• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.31-45
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• 2000

Objectives : The present study was performed to reveal differences between female and male cases of alopecia in their alopecia related variables such as patterns of hair loss, psychiatric characteristics, associate illnesses, and methods of treatment, and to use them as basic materials for proper management and early prevention of the alopecia prone cases. Methods : In order to analysis the gender difference in hair losses, the subjects were divided into two subgroups as the 51 cases of female alopecia and the 42 cases of male alopecia, who had visited to the department of psychiatry consulted from the department of dermatology, Yongsan hopital, ChungAng University, Seoul, Korea, from January 1998 to December 1998. In data analysis, the subjects were statistically assesed by chi-squre test and analysis of varaiance, through SPSS-$PC^+$ 9.0V. Results : 1) Female subjects were more likely showed lower socio-economical level including lower eonomical level, lower educational level, or lower occupational level in their parent's job, were more likely to have larger number of siblings and to have many sisters comparison to the male cases. 2) Female subjects were more likely visited to the department of dermatology, more history of alopecia in their female family members, lesser history of alopecia in their male family members, more loss of hairs in vertex or frontal region of scalp, lesser loss of hairs in occipital region, and lesser nail changes in comparison to the male cases. 3) Female subjects were more suffered from intra-familial conflicts and economical changes, or their introverted personality makeup, lesser likely suffered from changes of business and health changes, and showed lesser conflicts related with poorer adaptaion in their job life. 4) Female subjects were more likely diagnosed as depression or conversion disorders, more frequently complaint anxiety symptoms or depressive symptoms, higher level of anxiety index, lesser complaint somatization or obsessive compulsive symptoms, and lesser diagnosed as anxiety disorder in comparison to the male cases. 5) Female subjects were more likely tended to show personality makeup such as the introverted, the lie, the repressed, or the feminine trends than the male cases. 6) Female subjects were more significantly treated by antianxiety drug such as etizolam and dermatological therapies include tretinoin, and lesser treated by clotiazepam and prednicarbonate in comparison to the male cases. Conclusion : From the facts that The most important factors in developing hair loss in the female subjects in comparison to the male cases seems to be closely correlated with the serious psychopathology such as the presence of mental disorders including depression, the presence of complaining anxiety or depressive symptomatology, the presence of stressful life events such as intrafamilial life changes, and the presence of personality makeup such as the introverted, the lie, the repressed, or the feminine trends, the authors confirmed that dermatologists act as the primary care physician are in a unique position to recognize psychiatric comorbidity and execute meaningful intervention for female patients with the alopecia with psychiatrists.

• The Korean Nurse
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.77-96
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• 1997

The duty shifts of hospital nurses not only affect nurses' physical and mental health but also present various personnel management problems which often result in high turnover rates. In this context a study was carried out from October to November 1995 for a period of two months to find out the status of hospital nurses' duty shift patterns, and preferred duty hours and fixed duty shifts. The study population was 867 RNs working in five general hospitals located in Seoul and its vicinity. The questionnaire developed by the writer was used for data collection. The response rate was 85.9 percent or 745 returns. The SAS program was used for data analysis with the computation of frequencies, percentages and Chi square test. The findings of the study are as follows: 1. General characteristics of the study population: 56 percent of respondents was (25 years group and 76.5 percent were "single": the predominant proportion of respondents was junior nursing college graduates(92.2%) and have less than 5 years nursing experience in hospitals(65.5%). For their future working plan in nursing profession, nearly 50% responded as uncertain The reasons given for their career plan was predominantly 'personal growth and development' rather than financial reasons. 2. The interval for rotations of duty stations was found to be mostly irregular(56.4%) while others reported as weekly(16.1%), monthly(12.9%), and fixed terms(4.6%). 3. The main problems related to duty shifts particularly the evening and night duty nurses reported were "not enough time for the family, " "afraid of security problems after the work when returning home late at night." and "lack of leisure time". "problems in physical and physiological adjustment." "problems in family life." "lack of time for interactions with fellow nurses" etc. 4. The forty percent of respondents reported to have '1-2 times' of duty shift rotations while all others reported that '0 time'. '2-3 times'. 'more than 3 times' etc. which suggest the irregularity in duty shift rotations. 5. The majority(62.8%) of study population found to favor the rotating system of duty stations. The reasons for favoring the rotation system were: the opportunity for "learning new things and personal development." "better human relations are possible. "better understanding in various duty stations." "changes in monotonous routine job" etc. The proportion of those disfavor the rotating 'system was 34.7 percent. giving the reasons of"it impedes development of specialization." "poor job performances." "stress factors" etc. Furthermore. respondents made the following comments in relation to the rotation of duty stations: the nurses should be given the opportunity to participate in the. decision making process: personal interest and aptitudes should be considered: regular intervals for the rotations or it should be planned in advance. etc. 6. For the future career plan. the older. married group with longer nursing experiences appeared to think the nursing as their lifetime career more likely than the younger. single group with shorter nursing experiences ($x^2=61.19.{\;}p=.000;{\;}x^2=41.55.{\;}p=.000$). The reason given for their future career plan regardless of length of future service, was predominantly "personal growth and development" rather than financial reasons. For further analysis, the group those with the shorter career plan appeared to claim "financial reasons" for their future career more readily than the group who consider the nursing job as their lifetime career$(x^2$= 11.73, p=.003) did. This finding suggests the need for careful .considerations in personnel management of nursing administration particularly when dealing with the nurses' career development. The majority of respondents preferred the fixed day shift. However, further analysis of those preferred evening shift by age and civil status, "< 25 years group"(15.1%) and "single group"(13.2) were more likely to favor the fixed evening shift than > 25 years(6.4%) and married(4.8%)groups. This differences were statistically significant ($x^2=14.54, {\;}p=.000;{\;}x^2=8.75, {\;}p=.003$). 7. A great majority of respondents(86.9% or n=647) found to prefer the day shifts. When the four different types of duty shifts(Types A. B. C, D) were presented, 55.0 percent of total respondents preferred the A type or the existing one followed by D type(22.7%). B type(12.4%) and C type(8.2%). 8. When the condition of monetary incentives for the evening(20% of salary) and night shifts(40% of. salary) of the existing duty type was presented. again the day shift appeared to be the most preferred one although the rate was slightly lower(66.4% against 86.9%). In the case of evening shift, with the same incentive, the preference rates for evening and night shifts increased from 11.0 to 22.4 percent and from 0.5 to 3.0 percent respectively. When the age variable was controlled. < 25 yrs group showed higher rates(31.6%. 4.8%) than those of > 25 yrs group(15.5%. 1.3%) respectively preferring the evening and night shifts(p=.000). The civil status also seemed to operate on the preferences of the duty shifts as the single group showed lower rate(69.0%) for day duty against 83. 6% of the married group. and higher rates for evening and night duties(27.2%. 15.1%) respectively against those of the married group(3.8%. 1.8%) while a higher proportion of the married group(83. 6%) preferred the day duties than the single group(69.0%). These differences were found to be statistically all significant(p=.001). 9. The findings on preferences of three different types of fixed duty hours namely, B, C. and D(with additional monetary incentives) are as follows in order of preference: B type(12hrs a day, 3days a wk): day shift(64.1%), evening shift(26.1%). night shift(6.5%) C type(12hrs a day. 4days a wk) : evening shift(49.2%). day shift(32.8%), night shift(11.5%) D type(10hrs a day. 4days a wk): showed the similar trend as B type. The findings of higher preferences on the evening and night duties when the incentives are given. as shown above, suggest the need for the introductions of different patterns of duty hours and incentive measures in order to overcome the difficulties in rostering the nursing duties. However, the interpretation of the above data, particularly the C type, needs cautions as the total number of respondents is very small(n=61). It requires further in-depth study. In conclusion. it seemed to suggest that the patterns of nurses duty hours and shifts in the most hospitals in the country have neither been tried for different duty types nor been flexible. The stereotype rostering system of three shifts and insensitiveness for personal life aspect of nurses seemed to be prevailing. This study seems to support that irregular and frequent rotations of duty shifts may be contributing factors for most nurses' maladjustment problems in physical and mental health. personal and family life which eventually may result in high turnover rates. In order to overcome the increasing problems in personnel management of hospital nurses particularly in rostering of evening and night duty shifts, which may related to eventual high turnover rates, the findings of this study strongly suggest the need for an introduction of new rostering systems including fixed duties and appropriate incentive measures for evenings and nights which the most nurses want to avoid, In considering the nursing care of inpatients is the round-the clock business. the practice of the nursing duty shift system is inevitable. In this context, based on the findings of this study. the following are recommended: 1. The further in-depth studies on duty shifts and hours need to be undertaken for the development of appropriate and effective rostering systems for hospital nurses. 2. An introduction of appropriate incentive measures for evening and night duty shifts along with organizational considerations such as the trials for preferred duty time bands, duty hours, and fixed duty shifts should be considered if good quality of care for the patients be maintained for the round the clock. This may require an initiation of systematic research and development activities in the field of hospital nursing administration as a part of permanent system in the hospital. 3. Planned and regular intervals, orientation and training, and professional and personal growth should be considered for the rotation of different duty stations or units. 4. In considering the higher degree of preferences in the duty type of "10hours a day, 4days a week" shown in this study, it would be worthwhile to undertake the R&D type studies in large hospital settings.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.11
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• pp.1674-1680
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of methanolic extracts of cooked mixed grain rice samples, including grain rice (sorghum, black bean, proso millet, and Job's tears) mixed with fermented brown rice (GR), GR added with 0.5% water extract of Sanghwang mushroom (GRS) or 0.1% curry (GRK), and traditional five grain mixed rice (TMR, Ohgokbap), on $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative injury in LLC-PK1 pig renal epithelial cells. White rice (WR) was used as a positive control. Cells were first exposed to $H_2O_2$ ($250{\mu}M$) for 4 hr, followed by treatment with $100{\mu}g/mL$ of different GR extracts for 24 hr. $H_2O_2$ significantly induced cell damage (P<0.05). Cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), were measured. In addition, mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes were determined by RT-PCR assay. Mixed grain rice, particularly GRS and GRK, were able to reduce cellular levels of ROS, decrease lipid peroxidation, and also increase mRNA expression of antioxidant enzymes compared to other samples. These results suggest that mixed grain rice, specifically GRS and GRK, have strong protective effects against $H_2O_2$-induced oxidative injury in LLC-PK1 cells through inhibition of lipid peroxidation, reduction of ROS levels, and elevation of antioxidant enzyme activities.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.8
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• pp.233-267
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• 2001

The management environment in Korea today is undergoing rapid changes; in particular, domestic corporations and businesses are confronting formidable adversity with IMF crisis and WTO. Though cost cutback, higher quality, rapid production, and diversification of products were accepted as important requirements for competitiveness in the past, they have been replaced by brand power. Consumption patterns have changed their focus from function to image orientation. This is why managers in corporations have invested enormous amounts of resources into producing powerful brands, which can attract consumers' attention greatly enough to improve the image of their products. Brands are regarded as a vital vehicle for marketing strategies and thus as a legal asset. Brands with remarkable and favorable image can secure a loyal consumer groups stable revenues. M & A, currently active between corporations, makes brand equity all the more important. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of internal marketing and increased brand diversification on brand equity by combining them as influential factors with marketing mix factor. For this purpose, literature review was make on previous fragmented studies of influential factors on brand equity build-up. Based on the findings of this study, some operational implications were suggested for marketing managers. The findings and implications of the present study are as follows; First, efficient communication among organization members was found to have a significant effect on product quality. Second, job satisfaction and efficient communication among members was shown to significantly influence price policies. Thirdly, efficient communication among organization workers proved to have a significant effect on distribution strategies. Forth, efficient communication among members was demonstrated to significantly influence advertisement and other public-relations activities. Fifth, opacity of market environment appeared to have a significant effect on product quality, prior market entrance as perceived by organization members turned to be of negative influence on product quality. Sixth, opacity of market environment was found to have a significant effect on price policies. Seventh, opacity of market environment was shown to be of significant effect on distribution strategies. Eighth, grater opacity of market environment proved to improve advertisement and other public-relations activities. Ninth, price policies, distribution strategies, advertisement and public-relations activities were found to have a significant effect on brand equity value. To sum up these findings, in order for corporations and businesses to cope with consumers' needs that are increasingly segmented, internal marketing strategies and brand diversification should be implemented so as to generate greater synergy effect. It is also important to stress that differentiated, higher competitiveness should be secured for Korean corporations and businesses to survive in the drastically changing, globalized market environment. In this regard, continuous and long-term management strategies for brand equity build-up should be ensured and is essential in the present unlimited competition. The last but not least important point to notice is that to increase brand equity value, intensive investment and constant emphasis should be made on internal marketing management on intra-organizational members before strengthening external marketing.

• 대한공업교육학회지
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.134-157
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• 2018

This study surveyed and analyzed satisfaction and issues about an intellectual property education system, and educational needs for intellectual property NCS (intellectual property management, intellectual property information survey analysis, intellectual property assessment trade), in order to introduce and operate NCS-based education system that trains practical manpower in the field. The results of this study are as follows. First, satisfaction for intellectual property education system showed education contents (M=3.86), followed by lecture (M=3.79), teaching method and environment (M=3.66) and education assessment (M=3.50). The issues to be improved are low application in the current occupation due to no reflection of demands of industrial fields, as well as insufficient education contents system, lectures who fall short of education capability and interactions with students tend to stress theoretical knowledge more than practical ability, teaching method lacks application of educational medium, insufficient interest and motivation, assessment methods that fall short of theoretical knowledge and practical ability achievement, and that is theory-centered. Second, educational needs for intellectual property NCS showed intellectual property assessment trade (4.33), followed by intellectual property management (3.68), and intellectual property information survey analysis (2.99), which should be reviewed to reform or newly develop NCS-based education course. Conclusively, intellectual property education showed satisfaction above the average, but a job-centered education is demanded to elevate application in the industrial field, which puts emphasis more on practical ability than theory. For this, it is necessary to introduce intellectual property NCS reflecting demands of industrial field, and to reform or newly develop into NCS-based education course. In addition, intellectual property education needs to be operated by changed education paradigm, such as user-centered teaching method, not provided-centered, and performance and course-centered assessment method, not theoretical knowledge-centered.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.119-141
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• 2000

The current industrial health service is shifting to health improvement business with 1st primary prevention-focused service from secondary and tertiary prevention-focused business, and Oriental medicine can provide such primary prevention-focused service due to the characteristics of its science. In particular, the advanced concept of health improvement can match the science of health care of Oriental medicine. Notably, what is most important in health improvement is our lifestyle, This does not underestimate the socio-environmental factors, which have lessened their importance due to modernism. The approach of Oriental medicine weighs more individuals' lifestyle and health care through self-cultivation. This matches the new model of advanced health business. Oriental medicine is less systemized than Western medicine, but it can provide ample contents that enhance health. If we conceive health-improvement program based on the advantages provided by these two medical systems, this will influence workers to the benefit of their health. Also, health Program needs to define factors that determine individual lives, and to provide information and technologies essential to our lives. The Oriental medicine approach puts more stress on a subject's capabilities than it does on the effect his surrounding environment can have. This needs to be supported theoretically by not only defining the relations between an individual's health state and his lifestyle, but also identifying the degree to which an individual in the industrial work place practices health improvement lifestyle . This is the first step toward initiating health-improvement business . In order to do this, this researcher conducted a survey by taking random samplings from workers, and can draw the following conclusions from it. 1 The sampled group is categorized into', by sender, female 6.6%, and male 93.4%, with males dominant; by marriage status , unmarried 43.9% and married 55.6%, with both similar percentage, and, by age, below 30, 48.4%, between 30 and 39, 27.4%, between 40 and 49, 18.2%, and over 50, 6.0%. The group further is categorized into; by education, middle school or under 1.7%, high school 30.5%, and junior college or higher 65.8% with high school and higher dominant: and by income, below 1.7 million won 24.2%, below 2.4 million won 14.8%, and above 2.4 million 6.3% Still, the group by job is categorized into collegians with 23.9%, office worker with 10.3%, and professionals with 65.8% , and this group does not include workers engaged in production that are needed for this research, but mostly office workers . 2. The subjects selected for this survey show their degree of practicing health-improvement lifestyle at an average of 2.63, health management pattern at 2.64, and health-related awareness at 2.62 The sub-divisions of health-improvement lifestyle show social emotion (2.87), food (2.66). favorite food (2.59), and leisure activities (2.52), in this order for higher points. It further shows health awareness (2.47) and safety awareness (2.40), lower points than those in health management pattern . 3. In the area of using leisure time for health-improvement, males, older people, married, and people with higher income earn higher marks. And, in the area of food management, the older and married earn higher marks . In the area of favorite food management, females, lower-income bracket, and lower-educated show higher degree of practice , while in the area of social emotion management, the older. married, and higher-income bracket show higher marks. In addition, in the area of health awareness, the older, married, and people with higher-income show higher degree of practice. 4. To look at correlation by overall and divisional health-improvement practice degree , this researcher has analyzed the data using Person's correlation coefficient. The lifestyle shows significant correlation with its six sub-divisions, and use of leisure time, food, and health awareness all show significant correlation with their sub-divisions. And. the social emotion and safety awareness show significant correlation with all sub-divisions except favorite food management.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.124-133
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• 1999

Objective : Postpartum depression(PPD) was known to be caused by many factors including various psychosocial risk factors. This study was performed to identify the psychosocial risk factors for ppd, preliminarily in Korea. Methods : A group of 119 postpartum women, each of whom was at 6 to 8 weeks after delivery was identified at the time when they visited to the child health clinic or postnatal check-up clinic. The risk factors were surveyed by the self-reported questionnaire. The items of questionnaire were consisted of known risk factors in other studies and other possible stress-related factors. PPD was assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale(EPDS) and the degree of postpartum depression was determined by its score. Results : 16 women(13.45%) in the high risk group were diagnosed as PPD among the 119 women. Risk factors including past experience of depressive symptoms and low level of marital satisfaction were founded more frequently in women in the high risk group than in the low risk group. The score of EPDS was significantly high in the group who experienced depressive symptoms in the past, anxiety or depression during pregnancy, stressful life event during the period of recent pregnancy and postpartum, and who had low level of marital satisfaction. There was a positive correlation between age and the score of EPDS. However, the postpartum depressive symptoms were not influenced by the level of education, job, retirement due to pregnancy and delivery, wanted or unwanted pregnancy, delivery method, feeding method, the hospitalization of infant, expected and real gender of infant. Conclusion : These results suggest that PPD is quite frequent at postpartum period. Various risk factors contribute to the development of PPD. If clinicians pay attention to the risk factors of PPD and give appropriate psychiatric intervention to the mothers during pregnancy and postpartum, it will be easy for the clinicians to recognize and treat PPD in the early stage.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.223-249
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• 2005

This study examines the hazard rate of reemployment by conducting the Cox regression analysis. In addition, two gender groups are subjected to comparative analysis to identify the effect of the factors related to the human capital and human capability perspective on reemployment. For this purpose, 1,871 cases are selected from the 5th year data from Korea Labor and Income Panel Study. The results of study are as follows. First, the factors of human capital, such as education, appropriateness of skill level, and job tenure hold negative impact on the probability of reemployment, while factors of human capability, such as basic learning ability, health insurance, social insurance, residential area(living in the Seoul metropolitan area) hold positive on the probability of reemployment. It is interesting note that there are different sets of factors that affect the probability of reemployment in the two gender groups. This trend is even more apparent in the case of factors that pertain to human capability. The results of this study imply that the factors of human capability, which stress the socio-institutional characteristics, should be considered as comparably significant compared to the factors that pertain to human capital when it comes to the estimation of reemployment. Also, results of this comparative study teach us that various perspectives, such as dual labor market theory and gender-segmented labor market theory, should be factored in for reemployment discussion as well. In conclusion, this research delivers several significant messages since it introduces the concept of human capability perspective, subjected to few empirical analyses in the past, and also heralds the way for comparative analysis on the impact of the factors pertaining to human capability on reemployment.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.147-211
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• 1995

Medication is a kind of medical service and a therapeutic nursing function which takes large portion of nursing service and requires complicated procedures. So many different medical personnel should be involved and cooporate each other in order to accomplish medication. Medication is also a vital nursing service, So nurse feels heavy responsibi lity in that she gives medication to the patient finally, so she has much responsibility if medication error is happened. Therefore it seems very important to clarify the problem of medication system and method, and find the subculture of medication situation because it may promote nursing productivity. The study was conducted to 1. Describe and interpret medication situation. 2. Find out the problem of medication system and method and on alternatives. 3. Compare the medication system and method of hospitals which are located in Seoul with object hospital Ethnographic methodology was used to study medication situation by doing participant observation and interview of health care personnel. Ten nurses and three nurse aids were interviewed. Two residents and internists, two phamacists and two accountants were also interviewed. Data was obtained and analized according to Developmental Research Sequence introduced by Spradly. On the basis of this data the results were as follows. 1. The overall flow of medication system was devided into six stage : first, checking doctor's order : second writing doctor's order, : third, transfering slip into the related departments such as account department, pharmacy : fourth, distribution of medication from pharmacy to unit : fifth, identifing medication by nurses : and finally, medicating to the patient. Behaviorors have been under a lot of stress in that they have to do much works, especially paperworks, So too much time were needed. They also have been suffered interpersonal conflicts among health care personnel and role conflicts in the process of doing medication service. 2. In the process of checking order, the problem was that too much time was required for checking order and paperwork. The more the order changes the more the paperwork is. Nurses have been suffering difficulties in calling internist in order to get bill. Even if writing down slip for medication order is doctor's job, Sometimes nurse has been expected to write slip by doctors or nurse would write slip beacuse of two much complexities and efforts for calling doctors. If the slip were incorrect, much time complicated procedures were more required for correcting it. So delay of administering drug would be resulted consequently. Drugs were delivered from pharmacy to units by delivery agent and phamacist. But because drugs were delivered without arranging room number of patient. Nurse should rearrange drugs in order of the room number So it had made waste time and effort, and Even when emergency drugs were needed, Prompt delivery of drug was not easy because of many reasons. For nurses, it took too long in the identification of the right drug. Actually nurses have heavy burden when medication error happens because nurse is the final actor who gives medication to the patient, So every three shift nurse ought to check drugs as soon as every shift begins. That's why it took too much time due to repeated confirming procedure. When nurses had to go patient room in order to give medications, there were difficulties in watching patient until the patient take medicine correctly. So it was impossible to check every patient wheather he took medicine or not especially in hectic situation. 3. There were many hospitals in Seoul which have similar medication system and method as object hospital according to the results of questionaire. This means that many hospitals have been suffering srimilar problems which were identified in object hospital. 4. Recommendations for promoting simplification of medication system and method were the following : Redesigning of slip from two pieces of paper into one : early discharge announcement system, and slip confirming through computer and controlling of period of prescreption from one day to two or three days : designing personal drug storage box for each patient and using it. If nurses follow the recommendations, they will make medication short & simple, and also have enough time of direct nursing care 5. Even though there were many difficulties in medicating patients. Medication itself has been considered as a caring among nurses because it makes rapport between nurse and patient. So nurses had better accept medication as a portion of nusing service not a original portion of phamacist. There are some limits in this research in terms of confining to only one unit of one hospital, and treating it especially in view of nurses' aspects, So further researchs should be continnued from various kmds of viewpoints of doctors, phamacists and so on. ${\cdot\cdot\cdot}$. Especially esthnographic study of computerized medication system and method seems to be followed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2189-2198
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• 2012

This study was designed to measure the difference in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among social classes and explore the factors that may explain it. Study subjects were 7,992 Korean adults aged 20-69 from the 4th (2007-2009) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys data. We described mean value of EQ-5D index as a HRQOL by class and performed hierarchical multiple regression analysis to find the factors. The result was as follows. In the distribution of EQ-5D index level among social classes, new middle class (class II) had the highest score (0.966 in men and 0.955 in women); upper and middle-upper class (class I) 0.965 in men and 0.936 in women; working class (class IV) 0.958 in men and 0.936 in women; old middle class (class III) 0.955 in men and 0.932 in women; low class (class VI) 0.941 in men and 0.908 in women; and rural self-management class (class V) the lowest score (0.918 in men and 0.866 in women). In men, chronic disease, job stress, education and income level were found to make the difference in the health-related quality of life among social classes; in women, those factors and health behavior explained the difference. In conclusion, the lower social class has lower HRQOL. Except for education and income level, chronic disease may be the major factor to explain the difference in the health-related quality of life among social classes.