• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.65-75
• /
• 2016

Purpose : By analyzing seroma volume changes in the patients who underwent Partial breast radiation therapy after breast conserving surgery, we try to contribute to the improvement of radiotherapy effect. Materials and Methods : Enrolled 20 patients who underwent partial breast radiation therapy by ViewRay MRIdian System were subject. After seeking for the size of the removed sample in the patients during surgery and obtained seroma volume changes on a weekly basis. On the Basis of acquired volume, it was compared with age, term from start of the first treatment after surgery, BMI (body mass index) and the extracted sample size during surgery. And using the ViewRay MRIdian RTP System, the figure was analyzed by PTV(=seroma volume + margin) to obtain a specific volume of the Partial breast radiation therapy. Results : The changes of seroma volume from MR simulation to the first treatment (a week) is 0~5% in 8, 5~10% in 3, 10 to 15% in 2, and 20% or more in 5 people. Two patients(A, B patient) among subjects showed the biggest change. The A patient's 100% of the prescribed dose volume is 213.08 cc, PTV is 181.93 cc, seroma volume is 15.3 cc in initial plan. However, while seroma volume decreased 65.36% to 5.3 cc, 100% of the prescribed dose volume was reduced to 3.4% to 102.43 cc and PTV also did 43.6% to 102.54 cc. In the case of the B patient, seroma volume decreased 42.57% from 20.2 cc to 11.6 cc. Because of that, 100% of the prescribed dose volume decreased 8.1% and PTV also did to 40%. Conclusion : As the period between the first therapy and surgery is shorter, the patient is elder and the size of sample is smaller than 100 cc, the change grow bigger. It is desirable to establish an adaptive plan according to each patient's changes of seroma volume through continuous observation. Because partial breast patients is more sensitive than WBRT patients about dose conformity in accordance with the volume change.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.107-114
• /
• 2016

Background: Over the last few decades, because hospitals in South Korea also have undergone dramatic changes, Korean hospitals traditionally have provided specialized health care services in the health care market. Inner Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (IHI) measures hospital caseloads based on patient proportions, independent of patient volumes. However, IHI that rely solely on patient proportions might be problematic for larger hospitals that provide a high number of diagnosis categories, as the patient proportions in each category are naturally relatively smaller in such hospitals. Therefore, recently developed novel measure, category medical specialization (CMS) is based on patient volumes as well as patient proportions. Methods: We examine the distribution of hospital specialization score by hospital size and investigate association between each hospital specialization and length of stay per case and hospital cost per case using Korean National Health Insurance Service-cohort sample data from 2002 to 2013. Results: Our results show that IHI show a decreasing trend according to the number of beds and hospital type but CMS show an increasing trend according to the number of beds and hospital type. Further, inpatients admitted at hospitals with higher IHI and CMS had a shorter length of stay per case (IHI: B=-0.104, p<0.0001; CMS: B=-0.044, p=0.001) and inpatients admitted at hospitals with higher IHI and CMS had a shorter hospital cost per case (IHI: B=-0.110, p=0.002; CMS: B=-0.118, p=<0.0001). Conclusion: This study may help hospital policymakers and hospital administrators to understand the effects of hospital specialization strategy on hospital performance under recent changes in the Korean health care environment.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.174-183
• /
• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to explore the impact of nurse staffing level and oral care on pneumonia in elderly inpatients in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs). Methods: Data were obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Services (HIRA) including the profiles of LTCHs, monthly patient assessment reports and medical report survey data of pneumonia patients by HIRA in the fourth quarter of 2010. The sample consisted of 37 LTCHs and 6,593 patients. Results: Patient per nurse staff (OR=1.43, CI=1.22~1.68) and no oral care (OR=1.29, CI=1.01~1.64) were significantly related with hospital acquired pneumonia. The difference in percent of oral care by hospital was not significant between high and low group in nurse staffing level. Conclusion: In order to reduce the occurrence of pneumonia in eldery patients, effective nursing interventions are not only required but also nurse staffing levels that enable nurses to provide the intervention.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.59-66
• /
• 2017

Objectives : This study aims to report the effectiveness and safety of Korean medicine with thread embedding acupuncture in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Methods : A 73-year-old man who had suffered from severe facial pain for one year and who had had a healthy tooth extracted due to the pain is reported. He could not eat or sleep due to the severe pain. Acupuncture, thread embedding acupuncture, cupping, herbal steam, and herbal medicines were used for the treatment. Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and adverse events were checked daily, and other outcomes (Baseline Evaluation, Visual Analogue Scale [VAS], Short Form Health Survey 36-Bodily Pain [SF-36 BP], and Patient Global Assessment [PGA]) were measured at hospital admission and discharge. During the follow-up examinations, his pain was evaluated roughly, without using any formal measurements, on the basis of a global assessment. Results : All measured parameters, including pain, quality of life, and patient satisfaction were noted to have improved at the time of discharge compared to admission: VAS from 10 to 1.5, NRS from 7-8 to 1-2, and SF-36 BP from 0 to 22.5, and the patient's global assessment was somewhat improved. He did not take any analgesics after discharge and noted only mild adverse events, like pain where the acupuncture and thread embedding acupuncture needles were inserted. His pain relief was maintained for 6 months. Conclusion : Korean medicine with thread embedding acupuncture might be a safe and effective treatment for TN. In the future, larger sample sizes and high quality randomized clinical trials are warranted to confirm its efficacy and safety.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.125-136
• /
• 2022

The costliness index (CI) is an index that is used in various ways to improve the quality of medical care and the management of appropriate treatment in medical institutions. However, the current calculation method for CI has a limitation in reflecting the actual medical cost of the patient unit because the outpatient and inpatient costs are evaluated separately. It is desirable to calculate the CI by integrating the medical cost into the episode unit. We developed an episode-based CI method using the episode classification system of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to the National Inpatient Sample data in Korea, which can integrate the admission and ambulatory care cost to episode unit. Additionally, we compared our new method with the previous method. In some episodes, the correlation between previous and episode-based CI was low, and the proportion of outpatient treatment costs in total cost and readmission rates are high. As a result of regression analysis, it is possible that the level of total medical costs of the patient unit in low volume medical institute and rural area has been underestimated. High proportion of outpatient treatment cost in total medical cost means that some medical institutions may have provided medical services in the ambulatory care that are ancillary to inpatient treatment. In addition, a high readmission rate indicates insufficient treatment service for inpatients, which means that previous CI may not accurately reflect actual patient-based treatment costs. Therefore, an integrated patient-unit classification system which can be used as a more effective CI indicator is needed.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.56-65
• /
• 2003

Purpose: The study was to develop psychoeducational intervention and identify its effect for symptom management of home cancer patient. Method: Study subjects were 24 patients in control group and 18 patients in experimental group. In experimental group, individualized psychoeducation was done after pretest and then continued to educate and consult through calling by telephone once a week for 4 weeks. The data were collected using several tools such as symptom distress by McCorkle(2000). Physical functioning, a part of Medical Outcome Study by Ware and Sherbouine(1992) and QOL- cancer patient version by Ferrell and Grant(1995) from 18th of Feb. to 30th of July. Data were analysed to ${\chi}^2$ test and t test using SAS VER8.12. Results: The mean score of symptom distress was 21.6 in experimental group and 24.2 in control group. Experimental group was shown lower score than control group. Physical functioning of experimental group was better as mean score 23.3 than 20.6 in control. Psychological wellbeing was 69.7 in experimental group and 66.1 in control group. Social wellbeing was 32.2 in experiment and 25.8 in control. Psychosocial wellbeing of experimental group was higher than control group. However there was no significant differernce between two groups among these variables. Conclusion: The psycho educational intervention was not made symptom mangement, physical functioning, and psycho social wellbeing improved but shown positive tendency. It is expected having a statistically significant finding if enlarged sample size and prolonged the intervention term in future. Therefore it is suggested psycho educational intervention study do repeatedly.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.86 no.3
• /
• pp.176-182
• /
• 2023

Since the introduction of low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening for patients at high risk of lung cancer, the detection rate of suspicious lung cancer has increased. In addition, there have been many advances in therapeutics targeting oncogenic drivers in non-small cell lung cancer. Therefore, accurate pathological diagnosis of lung cancer, including molecular diagnosis, is increasingly important. This review examines the problems in the pathological diagnosis of suspected lung cancer. For successful pathological diagnosis of lung cancer, clinicians should determine the appropriate modality of the diagnostic procedure, considering individual patient characteristics, CT findings, and the possibility of complications. Furthermore, clinicians should make efforts to obtain a sufficient amount of tissue sample using non- or less-invasive procedures for pathological diagnosis and biomarker analysis.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.148-155
• /
• 2011

Purpose: The aims of this study were to (1) summarize the HF self-management interventions and (2) identify gaps and priorities for further investigation. Methods: A computer search of the literature over the past decade yielded 9 HF self-management studies. Six studies used non-experimental design; only 3 (33%) studies used quasi-experimental design which were included in this review. Results: The three pivotal HF self-management interventions studies were important because they highlight the positive effects of self-management compliance and other quality of life outcomes as well as discussing various issues. The informational booklet and telephone follow-up were the most common modalities in these interventions. The periodic telephone counseling offered in 2 studies effectively facilitated patient self-management compliance. There were some methodological flaws such as small sample sizes (range 8~21 in each group) and lack of experimental designs, long-term follow-up, and random group assignment. Additionally, the use of valid, reliable outcome measures is necessary to compare the effects of the interventions worldwide. Conclusion: More clinical evidence on HF self-management is needed using a larger sample size and the efficacy needs to be tested for various outcomes, including morbidity, mortality, and health care cost.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
• /
• v.21 no.1 s.33
• /
• pp.113-130
• /
• 1991

This study was undertaken to investigate soft tissue profile changes by orthodontic treatment in female patients. Traditional cephalometric appraisal yields data of dubious scientific value, the soft tissue profile forms were evaluated by finite element method. The subject was divided into three groups according to Angle's classification and each group was composed of 25 female patients averaged aged 12-14 years at the start of treatment. The changes in soft tissue form were evaluated by computing the degree of distortion in each triangle after treatment compared with the triangle before treatment. The conclusions were as follows; 1. The soft tissue profile forms were evaluated by finite element method and independent evaluation of each element by local changes was possible. 2. Maximum and minimum principal strains showed marked variability depending on the particular finite element and each group and Class II, III sample was greater than Class I sample. 3. Soft tissue size changes as a result of orthodontic treatment was not related to those of shape. 4. Soft tissue changes by orthodontic treatment were variable in individual patient, and were not related to Angle's classification.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.120-126
• /
• 2014

Purpose: This study was carried out to investigate the effect of a decrease in indwelling catheter size and preoperative education on bladder discomfort and nursing needs. The study was conducted on patients in the recovery room after their surgery. Methods: This study is a randomized control trial. Data were collected from September 2011 to February 2012 at a university hospital in Bundang, Korea. The sample consisted of 75 patients, excluding one patient from the experimental group 2. From among the patients that were sent to the ICU, 24 were in experimental group 1, 24 were in experimental group 2, and 27 were in the control group. Data were collected and analyzed using a chi-square test, t-test, and one-way ANOVA. Results: There were significant differences between the bladder discomfort experienced by patients in experimental group 1 and the control group, and experimental group 2 and the control group. Then nursing needs of the control group were higher than those of the experimental groups 1 and 2. Conclusion: The decrease in indwelling catheter size and preoperative nursing education is an effective nursing intervention in perioperative care.