• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.185-198
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• 2022

Purpose : We conducted a study to propose comparing subjective sleeping states data that was collected through scientifically measuring by using smartwatch and surveys for seafarers. In addition, we conducted a study to provide sleep though analysis of the environmental factors that influence the sleep efficiency of seafarers. Methods : For scientific measurement of seafarers' sleeping states, we measured the sleep hours and sleep efficiency for at least 3 days by using the healthcare function of smartwatches which are wearable devices. As for subjective sleeping states, we collected data on sleep hours and satisfaction rates on the quality of sleep through a survey. Lastly, as for the environmental factors that affect the sleep efficiency which is measured by smartwatches such as physical environment, bedroom space, bedroom furniture, bedding, a survey by self-evaluation method was conducted. Results : There were significant differences in the scientific sleep hours measurement values for all seafarers and the average sleep hours in the subjective survey. There were significant differences in the scientific sleep efficiency measurements of all the seafarers and the sleep satisfaction of the subjective survey, and there was no correlation between the scientific sleep efficiency and the subjective sleep satisfaction of all the seafarers. Among the environmental factors affecting the sleep efficiency of the seafarers, humidity variable had the most influence, and vibration and illuminance variables were also shown to have a very significant effect. Conclusion : We propose the measuring method that can analyze the quantitative and qualitative sleep states of the seafarers by using small activity recorders. In addition, it is very important to control humidity, vibration, and illuminance among ship environmental factors, and comfort, noise and bedroom size should also be reflected.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.5-14
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aims to identify the degree of anxiety and depression related to infection control and job stress in clinical nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, it seeks to identify the effects of depression. Finally, it intends to develop intervention measures to prevent depression in clinical nurses during epidemics of new infectious diseases and prepare basic data for developing educational programs. Methods: Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire survey administered to 208 nurses. The data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS (Version 26.0) statistics program. Results: The correlation analysis between participant depression, anxiety, and infection control job stress found that depression had a positive correlation with anxiety (r=.63, p<.001) and infection control work stress (r=.26, p<.001). Anxiety (β=0.60, p<.001) was found to significantly affect participant depression with an explanatory power of 40.2%, confirming that higher anxiety levels induce increased depression. Conclusion: Based on the above results, anxiety is confirmed to be a factor that affects depression. Accordingly, education is required to strengthen individuals' physical and mental capabilities and promote a safe working environment, including providing sufficient personal protective devices and other appropriate gear to defend clinical nurses against outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases at medical institutions and through healthcare policies. Other considerations should include sufficient rest hours and paying additional benefits for nurses caring for patients with severe confirmed COVID-19.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.174-183
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• 2023

Background: Office workers experience neck or back pain due to poor posture, such as flexed head and forward head posture, during long-term sedentary work. Posture correction is used to reduce pain caused by poor posture and ensures proper alignment of the body. Several assistive devices have been developed to assist in maintaining an ideal posture; however, there are limitations in practical use due to vast size, unproven long-term effects or inconsistency of maintaining posture alignment. We developed a headphone and necklace posture correction system (HANPCS) for posture correction using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor that provides visual or auditory feedback. Objects: To demonstrate the test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of neck and upper trunk flexion measurements using a HANPCS, compared with a three-dimensional motion analysis system (3DMAS). Methods: Twenty-nine participants were included in this study. The HANPCS was applied to each participant. The angle for each action was measured simultaneously using the HANPCS and 3DMAS. The data were analyzed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = [3,3] with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: The angular measurements of the HANPCS for neck and upper trunk flexions showed high intra- (ICC = 0.954-0.971) and inter-day (ICC = 0.865-0.937) values, standard error of measurement (SEM) values (1.05°-2.04°), and minimal detectable change (MDC) values (2.92°-5.65°). Also, the angular measurements between the HANPCS and 3DMAS had excellent ICC values (> 0.90) for all sessions, which indicates high concurrent validity. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that the HANPCS is as accurate in measuring angle as the gold standard, 3DMAS. Therefore, the HANPCS is reliable and valid because of its angular measurement reliability and validity.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.135-155
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• 2024

Urban public health monitoring in smart cities focuses on the control of conditions and health challenges in urban environments. Considering the rapid spread of diseases and pandemics, it is important for health authorities to trace people carrying the virus. In smart cities, this tracing must be interoperable and intelligent, especially in indoor surfaces characterized by small distances between people. Therefore, to fight pandemics, it is necessary to start with the already-existing digital equipment of the Internet of Things, such as connected objects and smartphones. In this study, the developed system is employed to provide a social IoT network and suggest a strategy which allows reliable traceability without threatening the privacy of users. This IoT-based system allows respecting the social distance between persons sharing public services in smart cities without applying smartphone applications or severe confinement. It also permits a return to normal life in case of viral pandemic and ensures the much-desired balance between economy and health. The present study analyses previous proposed social distance systems then, unlike these studies, suggests an intelligent and distributed IoT based strategy for positioning students. Two scenarios of static and dynamic optimization-based placement of Bluetooth Low Energy devices are proposed and an experimental study shows the contribution and complementarity of the introduced contact tracing strategy with the applications on smartphones.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.588-593
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• 2022

In the highly contagious coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) are associated with high-risk of transmission. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is a procedure with the potential to cause dissemination of bodily fluids. At present, there is no consensus that endoscopy is defined as an AGP. This review discusses the current evidence on this topic with additional management. Prevailing publications on coronavirus related to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and aerosolization from the PubMed and Scopus databases were searched and reviewed. Comparative quantitative analyses showed a significant elevation of particle numbers, implying that aerosols were generated by upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The associated source events have also been reported. To reduce the dispersion, certain protective measures have been developed. Endoscopic unit protocols are recommended for the concerned personnel. Therefore, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy should be classified as an AGP. Proper practices should be adopted by healthcare workers and patients.

• Journal of Practical Engineering Education
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.491-497
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• 2024

Over the past five years, the proportion of patients with arrhythmia heart disease among teenagers and those in their 20s has been increasing. Heart disease has consistently remained the second leading cause of death in Korea and as the number has increased, electrocardiogram testing for arrhythmia has become important. However, specialized electrocardiogram medical devices are economically burdensome and are difficult to store individually in hospitals due to their large size and difficulty in operation. Testing is conducted through visits. Therefore, it is essential to enable individuals to perform ECG self-examinations using an Arduino-based ECG sensor that is affordable and easy to use in daily life, so that arrhythmia can be identified through individual ECG measurement. In this study, data is measured using an electrocardiogram sensor (AD8232), and changes in bio signals are visually provided through real-time monitoring, allowing users to make intuitive decisions and at the same time understand test results. To safeguard sensitive personal information, we have developed a web service that provides individual heart disease and customized health guides that can protect personal information through web vulnerability security using session and user authentication and SSL.

• Journal of the Health Care and Life Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.231-235
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• 2021

This study collects and provides environmental data related to weather by measuring the concentration levels of fine dust at different altitudes, with the aim of forecasting fine dust concentration changes, particularly in the areas where the vulnerable reside. Institutions in the healthcare-related fields can use the real-time data on the changing fine dust concentration, which is collected through different combinations of various measuring devices and drone technologies, which have recently developed at a rapid pace. The study first collects data on the following: PM1 (fine dust particles <1 ㎛ in size), PM2.5 (fine dust particles <2.5 ㎛ in size), and PM10 (fine dust particles <10 ㎛ in size) and predicts respective changes and suggests data on various high levels. The device that was used in the study measured fine dust concentration, humidity, temperature, atmospheric pressure, carbon dioxide, total volatile organic compounds (TVoc), and formaldehyde.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.162-172
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• 2024

To analyse the overall research trends in digital therapeutics, this study conducted a quantitative bibliometric analysis of articles published in the last 10 years from 2014 to 2023. We extracted bibliographic information of studies related to digital therapeutics from the Web of Science (WOS) database and performed publication status, citation analysis and keyword analysis using R (version 4.3.1) and VOSviewer (version 1.6.18) software. A total of 1,114 articles were included in the study, and the annual publication growth rate for digital therapeutics was 66.1%, a very rapid increase. "health" is the most used keyword based on Keyword Plus, and "cognitive-behavioral therapy", "depression", "healthcare", "mental-health", "meta-analysis" and "randomized controlled-trial" are the research keywords that have driven the development and impact of digital therapeutic devices over the long term. A total of five clusters were observed in the co-occurrence network analysis, with new research keywords such as "artificial intelligence", "machine learning" and "regulation" being observed in recent years. In our analysis of research trends in digital therapeutics, keywords related to mental health, such as depression, anxiety, and disorder, were the top keywords by occurrences and total link strength. While many studies have shown the positive effects of digital therapeutics, low engagement and high dropout rates remain a concern, and much research is being done to evaluate and improve them. Future studies should expand the search terms to ensure the representativeness of the results.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.147-196
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• 2023

Advances in brain science have made it possible to stimulate the brain to treat brain disorder or to connect directly between the neuron activity and an external devices. Non-invasive neurotechnologies already exist, but invasive neurotechnologies can provide more precise stimulation or measure brainwaves more precisely. Nowadays deep brain stimulation (DBS) is recognized as an accepted treatment for Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. In addition DBS has shown a certain positive effect in patients with Alzheimer's disease and depression. Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are in the clinical stage but help patients in vegetative state can communicate or support rehabilitation for nerve-damaged people. The issue is that the people who need these invasive neurotechnologies are those whose capacity to consent is impaired or who are unable to communicate due to disease or nerve damage, while DBS and BCI operations are highly invasive and require informed consent of patients. Especially in areas where neurotechnology is still in clinical trials, the risks are greater and the benefits are uncertain, so more explanation should be provided to let patients make an informed decision. If the patient is under guardianship, the guardian is able to substitute for the patient's consent, if necessary with the authorization of court. If the patient is not under guardianship and the patient's capacity to consent is impaired or he is unable to express the consent, korean healthcare institution tend to rely on the patient's near relative guardian(de facto guardian) to give consent. But the concept of a de facto guardian is not provided by our civil law system. In the long run, it would be more appropriate to provide that a patient's spouse or next of kin may be authorized to give consent for the patient, if he or she is neither under guardianship nor appointed enduring power of attorney. If the patient was not properly informed of the risks involved in the neurosurgery, he or she may be entitled to compensation of intangible damages. If there is a causal relation between the malpractice and the side effects, the patient may also be able to recover damages for those side effects. In addition, both BCI and DBS involve the implantation of electrodes or microchips in the brain, which are controlled by an external devices. Since implantable medical devices are subject to product liability laws, the patient may be able to sue the manufacturer for damages if the defect caused the adverse effects. Recently, Korea's medical device regulation mandated liability insurance system for implantable medical devices to strengthen consumer protection.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.417-433
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• 2010

Purpose: This study evaluated the manpower planning of dental technicians. Methods: Methods : Survey was conducted regarding subject's general characteristics, characteristics of dental technician's occupational view and working conditions, and reason to enter into branches of the public health enter. The survey sample consisted of 323 dental technicians (221 male/ 102 female). Survey was conducted for one month from August 1 to September 1 in 2010. Following results were obtained. Results: 1. Regarding general characteristics of the subjects, there was a slight male predilection with 68.4%. Subjects in their 40s occupied the highest proportion of 32.2%. Majority of subjects worked in the big cities (71.5%). Favored working places were dental laboratory (57.6%) and dental hospital or dental clinic (19.5%). Although no position is available in the public sector such as public health center or health care civil servant, 9.3% preferred working in the public health center. Public sector is more favored than 2-year technical colleges or dental supply and equipment companies. In respect to education, 57% of the subjects graduated college. 67.8% were married. Subjects who specialize in the porcelain or all-ceramic were 57.9%. With regard to current position, head of the dental laboratory was most common. 2. Following occupation characteristics were found. Economic reason took the highest proportion when deciding their occupation (39.9%) followed by gaining social experience (36.5%). Majority of the subjects (76.5%) wanted to work as dental technicians until their retirement. 71.5% pursuit to become a manager of the dental laboratory. 76.1% agreed on opening a dental technician position in the public health center. Regarding an authority to lead developing the dental technician position in the public sector, majority of the subject chose ministry of health and welfare (35.6%) and Korean dental technologist association (34.7%). Employment (average, 30%) and turnover rate (average, 36.5%) of dental technology college graduates ranged from 40% to 60%. Most important factors for the employment were practical experience (41.2%) and competency (34.4%). With regard to job satisfaction, so-so as 46.7% and satisfactory was 42.7% 3. In respect to the reason for opening a position in the public health center, 'It is needed to continue denture rogram for elderly patients' obtained the highest score (4.14 point). 'Institutional devices are required to open a position for dental technicians as a public healthcare provider' received high score (4.11 point). 4. Concerning the working conditions, 'professional knowledge is required' received the highest score (4.23) followed by 'too short maternity and parental leave' (4.21). 5. Relationship between general characteristics of the subjects and favor of working in the public health center was investigated. Significant differences were found according to the current and favored working area, favored occupation, education level, marital status, and specialty. Working in the public health center was favored by following subjects: working in mid- or small-sized cities (4.16 point, p<0.05); PhD degree-holder (4.59 point, p<0.01). 6. Among general characteristics of the subjects, significant difference of working conditions was found in the following factors: gender; working areas; favored working areas; favored working positions, and education level. Majority of subjects favored working in big cities and currently work in big cities although satisfaction was comparatively low (3.75 score). 7. Future plan to work in public health center was evaluated according to occupational characteristics. Subject's intention to work in the public healthcare center was significantly affected by opening of dental technician position, leading authority, average turnover rate, and factors affecting employment. Working in the public health care center was favored by the following subjects: Dental technicians who actively supported opening of the dental technician position (4.34 point, p<0.001); subjects who thought the Korean dental technologist association is responsible for the opening of positions in the public sector (4.26 point, p<0.001); and subjects who thought that attitude and character are important for the employment (p<0.001). 8. Concerning difference of working conditions according to the occupational characteristics, significant difference was demonstrated by factors such as a reason to choose to be a dental technician, work plan, pursuing position, responsible authority, average employment rate, and job satisfaction. High standard of working conditions was required in subjects who selected to be a dental technician for the leisure time after work (s.05 point, p<0.01), who planted to work until their marriage (4.25 point, p<0.001), and who pursuit to be a manager (3.98, p<0.05). 9. In respect to influence of general characteristics on the advancement to public health centers, the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.068 and age affected the working condition with significant difference according to the pvalue. 10. Regarding influence of general characteristics on the advancement to public health centers, the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.335 and work plan, opening of dental technician position in the public sector, and responsible authority had significant influence over the subject's intention to work in the public health center according to the p-value. 11. With regard to the influence of general characteristics on the advancement to public health centers, the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.091 and reason to choose to be a dental technician, work plan, and responsible authority significantly affected subject's working conditions. Conclusion: Korean society is becoming a super-aged society according to several statistics. As aged population is rapidly increasing, national health insurance plans to cover denture for senior citizen over 75 years old from 2012. Therefore, dental technicians are urgently needed in the public health centers all over the nation. Many subjects in this study planed to work until their retirement and recognized dental technician's expertise. Ministry of health and welfare and Korean dental technologist association should co-operate each other to prepare foundation and institutional devices for dental technicians to advance into the public health center. This will improve oral health of the population. This study showed urgency of medical facilities and services which meets increasing number of aged population and welfare of the population.