• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.198-206
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• 2020

Purpose: The rapid response team is a patient safety system that detects symptoms and signs of deteriorating inpatients and provides intervention and treatment. This study analyzed the factors influencing the activation time of the team. Methods: This is a descriptive correlation study that analyzed the electronic medical records of patients activated by the rapid response team. The collection period was from January 2014 to December 2017. We analyzed 278 pieces of data activated by the rapid response team for patients aged 16 years or older at C University S Hospital in Seoul. We employed the SPSS 23.0 program for data analysis. Results: The reasons for activation of the rapid response team were oxygen saturation of less than 90.0%, other causes, and change in consciousness. The most common diagnosis of activated patients was respiratory failure (32.4%). The average activation time was 153.43±286.05 min. The activation time was shortest during convulsions (13.29±7.32 min). For patients with a history of kidney disease (B=0.58, p=.008), in case of surgery (B=0.55, p<.001), if the first symptom is mediated by the physician (B=0.53, p=.007) the active time is often extended. On the other hand, activation time is reduced when consciousness changes (B=-0.51, p=.002), especially when oxygen saturation is below 90.0% (B=-0.64, p<.001). Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, it is expected that patients deteriorating in the general ward would be recognized early, which will help in the effective activation of the rapid response team.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.599-609
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• 2020

Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has rapidly become a global pandemic with over 26.4 million confirmed cases and approximately 871,000 fatalities worldwide as of this writing. In the Republic of Korea, disease clusters frequently occurred in long-term care hospitals where the majority of residents are elderly with underlying medical conditions. Despite the fact that public health authorities and local community health centers have put tremendous efforts into preventing the spread of disease, positive cases have continued to occur. Thus, the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention rapid response team decided to conduct an environmental investigation of a long-term care hospital to identify whether environmental contamination has remained and contributed to the spread of COVID-19. Methods: An environmental investigation was conducted at Hospital A. The characteristics of the facility and its HVAC system were assessed by checking the layout and interviewing the people in charge. A total of 64 surface samples were collected from areas of concern, including patient rooms, toilets, elevators, and nurses' station. These samples were tested by a regional health and environmental research institute using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: All samples from Hospital A were confirmed to be negative. Through interviews with high-level personnel at the regional community health center, we found that extensive disinfection is frequently performed on potentially contaminated areas in Hospital A in accordance with government guidelines. Conclusion: The environmental control measures implemented in Hospital A had been sufficient for mitigating the risk of further infection, suggesting that such measures may also be effective for other long-term health care facilities.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.18-29
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• 2021

Purpose: Patients with hematologic malignancy (HM) typically have a high mortality rate when their condition deteriorates. The chronic progressive course of the disease makes it difficult to assess the effect of intervention on acute events. We investigated the effectiveness of a rapid response team (RRT) on in-hospital mortality in patients with HM. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with HM who admitted to the medical intensive care unit between 2006 and 2015. Clinical outcomes before and after RRT implementation were evaluated. Results: A total of 228 patients in the pre-RRT period and 781 patients in the post-RRT period were included. The overall in-hospital mortality was 55.4%. Patients in the post-RRT period had improved survival; however, they required more vasopressor therapy, continuous renal replacement therapy, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Multivariate analysis revealed that in-hospital mortality was associated with RRT activation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.634; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.498-0.807; p < .001), neurological disease (HR, 2.007; 95% CI, 1.439-2.800; p < .001), sequential organ failure assessment score (HR, 1.085; 95% CI, 1.057-1.112; p < .001), need for continuous renal replacement therapy (HR, 1.608; 95% CI, 1.206-1.895; p< .001), mechanical ventilation (HR, 1.512; 95% CI, 1.206-1.895; p< .001), vasopressor (HR, 1.598; 95% CI, 1.105-2.311; p = .013), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (HR, 1.728; 95% CI, 1.105-2.311; p = .030). Conclusion: RRT activation may be associated with improved survival in patients with HM.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2015

Background: To prepare for possible emergency situations during dental treatment, it is helpful to know how often and what kinds of emergencies may arise. This study set out to evaluate the incidences, causes, treatments, and outcomes of emergency situations in the outpatient clinic of a dental teaching hospital in Korea. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who had experienced an emergency situation and emergency response team activated in a selected outpatient clinic between November 2004 and November 2013. Specific information about the emergency cases was collected, including the patient characteristics and the frequency, types, treatments, and outcomes of the emergency situations. Results: We identified 35 instances of emergency situations in 2,890,424 patients (incidence = 0.012 per 10,000 outpatients). The number of cases was as follows: 10 (28.6%) in the Department of Periodontics, 10 (28.6%) in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 6 (17.1%) in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, 4 (11.4%) in the Department of Prosthodontics, 2 (5.7%) in the Department of Conservative Dentistry, 2 (5.7%) in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, and 1 (2.9%) in the Department of Orthodontics. Three (8.6%) of the emergency situations arose before treatment, 22 (62.9%) during treatment, 7 (20.0%) after treatment, and 2 (5.7%) in a patient's guardian. Conclusions: In accordance with the growing elderly population and more aggressive dental procedures, the number of emergency situations may increase in the future. We recommend that clinicians keep in mind airway management and the active control of emergency situations.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.38-44
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• 2011

The aim of this study is to evaluate the patient's and clinician's response to rapid oral HIV screening test. Attitude assessment survey was carried out on patients test with rapid oral HIV screening test and clinicians who conducted the test. The patients and clinicians were present at the dental hospital and clinics which were participating in the research project, between March and May 2010. Rapid oral HIV screening test is safe and efficient to the patients. It also demonstrated reliability to accuracy and confidentiality, and high recommendation to rapid oral HIV screening test. The clinician survey revealed high test convenience and high appraisal to patient satisfaction. In conclusion, if rapid oral HIV screening test becomes more common, patients will receive safe and convenient and high reliable HIV infection test, while clinicians will be able to create safe dental care environment.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.152-156
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• 2021

Diplopia is a rare complication of spine surgery. The abducens nerve is one of the cranial nerves most commonly related to diplopia caused by traction injury. We report a case of a 71-year-old woman who presented with diplopia developing from abducens nerve palsy after C1-C2 fixation and fusion due to atlantoaxial subluxation with cord compression. As soon as we discovered the symptoms, we suspected excessive traction by the instrument and subsequently performed reoperation. Subsequently, the patient's symptoms improved. In other reported cases we reviewed, most were transient. However, we thought that our rapid response also helped the patient's fast recovery in this case. The mechanisms by which postoperative diplopia develops vary and, thus, remain unclear. We should pay attention to the fact that the condition is sometimes an indicator of an underlying, life-threatening condition. Therefore, all patients with postoperative diplopia should undergo thorough ophthalmological and neurological evaluations as well as careful observation by a multidisciplinary team.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.359-373
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to develop evidence-based practice guideline for rapid response to acute deterioration of hospitalized patients. The guideline was developed according to the Clinical Practice Guideline Adaptation Manual. and evaluated using AGREE II tool. The guidelines were checked content validation by an expert group, final 130 recommendations in 5 sections including management, recognition, activation, response, and evaluation. The average of the overall practical application to the guidelines was 4.41±0.78 out of 5, which showed high applicability in clinical work.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.219-227
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• 2014

Purpose: To assess whether the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) predicts the need for intensive care unit (ICU) transfer for patients with severe sepsis or septic shock admitted to general wards. Methods: A retrospective chart review of 100 general ward patients with severe sepsis or septic shock was implemented. Clinical information and MEWS according to point of time between ICU group and general ward group were reviewed. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves with SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. Results: Thirty-eight ICU patients and sixty-two general ward patients were included. In multivariate logistic regression, MEWS (odds ratio [OR] 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43-2.85), lactic acid (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.22-2.73) and diastolic blood pressure (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.80-1.00) were predictive of ICU transfer. The sensitivity and the specificity of MEWS used with cut-off value of six were 89.5% and 67.7% for ICU transfer. Conclusion: MEWS is an effective predictor of ICU transfer. A clinical algorithm could be created to respond to high MEWS and intervene with appropriate changes in clinical management.