• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.69-90
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of healthcare accreditation and to provide empirical evidence to validate positive effectiveness. Methods:Six electronic databases (KERIS, KoreaMed, NDSL, Ovid-medline, Embase, Cochrane library) were accessed in May 2016. Keywords used were 'accreditation' and 'Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO)'. Of the initially identified 3,008 articles, 60 studies on healthcare accreditation were selected based on inclusion criteria that are hospital accreditation, accreditation by disease and clinical center accreditation. These were retrieved and analyzed. Result: The 60 study results were on the impact of healthcare accreditation. Results were classified into four perspectives of Balanced Score Card (Financial, Customer, Internal Process, Learning & Growth). In internal process perspective, results revealed that healthcare accreditation has made a positive impact on "care process and procedure". In learning & growth perspective, healthcare accreditation has made a positive influence on "leadership", "organizational cultures" and "change mechanisms". However, it revealed that healthcare accreditation does not directly affect financial performance. It is also difficult to reach a definitive conclusion that healthcare accreditation programs affect patient satisfaction of customer and clinical outcome of the internal process. Conclusion: Healthcare accreditation programs provide positive impact on change of care process and building communication-oriented hospital culture. However, more rigorous and diverse research is needed on financial effects and clinical outcomes of healthcare accreditation.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1-25
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• 2005

Legislation on pharmaceutical reimbursement decision using economic evaluation results was made in Korea in fm, but has yet to be fully implemented. We evaluated the quality of Korean economic evaluation studies of pharmaceuticals to understand gaps between legislation and implementation. From this evaluation, we propose policy options that might strengthen the research Infrastructure In order to support such studies. We reviewed 23 published studies for drugs conducted between 1996 and 2004. Evaluation criteria included methodological characteristics, healthcare system characteristics, population characteristics, and applicability of results. Large variation in study quality was observed, particularly with study design, outcome data, treatment patterns and interpretation. Korean clinical data used was mostly from observational studies of 1-2 hospitals. Foreign data was extracted from clinical trials that did not Include Asian population and their selection criterion was not clarified. With respect to treatment patterns, medical records and hospital bills were used without adjustment regarding area, hospital type, and others. And next frequent situation relied on expert opinion from academic physicians in specialty practice. preference measures, when used, were not elicited from the Korean population. $78.3\%$ of studies did not clarify the funding source. If the Korean economic evaluation policy is to provide meaningful data for decision makers, the quality of cost-effectiveness studies will need to improve dramatically. This may involve access to or creation of better data, more diverse funding, unproved training of researchers and evaluators, and partnerships with technology manufacturers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.225-234
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• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a tool that measures the quality of nursing service, to measure the quality of nursing service perceived by consumers, and to identify the gaps between ideal and actual nursing services. Method: A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 300 people who had been hospitalized in one of six general hospitals with quality of nursing services in five provincial cities in Korea. For data analysis, the SPSS/WIN(ver 10.0) program was used. Result: The 20 attributes included in the instrument of quality of nursing service is abstracted into 2 factors: tangibility and intangibility. In quality analysis, 15 of 20 attributes are minus scores, meaning that those nursing services are perceived as generally low. However among the minus scores' attributes, only two attributes are significant statistically. Gaps between importance and performance of the nursing service exists in 19 among 20 attributes. Conclusion: Nursing service quality (performance-expectation) needs to be improved, and Gaps (importance-performance) reduced. In addition, a tool measuring nursing service quality has to be developed so nurses can deal successfully with the quality and gaps of nursing service perceived by consumers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.506-518
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• 2002

This study was performed to measure the nursing service quality being used SERVQUAL model and satisfaction that the admitted patients perceived. Method: The questionnaire founded on the SERVQUAL was developed and distributed to 300 patients at the three general hospitals in three provincial city, Korea. For data analysis, Cronbach's α, frequencies, percentages, paired t-test, Pearson Correlation Coefficient were used. Result: In expectation, patients most highly perceived the assurance factor that was one among the 5 factors being constituted nursing service. In performance, patients most highly perceived the responsiveness factor. The performance degrees of the 5 factors and 20 attributes being constituted nursing service did not exceed the expectation degree of those. So the calculated figures for nursing service quality of the three subjected hospitals were all minus. In relation of the patients' demographics and nursing service characteristics to their general satisfaction, patients' sex, age, income and the all factors and attributes of nursing service had relation to their general satisfaction. Conclusion: It could be concluded that the nursing service quality of the three subjected hospitals was poor and the patients' demographic and nursing service characteristics had relation to their general satisfaction.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.131-138
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to compare the health status of South Korea with those of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and examine the trends. Position vAlue for Relative Comparison (PARC) was used as a gauge for comparison, and five sectors of the health care system were measured: demand, supply, accessibility, quality, and cost. The Mann-Kendall test was used as a statistical analysis method to examine trend of PARC values obtained from 2000 to recent years. According to the results, the demand, supply, accessibility, and quality sectors were higher than the OECD average, while the cost was lower than the average. However, there is a recent trend of sharp increases in health care costs. Some indicators: health employment, quality of primary care and mental health care were lower than the OECD average, and health determinants showed a worsening trend. Therefore, policy-makers need to take this into account and make efforts for sustainable health care.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.83-90
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• 2016

In this paper, we performed the analysis of transmission performance for Collision Free Period(CFP) supported by the low-power communication technology, IEEE 802.15.4 MAC (Media Access Control). For the analysis, periodic traffic, original service target of CFP, is considered and, according to the Quality of Service required, packet arrival pattern to MAC layer is categorized as batch and non-batch, and analysis on throughput, delay, and energy is performed for those patterns. On the basis of the obtained analysis, performance comparison with Collision Avoidance Period(CAP) is carried out for the health care applications that generate periodic traffic such as Pedometer, ECG, EMG. The evaluation confirms that CFP is more energy efficient for healthcare applications that generate periodic and time-critical traffic and moreover for the application with high bandwidth requirement CFP achieves up to 46% energy savings compared to CAP.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.871-884
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• 2001

this study was to investigate the perception gap on nursing service between consumers and providers. Method: the questionnaire founded on the SERVQUAL was developed and distributed to 300 patients and 210 nurses at the three subjected general hospitals in three provincial city, Korea during February to March, 2001. For data analysis, Cronbachs' Alpha, frequency, t-test, and paired t-test were used. Result: 1. In the gap analysis on the 20 properties constituting nursing service, providers almost all perceived higher than consumer in quality. Among them, the number of properties being statistically significant was 7 in the expectation, 18 in the important and 7 in the performance. 2. In the comparison analysis of the perception gap on the expectation-performance and the important-performance, it turned out that the subjected hospitals had to improve their equipment and facilities immediately. It was suggested a good strategy to strengthen the responsiveness factor and the assurance factor of nursing service. Conclusion: it could be concluded that nurses have to recognize the blind spot of their perception and endeavor to take away the perception gap between consumers and providers.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.51-61
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• 2023

Background: Mobile applications (apps) on dietary supplements can increase consumers' access to information. However, it can lead to indiscriminate use of dietary supplements. This study aims to systematically review dietary supplement apps released in English and Korean and evaluate the quality of those apps. Methods: Through the app stores, apps on dietary supplements were systemically searched and examined. Two independent evaluators evaluated the apps and presented a mean score using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). The correlation between MARS scores, user and evaluator ratings, and the number of secondary features of the apps were analyzed. Results: Of the 2,772 dietary supplement apps identified, 17 apps were included according to the selection criteria. The mean MARS score was 3.28 (standard deviation: 0.29) out of 5. Apps had higher scores in aesthetics and functionality dimensions, while engagement and information dimensions had lower scores. There was a positive correlation between the number of app downloads and information among MARS dimensions. The subjective evaluation also correlated with the information dimension. There was a positive correlation between the secondary features of the apps and MARS total score as well as the engagement dimension. Conclusion: The dietary supplement apps need to be managed at a higher level of quality to provide safe and reliable information to consumers. Especially, quality on information and engagement dimensions can be improved. Involvement of healthcare professionals in the app development, management with adequate referencing of information, and use of secondary features for enhanced user engagement can be helpful.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Planning & Design
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.65-75
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• 2019

This study aims at analyzing the therapeutic design characteristics implemented in the indoor atriums of the outpatient areas in four children's hospitals in London and San Francisco. A mixed-method approach was used to examine the spatial configurations and design elements in the atriums, while a literature review was conducted to understand the therapeutic design characteristics relevant to atrium spaces and children's healthcare facilities. The spatial design and the pattern of use of the atrium in each hospital were studied during field visits and interviews with the hospital management staff. Based on the literature review and the observations from the field study, a Visibility Graphic Analysis was chosen to examine the visibility, accessibility, and intelligibility of the spatial configurations in the atriums of each hospital. In addition, the openness, restfulness, and vibrant ambience of the design elements in the atriums of each hospital were investigated by surveying fifty-two design professionals on the quality of the design elements in the atriums. A spatial configuration analysis, confirmed that all the atrium spaces had high visibility, accessibility, and intelligibility due to their high connectivity, integration, intelligibility, and because the atriums were laid out in the open lobby space, along the major circulation axis, or in the circulation intersection. In the survey of the design element evaluation, all atriums proved to be appropriate in terms of openness, while the adequacy of restfulness and vibrant ambience differed depending on the hospitals. Notably, location and orientation, access, natural light, outdoor view, and play facilities were found significant environmental design elements determining the successful implementation of the therapeutic design in the atriums. The observations from the aforementioned are further discussed to enhance the therapeutic design quality of atrium spaces in children's hospitals.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.85-98
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• 2023

Objective : We investigated the efficacy of an artificial intelligence computerized cognitive training program using motion capture to identify changes in cognition, depression, and quality of life in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Methods : A total of seven older adults (experimental group = 4, control group = 3) participated in this study. During the COVID-19 period from October to December 2021, we used a program, "MOOVE Brain", that we had developed. The experimental group performed the program 30 minutes 3×/week for 1 month. We analyzed patients scores from the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination-2, the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet for Daily Life Evaluation, the short form Geriatric Depression Scale, and Geriatric Quality of Life Scale. Results : We observed positive changes in the mean scores of the Stroop Color Test (attention), Stroop Color/Word Test (executive function), SGDS-K (depression), and GQOL (QoL). However, these changes did not reach statistical significance for each variable. Conclusion : The study results from "MOOVE Brain" can help address cognitive and psychosocial issues in isolated patients with MCI during the COVID-19 pandemic or those unable to access in-person medical services.