• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.1-30
• /
• 2007

The study carried out a survey with employees of hospitals located in Daejeon, Chungnam, and Chungbuk from Sep. 12 to Sep. 30, 2005 in order to derive primary elements that affect the improvement of hospital's competitiveness. The study investigated and analyzed the employees' recognition on the change of competitive environment caused by the change of medical environment. The study also analyzed the elements that affect the hospital's competitiveness and the competitive strategies of the hospitals. The conclusion of this study can be summarized as follows. 1. Summary 1) Most of the employees responded that there is a rival in the competitive environment and the competitive is intense. Especially when the employees are married, live in urban areas, have an education level of university graduate or are managers, they tend to think the competitive is very intense. Also, they said that the competitive is based upon the quality of medical service. They mentioned the element that has the biggest effect on the competitiveness is the element of medical consumer and they recognized that the medical services in university and general hospitals have more competitiveness than the one-department hospitals. 2) It was investigated that the medical technique service has the most effect on the hospital's competitiveness. Also, the external service of medical techniques also has a large effect on the hospital's competitiveness. 3) When they were asked for the factors that affect the patients' decision on selecting a hospital, most of them responded "capability and technique of the medical staffs." Also, they said that "sufficient explanation from doctors" and "special center and clinic" are the factors that have big effects on the patients' decision. 4) In the SWOT analysis, most of them responded that the strength is the hospital's characteristics and the weakness is insufficient and obsolete equipment. They said the opportunity is the demands for professional medical service and the risk is the intense competitive among the hospitals. 5) In the SWOT strategy, they emphasized the strategy that uses the opportunity and the strength and the strategy that uses the opportunity while overcoming the weakness. 6) As for the basic competition strategy, most of them thought of the strategy of professionalizing the medical service most importantly. Next, they focused on the strategy of distinct service and the strategy of lower prime cost. 2. Conclusion 1) Because service competition between hospitals is happening seriously, need competitiveness security through right awareness transfer and satisfaction upgrade about medical consumer. 2) For medical technique service upgrade that equip Hospital's competitiveness but affects most, must solidify the countermeasure because professionalizing the medical service and newest medical technique induction should be achieved first, and compose task force for the external service of medical techniques improvement. 3) To improve SWOT of hospital, opportunity and the strength strategy choice that rescue hospital's characteristics heightening professionalizing the medical service level is fancied. 4) As for the basic competition strategy, will have to try in phase triangular position of hospital which is trusted medical level upgrade and excellent manpower security and finance independence through upgrade. The study was only done with hospitals in Daejeon, Chungnam and Chungbuk. Also, it is a study from the side of suppliers of medical service so there are limitations. However, the significance of the study is to present the basic data for improvement of hospital's competitiveness by examining the importance of medical techniques and external service of medical techniques that are the main effects on the improvement of hospital's competitiveness.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.455-469
• /
• 2008

Statement of problems: In the area of dental care, the institutionalized elderly have placed the most vulnerable state, and we cannot find their subjective need of dental treatment because of the physical and mental disabilities, But we have no basic investigation of their oral health conditions. Purpose: The aims of the current study were to investigate the oral health status of institutionalized elderly patients who are in the least benefited side of dental service, and to analyze their dental treatment needs. Material and methods: The survey of the oral status was carried out on 758 institutionalized elderly, and 212 elderly who was more than 65 years old from D dental office, and it was based on the Guidelines of Oral Health Research of year 2000 in Republic of Korea. Results and conclusion: The DMFT index of the institutionalized elderly appeared higher than that of the same ages in control group, and it increased with age. The number of residual teeth of the institutionalized elderly appeared lower than that of the same ages in control group, and it decreased with age (P < .05). The number of fixed partial denture in institutionalized elderly was lower than that of the same ages in control group (P < .05). The percentage wearing removable partial denture was not significant between the elderly in institutions and the control group, and was not different according to age between the two groups. The percentage of institutionalized elderly wearing complete denture appeared lower than that of the same ages in control group, and it increased with age. The percentage of institutionalized elderly needing complete denture was higher than that of control group, and the percentage of elderly needing complete denture on the maxilla was higher than that of the mandible. 16.35% of the institutionalized elderly was living without denture in spite of their fully edentulous state. The need for complete denture increased rapidly with age. The number of valued teeth and dental prostheses in shortened dental arch concept and number of occluding pairs of teeth of institutionalized elderly were lower than that of the control group (P < .05). In institutionalized elderly, the number of residual teeth, the number of fixed partial dentures, and the percentage wearing removable partial dentures were higher in the mandible, and the percentage wearing complete dentures was higher in the maxilla (P < .05). The rate of institutionalized elderly needing prosthodontic treatment appeared to be 67.82%, where the number of occluding pairs of teeth was less than 10. When it is difficult to evaluate the subjective need of dental treatment as with the institutionalized elderly, estimation using the number of occluding pairs of teeth can be a useful indicator that can project treatment needs. For the oral health care of institutionalized elderly, it is essential to increase the awareness of nurses and caregivers who take care of them, about the importance of the oral health. Since the average life span and number of residual teeth are increasing gradually, the welfare policy should be changed to implementing regular dental examinations, preservative treatment forms and oral health control of dentulous patients where the traveling-treatment system and visit system are supplemented. And principles should be set that the present denture project of edentulous patients should be done by specialists who'll also be responsible for postmanagement. Through this research of institutionalized elderly, the oral health status which is worsened by aging could be confirmed. And the interest and positive participation of dental society on the elderly should come first in order to solve the rising treatment needs of the elderly patients.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.23-43
• /
• 1997

The work-related diseases due to continuous overwork are mainly cerebro- and cardio-vascular ones, which is commonly called 'Karoshi', death from overwork. Many factors are capable for Karoshi : occupational stress in relation to technological renovation and industrial rationalization, competitive social structure, and accumulated fatigue accured to long time or irregular working. And its occurence is on the rise. The World Labor Report 1993 released by ILO, pointed out the diseases related to overwork and stress as one of the most important occupational health problem. In Korea, social awareness of Karoshi is at an infant stage, and reliable statistics for its occurence are not compiled in a convenient manner. Despite the rising Karoshi, there are no reliable clauses in workmen's compensation enough to settle down the disputes. Therefore, it is not uncommon that the Labour Ministry and Civil Court find difficulties in reaching an agreement. This study was intended to provide proper compensation and prevention program for workers by suggesting reasonable compensation clauses for the death from overwork. This study consists of two comparative reviews on the compensaton clauses for the death from overwork. One is to review legal standards of Karoshi among three countries, such as Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The other is to investigate the cases of Karoshi in Korea, 121 cases identified at the Labor Welfare Corperation and the Labour Ministrial process of examination and reexamination, and 73 leading cases at the High Court of Justice. The main findings of the study are as follows : 1. Comparisons of comperative review on compensation clauses for the death from overwork among three countries. 1) All of three countries have the same kinds of disease for compensation, which were cerebro-and cardiao-vascular diseases, while for cardiac disease group, Korea has the smaller number of diseases for compensation than Japan. 2) As for the definition of overwork, the three countries share equally that overload for one week prior to collapse is considered as an important factor, but accumulated chronic fatigue is disregarded. 3) As the basis of overwork, in Japan, there is a tendency to move from the conditions of an ordinary healthy adult to those of the individual concerned in Japan, whereas there is no such concern yet in Korea. 4) All the three countries use a common standard of medical judgement in demonstrating causal relationship between a job and a disease. However, Korea is progressive in the sense that in the case of CVA at worksite, the worker himself has no obligation to prove the cause. 2. The results of a comparative review on excutive decisions by Labor Ministry and judicial decisions by the Court in Korea : A judicial decision is based on the legalistic probability, but a excutive decision is not. Therefore, excutive decisions have such restrictions that : 1) TIA (transitory ischemic cerebral attack) and myocarditis are excluded from compensation, and there is little consistency of decision in the case of cause-unknown death. 2) There is a tendency not to compensate for the death from overwork since the work terms such as repeated long-time working, shift work or night-shift work are not considered as overloading. 3) There is a tendency to regard the conditions of a ordinary healthy adult rather than those of the individual concerned(age, existing diseases, health state, etc.) as the comparative basis of overload. 4) There remains a tendency not to compensate for the death from overwork in the case of collapse occuring out of workplace, on the ground of 'on the course of working' and 'in the cause of accident'. Through the study, the fact manifests itself that Korea's compensation clauses for work-related diseases due to overwork are very restrictive. So, it is necessary to extend the Labor Ministry's clauses of compensation for the death from overwork following to the recent changes of other countries and internal judicial decisions. This is very important in the perspective of occupational health that aims at health promotion of workers including prevention of the Karoshi.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.15 no.10
• /
• pp.6234-6241
• /
• 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the status of medical staff stress and accommodating manners on the death of patients in a hospital setting for serving the basic information to develop a death education program of medical personnel from April 1 to April 30, 2014. A survey was performed on 353 medical personnel at K university hospital, located in Daejeon metropolitan city. Frequency analysis, chi-square test, and independent t-test were used to analyze the data. The results showed that 'to understand the value of the time and preparedness of a meaningful future' were the most important perspectives on the contents of death education (p<0.05), 'in order to change perceptions and attitudes toward death positively' was the most important reason why they required death education'(p<0.05), 'case-based teaching and problem-based learning' was the most effective way of death education (p<0.05), 'negative or hostile response of a patient's guardian to medical personnel' was the largest stress that medical personnel confront upon witnessing a death'(p<0.05). An understanding of the death of patients by medical personnel and an awareness of the need for death education will help improve the understanding of the patient, their guardian, and medical personnel themselves. The main findings will contribute to the development of a specific death education program on the medical personnel in a hospital setting.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.569-592
• /
• 2018

This study purported to investigate the current state of human rights of older adults residing in rural areas of Korea. The study utilized, as an analytic framework, 4 priority directions (1. "older persons and development", 2. "rural area development", 3. "advancing health and well-being into old age", and 4. "ensuring enabling and supportive environments") with 13 task actions recommended by Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA). Furthermore, the study examined gender differences in all items included in the analytic framework. Data was collected by the face-to-face survey on 800 subjects aged 65 and over. Statistical analyses were conducted using STATA 13.0 program. The main results were summarized in order of 4 priority directions as follows. First, average working hours per day were 6.2, and men reportedly participated in economic activities and needed job training more than women, while women participated in lifelong education programs more than men. Awareness of fire and disaster prevention facilities was low in both genders. Second, accessibility to the support center for the elderly living alone as well as protective services for the vulnerable elderly was found to be low. IT-based services and networking were used more by men than women, and specifically, IT-based financial transactions and welfare services were least used. Third, medical check-ups and vaccinations were well received, while consistent treatments for chronic illnesses and long-term care services were relatively less given. In addition, accessibility to mental health service centers was considerably low. Fourth, although old house structures and the lack of convenience facilities were found to be circumstantial risk factors for these elders, experiences of receiving housing support services were scarce. The elderly were found to rely more on informal care, and concerns for their care were higher in women than men. Plus, accessibility to elderly abuse services was markedly low. Based on these results, discussed were implications for implementing policies and practical interventions to raise the levels of the human rights for this population.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.349-356
• /
• 2018

The demand for medical care and welfare for patients with disabilities is expanding, and healthcare professionals are also increasingly interested in the need for medical care for patients with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the competency of disabled patients' management and the education experience of dental hygiene students, who are the main players of oral health care for disabled patients. A total of 196 students in the dental hygiene department and 3rd and 4th grade students were surveyed using questionnaires. As a result, most of the students had a positive awareness of disabled patients; 84.7% answered with the need to train dental hygienists in specializing in handicapped patients, 76.5% were willing to attend seminars related to disabled patients after graduation, and 71.4% of the students provided dental treatment for patients with disabilities in curriculum and comparative curriculum. The students who provided treatment for disabled patients showed that their competence in most areas of knowledge of disabled patients, oral health education, and oral disease prevention was highly evaluated as significant. The competence of respondents who answered that the theoretical education was sufficient was significantly higher. Based on this, institutional support for the education of dentistry for disabled patients is needed, and sufficient theoretical education and practical training should be offered to foster personnel capable of contributing to the improvement in the oral health of patients with disabilities. In addition, in-depth discussions on the training of dental hygienists specialized in handicapped patients should be conducted.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.275-285
• /
• 2021

COVID-19 is threatening the safety of ships and seafarers by delaying seafarer rotation. Shipping companies and governments have a blindspot in case of the onboard environment of seafarers. An effective, alternative plan should be devised to eliminate the possibility of human accidents in an emergency that threatens the safety of seafarers. According to the survey of former and current seafarers, the most important factor in boarding life was safety, and the most necessary thing during emergencies was to secure smooth seafarer rotation rather than improve wages and welfare. By analyzing the major routes of national shipping companies by continent, ports with a large number of calls and a high Air Connectivity Index were selected as the base port. In addition, the route was designed for effective, domestic seafarer rotation during international shipping. Other countries must be consulted to establish a travel route linking ships, ports, and airports for the safe return of sailors to their home countries during an emergency. In addition, it is necessary to work together for the seafarers who are in trouble of seafarer rotation through cooperation with the International Maritime Organization(IMO). Starting with this, the government should have a monitoring system for the return and non-return routes as well as the number of seafarers on board. If such a system is established, it will be able to determine the response direction of our country's policy in case of an emergency. Along with the shipping company's ef orts to improve the treatment of seafarers, national and social attention will be needed to review domestic laws and improve awareness about seafarers.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.285-301
• /
• 2020

Looking at the problem of aging in the nation from a demographic perspective, it is not a problem of the overall population, but of the structure of the population. It is the baby boomer and post-baby boomers, the largest population in the country. Baby boomers were born between 1955 and 1963, and currently have a population of 7001,333, which is 13.6 percent (as of 2015). The Post-Baby Boomer generation was born between 1964 and 1974, with a total population of 9,567,171, accounting for 18.8 percent of the total population. In particular, baby boomers and post-baby boomers (32.4% of the total population) have begun to retire or will retire soon. The average life expectancy continues to increase due to the development of medical technology, and the falling birth rate of newborns and the declining population of the production population are darkening the domestic economy. In a policy proposal aimed at easing the nation's falling economic growth rate, women's participation rate is as high as Sweden and men's efforts to increase it as high as Japan's, while the elderly rate is desirable to maintain Korea's high level. This is because the expansion of the elderly generation's participation in economic activities could ease a sharp drop in economic growth and reduce the burden of supporting the elderly population. The study, based on this social problem awareness and problem solving plan, looks at the relationship between career orientation and satisfaction in start-up education based on the diverse career base of active seniors, and also suggests the importance of customized start-up education on the diversity of active seniors by clarifying the relationship between them, and suggests the desirable direction of senior start-up policy design, funding, and start-up education. Based on the theoretical background, the concept of five factors was defined: active senior, career-oriented, satisfaction level of start-up education, willingness to start a business, and the concept definition of an active senior, which is particularly key to the baby boomers in their 50s and 60s, is generally regarded as a source of consumption or welfare benefits, but in this study, the concept of active start-up is reflected in the domestic start-up market by young people in their 40s, 50s and 60s. As a result of a hypothesis test. Hypothesis 1 and Hypothesis 5: Career orientation has been verified to affect the willingness to start a business and the behavior of preparation for a start-up. Hypothesis 3: The willingness to start a business has been verified as having an effect between startup preparation actions. Hypothesis 4: The satisfaction level of start-up education has been verified to affect start-up preparation behavior. However, hypothesis 2: The satisfaction level of education for start-ups does not affect the willingness to start a business. Such results can be inferred that satisfaction in start-up education does not have a direct effect on the will to start a business and increases the will to start a business through the influence of personal career orientation.

• Korea journal of population studies
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.54-66
• /
• 1988

I. Introduction Since the 1970's drug abuse among young people has increasingly become a social problem in Korea. In the 1980's, drug abuse, especially glue sniffing, has become the cause of many unfortunated incidents resulting in harm to others as well as the abusers themselves. Taking into consideration of the seriousness of this problem, the Republic of Korea National Red Cross initiated a nation-wide research programme, to understand the present situation and to raise the level of public awareness. The goal of this research was to begin a nation - wide campaign against drug abuse. The research team was composed of the Advisary Committee members and the staff of the Youth Department of the Republic of Korea National Red Cross. The data were collected in February 1988 with the collaboration of the staff and volunteers in the local Chapters. The respondents were allocated nation-wide by the quota sampling method. The questionnaires were distributed to the respondents in three groups :2, 700 to junior and senior high school students, 605 to working youths, and 916 to delinquent youths. A total of 4, 221 questionnaires were collected. II. Characteristics of the Respondents The respondents in each group were selected evenly from rural and urban areas. The general characteristics of the respondents can be described as follow: in case of students, the proportions between male and female respondents, and between senior high school and junior high school students were almost evenly distributed. In case of working youths, the proportion of females (80.5%) was higher than those of the students and the delinquents groups. Delinquent youths were defined as those currently being under custody of the centers for juvenile delinquents. Of this number, 38.8% and 68.2% were junior and senior high school drop-outs respectively. The majority of them (92.6%) were male. As for the family background of the respondents, the proportion of those residing in poverty - stricken areas, and the proportion of those from broken families were higher in case of working youths and delinquent youths than those in case of students. III. Present Patterns of Drug Abuse The following summarizes the presents of drug abuse, as tabulated from the results of the survey. 1. Smoking The percentage of youths who smoke was 36% in the student group, 32% m the working youths group, and 94.4% in the delinquent youths group. 2. Alcohol 50.3% of students, 71.6% of working youths, and 93.3% of delinquent youths has experienced drinking alcohol beverages. 3. Tonic: non - alcoholic, caffeinated beverages popular in Korea and Japan The percentage of those who have used tonic at least once was over 90% in all of the three groups. 4. Sedative About 70% of each group has used sedative with the proportion of working youths use higher than those in other groups. 5. Stimulants Those who have used stimulants comprised around 15% in each group. 6. Tranquilizers Somewhat less than 5% of students and working youths, and 28% of delinquent youths, have used tranquilizers. 7. Hypnotics The users of hypnotics amounted to 0.4% of students, 2.6% of working youths and 7.1% of delinquent youths. 8. Marihuana Those who have used marihuana indicated 0.7% of students, 0.8% of working youths, and 13% of delinquent youths. 9. Glue-sniffing The percentage of glue-sniffing was 3.7%, 5% in the students group and in the youths group respectively, but the proportion was unusually high, at 40.7% in the delinquent youths group. From the results of the survey the present situation of drug abuse in Korea can be summarized as follows: 1. A high percentage of Korean youths have experienced smoking cigarettes and drinking alcoholic beverages. 2. Tonics (non - alcoholic, caffeinated beverages), antipyretic analgesics and stimulants quite regularly used. 3. Tranquilizers, hypnotics, marihuana and glue-sniffing are more widely used among delinquent youths than the other youths. From this fact, there exists a correlation between drug abuse and juvenile delinquency. IV. Time-series Analysis of the First Experience of Drug Abuse and Deviant Behaviour The respoundents were asked when they were first exposed to drugs and when they committed deviant acts. By calculating the average age of each experience, the following pattern was found (See Figure 1). Youths are first exposed to drugs by abuse of tonic(non - alcoholic, caffeinated beverages). At the age of 13, they amoke cigarettes, the use of antipyretic analgesics begins at 14 year old, while at the age of 15, they use tranquilizers, and at 16 hynotics. The period of drug abuse which starts from drinking caffeinated beverages and smoking cigarettes and ends in the use of hypnotics takes about three years. During this period, other delinquent behaviours begin to surface, that is, at the age of 13 when smoking cigarettes begins, the delinquent behaviour pattern starts with truancy. Next, they start taking money from others by using physical force. Prior to the age of 15, they are suspended from school, become hostile to adults, begin running away from home, and start using stimulants and alcohol. Soon they become involved even in glue-sniffing and in the use of marihuana. At the age of 15, they begin to see adult videos and carry weapons. Sexual promiscuity and usage of tranquilizers follows the viewing of adult videos. Consequently, by the time they reach the age of 16, they visit drinking establishments, and are picked up by police for committing delinquent acts. And finally, they come to use hypnotic - type drugs. From the above descriptions, drug abuse can be assumed to have a close correlation with delinquent behaviour. V. Social Factors Related to Drug Abuse As for the Korean youths, glue-sniffing is found to he related to aggressive delinquency, in such cases as run - aways, being picked up by the police, and taking money by force. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol is found to be related to seeing adult videos and visiting drinking establishments. Hypnotics and marihuana were found to be representive of drugs which are related to degenerational delinquency, irrespective of social delinquency. The social factors connected with these drug abuse are as follows: 1. Individual factors Male students were more heavily involved in the usage of drug than females. Youths who do not attend church were more likely to be involved in drugs than those who attend. 2. Family factors The youths who were displeased with their mothers smoking and those who thought their parents did not love each other, or those whose parents had used drugs without prescription, were more likely to he drug users. 3. School factors Those youths who found school life boring, were unsuccessful in their studies, spend most of their time with friends, feel their teachers smoke too much, those who had a positive perception of their teachers smoking were likely to he drug users. To sum up, drug abusers depend on the influence of their parents, teachers and peers. IV. Reasons for Drug Abuse Korean students have mainly used drugs to release stress (42.8%), to stay awake (19.7%), and because of the easy accessibility of drugs( 16.6%). Other reasons are due to their ignorance of the side effects of the drugs (3.6%), natural curiosity (4.2%), and to increase strength(3.O%). From the above facts, the major reasons for drug abuse among Korean youths are to release stress and to stay awake in order to prepare exams. Furthermore, since drugs are readily available, we can conclude that drug abuse is caused by the school system(such as entrance exams) in Korea. VII. Conclusion Drug usage among Korean youths are relatively less common than those of western youths. In some cases, such as, glue-sniffing and use of stimulants, the pattern of drug abuse is found. Moreover, early drug abuse is evident, and it has a close connection with deviant behaviour, resulting in juvenile delinquency. Drug abuse cannot be attributed to any one social factor. Specifically, drug abuse depends on parents, peers, teachers and other members of the community, and also is influenced by social institutions such as the entrance exam system. Every person and organization concerned with youth must participate collectively in restraining drug abuse. Finally, it is suggested that social agencial working for youth welfare should make every effort to tackle this serious problem confronted by the Korean youths today.