• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aims to determine the association between fear of falling, falls efficacy, and fall prevention behaviors in older adults in outpatient and identify the factors affecting fall prevention behaviors. Methods: This was a descriptive study. A total of 137 older adults aged 60 or older with more than one disease in an outpatients setting were recruited from a university hospital in Seoul. Data were collected from March 11 through April 8, 2016. Results: The experience of a fall was significantly associated with age (t=-2.71, p=.008), gender (𝛘²=14.32, p<.001), education (𝛘²=6.05, p=.049), income (𝛘²=9.93, p=.019), physical activity status (𝛘²=16.84, p<.001), and the number of diseases (t=-2.89, p=.004). Fall experience was not significantly associated with marital status (𝛘²=3.79, p=.285). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the most influential factor of fall prevention behaviors was the fear of falls (β=-.37, p<.001), followed by the number of diseases (β=-.20, p=.013). Conclusion: It is necessary to provide preventive fall education with older adults in outpatients settings considering the fear level of falling and the numbers of accompanying diseases.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.19-34
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• 2013

Background: The study describes the changes resulted from imposition on tertiary hospital outpatient coinsurance rate rise policy and in tertiary or general hospital drug coverage rise policy on healthcare service utilization. Methods: Accordingly, the hypothesis about outpatient healthcare utilization after rise policy in outpatient coinsurance rate and drug coverage was established, using interrupted time-series analysis and segmented regression analysis to test the hypothesis. 5-year analysis period (2007. 3-2012. 3) from the outset year was designated, the data about most common 10 high-ranking of the main diseases targeting visiting patient from age of 6 to 64 were collected. Results: The summary on the major research is followed. First, the medical expense and duration of treatment tends to be increased in case of imposition about rise policy in outpatient coinsurance rate in the tertiary hospital under the interrupted time-series analysis. It showed temporary increase and slow down on account of influenza A even after the policy enforcement. In segmented regression analysis, duration of visit and medical expense in the tertiary hospital increased temporally right after the policy implementation and the decreased rapidly depends on period. Both rise and fall is statistically significant. The second, In case of tertiary or general hospital outpatient drug coverage rise policy, all of the tertiary hospital healthcare service utilization variables by the interrupted time-series analysis, drug coverage policy in the general hospital deeply declined according to decreasing trend before policy implementation. The third, in case of segmented regression analysis, the visit duration and medical expense statistically declined right after the policy implementation in both the tertiary and general hospital. Meanwhile, administration day was statistically meaningful only for the decrease right after the policy implementation. Otherwise, general hospital changes are not statistically meaningful. And the medicine cost was statistically, meaningfully decreased after the increase in drug coverage. Conclusion: Finally, the result demonstrated according to the analysis is only 1 hypothesis is denied, the other 2 are partially supported. Then, tertiary hospital outpatient coinsurance rate increase policy comparatively makes decrease effect on long-term healthcare utilization, and tertiary or general hospital outpatient drug coverage policy showed partially short-term effect is assured.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate determinants of purchasing indemnity private health insurance and its impact on the healthcare utilization among outpatients with chronic disease. Methods: The study analyzed 4,997 chronic ill patients using 2015 Korean Health Panel data. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the factors affecting the purchase of indemnity private health insurance and multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyze the effect of private health insurance on the number of outpatient visits and outpatient expenditures. Findings: The age, education level, and number of chronic diseases were significant factors affecting the purchasing of indemnity private health insurance among chronic patients. As a result of analyzing the impact of indemnity private health insurance on healthcare utilization, the number of outpatient visits for those who enrolled in the indemnity private health insurance was higher than the number of outpatient visits for those who did not. But there was no statistically significant difference in outpatient medical expenses. Practical Implications: The results of this study shows that indemnity private health insurance may cause inequality in the healthcare utilization of the socially vulnerable. It is necessary to seek ways to strengthen the health security of chronic disease patients and high-risk elderly people who need more healthcare.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.66-79
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• 1992

The code of the International Classification of Disease(ICD) is seriously questioned on its effectiveness in identifing an independent disease entity from similar conditions at general practitioner's offices. This study has attempted to show individual coding variations in ICD for similar ambulatory care conditions. It has been assumed that a following outpatient visit is regarded as the sane kind of visit owing to the same disease if a visit to the different source of care would be mad within an interval of less than two days. The 'D' health insurance association was selected for this analysis. The 'D' association had 153,298 members and made claims of 642,605 outpatient care in 1990. Out of the total outpatient claims, 8.6%(55,102 claims) were counted as the same disease which could meet the above assumption. Percent of conditions classified as the 10 leading causes of frequent visits which were matched accurately to the subsequent ICD diagnostic code found to be 15.8% on the average. The URI was noted for the highest concurrence rate of 20.4%. This proportion was even decreased to 11.6% on the case of chronic disease. Despite the fact that the assumption underlying the definition of the above same disease is rather rough and inappropriate, this study reveals that the code of ICD currently in use has weaknesses in seperating a certain independent disease from similar conditions at the outpatient setting. Thus, efforts need to be elaborated to meet the need of a new system of classification for conditions and diseases encountering at ambulatory care.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.13-20
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• 2019

Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate the use experience of other medical institution of outpatients of Korean medical institution. Methods : Cross-sectional study using the 2017 Korean Medicine Utilization and Herbal Medicine Consumption Survey was conducted. Demographic variables and frequent diseases were analyzed according to the experience of using other medical institutions. The proportions of experience of using other medical institutions of patients with frequent diseases of Korean medical outpatient were analyzed. Results : Fifty-three percent of outpatient had experiencing using other medical institutions for the same symptoms. The frequent diseases of the two groups were similar. The proportion of single use of Korean medicine for injury of lumbar and pelvic, rhinitis, and menstrual disorders were relatively high. Conclusions : There was no notable difference in the frequent diseases according to use experience of other medical institution. Further studies on this topic are needed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.2
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• pp.114-119
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• 2011

Background: There is very limited data present on smoking cessation rates in outpatient departments of pulmonology. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a brief smoking cessation intervention program in an outpatient department of pulmonology and identify predictors of smoking cessation failure. Methods: After a brief recommendation of smoking cessation from pulmonologists, smokers willing to quit smoking were given individual counseling and supplement drugs. Fifty smokers were included in this study and baseline characteristics, smoking history and success rate were reviewed at 3 months. Results: The mean age of the patients was $58.3{\pm}14.6$ years and the total group of patients included 3 women. The rate of smoking cessation success was 74% at 3 months, and there were no differences in age, spirometric indexes and associated diseases between the smoking cessation success and failure group. The rate of supplement drug usage was not different in both groups either. However, body weight, mean number of cigarette usage per day and nicotine dependence scores in the failure group were significantly higher than in the success group. In multivariate analysis, body weight and mean number of cigarette usage per day were significant. Two smokers with a depressive disorder failed the smoking cessation. Conclusion: A smoking cessation intervention program in the outpatient department of pulmonology showed a favorable success rate. More intensive interventions are needed to unfavorable groups which include the obese and heavy smokers.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.81-92
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• 2011

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of depression symptom on the self-rated health status(SRHS), the outpatient health service utilization and quality of life(QOL) also the relationship depression symptom with socio-demographic and health related factors. Methods: We selected 9,550 participants without chronic diseases from a total of 18,104 in the '2009 community health survey in Gyeongnam. They were assessed by using a Korean version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale(CES-D). Those with CES-D scores of 21 or greater were defined as having probable depression. Results: A probable depression were associated in bivariate analysis with gender, age, educational status, monthly household income, marital status, current smoking status, drinking habit, physical activities and body mass index. After adjustment for covariates, probable depression groups predicted a lower status in SRHS. Likewise probable depression groups predicted a higher utilization in outpatient health service. Also probable depression groups predicted a lower score in QOL. Conclusions: Probable depression influence SRHS, outpatient health service utilization and QOL even after adjusting for the socio-demographic, health related factors and chronic medical illness. Programs for prevention and management of depression will be helpful to promote health and QOL.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.301-309
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• 2015

Objectives: To investigate trends in the prevalence of allergic disease over a 9-year period. Methods: Using National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) data, the annual number of patients with allergic disease was obtained for each regional subdivisions (small cities, counties, and districts) from 2003 to 2011. Annual populations for each sub-region were obtained and used to calculate the standardized prevalence. To compare prevalence within the study period, data was standardized spatially and temporally. For standardization, demographic data was used to obtain the registered population and demographic structure for 2010, which was used to perform direct standardization of previous years. In addition, a geographic information system (GIS) was used to visualize prevalence for individual sub-regions, and allergic diseases were categorized into five groups according to prevalence. Results: The nationwide outpatient prevalence of allergic rhinitis increased approximately 2.3-fold, from 1.27% in 2003 to 2.97% in 2013, while inpatient prevalence also increased approximately 2.4-fold,. The outpatient prevalence of asthma increased 1.2-fold, and inpatient prevalence increased 1.3-fold. The outpatient prevalence of atopic dermatitis decreased approximately 12%, and inpatient prevalence decreased 5%. Conclusions: There was a large difference between prevalence estimated from actual treatment data and prevalence based on patients' self-reported data, particularly for allergic rhinitis. Prevalence must continually be calculated and trends should be analyzed for the efficient management of allergic diseases. To this end, prevalence studies using NHIS claims data may be useful.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.3
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• pp.530-548
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• 2020

Thyroid radiology practice is a medical practice in which thyroid diseases are diagnosed using imaging modality and treated by imaging-based interventional techniques, and the primary care target is thyroid nodular disease. Diagnosis of thyroid nodules is primarily done by ultrasound imaging and biopsy; thyroid nodules can be treated by non-surgical interventional treatment and thyroidectomy. Ethanol ablation is the first-line treatment for cystic benign nodules, and radiofrequency ablation is used for the treatment of benign solid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. Thyroid radiology practice has an essential clinical role in diagnosis and nonsurgical treatment of thyroid nodular diseases, and treatment should be performed based on standard care guidelines for proper patient care. In order to provide the best care to patients with thyroid nodular disease, it is desirable to treat patients in the radiology outpatient clinic. Thyroid radiology practice centered on outpatient clinic practice needs to be expanded.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.5 no.1 s.8
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• pp.6-14
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• 2005

Chronic periodontitis is one of the most common diseases in clinical dentistry, which requires various surgical interventions to treat the moderately to severely destructed supporting periodontium. Most patients have anxiety and fear to these surgical procedures and dentists often have problems dealing with these patients. By applying the conscious sedation technique in outpatient units, periodontists have become able to manage their patients successfully with less anxiety or fear. Also, we have experienced the increased level of patients' satisfaction. Generally, periodontal treatments are time consuming procedures and patients are usually reluctant to the periodontal instruments. This study is focused on the sedation procedure with intravenous midazolam infusion performed in Department of Periodontology of Ewha Womans University Hospital. Using questionnaires, we evaluated 80 randomly selected patients for the anxiolytic effect of intravenous midazolam. Anxiety control using IV sedation was very helpful in performing various periodontal reconstructive and advanced surgical procedures in implant dentistry.