• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.47-54
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• 2022

Purpose: This study presents the analysis on space usage of delivery departments in regional public hospitals. The results intention is to achieve improvement of the delivery environment for the mothers and newborns regarding exposure prevention and efficient infection control. The purpose of this study is to provide fundamental data for architectural plans and guidelines for the delivery department. Method: The investigation and analysis were based on research papers, legal systems, public medical statistical data, and the architectural floor plan drawing. For research, 20 regional public hospitals with an operating delivery room were excluded. Regarding data accessibility, 15 regional public hospitals were selected. Results: To overcome the increased vulnerability of the delivery department, the research results of basic data is provided for the establishment to address urgent needs and rapid response. Thus, the research results are as follows: Firstly, the delivery department needs to respond promptly according to the type of patients. For example, in a case of emergency surgery, a connected circulation plan with the related departments is needed. Secondly, for the environment of the delivery area, alleviating anxiety is imperative for pregnant patients and guardians, labor, childbirth, and recovery. Therefore, these needs must be addressed for treatment space and circulation. Lastly, the delivery department is classified into three areas for analysis: access area, treatment area, and support area. In most of the delivery departments of the 15 selected hospitals, there is no space for the access and support area except for the labor and delivery rooms in the treatment area. For the access area, a waiting area, changing room for pregnant women and guardians, and a storage space for contaminated linens are required for infection prevention, safety, and efficiency. For the treatment area, childbirth processes and circulation should have space reserved for labor, delivery, recovery, examination, and treatment. In preparation for an emergency during childbirth, emergency response measures and supporting space needs to be established. For the support area, circulation and rooms are to be designed for medical staff support, activity space, storage and transportation of equipment, and urgent medical treatment. Implications: Along with the low fertility rate and the decrease of medical institutions that operate delivery departments, for the purpose of establishing a public medical service system and a healthy medical environment for mothers and newborns, the researched information demonstrates basic data on space plan of delivery departments in regional public hospitals.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.217-224
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• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to establish the basic data for the performance of patient-centered care, perception of core competencies, and self-development of dental hygienists by verifying the effects of information literacy on the communication ability of dental hygienists, and the mediating effects of job crafting. Methods: Collected and analyzed data by conducting a survey targeting total 222 dental hygienists working for dental hospitals/clinics located in Seoul and Gyeonggi region. Verify the mediating effects of job crafting on the effects of information literacy on the communication ability, this study conducted the correlation analysis and simple regression analysis and multiple regression analysis. Results: In the effects of information literacy on the communication ability of dental hygienists, the cognitive crafting of job crafting (β=0.209, p<0.001) and relational crafting of job crafting (β=0.318, p<0.001) showed the partially mediating effects. Conclusions: In order to increase the educational accessibility for dental hygienists to perceive the importance of information literacy and communication ability, to improve the expertise as healthcare personnel who perform the patient-centered care by developing it, and also to develop the information literacy and job crafting, it would be necessary to develop various educational programs and contents.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.386-393
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• 2016

Objectives: General practitioners (GPs) retention in rural and underserved areas highly effects on accessibility of healthcare facilities across the country. Education seems to be a critical factor that affects GPs retention. Thus, the present study aimed at inquiry into medical education challenges that limit their retention in rural and underserved areas. Methods: A qualitative approach was applied for the aim of this study. Data were gathered via 28 semi-structured interviews with experts at different levels of Iran's health system as well as GPs who retained and refused to retain working in rural settings. Interviews mainly were performed face-to-face and in some cases via telephone during 2015 and then coded and analyzed using content analysis approach. Results: Iran's medical education is faced with several challenges that were categorized in four main themes including student selection, medical students' perception about their field of study, education setting and approach, curriculum of medical education. According to experts this challenges could results in making GP graduates disinterested for practicing in rural and underserved areas. Conclusions: Challenges that were found could have negative effects on retention. Modification in student's perception about rural practice could be done via changing education setting and approach and curriculum. These modifications could improve GPs retention in rural and underserved areas.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.240-263
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• 2021

One of the biggest challenges that the software industry is facing today is to create highly efficient applications without affecting the quality of healthcare system software. The demand for the provision of software with high quality protection has seen a rapid increase in the software business market. Moreover, it is worthless to offer extremely user-friendly software applications with no ideal security. Therefore a need to find optimal solutions and bridge the difference between accessibility and protection by offering accessible software services for defense has become an imminent prerequisite. Several research endeavours on usable security assessments have been performed to fill the gap between functionality and security. In this context, several Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approaches have been implemented on different usability and security attributes so as to assess the usable-security of software systems. However, only a few specific studies are based on using the integrated approach of fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) technique for assessing the significant usable-security of hospital management software. Therefore, in this research study, the authors have employed an integrated methodology of fuzzy logic, ANP and TOPSIS to estimate the usable - security of Hospital Management System Software. For the intended objective, the study has taken into account 5 usable-security factors at first tier and 16 sub-factors at second tier with 6 hospital management system softwares as alternative solutions. To measure the weights of parameters and their relation with each other, Fuzzy ANP is implemented. Thereafter, Fuzzy TOPSIS methodology was employed and the rating of alternatives was calculated on the foundation of the proximity to the positive ideal solution.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2018

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to survey the present status of the regional oral health centers for the disabled. Material and methods : Face to face interviews with oral healthcare professionals in eight regional oral health centers and literature reviews were conducted among eight regional oral health centers for the disabled during 2, July to 30, August 2017. Results : It is necessary to establish more regional oral health centers for the disabled in area where the number of disabled person as percentage of whole region population is high. Also, all the centers appeared a lack of professional manpower including dentist, dental hygienist and anesthesiologist, equipment and facilities for the demands of patients and their guardians. It is essential for the government to improve the support system to regional oral health centers for the disabled. Conclusions : This study can be used as a reference for the countermeasure to make a new policy and activate the accessibility of dental care services in the public for the disabled.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2023

Background: Pharmacists communicate with a variety of healthcare experts to prevent medication errors. Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) is a tool used for concise and accurate communication. In 2018, we developed the pharmacy-SBAR (P-SBAR) to deliver pharmacists intervention more quickly and effectively through quality improvement activities. Objectives: This study evaluates the efficacy of P-SBAR on pharmacists' intervention activities before and after the implementation of P-SBAR applications. We assessed the impact of P-SBAR on reducing the burden of intervention work, promoting pharmacists' participation, and enhancing the acceptance rate. Methods: This is a retrospective study of the two groups before and after P-SBAR implementation. All pharmacists' intervention records during two periods (2016-2017 and 2019-2020) were extracted from the data warehouse system at Kyunghee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul. The outcome was the number of inpatients and pharmacists who participated in the prescription monitoring activity, the number of interventions, and the physicians' acceptance rate. Results: Although the total number of inpatients decreased (364,753 vs. 348,229), the number of pharmacists who participated in intervention activity increased (monthly mean: 15.8 vs. 18.0, p=0.001). The total number of interventions (2,767 vs. 4,389), the frequency of full acceptance (2,018 vs. 3,710), and the monthly acceptance rate increased significantly (73.8% vs. 83.8%, p<0.001). Conclusion: P-SBAR improved accessibility and convenience by digitalizing the intervention activities performed in an offline environment. Improvement in work burden and acceptance rate using P-SBAR is expected to contribute toward reducing medication errors.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.49-58
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• 2024

The rapid advancement of generative large language models has revolutionized various real-life domains, emphasizing the importance of exploring their applications in healthcare. This study aims to examine how generative large language models are implemented in the medical domain, with the specific objective of searching for the possibility and potential of integration between generative large language models and East Asian medicine. Through a comprehensive current state analysis, we identified limitations in the deployment of generative large language models within East Asian medicine and proposed directions for future research. Our findings highlight the essential need for accumulating and generating structured data to improve the capabilities of generative large language models in East Asian medicine. Additionally, we tackle the issue of hallucination and the necessity for a robust model evaluation framework. Despite these challenges, the application of generative large language models in East Asian medicine has demonstrated promising results. Techniques such as model augmentation, multimodal structures, and knowledge distillation have the potential to significantly enhance accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility. In conclusion, we expect generative large language models to play a pivotal role in facilitating precise diagnostics, personalized treatment in clinical fields, and fostering innovation in education and research within East Asian medicine.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.192-202
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the significance and insights derived from the experiences of pregnant women in Korea who participated in online prenatal education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study employed the hermeneutic phenomenology framework developed by Colaizzi. It involved 12 pregnant women who participated in online prenatal education provided by public health centers in Chuncheon, Korea. Data collection was achieved through in-depth interviews conducted in Korea from October 2021 to April 2022. Results: In total, 51 significant statements were extracted from the interview data and then categorized into 10 themes. Finally, three categories were formed by merging similar themes. The three basic categories of participants' experiences of online prenatal education were "feeling of safety and comfort in body and mind," "frustrated by a lack of interaction," and "digital education being a double-edged sword." Pregnant women expressed ambivalence regarding the benefits and drawbacks of the online educational experience. They desired more interactive and practical learning opportunities, even as they appreciated the comfort of learning remotely. Conclusion: This study revealed the phenomenon of online prenatal education as an advanced form of distance-based prenatal education instead of the traditional in-person classroom. To maximize the educational effectiveness of this new format, public health center policies must address the digital literacy gap and enhance accessibility by leveraging the immersive multimedia experiences that online education offers to pregnant women. We recommend that maternal healthcare providers adopt this innovative approach to prenatal education, utilizing distance education technology to improve participation and promote immersion.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.51-65
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• 2019

This study developed diagnostic system to understand the level of welfare cultural service and infrastructure in rural areas. The applicability was reviewed through the Delphi survey and the sample survey of 60 villages. The diagnostic indicators consist of three areas: the demand area, supply area, and delivery area. The demand area consists of 8 indicators, 25 indicators for welfare services and infrastructure (healthcare, social welfare) and 32 indicators for cultural services and infrastructure (culture, education, leisure sports). The service delivery area was divided into service supply area access and traffic accessibility (public transport use status and rural transport model status) by each indicator. A diagnostic system was applied to 60 villages. Services and infrastructure for rural welfare and culture were supplied more in the Si area than Gun area. The delivery area was easier to access the Gun area than Si area. In the case of traffic access, public transportation was more frequently used in the Si area than Gun area, and the rural transportation model was found to have a relatively large amount in the Gun area compared to Si area. The diagnosis system about services and infrastructure for rural welfare and culture will provide information necessary for establishment and decision making of regional development policy taking into account characteristics of rural areas in the future.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.205-215
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• 2022

Background: The purpose of this study is to identify the factors infecting the medical care utilization from a new perspective by newly classifying the categories of administrative districts using the urban decline index and medical vulnerability index as indicators. Methods: This study targeted 150,940 people who used medical services using the 2015 cohort database (DB), 2010-2015 urban regeneration analysis index DB, and 2014-2015 public health and medical statistics DB. The decline of the region was classified using the urban decline index typed using k-means clustering and the medical vulnerability index typed using the quantile score calculation. Regression analysis was performed 3 times with medical expenditure, length of stay, and the number of outpatient visits as dependent variables. Results: There were 37 stable region (47.4%), 29 health vulnerable region (37.2%), and 12 decline region (15.4%). The health vulnerable region had lower medical expenditure, fewer outpatient visits, and a higher length of stay than the stable region. The decline region was all higher than the stable region but had no significant effect. Conclusion: The factors that cause the health disparity between regions are not only factors related to individual health behavior but also environmental factors of the local community. Therefore, there is a need for a systematic alternative that properly considers the resources within the community and reflects the characteristics of the population.