• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.69-77
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate health problems and factors related to work impairment of nurses working at community health centers. Method: Data were collected from May 2008 to July 2008 using a structured, self - reported questionnaire for general characteristics, work-related characteristics, health problems and work impairment. The subjects were composed of 434 nurses from 25 community health centers in Seoul. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Results: For present health problems, shoulder, back and neck pain were ranked the highest at (54.6%), followed by cold, GI trouble, and visual disorders. The average score of work impairment was 24.71($\pm7.14$) out of 50.0. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the major factors that affect work impairment were age and number of health problems, and that these factors explained 15% of the work impairment. Conclusion: Age and number of health problems are the factors that have the greatest influence on work impairment. These findings indicate that the health condition of nurses at community health centers must be considered to improve the overall quality of nursing service.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of job stress on work impairment. Method: 354 workers' data from Seoul and the Gyeonggi area were collected between February 1 and March 30 2006 by structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was meant to determine demographic data, job stress, and work impairment questionnaire. Data analyzed by SPSS 12.0 and AMOS 5.0 program. Results: Job stress was ranked job demand, insufficient job control, organizational system, lack of reward, job insecurity, interpersonal conflict, and occupational climate. The work impairment of completing work was increased when the stress of insufficient job control, lack of reward, job insecurity, and occupational climate were increasing. The work impairment of avoiding distraction was increased when the stress of job demand, insufficient job control, organizational system, lack of reward, job insecurity, and occupational climate were increasing. The stress of job demand, lack of reward, job insecurity, and occupational climate had an effect on avoiding distraction. The stress of lack of reward and occupational climate had an effect on completing work. Conclusion: If employers manage job stress of job demand, lack of reward, job insecurity, and occupational climate, their business will benefit.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.89-98
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• 2023

Purpose: This study proposes preventive strategies for factors affecting the work impairment of international medical tourism coordinators. Methods: Data for this study were collected via an online questionnaire survey involving 296 international medical tourism coordinators in South Korea, considering the impact coronavirus disease 2019. The survey was conducted from 25th April 2022 to 22nd July 2022 and data were analyzed SPSS/WINdows software version 22, including statistical, reliability, factor and regression analyses. Results: This study focused on occupational stress, health problems and job efficacy among international medical tourism coordinators in medical tourism research. The main objective was to examine the factors that influenced their work impairment. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of factors such as occupational stress, health problems and job efficacy in influencing work impairment among international medical tourism coordinators. The identified factors account for 30% of explanation power. An intervention program tailored to the characteristics of domestic and international medical tourism coordinators is recommended.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

Pain is one of the most common causes of disability and work loss. However, patients with chronic pain have not been regarded as impaired persons in the Republic of Korea because of a lack of objective findings in those patients and difficulties in validating their genuine suffering and quantitative evaluation of pain. Here, the difficulties in the evaluation of impairment in chronic pain patients are discussed. In addition, guidelines for rating impairment in chronic pain patients, which are under development by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, are introduced.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.159-169
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• 2010

Purpose: This is a descriptive study to provide basic material that enables to prevent industrial hospital nurses from occupational stress, health problems and work impairment by understanding their work environment, stress, Presenteeism and correlation among them. Method: The subjects for this study consists of 272 industrial hospital nurses who have attended the training conducted by KAOHN from October to December 2009 and recognized the purpose of this study and agreed to participate. The questionnaire included Korean Version of Occupational Stress questionnaire developed by S.J. Chang and Stanford Presenteeism Scale questionnaire translated by Y.M. Lee. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheff$\acute{e}$ test and Pearson's correlation coefficient with SPSS/WIN 17.0. Result: The industrial hospital nurses get much more stress than the average in three fields of occupational stress: interpersonal conflict, job insecurity and occupational climate. The study shows in particular, the age group of twenties with one to three year work experience having higher than any other groups in occupational stress, work impairment and perceived productivity of Presenteeism. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop management for these groups of nurses. In addition, institutional support and policy should be rendered to secure job conditions so that occupational stress can be relieved from these nurses and to prevent work impairment in advance as occupational stress has substantial correlation with health problems, work impairment and perceived productivity of Presenteeism.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.76-84
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlations between pain intensity, physical impairments, disability, and psychological factors according to the difference in duration of low back pain. This study was a cross-sectional survey of 102 participants with low back pain, divided into two groups equal in number: The first group consisted of patients with acute and subacute low back pain, while the second group consisted of patients suffering from chronic low back pain. The results showed that gender, age, pain intensity, physical impairment, disability and Fear-Avoidance Beliefs (FABs) for work activities were not significantly different between two groups. FABs for physical activities of the first group were significantly more prevalent than in the second group. More than moderate correlations were found between pain intensity, physical impairment, and disability in the first group. Less than moderate correlations were found between pain intensity, physical impairment, disability, FABs, and depression in the second group. These findings suggest that we must consider psychological factors in the treatment of patients with chronic low back pain. Regression analyses revealed that pain intensity and FABs for work activities significantly contributed to the prediction of disability in the first group. Also, pain intensity and FABs for physical activities significantly contributed to the prediction of disability in the second group. Pain intensity was most important predictor of disability in two groups.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.445-450
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• 2023

Background: The impact of COVID-19 infection on workers' work function persists even after the acute phase of the infection. We studied this phenomenon in Japanese workers. Methods: We conducted a one-year prospective cohort study online, starting with a baseline survey in December 2020. We tracked workers without baseline work functioning impairment and incorporated data from 14,421 eligible individuals into the analysis. We estimated the incidence rate ratio for new onset of work functioning impairment due to COVID-19 infection during follow-up, using mixed-effects Poisson regression analysis with robust variance. Results: Participants reporting infection between January and December 2021 showed a significantly higher incidence of new work functioning impairment (adjusted incidence rate ratio: 2.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.75-2.71, p < 0.001). The formality of the recuperation environment correlated with a higher risk of work functioning deterioration in infected individuals (p for trend <0.001). Conclusion: COVID-19-infected workers may continue to experience work difficulties due to persistent, post-acute infection symptoms. Companies and society must urgently provide rehabilitation and social support for people with persistent symptoms, recognizing that COVID-19 is not just a transient acute infection.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.285-292
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• 2008

Purpose : To estimate the prevalence of and identity the associates of cognitive function and depression among people over 70 years of age, and to examine the relationship between cognitive impairment and depression, Methods : The elderly in Pusan area were studied on the Korea version Mini Mental Scale Examination instrument(MMSE-K), Short form of Geriatic Depression Scale(SGDS). Results : The prevalence of cognitive impairment($MMSE{\leq}24$) was 64.4% and that of depression($GDS{\geq}8$) was 40.7% Lower education, no religion and no work experience were associated with cognitive impairment. Depression in demented group was 68.2%, in suspect dementia group was 43.7% and in non-demented group was 9.5%. Conclusion : The prevalence of cognitive impairment and depression in elderly was high and depression was in association with cognitive impairment.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.417-427
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• 2001

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify the influence of visual and hearing impairment on the activities of daily living of community dwelling elderly. Methods: Data were collected by home visiting interviewers from 452 older people aged 65 years or older living in community. Resident Assessment Instrument MDS-HC(2.0version) was used for data collection. Data analysis for descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and multiple regression was made by SAS 6.2 Results: 34.7% of the subject had hearing impairment and 64.3% had visual impairment Among IADL. one half of them were dependent in ordinary house work and meal preparation. In the case of ADL. 13.9% of subjects were dependent in bathing and 8.9% in personal hygiene. There was significant difference in IADL performance by visual and hearing impairment On the other hand, ADL performance showed the significant difference. only in the case of hearing impairment. As the result of input of visual and hearing impairment in the process of regression. variances were increased from 3% to 11%. Conclusions: Large proportions of older people living in the community have visual and hearing impairment. It could be confirmed that hearing and vision were significant factors influencing on IADL performance of older people. Intervention and support policy for elderly needs to focus on improvement of visual and hearing impairment.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.46
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• pp.319-348
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• 2001

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the buffering effect of social welfare services on the relationship between the level of older persons' impairment and burden experienced by the family caregivers. It also assessed the level of caregiving burden as well as the effect of both older person's impairment and the characteristics of the caregivers on burden. The survey data collected from 150 community residing family caregivers was used for analyses. Findings are as follows. First, the caregivers are more burdened in the deterioration of mental health, scarce time for oneself, and the suffering of social life than in other areas of burden. Second, the more severe the physical and the mental impairment of the elder, the more burden the caregivers experience. The caregivers' characteristics such as the worse mental health, the lower level of attachment to the elder, the longer caregiving hours are also related to the higher level of caregiving burden. Third, the caregivers' use of adult day care and respite care services buffer the relationship between the level of impairment of older persons and the caregiving burden. However, social work counselling, visiting nurse, homemaker services do not have such buffering effects. Among informal support, instrumental support buffers the relationship between the elder's physical impairment and burden, while emotional support buffers the relationship between the elder's mental impairment and burden. According to the results, implication for social welfare services and practice methods for the family caregivers was discussed.