• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.621-629
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• 2006

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical variables that predict functional and cognitive recovery at 1- and 6-month in both severe and moderate/mild traumatic brain injury patients. Methods. The subjects of this study were 82 traumatically brain-injured patients who were admitted to a Neurological Intensive Care Unit at a university hospital. Potential prognostic factors included were age, motor and pupillary response, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and the presence of intracranial hematoma at admission. Results. The significant predictors of functional disability in severe traumatic brain injury subjects were, age, systolic blood pressure, the presence of intracranial hematoma, motor response, and heart rate at admission. In moderate/mild traumatic brain injury patients, motor response, abnormal pupil reflex, and heart rate at admission were identified as significant predictors of functional disability. On the other hand, the significant predictors of cognitive ability for severe traumatic brain injury patients were motor response and the presence of intracranial hematoma at admission, whereas those for moderate/mild patients were motor response, pupil reflex, systolic blood pressure at admission, and age. Conclusions. The results of the present study indicate that the significant predictors of TBI differ according to TBI severity on admission, outcome type, and outcome measurement time. This can be meaningful to critical care nurses for a better understanding on the prediction of brain injury patients. On the other hand, the model used in the present study appeared to produce relatively low explicabilities for functional and cognitive recovery although a direct comparison of our results with those of others is difficult due to differences in outcome definition and validation methods. This implies that other clinical variables should be added to the model used in the present study to increase its predicting power for determining functional and cognitive outcomes.

• Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2018

Objective As aging progresses, clinical characteristics of elderly patients in the emergency department (ED) vary by age. We aimed to study differences among elderly patients in the ED by age group. Methods For 2 years, patients aged 65 and older were enrolled in the study and classified into three groups: youngest-old, ages 65 to 74 years; middle-old, 75 to 84 years; and oldest-old, ${\geq}85years$. Participants' sex, reason for ED visit, transfer from another hospital, results of treatment, type of admission, admission department and length of stay were recorded. Results During the study period, a total 64,287 patients visited the ED; 11,236 (17.5%) were aged 65 and older, of whom 14.4% were 85 and older. With increased age, the female ratio (51.5% vs. 54.9% vs. 69.1%, P<0.001), medical causes (79.5% vs. 81.3% vs. 81.7%, P=0.045), and admission rate (35.3% vs. 42.8% vs. 48.5%, P<0.001) increased. Admissions to internal medicine (57.5% vs. 59.3% vs. 64.7%, P<0.001) and orthopedic surgery (8.5% vs. 11.6% vs. 13.8%, P<0.001) also increased. The ratio of admission to intensive care unit showed no statistical significance (P=0.545). Patients over age 85 years had longer stays in the ED (330.9 vs. 378.9 vs. 407.2 minutes, P<0.001), were discharged home less (84.4% vs. 78.9% vs. 71.5%, P<0.001), and died more frequently (6.3% vs. 10.4% vs. 13.0%, P<0.001). Conclusion With increased age, the proportion of female patients and medical causes increased. Rates of admission and death increased with age and older patients had longer ED and hospital stays.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.77-86
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• 2011

Objective : This study was designed to evaluate the effect of bee venom pharmacopuncture therapy in patients with FBSS(failed back surgery syndrome). Methods : We investigated 30 cases of patients with FBSS, who had been treated from October 2010 to July 2011. We divided patients into two groups : group I was treated by acupuncture therapy only, and group II was treated by bee venom pharmacopuncture therapy and general acupuncture. We measured the efficacy of treatments using the numerical rating scale(NRS) and grade and straight leg raising(SLR) test. Results : 1. The treatment method for group II was more effective than that of group I in reducing the NRS score on the fifteenth day after admission but there was no statistically significant difference between the results of two groups on the fifth day after admission and the tenth day after admission. 2. The treatment method for group II was more effective than that of group I in NRS improvement rate from its admission day to the fifth day after admission and from the tenth day after admission to the fifteenth day after admission but there was no statistically significant difference between the performance of two groups from the fifth day after admission to the tenth day after admission. 3. Group II had a higher grade improvement rate from the seventh day after admission to the fifteenth day after admission than group I but no statistically significant difference was observed between the results of two groups from its admission day to the seventh day after admission. 4. In SLR test improvement rate the treatments applied to group II was more effective than those applied to group I. Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that bee venom pharmacopuncture therapy is effective in reducing pain for patients with FBSS. Further clinical research is needed to verify these results and findings.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.84-93
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• 2024

Objective : We aimed to examine trends in critically ill neurology-neurosurgery (NNS) patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in South Korea and identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality after ICU admission in NNS patients. Methods : This nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study enrolled adult NNS adult patients admitted to the ICU from 2010 to 2019 extracted from the National Health Insurance Service in South Korea. The critically ill NNS patients were defined as those whose main admission departments were neurology or neurosurgery at ICU admission. The number of ICU admission, age, and total cost for hospitalization from 2010 to 2019 in critically ill NNS patients were examined as trend information. Moreover, multivariable logistic regression modeling was used to identify risk factors for in-hospital mortality among critically ill NNS patients. Results : We included 845474 ICU admission cases for 679376 critically ill NNS patients in South Korea between January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019. The total number of ICU admissions among NNS patients was 79522 in 2010, which increased to 91502 in 2019. The mean age rose from 62.8 years (standard deviation [SD], 15.6) in 2010 to 66.6 years (SD, 15.2) in 2019, and the average total cost for hospitalization per each patient consistently increased from 6206.1 USD (SD, 5218.5) in 2010 to 10745.4 USD (SD, 10917.4) in 2019. In-hospital mortality occurred in 75455 patients (8.9%). Risk factors strongly associated with increased in-hospital mortality were the usage of mechanical ventilator (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 19.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 19.42-20.26; p<0.001), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (aOR, 3.49; 95% CI, 2.42-5.02; p<0.001), and continuous renal replacement therapy (aOR, 6.47; 95% CI, 6.02-6.96; p<0.001). In addition, direct admission to ICU from the emergency room (aOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.36-1.41; p<0.001) and brain cancer as the main diagnosis (aOR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.22-1.39; p<0.001) are also potential risk factors for increased in-hospital mortality. Conclusion : In South Korea, the number of ICU admissions increased among critically ill NNS patients from 2010 to 2019. The average age and total costs for hospitalization also increased. Some potential risk factors are found to increase in-hospital mortality among critically ill NNS patients.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effect of indirect moxibustion treatment for HIVD patients. Methods : From March 2010 to December 2010, 32 HIVD patients who admitted to Semyung oriental medical hospital were divided into two groups. Group I was treated by indirect moxibustion and general acupuncture, group II by general acupuncture. We evaluated the treatment effect of each group with the visual analog scale(VAS) and Oswestry disability index(ODI) by dividing three period(from admission day to third day after admission, from third day to sixth day after admission and from sixth day to ninth day after admission). Results : 1. Group I was more effective than group II in VAS score reducing rate at sixth day after admission and ninth day after admission but there was no statistical significance between two groups at third day after admission 2. Group I was more effective than group II in VAS improvement rate from third day to sixth day after admission but there was no statistical significance between two groups from admission day to third day after admission and sixth day to ninth day after admission. 3. Group I was more effective than group II in ODI score reducing rate at sixth day after admission and ninth day after admission but there was no statistical significance between two groups at third day after admission. 4. In ODI improvement rate group I was higher than group II, but there was no statistical significance. Conclusions : Through this research, Indirect moxibustion treatment is considered to be effective reducing pain for HIVD(Herniated intervertebral disc) patients.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.381-386
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• 2020

Objectives: Few studies have been published regarding the relevance of the admission diagnosis to the smoking cessation rate. We studied smoking cessation rates in relation to admission diagnoses in our inpatient smoking cessation programmes. Methods: This retrospective study included all patients recruited into our inpatient smoking cessation programmes at 2 institutions in Singapore between June 2008 and December 2016. Patients were given individualized intensive counselling and were followed up via phone interviews for up to 6-month to assess their smoking status. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyse potential associations between admission diagnoses and 6-month abstinence. Results: A total of 7194 patients were included in this study. The mean age was 54.1 years, and 93.2% were male. In total, 1778 patients (24.7%) were abstinent at the 6-month follow-up call. Patients who quit smoking tended to be of Chinese ethnicity, have initiated smoking at a later age, be better educated, and have lower Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence scores. After adjusting for these factors, patients with a cardiovascular admission diagnosis had a significantly higher probability of quitting tobacco use than patients with a respiratory or other diagnosis. Conclusions: In patients acutely admitted to the hospital, a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease was associated with the highest quit rate. Smoking cessation interventions need to be incorporated into all cardiovascular disease treatment pathways to leverage the patient's motivation and to improve the quit rate. In addition, patients in groups with lower quit rates may benefit from more intensive programmes to increase the rate of successful cessation.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.12-19
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was performed to explore the effects of an admission-education program on knowledge, self-efficacy, self-care and glucose control in type 2 diabetes patients. Method: A single group pre-post test design was used. Twenty-one patients participated in this program during 6 days which consisted of education and practice about exercise, diet, self-care and prevention of complications. Variables at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months were measured. Results: Knowledge level, self-care level and self-efficacy were significantly increased over time after the admission-education program. The $HbA_1C$ level and glucose level in urine were significantly decreased over time after the admission-education program. Conclusion: The admission-education program can increase levels of knowledge, self-care, self-efficacy and decrease glucose levels. Therefore, this admissioneducation program was shown to have a positive effect on the management of diabetes.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.237-244
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• 2019

Background: Weekend admission is known for having association with increased mortality attributed by poor quality of care and severe patients. We investigated the association between hospital admission on weekends and the in-hospital mortality rates of patients with cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, we examined this association stratified by admission via emergency room or not. Methods: We analyzed claim data provided by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment in 2013. In total, 80,817 cardiovascular patients were included in this study, which treated in-hospital mortality (early and during total length of stay) as a dependent variable. A generalized linear mixed effects model was used. We conducted subgroup analyses stratified by admission via emergency room or not. Results: Patients who admitted on weekend showed higher in-hospital mortality both early (odds ratio [OR], 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-1.78) and during total length of stay (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.02-1.33) compared to those admitted on weekdays. Patients who were admitted to the hospital on a weekend by emergency room were more likely to experience early in-hospital mortality compared to those admitted on weekdays. Furthermore, we found that patients not admitted to the hospital through the emergency department were more likely to experience both early and total length of stay in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: Our study shows higher in-hospital mortality rates for cardiovascular patients admitted on weekends. Efforts to improve the quality of care on weekend are important to mitigate the 'weekend effect' and improve patient outcomes.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 2010

Purpose: Prolonged stay in the emergency department (ED), which is closely related with the time interval from the ED visit to a decision to admit, might be associated with poor outcomes for trauma patients and with overcrowding of the ED. Therefore, we examined the factors affecting the delay in the decision to admit severe trauma patients. Also, a multidisciplinary department system was preliminarily evaluated to see if it could reduce the time from triage to the admission decision. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care university hospital without a specialized trauma team or specialized trauma surgeons from January 2009 to March 2010. Severe trauma patients with an International Classification of Disease Based Injury Severity Score (ICISS) below 0.9 were included. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to find independent variables associated with a delay in the decision for admission which was defined as the time interval between ED arrival and admission decision exceeded 4 hours. We also simulated the time from triage to the decision for admission by a multidisciplinary department system. Results: A total of 89 patients were enrolled. The average time from triage to the admission decision was $5.2{\pm}7.1$ hours and the average length of the ED stay was $9.0{\pm}11.5$ hours. The rate of decision delay for admission was 31.5%. A multivariable regression analysis revealed that multiple trauma (odds ratio [OR]: 30.6, 95%; confidence interval [CI]: 3.18-294.71), emergency operation (OR: 0.55, 95%; CI: 0.01-0.96), and treatment in the Department of Neurosurgery (OR: 0.07, 95%; CI: 0.01-0.78) were significantly associated with the decision delay. In a simulation based on a multidisciplinary department system, the virtual time from triage to admission decision was $2.1{\pm}1.5$ hours. Conclusion: In the ED, patients with severe trauma, multiple trauma was a significant factor causing a delay in the admission decision. On the other hand, emergency operation and treatment in Department of Neurosurgery were negatively associated with the delay. The simulated time from triage to the decision for admission by a multidisciplinary department system was 3 hours shorter than the real one.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.77-83
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical effects of Sinseon moxibustion for HIVD patients with low back pain. Methods : From March 1st, 2011 to May 31st, 2011, 95 HIVD patients who were admitted to Bu-Cheon Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital were divided into two groups. One group(control group) was treated with acupuncture and herbal medicine. The other group(experimental group) was treated with acupuncture, herbal medicine and Sinseon moxibustion. We evaluated the treatment effect of each group with numerical rating scale(NRS) and Oswestry disability index(ODI). The evaluations were performed four times(admission day, 5th day after admission, 9th day after admission, 13th day after admission) Results : 1. In both control group and experimental group, NRS and ODI decreased significantly in statistics as treatment was performed. 2. Between 9th day and 13th day after admission, experimental group showed significant reduction in NRS and ODI compared to control group. 3. From admission day to 13th day after admission, experimental group showed significant reduction in NRS and ODI compared to control group. Conclusions : We recommend that cotreatment of Sinseon moxibustion as a useful therapy to HIVD patients with low back pain.