• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 2021

In 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions to global health systems. The Korea has taken full-fledged actions against this novel infectious disease, swiftly implementing a testing-tracing-treatment strategy. New obligations have therefore been given to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) to devote the utmost effort towards tackling this global health crisis. Thanks to the universal national health insurance and state-of-the-art information communications technology (ICT) of the Korea, HIRA has conducted far-reaching countermeasures to detect and treat cases early, prevent the spread of COVID-19, respond quickly to surging demand for the healthcare services, and translate evidence into policy. Three main factors have enabled HIRA to undertake pandemic control preemptively and systematically: nationwide data aggregated from all healthcare providers and patients, pre-existing ICT network systems, and real-time data exchanges. HIRA has maximized the use of data and pre-existing network systems to conduct rapid and responsive measures in a centralized way, both of which have been the most critical tactics and strategies used by the Korean healthcare system. In the face of new obligations, our promise is to strive for a more responsive and resilient health system during this prolonged crisis.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.76-76
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• 2017

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.111-128
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• 2016

Trade between nations has been considered as exchange for material things. According to recent changes in the paradigm of global trade, trade is shifting focus on the exchange of an immaterial being. Among them, the service sector is growing fast and the health service has shown exceptional growth as the healthcare market is consistently expanding. It is also part of the global service targeting people all around the world. People visiting other countries for medical service tend to spend more money and stay longer than a traveler. For these reasons, global medical service is in the spotlight as a promising and higher value-added business. The global medical service industry has been developed around Asia, specifically Thailand, Singapore, India, etc. Compared to them, Korea has come late into the market of global healthcare and the Korean government is striving to attract foreign patients. Nevertheless, there is a lack of effort to make foreign patients visiting Korea revisit Korea. Regarding foreign patients' medical disputes, these are not yet a problem officially; however, the government cannot leave the matter as it is. Medical dispute related with foreign patients is a highly complex issue due to different languages, nationalities, cultures, etc. Particularly, Korea's medical tourism is developed with Chinese visiting Korea for plastic surgery and cosmetic procedure. Thus, the Korean medical tourism market can be crowded with a lot of minor medical agencies, so-called brokers, getting foreign patients connected to the medical institutions. Consequently, Korea has received a large number of complaints and dissatisfaction. No one can predict and know what's supposed to happen in the future. Efforts of the Korean government and medical institute attracting foreign patients could be in vain. In order to take a step forward, this paper will do research on present conditions and look for strategies of improving this industry, focusing on the part of medical agency and contributing to the improvement of the Korean medical tourism industry.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.121-129
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• 2021

We aimed to explore the population dynamics of snail in 3 sites of the White Nile in Sudan. More specifically, we aimed to investigate the annual patterns of snail populations that act as intermediate hosts of schistosomes and monthly snail infection rates and ecological characteristics presumably related to snail populations. We collected snails for 1 year monthly at 3 different shore sites in the vicinity of El Shajara along the White Nile river in Khartoum State, Sudan. In addition, we measured air and water temperatures, water turbidities, vegetation coverages, and water depths and current speeds. Most of the collected snails were Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Bulinus truncatus. The population densities of snails and their infection rates varied across survey sites. The collected snails liberated S. mansoni and S. haematobium cercariae as well as Amphistome and Echinostome cercariae. Infected snails were found during March-June. The ecological characteristics found to be associated with the absence of snails population were: high turbidity, deep water, low vegetation coverage (near absence of vegetation), high water temperature, and high current speed. To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study of the snail population and ecological characteristics in the main basin of the White Nile river.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.282-294
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• 2010

The purpose of SAICM (Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management) is to minimize the health and environmental hazards from the production and the consumption of chemicals by improving the chemicals management capability of developing countries and implementing a system of the risk assessment and the management based on the precautionary principle until 2020. To achieve this purpose, the UN has prescribed the principles, objectives and establishment of an action plan for the chemicals management strategy which must be carried out at international, local, and national levels, and requested the implementation of the Global Plan of Action (GPA) comprising of 273 recommendations in 36 work areas. SAICM is currently based on voluntary participation, but is expected to become the basic framework of international order in relation to chemicals management in the future. This study aims to analyze the practice in the occupational safety and health area relating to implement 273 recommendations of the GPA, and propose complementary measures for the system in order to provide political advices for establishing future plans to manage industrial chemicals. Twenty three areas of total 36 work areas and 161 items of 273 recommendations have relevance to occupational safety and health areas. We have found that, as a national implementation level, 157 of 161 industrial safety and health items are being implemented at a satisfactory level in regard to the implementation of the GPA, while 4 items, including the ratification of the ILO Conventions 170, 174, 184, and support for GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of chemicals) implementation of developing countries, require additional complementary measures for the system and operation.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.262-265
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• 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) poses an important occupational health risk to health workers (HWs) that has attracted global scrutiny. To date, several thousand HWs globally have been reported as infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus that causes the disease. It is therefore a public health priority for policymakers to understand risk factors for this vulnerable group to avert occupational transmission. A rapid review was carried out on 20 April 2020 on Covid-19 risk factors among HWs in PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCOHost Web (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE with Full Text, CINAHL with Full Text, APA PsycInfo, Health Source-Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition) and WHO Global Database. We also searched for preprints on the medRxiv database. We searched for reports, reviews, and primary observational studies (case control, case cross-over, cross-sectional, and cohort). The review included studies conducted among HWs with Covid-19 that reported risk factors irrespective of their sample size. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Lack of personal protective equipment, exposure to infected patients, work overload, poor infection control, and preexisting medical conditions were identified as risk factors for Covid-19 among HWs. In the context of Covid-19, HWs face an unprecedented occupational risk of morbidity and mortality. There is need for rapid development of sustainable measures that protect HWs from the pandemic.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 1997

Vegetation Index(VI) derived from remote sensing data is used to assess ecosystem factor in Environmental Impact Assessment(EIA) process. Ecosystem factor has been prepared by Degree of Green Naturality(DGN) mainly in Environmental Impact Statements. But DGN has room for improvement of assessing actual ecosystem situation. The objectives of this study are to define the relationship between field measure DGN and VI, and to develop methodologies to use VI for assessing the status and conditions of natural ecosystem. For verification of DGN and VI, 35 sites using global positioning system are selected and reviewed. Correlation coefficients of DGN and VI shows highly as 0.69. Also VI in EIA found it can be applied to assess ecosystem. It concluded that VI as well as DGN can be applied to assess ecosystem newly and largescale.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.283-291
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• 2010

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a prediction model for future smoking intention among Korean adolescents aged 13 to 15 in order to identify the high risk group exposed to future smoking. Methods: The data was collected from a total of 5940 students who participated in a self-administrated questionnaire of a cross-sectional school-based survey, the 2004 Korea Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify the relevant determinants associated with intentions of adolescents’ future smoking. Receiver Operation Characteristic (ROC) assessment was applied to evaluate the explanation level of the developed prediction model. Results: 8.4% of male and 7.2% of female participants show their intentions of future smoking. Among non-smoking adolescents; who have past smoking experience [odds ratio (OR) 2.73; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.92- 3.88]; who have intentions of smoking when close friends offer a cigarette (OR 31.47; 95% CI = 21.50 - 46.05); and who have friends that are mostly smokers (OR 5.27; 95% CI = 2.85 - 9.74) are more likely to be smokers in the future. The prediction model developed from this study consists of five determinants; past smoking experience; parents smoking status; friends smoking status; ownership of a product with a cigarette brand logo; and intentions of smoking from close friends’ cigarette offer. The area under the ROC curve was 0.8744 (95% CI=0.85 - 0.90) for current non-smokers. Conclusions: For efficiency, school-based smoking prevention programs need to be designed to target the high risk group exposed to future smoking through the prediction model developed by the study, instead of implementing the programs for all the students.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.59-73
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• 2013

Healthcare costs are continuously increasing due to longer life expectancy and providing global healthcare services through medical tourism is new service growth engine for Korea. Several countries have well established programs and infrastructure dedicated to medical tourism. South Korea is attempting to become a major player in this domain by undertaking broad initiatives. The success of medical tourism is greatly impacted by easy access to two types of information, namely, medical and travel information. The National Health Insurance System in Korea collects huge amount of clinical and financial information from all hospitals. However, this information does not get used effectively in health and travel information systems to support medical tourism. This paper provide clear process map of medical tourism to understand how the patient and information process both medical and tourism fields also describe the need of customer and service provider. In this paper, we develop a medical tourism service system that will promote information exchange and service delivery.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.461-467
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• 2009

Exposure analysis is a critical component of determining the health impact of pollutants. Global positioning systems (GPS) could be useful in developing time-location information for use in exposure analysis. This study compares four low cost GPS receivers with data logging capability (Garmin 60, Garmin Forerunner 201, GeoStats GeoLogger and Skytrx minitracker MT4100) in terms of accuracy, precision, and ease of use. The accuracy of the devices was determined at two known National Geodetic Survey points. The coordinates logged by the devices were compared when the devices were carried while walking and driving. The Garmin 60 showed better accuracy and precision than the GeoLogger when they were placed at the geodetic points. The Forerunner and Skytrx did not record when they were kept stationary. When the subject wore the devices while walking, the location of the devices differed by about 8 m on average between any two device combinations involving the four devices. The distance between the coordinates logged by the devices decreased when the devices were carried with their antennas facing the sky. All the devices showed similar routes when they were used in a car. All the devices except the Forerunner had satisfactory signal reception when they were worn and when they were carried in the car. The GeoLogger is less comfortable for the subject because of specific wearing requirements. This evaluation found that the Garmin 60 and the Skytrx may be useful in personal exposure analysis studies to record time-location data.