• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3361-3366
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• 2012

Background & Objectives: The most northern and northwestern regions of Iran are at a high risk for gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the general population's awareness about risk factors, symptoms and signs, preventive methods and management of gastric carcinoma in a high prevalence city in the North of Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based telephone survey which was conducted on 3,457 residents of Rasht, the capital city of Guilan Province, to assess their awareness regarding gastric carcinoma. The questionnaires contained demographic data and statements on respondents' knowledge about risk factors, symptoms and signs, prevention and management of gastric cancer which were filled by general practitioners after asking the subjects. Data were analyzed in SPSS14. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean knowledge score of the respondents was $5.05{\pm}1.37$ regarding risk factors of gastric carcinoma, $4.39{\pm}1.99$ regarding symptoms and signs, $6.0{\pm}1.22$ regarding preventive strategies, and $1.6{\pm}1.16$ regarding management. Totally the mean knowledge level of the respondents toward gastric carcinoma would be $17.1{\pm}3.97$ from the maximum grade of 29. The age group of 45-55 y/o, bachelor degree and higher, physicians and nurses, those who had cancer history in friends or had the history of gastrointestinal diseases showed significantly higher knowledge scores (P=0.001). Conclusion: There is a general lack of awareness of cancer risk factors, symptoms and signs, methods of prevention, and importance of early diagnosis and treatment. Educational programs should be developed to promote adherence to recommended screening guidelines.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1989-1994
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• 2012

Background and Purpose: An analysis of the current nuclear medicine (NM) status and future demand in Turkey in line with the international benchmarks was conducted to establish a comprehensive baseline reference. Methods: Data from all NM centers on major equipment and manpower in Turkey were collected through a survey and cross-checked with the primary research and governmental data. Data regarding manpower currently working were obtained from the relevant academic centers and occupational societies. Results: The current numbers of NM laboratories, NM specialists, gamma cameras, PET/CT scanners, radioiodine treatment units for thyroid cancer are 217, 474, 287, 75 and 39, respectively. There was personnel and equipment need underestimated in the field compared to developed countries. Equipment insufficiency was more significant in the Ministry of Health (MoH) hospitals. These gaps should be eliminated with strategic planning of equipment and NM laboratories. Currently, the number of the PET/CT devices is at the level of the developed countries. The number of specialists in the field should reach the expected goal in 2023. By 2023, Turkey will need around 820 NM specialists, 498 gamma cameras and 99 PET/CT devices. In addition, further studies should be made regarding other related staff, particularly for health physicians, radiopharmacists and NM technicians. Conclusion: There is an insufficiency of personnel and equipment in Turkey's NM field. Comprehensive strategic planning is required to allocate limited resources and the purchase of the equipment and employment policies should be structured as part of "National Special Feature Requiring Health Service Plan".

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.2 s.70
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• pp.205-212
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• 2007

Objectives : Combined treatment (CT) of oriental herbal medicine and prescribed drugs is now being increasingly used among cancer patients around the world. However, in Korea, clinical information on the frequency, efficacy and safety of CT among cancer patients has not yet been thoroughly reported. This study aimed to identify the status and adverse effects of CT for the management of cancer patients. Methods : A questionnaire and medical record survey by oriental medical doctors or physicians were performed at two oriental medical hospitals and one general hospital. Of the initial 400 in-patients, 368 participated in this survey, representing a response rate of 92.0%. Results : Among cancer patients in oriental medical hospitals, the proportion of CT was 45.9%. In contrast, the proportion of CT in the general hospital was only 0.6%. The proportion of CT among breast cancer patients (20) and gastric cancer patients (35) were 85.0% and 51.4%, respectively. The proportion of CT among cancer patients was high in younger, female or married patients groups. 10 respondents (11.1%) among 90 cancer patients experienced several adverse effects including nausea, fatigue, etc. Conclusions : This study suggests that many more patients in oriental medical hospitals than general hospitals use combined treatment of oriental herbal medicine and prescribed drugs for management of cancer. Therefore, medical professionals should provide comprehensive and up-to-date clinical information about potential benefits and risks of CT to cancer patients in Korea.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.9-17
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• 2017

Purpose : The easiest and most cost-effective way to prevent medical-related infections is known as proper hand washing of health care workers. The experience of MERS in domestic medical institutions has increased the importance of hand hygiene for medical workers to prevent infections in hospitals. It is necessary to investigate the level of hand hygiene practice by type of medical institutions and the factors influencing the infection prevention. Methods : Domestic and overseas hand hygiene related business cases and literature data were collected and analyzed in order to investigate the hand hygiene status of medical institutions in Korea. Result : As a result of hand hygiene monitoring of all hospital-level medical institutions in 2016, the total number of observations was 24,328 and the hand hygiene performance rate was 75.9%. The hand hygiene performance rate of hospitals was 71.5% for general hospitals, 75% for general hospitals, and 81.3% for hospitals. Implications : In general hospitals and hospitals, the HR(Hand Rubbing) method is preferred as a way of performing hand hygiene, whereas the HW(Hand Washing) method is relatively high in the small hospitals. It is estimated that the HW system is preferred because of the cost burden at the hospital medical institution. Therefore, it is necessary to compensate the related expenses to improve the hand hygiene performance of the physicians who are engaged in the hospitals.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.177-219
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• 2016

A commercial advertisement is not only a way of competition but also a medium of communication. Thus, it is under the constitutional protection of the freedom of business (article 15 of the Constitution) as well as the freedom of press [article 21 (1) of the Constitution]. In terms of the freedom of business or competition, it should be noted that an unfair advertising (false or misleading advertisement) can be regulated as an unfair competition, while any restraint on advertising other than unfair one might be doubted as an unjustifiable restraint of trade. In terms of the freedom of press or communication, it is important that article 21 (2) of the Constitution forbids any kind of (prior) censorship, and the Constitutional Court applies this restriction even to commercial advertising. In this article, the applicability of these schemes to advertising of the so-called learned professions, especially physician, are to be examined, and some proposals for the reformation of the current regulatory regime are to be made. Main arguments of this article can be summarized as follows: First, the current regime which requires advance review of physician advertising as prescribed in article 56 (2) no. 9 of Medical Act should be reformed. It does not mean that the current interpretation of article 21 of the Constitution is agreeable. Though a commercial advertising is a way of communication and can be protected by article 21 (1) of the Constitution, it should not be under the prohibition of censorship prescribed by article 21 (2) of the Constitution. The Constitutional Court adopts the opposite view, however. It is doubtful that physician advertising needs some prior restraint, also. Of course, there exists severe informational asymmetry between physicians and patients and medical treatment might harm the life and health of patients irrevocably, so that medical treatment can be discerned from other services. It is civil and criminal liability for medical malpractice and duty to inform and not regulation on physician advertising, to address these differences or problems. Advance review should be abandoned and repelled, or substituted by more unproblematic way of regulation such as an accreditation of reviewed advertising or a self-regulation preformed by physician association independently from the Ministry of Health and Welfare or any other governmental agencies. Second, the substantive criteria for unfair physician advertising also should correspond that of unfair advertising in general. Some might argue that a learned profession, especially medical practice, is totally different from other businesses. It is performed under the professional ethics and should not persue commercial interest; medical practice in Korea is governed by the National Health Insurance system, the stability of which might be endangered when commercial competition in medical practice be allowed. Medical Act as well as the condition of medical practice market do not exclude competition between physicians. The fact is quite the opposite. Physicians are competing even though under the professional ethics and obligations and all the restrictions provided by the National Health Insurance system. In this situation, regulation on physician advertising might constitute unjustifiable restraint of competition, especially a kind of entry barrier for 'new physicians.'

• Journal of the Korean Society of Systems Engineering
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.72-78
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• 2019

Pathology is the motor that drives healthcare to understand diseases. The way pathologists diagnose diseases, which involves manual observation of images under a microscope has been used for the last 150 years, it's time to change. This paper is specifically based on tumor detection using deep learning techniques. Pathologist examine the specimen slides from the specific portion of body (e-g liver, breast, prostate region) and then examine it under the microscope to identify the effected cells among all the normal cells. This process is time consuming and not sufficiently accurate. So, there is a need of a system that can detect tumor automatically in less time. Solution to this problem is computational pathology: an approach to examine tissue data obtained through whole slide imaging using modern image analysis algorithms and to analyze clinically relevant information from these data. Artificial Intelligence models like machine learning and deep learning are used at the molecular levels to generate diagnostic inferences and predictions; and presents this clinically actionable knowledge to pathologist through dynamic and integrated reports. Which enables physicians, laboratory personnel, and other health care system to make the best possible medical decisions. I will discuss the techniques for the automated tumor detection system within the new discipline of computational pathology, which will be useful for the future practice of pathology and, more broadly, medical practice in general.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.139-148
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• 1996

In recent year, problems caused by the abuse of drugs hove been analyzed in many cases, especially women's pregnancy. The purchasing of drugs without prescription, the misunderstanding of symptoms of pregnancy(such os vomiting, headache) os other ilnnesses, taking medicine during the pregnancy because of a chronic disease has caused many unfortunate cases Apart from these cases, pregnant women may take several medicines such as anodyne, tranquilizers, hypnotics, and diuretics which also cause critical situations. According to Piper and his colleagues 1987 study, in overage, pregnant women in the United Slates intake 3.1 kinds of additional dregs other than prenatal vitamins and mineral supplements. In those cases, both pregnant women and physicians anticipate inborn deformity. Most drugs which have whole body effects get to the unborn child via the placenta, however, many of these drugs do not have adverse effects(Shepard 1986, 1989). In general, drugs present a stronger effect to unborn children than they do to pregnant women due to the baby's excretion and to the drug metabolism that occurs in the mother's body through the placenta. The effects of dregs on unborn children show different results. depending upon the type of drug, dosage, characteristics. gestational weeks, genetic characteristics of the mother an baby, and many other environmental factors.

• IE interfaces
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.246-256
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• 2010

As wireless and mobile technologies have advanced significantly, lots of large sized healthcare organizations have implemented so called mobile hospital (m-Hospital) which provides a location independent and point of care (POC) clinical environment. Implementation of m-Hospital enhances quality of care because health professionals such as physicians and nurses can use hospital information systems at the very place where patients are located without any delay. This paper presents a real-time patient monitoring system based on wireless network technologies. A general framework for the patient monitoring process is introduced and the architecture and components of the proposed monitoring system is described. The system collects and analyzes biometric signals of in-patients who suffer from cancer. Specifically, it continuously monitors oxygen saturation of patients in bed and alarms health professionals instantly when an abnormal status of the patient is detected. The monitoring system has been used and clinically verified in a university hospital.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.381-388
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• 2004

After the author of 'Luxinjing' explained the children's characters using the concept of Pure-Yang, the term has been widely exploited in the literature of Oriental pediatrics, Its meaning could be summed up in three general categories, namely: Shengyang(盛陽), Zhiyinzhiyang(稚陰稚陽) and Shaoyang(少陽). The implications of Pure-Yang were different in each dynasties of China. By the early Qing(淸) period, it meant mostly Shengyang(盛陽), but its meaning moved in the direction of Zhiyinzhiyang(稚陰稚陽) after Wu Jutong(吳鞠通). And this movement in the interpretation of this term was largely triggered by the pharmaceutical concerns of doctors as too much medicine of cooling and gastrointestinal effect was used to 'cool off' the over-charged Yang characters(盛陽) of children, causing considerable detrimental side effects to the children's body. The concept of Zhiyinzhiyang(稚陰稚陽) which emphasizes the fragility of children's body thus came in action. The meaning of physiological terms in Oriental Medicine is essentially linked to its clinical applications as we have seen in the case of Pure Yang. In that respect, the recent interpretation of Pure-Yang as Shaoyang(少陽) among physicians in China seems lacking in its crucial counterpart, which is its clinical applications. No theory can prove fruitful in the absence of its practice.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.23
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• pp.10525-10529
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• 2015

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the perception of cancer risk and likelihood of having undergone cancer screening. Materials and Methods: We used data from the Korean Health Panel Survey from December 2011 onward. Of 3,390 patients who visited a hospital during the previous year, we included data from 2,466 individuals; 924 samples were excluded due to missing data. Logistic regression analysis and the chi square test were used to investigate the association between perceived cancer risk and the likelihood of having undergone cancer screening. Results: For patients who perceived their risk of developing cancer during the next 10 years to be 30-40%, the odds ratio was increased 1.65 fold (95%CI: 1.223, 2.234) compared with those who perceived their risk to be almost zero. Although the difference was not statistically significant, perceiving cancer risk as either extremely low or extremely high appears to be associated with a reduced likelihood of having undergone cancer screening, resulting in an inverted U-shaped relationship. Conclusions: Physicians and researchers should be aware of the importance of the affective component of risk perception. Policies addressing the influence of cancer risk perception should be implemented in South Korea and worldwide.