' characteristics are still uncertain. This study attempts to identify whether a single oral dose of donepezil(5mg) can change cognition and the relationship between single dose responder items and long-term responder are examined. Methods : Twenty-three AD patients for single donepezil challenge study group and eleven AD patients for controls were participated in the study. Seven days after baseline study for neuropsychological test and EEG, same studies were rechecked after donepezil medication in study group. In donepezil study groups, 12 weeks after donepezil medication, neuropsychological test and EEG were rechecked. Results : After single donepezil challenge, forward digit span, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test copy, SVLT delayed recall were significantly improved, and beta spectra power in anterior, theta spectra power in posterior field were significantly decreased. According to linear regression analysis, forward digit span after single donepezil challenge was significantly positive correlated with long-term responders. Conclusions : This study suggests that single donepezil medication can significantly change cognitive functions and EEG in AD patients. Among these responsive items, forward digit span was significantly correlated with long-term responder.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
• /
• v.5 no.9
• /
• pp.7-16
• /
• 1999

The purpose of this study was to propose and estimate the architectural planning of general hospital in Korea, for the aged society in the near future. Average life expectancy of Koreans has been lengthened and the percentage of the aged populations is expected to be increased sharply. Therefore, the social problems for the aged occur in various levels, especially in healthcare facilities and medical system due to the weak health conditions of the aged. These problems will become more serious in the near future. However, the architectural planning of general hospital in Korea has not been prepared for the aged society yet. The results of this study were as follows the ward of general hospital should be divided into acute and geriatric wards because of the characteristics of geriatric diseases.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.51-58
• /
• 2021

Purpose: This study is based on the results of previous studies that falls, which is a frequent social problem, causes physical, mental and social health problems in the elderly. In order to identify risk factors for falls in the elderly, this study derives a relationship with oral health and proposes the necessity of oral health care as part of countermeasures to prevent falls in the elderly. Methodology: The final 6,936 people were analysed using the 2018 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA) survey data, and the analysis was conducted using the multiple logistic and multiple regression analysis to investigate the relationship between Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and falls experience. Findings: As a result of the analysis in this study, the number of falls experiences and whether or not falls were higher in the elderly female group than in the male group. The likelihood of falls experience has been statistically reduced as Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index increases by one unit.(OR : 0.991) The number of falls has also been statistically reduced as Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index increase by one unit.(B : -0.001) Practical Implications: The results of this study, which showed that higher Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index was lower risk of falls, explained by the connection that oral health may affect nutritional intake, which leads to sarcopenia and physical loss, which in turn increases the risk of falls. As a way to solve the fall problem, efforts should be made to improve the oral health of the elderly, and furthermore, the importance of nutrition management thorugh oral health care of the elderly is increasd.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.36-50
• /
• 2009

Korean Government had performed three pilot programs to introduce the long term care insurance system. Persons aged 65 or older who are dependent on others for daily living could use long term care services in the pilot program. The long-term care insurance covered nursing home services, home care services and cash benefits. The cash benefits are included that for elderly at home and for patients in geriatric hospital. This study investigated whether there had been any change in the medical care utilization according to cash benefits for geriatric hospitalization. This study used National Health Insurance claims and Long term Care Insurance claims 2003 through 2006. Data were composed of subjects who undertook both insurance coverage. The subjects was divided into two groups. Case group included participants with the cash benefits of geriatric hospitalization. Control group included persons without the cash benefits selected by random sampling according to the distribution of case group. This study showed that the amount of medical care utilization of the case group is more significantly increased than the control group after adjusted their health condition and functional condition. This result will be helpful for making decisions on whether the cash benefit of geriatric hospitalization can be introduced into long term care insurance system.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.7-15
• /
• 2023

Purpose: This study was conducted with the aim of presenting spatial planning directions for evacuation spaces based on an analysis of the performance of horizontal evacuation during the early stages of fire incidents in a geriatric hospital. Methods: Based on a review of previous studies, the research model was designed by establishing occupancy conditions, evacuation, and fire scenarios. The analysis model was developed by considering vulnerable areas in terms of evacuation movement and analyzing the results of evacuation performance. Furthermore, the study analyzed the improvement in evacuation performance by arranging refuge areas. Results: The results of the study are as follows. Firstly, vulnerability spots were identified in terms of evacuation performance by schematizing Required Safe Egress Time, Available Safe Egress Time, and their differences. Secondly, the Required Safe Egress Time in the adjacent public spaces along the escape routes of occupants was found to be higher compared to the Available Safe Egress Time. Thirdly, the results of the correlation analysis between the difference in Available Safe Egress Time and Required Safe Egress Time during the early stages of a fire, as well as their constituent factors, demonstrated that user congestion is a more significant factor in compromising evacuation safety than the physical changes in the fire condition. Fourthly, the analysis of evacuation time was conducted by designating refuge areas where occupants can evacuate within a sufficient timeframe. This led to a decrease in the Required Safe Egress Time. Implications: This study is expected to be used as data on the direction of evacuation space planning to improve the evacuation performance of Geriatric Hospital.