• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2001

Background : The Clostridium difficile is the most important identifiable cause of nosocomial infectious diarrhea and colitis, which lengthens hospital stay. Recently incidence of C. difficile has been increasing in an university hospital, and an intervention for prevention and control of C. difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) was in prompt need. Methods : Subjects were the patients in the neurosurgical intensive care unit(NCU) where C. difficile was most frequently isolated. To increase participation of various departments, we used the CQI method, because management of CDAD requires a wholistic approach including control of antibiotics, barrier precaution and environmental cleaning and disinfection. Duration of the CQI activities was 9 months from April to December 1999. Results : The identified problems were misuse and overuse of antibiotics, lack of consciousness of medical personnels and the possibility of transmission from the contaminated environment and tube feeding. Education for proper use of antibiotics and management of C. difficile infection, use of precaution stickers, supplement of handwashing equipments, emphasis on environmental disinfection, and the change of the process of tube feeding were done. The CDAD rate in NCU was significantly decreased after the CQI program (8.6 case per 1,000 patient days from January to April 1999 vs 4.8 from May to December 1999). The distribution of neurosurgical wards including NCU among the total number of isolated C. difficile from the clinical specimens dropped from 49.4% in January to April to 33,7% in May to December. The average hospital stay of the neurosurgical department changed from 19.6 days to 15.2 days. Also, the effect of the CQI activities for C. difficile may have affected the incidence of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE). Duration and dosage of certain antibiotics used in the NS department were decreased. The distribution of neurosurgical department in the number of VRE isolated patients declined from 18.4% to 11.1%. Conclusion : Infection control of resistant organisms such as C. difficile is likely to be successful when management of environmental contamination an collaborative efforts of decreasing the patients' risk factors such as antibiotics management and decreasing the length of hospital stay come simultaneously. For this work, related departments need to actively participate in the entire process under a common target through discussions for identifying problems and bringing up solutions. In this respect, making use of a CQI team is an efficient method of infection control for gathering participation and cooperation of related departments.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.23-39
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• 2018

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of respiratory rehabilitation using a wind instrument for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries. From January 15, 2018 to April 15, 2018, we conducted ten 1-hour sessions of a harmonica program with eight patients with spinal cord injuries with average age of 37 years who could not perform abdominal breathing by themselves. We measured and compared patients' breathing capacity before and after the 10 sessions. Designed particularly for patients with spinal cord injuries resulting in a limited range of neck movement, the study used a 10-hole diatonic harmonica whose length was relatively short. For those patients who had difficulty using their hands, a harmonica holder was provided. Participants were trained to play simple tunes. They were guided to use abdominal breathing to make sounds, with emphasis on those parts requiring long and strong breathing. The results showed that for all eight patients both their breathing volume and their inspiratory volume increased following participation in the harmonica program. Also, the program had psychological benefits (e.g., more life satisfaction and less sadness) and additional physical benefits (e.g., less dizziness due to low blood pressure and better phlegm spitting). This study offers a unique way to help patients with spinal cord injuries to improve their breathing capacity, which may also be associated with a greater quality of life.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.1299-1303
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to analyse the gait characteristics of stroke patients walking on a Zebris system, through quantitative three-dimensional biomechanical analysis. They underwent a continuous rehabilitation training program (RTP). A comparison was made between 3 month and 6 month RTP participants. Their ages were between 60 and 65. The data were analyzed by t-test. The result of comparative analysis of the two groups can be summarized as below. Temporal-spatial data, sagittal plane angular kinematics data, and peak ground reaction force and max pressure data showed that there were no significant differences between the 3 month RTP group and the 6month RTP group (Table 2, Table3, Table 4). It can be suggested that patients with hemiplegia after stroke can improve their walking function through continuous RTP participation.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.139-156
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• 1995

The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of Gifted Education Isnstitute of Korea (GEIK) programs for gifted children especially in the areas of reasoning skills and creativity, thereby proving the effectiveness of the program. The subjects are 136 (103 boys and 33 girls) fourth, fifth, and sixth grade gifted children, who have participated in GEIK programs for more than six moths. They were stratified by the length of participation in GEIK programs. Ninety four children have participated for more than one year. Forty-two children have participated for less than one year. Both groups are rather homogeneous in IQ scores and school achievement levels at the time of enterance into GEIK programs. Both a Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GAIT) and a Creativity test were used for the study on reasoning skills and creativity. GALT, developed by V. Roadranka, R. H. Yeany and M. J. Padilla in 1983, consists of 12 questions. It is classified into six subscales: conservation, proportional reasoning, controlling variables, provability reasoning, correlational reasoning, and combinatorial reasoning. The reliability of this test is .85. This test recommends to classify the stages of child development as follows according to the total test score. 0-4 point: Concrete Stage, 5-7 points: Transitional Stage, and 8 and above points: Formal stage. The Creativity Test was developed by Y. Lee and W. Chung (1971). It consists of four components: fluency, flexibility, originality, and openness. Only both fluency and openness were used in this study. In order to analyze data, T-Test, Intercorrelational Analyses, ANOVA, and Nultiple Regression were used. Followings are the results deduced from the above analoyses of the data. First, 43.48% of the subjects were on Concrete Stage, 36.78% were on the Transitional Stage, and 19.86% were on the Formal Stage in the developmental level classified by Piaget. Second, the students who have participated in GEIK programs more than one year acquired significantly higher score in GALT than the students who have participated in GEIK programs less than one year. Third, boys showed higher score in GALT than girls did. Fourth, there were statistically significant intercorrelations between six subscales of GALT. Fifth, the students who have participated in GEIK programs more than one year acquired significantly higher score in openness of creativity test than the students who have participated in GEIK programs less than one year. There were no significant differences in openness of creativity test between boys and girls. Sixth, the students who have participated in GEIK programs more than one year acquired significantly higher score in fluency of creativity test than the students who have participated in GEIK programs less than one year. Girls showed higher score in fluency of creativity test than boys did. Seventh, the students who acquired higher score in GALT showed higher score in both openness and fluency of creativity test. Followings are the conclusions deduced form the above results. First, the developmental level of reasoning skills of the fourth grade students participationg in GEIK programs is the same as that of 7th grade of normal Korean students and the same as those of 10th grade of U.S.A. and Philipoine students. Second, the GEIK programs are effective in improving reasoning skills. Third, the GEIK programs are effective in improving creativity. Fouth, reasoning skills and creativity can be improved by well planned programs. In conclusion, this study suggests that beyond reasoning skills and creativity, other areas such as areas in science skills, mathmatical skills, or verbal skills, etc., should be studied in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.83-101
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• 1981

Under the full consideration of the growing need and importance of population education in the field of home economics in Korea, the study was carried out to verify and assess the following facts on the current issues of population education of home economists who are presently engaging in teaching professions as the teachers of middle and high school and professors of college and universities by setting its primary objectives of the study as followings; 1) to assess the degree of general knowledge and attitudes of home economists toward population education in the field of home economics, 2) to verify the problems encountered in implementing population education by home economists in its field, 3) to find an existing status of previous trainings received and other activities of population education of home economists aimed at utilizing these findings as a part of reference materials when the population education is conducted in the field of home economics. In order to attain these objectives described above, the questionnaire was carefully designed to house a total of 40 questions with good combination of multiple-choice and the simple answer questions. The mail questionnaire survey was conducted by establishing teachers of home economics at middle/high schools and college/universities as Senior Home Economists(SHE) who are from public, private liberal arts and vocational schools. The rate of response observed during the survey was 45.6 percent and the findings of the survey research are as follows: 1) Examining the status of the respondents by residence and religion, it was found that 45 percent of middle & high school teachers ar.d 59. 1 percent of college professors are residing in Seoul city area and that the largest percent of them are christian in their religion. Analyzing respondents by their ages, 56 percent of middle/high school teachers are in their 30s, 45 percent of college professors are in their 40s, and 37 percent of college teachers are in their 30s. In addition, 13 percent of the total respondents are found to be unmarried. The study also revealed that 71 percent of the college professors finished Master Degree course and 82 percent of middle/high school teachers are graduated from college level lasting 4 years. Looking over the status cf major fields of respondents, 68.4 percent of middle/high school teachers are specialized in home economic education and the college professors, on the other hand, show relatively even prortion by specializing in the order of food & nutrition science, clothes & textile science and home managerial science. As far as the length of teaching experience is concerned, a relatively longer period of teaching experience is observed in the college professors in comparison with that of middle/high school teachers. In other words, 33.3 percent of middle/high school teachers are experienced in teaching from 6 to 10 years on average while 43.9 percent of college professors show more than 16 years of experience. 2) Examining the status of existing number of children cf the respondents, one boy and one daughter pattern is predominant, showing 28.5 percent in middle/high school teachers and 21.1 percent in college professors. As for the desired number of children of unmarried respondents, it is observed that 43.8 percent of middle/high school teachers desire to have one boy and one girl, and 31.3 percent of college professors want to have one child regardless of the sex. By assessing the degree of awareness of the population education through their students, it is observed that 53 percent of middle/high school teachers and 50 percent of college professors are aware of population education in some extent and that a majority of respondents took the positive attitudes toward an inclusion of family planning components into the formal school education. Another noteworthy to observe is that a total of 84.8 percent out of middle/high school teachers pointed that the population education currently conducted at schools as a part of home economics are less sufficient than it should be. 3) Analyzing the tendency as to whether the respondents were experienced in receiving population education during the time when they were students, 75 percent of college professors and 59 percent of middle/high school teachers responded negative answers in the survey. In the mean time, a total of 50 percent of the respondents replied that they began to acknowledge the importance of population education mainly through the participation of some sort of population-education orientend seminars, experienced by 40 percent of college professors and 80 percent of middle/high school teachers. 4) What it calls attention in this study was to find that 96.5 percent of middle/high school teachers and 72 percent of college professors conduct population education to some extent during their lecture hours and that more than 80 percent of them are never experienced in teaching population and family planning contents in their regular classes. It is, on the other hand, found that no more than once was the response of those who believe themselves that they are experienced in teaching these relevant components to their students. Analyzing the contents of the subjects being taught in the class, a large percent of them are found to be consisted of population and family planning contents. According to this study, the current population education through the formal school is quite inactive. Analyzing the facts, 44.9 percent of the college professors responded that the population and family planning components are quite apart from their specialization which eventually generates lack of interest in the field. 5) It is also noticed through the study that the degree of frequency of commenting on population and family planning contents during the classes was depending significantly on their specializations which means that the degree of frequency varies from a major to another. Those who majored in home managerial science was the first one, as compared to others who majored in different specializations. Glancing over the status of correlations between ages of the respondents and numbers of seminar paticipation, it is quite clear that the aged group participated more than the younger group did, and that the most highest number of participations made by college professors were those who are in 50s. In addition, it is also found that those who are aged 20s and 60s of the respondents were the group who comments least on the contents of population and family planning at their classes. The suggestions and recommendation made through this survey research are as follows. 1) No one denies that the rapid increase of population, as compared to the limited size of land and resources, will certainly affect adversly to an enhancement of individual life quality which will, eventually, bring forth the poverty of the nation. This is the reasson why we are insisting that the world population be controlled up to an optimum level with a matter of global concerns. It is our understading that the primary aim for reducing number of population is believed to be attained only by conducting the systematic and comprehensive population education through the formal schools. Therefore, the role of home economists in the field of population/family planning education is considered very importment due to the fact that an ultimate goal of population education is placed in elevating the quality of family life by having optimum number of children through family planning program. 2) It is quite clear that home economists as teachers of formal school in all level are invited to pay their attention on redefining the ultimate goal of education and that of population education. We also understant that the primary objective of population education is to change the norm and value of the clients by replenishing the students with pertinent knowledge and attitudes on population and its related problems through a sort of education in order to attain the ultimate goal for enhancing the quality of life. There is no exception in the theory of home economics. An altimate goal of home economics is to elevate the general quality of life through an establishment of value existed in daily life. Considering the relations between population education and home economics, it is quite indespensable to bandle population components as an integral part in the field of home economics. We believe, therefore, that the senior home economists positive participation in the effort population control is more needed than it has been. 3) It is also strongly urged that population education should be a part of instructor training course for home economics. In other words, the teacher of home economics should be well aware of population and its problems by teaching interrelationship between population education and home economics, needs, contents and methods of population education during the instructor training courese for home economics. In addition, the senior home economists should be encouraged through positive participation on the short term training by types of domestic and international seminar, workshop, etc. 4) We certainly believe that the population education can not sustain itself without any backing-up of information and findings' of various and comprehensive researches of natural and social sciences. Accordingly, every senior home economist is invited to exert their maximum effort to conduct systematic study with an aim to utilize these findings and information at best in population education in the field of home economics. Therefore, we consider that the development of training material is imminent in order to provide effective and efficient population education through the for training of home economies. It should be noted that these training materials must be carefully designed, tailored and developed to meet the different classes of trainees under the considerations as to whether it is easily adaptable and infusable into the curricula of every field of home economics, and it is acceptable in the degree of difficulty and quality in its contents. 5) It is true that there are many domestic and international research rapers, reports and findings in the field of population education and family planning. However, there is a tendency that the most of research papers are heavily relying on the authors intension and preferences in its expression and publication. Under these circumstances, it is urged that the home economists should aware of the growing need of the technical training in order to keep these available information and research findings reprocessed and redesigned to insure the practical application into the population education in the field of home economics in Korea.