• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting the use of superior general hospitals on public holidays by using the medical use model (Dutton's medical use model) with the medical panel data. The study found that 34.2% of superior general hospital emergency rooms were used on public holidays and the factors which made statistically significant influences on the use of superior general hospital emergency rooms on public holidays were whether patients were operated or emergency care and inspection etc. Also, there was a difference depending on whether the type of establishment of the medical insititution is national or private. In other words, patients who received emergency care and examinations were found to make more frequent visit to hospital emergency room on pubic holiday, compared to patients who underwent surgery and those who visited emergency rooms in the private superior general hospital did so, compared to those who visited emergency room in the national general hospital(OR, 4.4, 3.386, respectively). Therefore, it is necessary to consider the introduction of integrated care of health and social care medical service that focuses on primary care in Denmark, which focuses on patients, and pre-The Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale(pre-CTAS) in the UK.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.58-67
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• 1995

Background: This paper describes an effort to provide baseline informations for appropriate utilization of emergency room in a tertiary hospital. Methods: Authors have evaluated that the admissions in the emergency room were medically necessary by objective criteria, Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol(AEP), for one month in a tertiary hospital. Data were analysed by chi-square test and multiple logistic regression to exmaine statistical significances at the level of 0.05. Results: The prevalence of inappropriate decisions for admission was found to be 47.8%(154/322). Whether the physician decided the patient to admit or not was affected by type of services, number of departments involved, patients' medical condition, route of visit, and a day of the week visited. Level of appropriateness of admission is significantly related to patients' age, type of services, and a day of the week visited. Conclusion: We found that substantial proportion of admissions through emergency room are medically unnecessary and that non-medical factors are related to physician's for admission decisions and level of appropriateness of admission. This suggests that policy measures be required to relieve the overcrowding problem and to reduce non-emergent utilization of emergency room in a tertiary hospital.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.80-92
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to survey appropriateness of admission and days of care for the cerebral ischemia patients as a basis to provide an effectiveness of hospitalization. The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of cerebral ischemia patients in two hospitals from November 1997 to February 1998. Of 194 medical records reviewed, there were 2108 medical days. I t is used a 'Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol' previously developed by Gertman and Restuccia (1981) and translated by Department of Health Management, Seoul National University and Korea Institute for Health Services Management (1993), It was found that the 'Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol' had a high inter-rater reliability(k=.92), Statistical significant was tested by using the percentage, mean, and logistic regression by SAS 6.12. The results were as follows; 1. The appropriate admissions were 87.6%, days of care 63.4%, and the average length of stay $10.9{\pm}6.7$ days. 2. The reasons of inappropriate admissions were for work-up(75.0%) and conservative care (25.0%). Major reasons of inappropriate days of care were 'cases in which the medical purpose of hospitalization has been accomplish or can be addressed in a less setting(45.0%)', and 'cases in which there is a delay in performing the work-up or treatment which required patients is hospitalized (44.4%)'. 3. Appropriate days of care were higher as ageing. Appropriate days of care were higher in patients with lower accademic back ground than those of upper college graduates, and in the patients who enter a hospital via emergency room than out-patients department. Appropriate days of care were higher in the patient with MCA infarction, and lower in the patient with cerebellar infarction than the patient with lacunar infarction. Appropriate days of care were higher in attack first than attack above second, in nomortension patients than hypertensive, and lower in groups who engaged in semi-private room and public room than private room in hospital. Appropriate days of care were higher in shorter length of stay than longer length of stay. 4. Diagnosis, admission path, and appropriate days of care explained appropriate admissions. Diagnosis, appropriate admissions, hypertension explained appropriate days of care. According to the above results, author confirms the substantial amount of inappropriate hospital bed utilization. To reduce inappropriateness, it is necessary to develop some alternative services such as home care services or nursing home with which can be replaced inpatient services and to introduce policy such as case management which includes Critical Pathway for consistent management. And, it should be followed the further study for the effectiveness.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 1998

Purpose : Cancer is a common cause for admission to emergency room(ER). Cancer patient present to ER with undiagnosed cancer, acute vague problem of cancer, or treatment related complication. But there is little information on the magnitute of the problems in the Korea. The purposes of our study were to evaluate the appropriateness of care for oncologic emergencies in Korea. Materials and Methods : This study was undertaken of all cancer patients above 15 years old presenting to the Seoul National University Hospital ER, who visited during the period from Oct. 16 to Nov. 15, 1997. ER record was reviewed and ER doctors evaluated patients' reason for visiting ER, appropriateness in patients' utilization of ER, oncology emergency Results : 266 cancer patients(17.4% of total patients) visited ER during this period and 166 cancer patients(62.4%) utilized inappropriately ER. Their average stay is 32.0 hours and 65.8% of them stayed for 6 hours. There were complaints of patients such as pain(44.8%), abdomen distension(9.4%), and dyspnea(7.5%). The most common oncologic emergency in ER during this study were gastrointestinal(34.0%), neurologic(21%), hematologic(8.0%), infectious(7.0%), respiratory(6.0%), and genitourinary(5.0%). Conclusion : For the care of symptoms like pain, most of cancer patients utilize ER inappropriately due to lack of attention from primary health delivery system. For the better care, the palliative medicine should be established in Korea.