• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.173-179
• /
• 2022

Background: This study aimed to identify patterns of elderly patients who transferred from long-term care hospitals to emergency rooms and provide the evidence of emergency medical systems to prepare for a super-aged society. Methods: The data source was the National Emergency Department Information System database from January 2014 to December 2019 in Korea. We performed a cross-sectional study among elderly patients (≥65 years) who transferred from a long-term care hospital to an emergency room. Trend analysis was conducted by year. Results: We identified 225,765 elderly patients who were transferred from long-term care hospitals to emergency rooms between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2019. The proportion of the study population and their mean age were recently increased (p<0.001, respectively). The proportion of elderly patients being re-transferred (p=0.049) and the patients re-transferred to long-term care hospitals is significantly increased (p=0.005). Conclusion: The establishment of efficient emergency medical services for an aging society is important. It is necessary to develop a healthcare network with the government, long-term care hospitals, and medical institutions in the community suitable for preventing disease deterioration.

• Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.286-287
• /
• 2018

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.110-124
• /
• 2007

Currently, we have seen sudden increase of demand for emergency medical services by reason for high-speed economic development increase of traffics, etc. in this society. Consequently the government enforced & operated emergency medical system in 1991 as a link of more positive countermeasure against it, but many problem; still remain in reality. In particular, the regional emergency medical center designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare falls short of our expectations for its essential role by the reason of such as insufficiency in professional manpower and institutions concerned in small-scale hospital, matters with transportation system, preference of large hospital, etc. Therefore, this study was conducted grasp for the actual conditions of emergency medical system based upon literature research & the preceding studies and interview research the motive of coming hospital, satisfaction & understand to the subject of 150 persons of patients and their guardians who used regional emergency center of Pusan National University Hospital, thereby examining & analysing the cause of emergency room overcrowding by non-emergency cases, one of the problem; enumerated from preceding studies. The main result of this study is as follows. First the actual condition of non-emergency patients coming hospital for examining overcrowding of emergency medical center showed that, of the patients who used the emergency medical center, non-emergency patients accounted for 49.3%, which acted as the main cause of delaying medical care for emergency cases, cases of which medical person or first-aid man decided to come hospital accounted for 36.1 %, thereby suggesting essential need for re-education & wide public information to even the professional manpower besides patients & guardians for their using emergency medical system. Second, as the result of researching patient acknowledgement with reference to their using emergency medical center, the rate of their giving right answer is no more than 60%, which means that non-emergency cases' using as such is due to the shortage of their knowledge of the said emergency medical center, which suggests us that wider P.R for emergency medical system to common people who may be one of the patients of it at any time is still in need. Third, the result of researching for finding out a future remedy of emergency medical system showed that the users who know well of the way of using emergency medical center had relatively high satisfaction of it, ones who have lesser knowledge of it lower satisfaction and users who feel in need of emergency specialized manpower feel the necessity of public information of emergency medical information center(1339) at the same time. The finding of examining the subject of study, in conclusion, showed that the degree of the patients & their guardians' understanding of emergency medical system is lower and the medical persons concerned also had no distinct difference in their understanding of it from the common people's, which suggests us for extensive enforcement of systematic education and public information in aspect of the government via various media for the purpose of effective operation of emergency medical center.

• 대한방사선방어학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2011.11a
• /
• pp.266-267
• /
• 2011

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.191-202
• /
• 2001

This study was attempted to help in explore new direction about classification of the severity of the pediatric patients visiting emergency center. Data were collected from 276 patients who visited emergency center of E University Hospital during 3 months period from March 1, to May 31,1999. The results were as follows: 1. The degree of severity of the pediatric patients visiting emergency center shown ranged 0-18 and averaged .87. 2. With the respect to the severity of the pediatric patients visiting emergency center, there were statiscally significant difference in patients' visiting time(F=2.607, p=.025), disease classification(F=9.606, p=.000), consciousness level(F=71.499, p=.000), period of symptom manifestation (F=2.262, p=.030), pediatric patients protector's thinking about pediatric patients state (F=16.833, p=.000), treatment outcome (t=5.362, p=.000), duration of stay at emergency center(F=23.944, p=.000).

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.108-114
• /
• 2015

Purpose: To improve outcome of severe trauma patient, the shortening of transport time is needed. Although helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) is still a subject of debate, it must also be considered for trauma system. The aim of this study is to assess whether transport method (HEMS versus ground EMS) is associated with outcome among inter-hospital transport. Methods: All trauma patients transported to regional emergency center by either HEMS or ground EMS from September 2011 to September 2014. We have classified patients according to two groups by transport method. Age younger than 15 years and self-discharged patients were excluded. Results: A total of 427 patients were available for analysis during this period. 60 patients were transported by HEMS and 367 patients were transported by ground EMS. HEMS group had higher mortality than ground EMS group (23.3% vs 3.5%; p<0.001), and included more patients with excess mortality ratio adjusted injury severity score (EMR-ISS) above 25 (91.7% vs 48.8%; p<0.001). In the multivariable regression analysis, HEMS was not associated with improved outcome compared with ground EMS, but only EMR-ISS was associated with a mortality of patients (odds ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.09). Conclusion: In this study, helicopter emergency medical services transport was not associated with a decreased of mortality among the trauma patients who inter-hospital transported to the regional emergency center.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.29-43
• /
• 2012

Purpose : The goal of the present study is to provide the basic information to medical control which is the most important improving factor of pre-hospital medical treatment. Method : A total of 749 records of direct medical control were collected from 119 EMTs in emergency medical information center of Daejeon, Chungcheongnam-do and Chungcheongbuk-do from March 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011. Results : The 119 EMTs should record the level of qualification of EMT and general patient history taking precisely when they receive direct medical controls. The doctors should take medical controls within the task range of qualification of EMTs. Conclusion : It is necessary to establish the guideline of medical direction and protocol of prehospital emergency care. The quality improvement of pre-hospital emergency services will be possible by the guideline and protocol.

• Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.272-277
• /
• 2018

Objective While the effect of typhoons on emergency medicine has been evaluated, data are scarce on their effects on the emergency medical service (EMS). This study evaluated the effect of typhoons on EMS patients and performance. Methods The study period was January 2010 to December 2012. Meteorological data regarding typhoons were provided by the Korean Meteorological Administration. EMS data were retrieved from the EMS database of the national emergency management agency. The database includes ambulance run sheets, which contain clinical and operational data. In this case-crossover study, the cases and controls were EMS calls on the day of typhoon warnings and calls one week prior to the typhoon warnings, respectively. Results During the study period, 11 typhoons affected Korea. A total of 14,521 cases were selected for analysis. Overall, there were no obvious differences between the case and control groups. However, there were statistically significant differences in age, place, and time requests. There were fewer patients between 0 and 15 years of age (P=0.01) and more unconscious patients (P=0.01) in the case group. The EMS operational performance, as measured by the times elapsed between call to start, call to field, and call to hospital did not differ significantly. There was also no significant difference in the time from hospital arrival between the cases (28.67, standard deviation 16.37) and controls (28.97, standard deviation 28.91) (P=0.39). Conclusion Typhoons did not significantly affect the EMS system in this study. Further study is necessary to understand the reasons for this finding.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.131-139
• /
• 2017

Purpose: Trauma systems have been shown to decrease injury-related mortality. The present study aimed to compare the mortality rates of patients with major trauma (injury severity score >15) treated before and after the establishment of a level I trauma center. Methods: During this 20-month study, participants were divided into pre-trauma center and trauma center groups, and trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) method was used to compare mortality rates during 10-month periods before and after the establishment of the trauma center (October 2013 to July 2014 vs. October 2014 to July 2015). Results: Of the 541 total participants, 278 (51.5%) visited after the establishment of the trauma center. The Z and W statistics indicated better outcomes in the trauma center group than in the pre-trauma center group (Z statistic, 2.635 vs. -0.700; W statistic, 4.640). The trauma center group also exhibited meaningful reductions in the time interval from the emergency department (ED) visit to emergency surgery (118.0 minutes vs. 142.5 minutes, p=0.020) and the interval from the ED visit to intensive care unit admission (202.0 minutes vs. 259.0 minutes, p=0.035) relative to the pre-trauma center group. Conclusions: The TRISS and multivariate analysis revealed significant improvements in survival rates in the trauma center group, compared to the pre-trauma center group.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.66-79
• /
• 2021

Background: The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) is specified in the Disaster Counter-measures Basic Act as a designated public corporation for dealing with nuclear disasters. Materials and Methods: The Nuclear Emergency Assistance and Training Center (NEAT) was established in 2002 as the activity base providing technical assistance to both national and local governments during nuclear emergencies. The NEAT has a robust structure and utilities and special installations, and it organizes training and exercises. Results and Discussion: Due to an offshore earthquake that caused a devastating tsunami in March 2011, a nuclear accident occurred at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The NEAT responded by conducting off-site environmental radiation monitoring and contamination screening, dispatching special vehicles, offering telephone consultations, and calculating the dispersion of radioactive materials. An examination of the emergency response activities revealed that the organization was prepared for these types of disasters and was able to plan long-term response. Conclusion: As a designated public corporation, the JAEA technically supports the national government, the Fukushima prefectural government, and the Ibaraki prefectural government, all of which responded to the off-site emergencies resulting from the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident