• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.123-134
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the number of patients with and without medical history transported to the emergency department due to changes in daily temperature and season. Methods: Data on emergency activity sheet and daily weather were collected from March 2016 to February 2017 in the city of Gyeonggi-do. In total, 13,531 patients were transferred to the emergency department in 119 ambulance. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 21). Results: The daily average number of patients transferred was the highest in August and September, i.e., the summer season. The higher the daily highest and lowest temperatures, higher the daily average number of patients transferred. In contrast, patients with medical history of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and pulmonary disease had a higher incidence of transfers in the winter season and on days with lower temperature. Conclusion: The results indicate that as people become more active during the summer when temperatures are high, the chances of daily emergencies increases, whereas patients with medical history are more likely to experience emergencies when the temperatures were lower. Hence, 119 ambulances will have to be prepared in advance to deal with this trend.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.199-210
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• 2004

Since the 119 fire department was legally permitted to serve in Emergency Medical Service(EMS)Operation of emergency patients in 1983, 119 EMS operation in general has made a big progress in serving the needs for emergency patients. Currently EMS operation is carried out by 119 EMS unit, private ambulance Co.,etc. But due to the public recognition and volunteers, 119 EMS operation carries the major share of the service. This observation is not surprising in that such a trends occured in Japan 20 years ago. This paper compared the 119 EMS operation conducted by the fire department in Korea with that of Japan in order to draw some inferences from the comparison. The results of the study compared to Japan were as follows: 1. Japan was higher 1.5 times in the number of EMS units per population(100,000), 1.1 times in the number of patient transports per unit. 2. Japan was higher 4.54 times in the number of the 119 EMS personnel per population(100,000), 30.6 times in that per square killometers, 30.6 times per 119 EMS unit, in per ambulance 2.48times. 3. Japan was higher 1.83 times in the number of ambulance per population(100,000), 1.26 times in that per square killo meters. 4. Japan was higher 1.7 times in the number of transport patients per population (100,000), but Korea was higher 2.68 times in the transport patients per EMS personal. 5. Compared to Japan, there was no emergency care related to ALS, for example, such as administering dugs orally and intravenously, interpreting elctrocardiograms, performing endotracheal tube or LMA insertion, using monitors and other complex equipments in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.99-112
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• 2021

Purpose: The study aimed to analyze the current status of traffic accident victims who were transported by 119 ambulances within the administrative district of Chungnam province and provide essential data for accident prevention. Methods: The pre-hospital care records of patients who called the 119 emergency service in 2019 were obtained from the Chungnam Fire Department. Data pertaining to 13,663 traffic accident victims who were transported to hospitals were analyzed. Results: Patients in those aged ≥60 years accounted for 49.8% of the total cases. In patients aged ≥80 years(n=2,154), motor cycle accidents were highest as 28.3%. In addition, cultivator (n=135) and buggy car (n=79) accident victims were the highest in aged ≥80 years as 66.7% and 67.1%, respectively. Traffic accident victims-population ratio in Chungnam was 0.65%, wherein 2.03% included population aged ≥80 years. Conclusion: It was clear that accidents varied across administrative districts depending on the age group of population distribution. Thus, safety measures for preventing motorcycle, cultivator, and buggy car accidents are necessary for areas with many older people aged ≥80 years.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.71-86
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• 2008

Purpose : This study was to examine the influence of job stress of 119 Emergency Medical Technician on fatigue and job satisfaction. Methods : Subjects of this study were 228 Emergency Medical Technicians who worked at 119 Safety Center of total 92 fire stations in 12 cities of Gyeonggido including U, N, H, B, A, S, Y, G, G, G, P and I and the period of data collection was from July 11 to Sep. 10, 2007. Collected data were analyzed with SPSS 14.0 version. Results : Conclusions of this study were as follows. 1) Factor related to organization among job stress factors had the greatest influence on fatigue (B = 0.334, p < 0.01), followed by crisis situation factor (B = 0.2042, p < 0.01), inappropriate treatment factor (B = 0.174, p < 0.05), role conflict factor as special job (B = 0.109, p < 0.05) and professional knowledge and technique factor (B = 0.109, p < 0.05), and the influence of job stress factors on fatigue was explained as $R^2=0.340$. 2) Mental burden factor of job stress factors had the greatest influence on job satisfaction (B = -0.606, p < 0.01), followed by organization factor (B = -0.473, p < 0.01) and interpersonal relation and conflict factor (B = -0.339, p < 0.01), and the influence of job stress factor on fatigue was explained as $R^2=0.308$. Conclusions : Job stress of 119 rescuer is increasing continuously and such an accumulated stress lowers the job efficiency. In order to reduce, job stress, it is important to extend(${\rightarrow}$ have) proper self-development, maintain close relationships and mutual correlations among members of organization in personal dimension and to solve the role conflicts, define the organizational roles and simplify excessive job description into concrete work.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.145-156
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• 2021

Purpose: Despite the fact that emergency medical centers (ED) are used by emergency patients, more than 50% of non-emergency patients have been reported to be admitted in EDs, of which more than 10% of them used the 119 ambulance. Therefore, this study investigated whether there was a change in the severity of patients visiting EDs during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients who visited the ED through the 119 ambulance in 2019 (13,735) and 2020 (11,015). Patient data were analyzed using the medical information system. Results: There was an increase in non-emergency patients at the emergency departments (KTAS levels 4-5) in 2020 with a rate of 58.0% (6,393), as compared to the 2019 data with a rate of 44.9% (6,169). However, the 2020 median length of stay in the emergency department was 188 minutes (IQR: 0-5,909minutes) (p=.000), which was decreased as compared to the 2019 median length of stay of 231 minutes (IQR: 5-6,211minutes) (p=.003). Conclusion: Providing emergency ambulance guidelines for selecting proper hospitals and educating patients to refrain from using the ED for non-emergency patients should be taken into consideration to prevent overcrowding and construct a more effective emergency medical system (EMS).

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.83-93
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine potential differences in pre-hospital cases of cardiac arrest and drug Intoxication between elderly group and non-elderly group on local emergency activity sites of rescue 119 team for those cases, so that it can provide useful reference materials for a system of corresponding emergency medical services. Methods: Patients with cardiac arrest and drug intoxication in the elderly and the non-elderly group were analyzed by analyzing the Ambulance Run Report for 3 years from January 2007 to December 2009. Results: According to analysis on potential differences between elderly and the non-elderly group, it was found that there was no significant difference between elderly cases (evacuated to hospital due to cardiac arrest and drug poisoning) and non-elderly cases in year of onset (p = .247), quarter of onset (p = .813), sex (p = .235), consciousness state (p = .126), place of onset (p = .215) and number of first aid services (applied to emergency cases) respectively, but there were significant differences between elderly cases and non-elderly cases in guardian availability (p = .042), time zone of onset (p = .050), distance from the site of onset (p = .278), type of onset (p = .000), number of first aid services depending on distance of evacuation (p = .008) and effectiveness of emergency care (p = .003) on statistical basis. Conclusion: It is important to establish a system of early emergency case reports for rational emergency case management with lower mortality; shorten distance from the site of onset at each time zone of onset in emergency cases; employ more emergency team members; facilitate firsthand / secondhand medical instructions for emergency teams in specialized emergency care depending on distance of evacuation for each kind of onset (elderly group vs. non-elderly group); and improve rate of resuscitated emergency cases by extending the scope of works for emergency medical technicians into wider applications, so that it will be possible to take timely and appropriate measures for emergency settings of ever-increasing aged population in near future.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.21-33
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• 2014

Purpose: A descriptive study design was used to investigate infection management awareness and infection management performance for clothing management in 119 emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Method: 188 paramedics and basic EMTs completed questionnaires between March 1 and April 30, 2013 in Jeollabuk-do. Results: Participants' average score for infection control awareness was 2.69 and that for performance was 1.58, with the differences being statistically significant (t = 931.455, p = .003). Participants' general characteristics resulted in differences in infection management performance. Women (1.63) have scored higher than men (1.28), and the difference was statistically significant (t = 11.174, p = .001). Participants who had clinical experience (1.63) had higher scores than participants who did have clinical experience before (1.53) and, again, the difference was significant (t = 7.167, p = .009). Conclusion: Education program for infection management is need to be developed for more effective infection management.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.29-37
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how empowering leadership effects on growth needs and turnover intentions to emergency medical technicians. Methods: The study was based on seventy six paramedics and seventy EMTs-basic who were working at the fire stations. A survey questionnaire was used to prove connection between empowering leadership, growth needs, and turnover intentions. Results: There was a positive correlation between empowering leadership and growth needs, and negative correlation between empowering leadership and turnover intentions. There was a positive correlation between emergency medical technicians growth needs and turnover intentions. Conclusion: This analysis is empirically applied to study the empowering leadership focused on the empowerment act of leader to a leading role to empowerment in fire service organization.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.161-173
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• 2020

This study analyzed local imbalances in the supply and demand of emergency medical services in Busan using the 119 emergency activity reports of the Busan Fire & Disaster Headquarters. The data for EMS activity reports in 2017 was converted into Jimgyegu units. The spatial distribution of the indicators representing the local imbalance of emergency demand and supply (number of reports, number of reports relative to the population, average coefficient of variation and outlier of on-site arrival time, and number of dispatches outside the jurisdiction) was analyzed using Hotspot analysis of GIS spatial statistics analysis. As a result of the analysis, the hot spot area and the cold spot area where both supply and demand of emergency services are concentrated were clearly distinguished. This means that the supply and demand of emergency services in Busan are locally unbalanced. In particular, there was a difference in the demand and supply of emergency services in the original downtown and its surrounding areas, and in the outskirts of Busan.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.43-59
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess 119 emergency medical technicians' perception of child abuse, attitudes towards mandatory reporting, and perceptions of mandatory reporting system, and to promote early reporting. Methods: The questionnaire was filled out by one hundred ninety 119 EMTs with paramedic or nurse licenses. The questionnaire consisted of 53 items with responses based on a five-point scale. Data were collected from July 10 to July 31, 2018, and were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.0 software. Results: The average score for 119 EMT's perception of child abuse was 3.76. The average score for positive attitude towards mandatory reporting was 3.63, and the average score for negative attitude towards mandatory reporting was 2.63. The average score for perceptions of the mandatory reporting system was 3.50. There was a significant positive correlation between perception of child abuse and positive attitude towards mandatory reporting (r=.244, p=.001), between perception of child abuse and perceptions of the mandatory reporting system (r=.209, p=.004), and between positive attitude towards mandatory reporting and perceptions of mandatory reporting system (r=.336, p=.000). Conclusion: Systemic educational programs for 119 EMTs on perception of child abuse and reporting are needed. It is very important to establish institutional strategies such as the use of checklist for suspicion of child abuse, procedural simplicity after reporting, and protection of reporter information.