• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.223-227
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• 2020

Background After the laws regulating emergency medicine were amended in 2012, regional trauma centers were established in South Korea. Plastic surgeons specialize in the simultaneous surgical care of patients with facial trauma, burns, and complicated wounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of the plastic surgery department in treating severe trauma patients. Methods From January 2012 to December 2018, we enrolled 366 severe trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) over 15 who received treatment by specialists in the plastic surgery department. Of these patients, 298 (81.4%) were male, and their mean age was 51.35 years (range, 6-91 years). The average ISS was 22.01 points (range, 16-75 points). Results The most common diagnosis was facial trauma (95.1%), and facial bone fracture (65.9%) was most common injury within this subgroup. Patients were referred to 1.8 departments on average, with the neurosurgery department accounting for a high proportion of collaborations (37.0%). The most common cause of trauma was traffic accidents (62.3%), and the average length of stay in the general ward and intensive care unit was 36.90 and 8.01 days, respectively. Most patients were discharged home (62.0%) without additional transfer or readmission. Conclusions Through this study, we scoped out the role of the specialty of plastic surgery in the multidisciplinary team at regional trauma centers. These results may have implications for trauma system planning.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.176-189
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• 2003

Background : Gastric cancer is the most common malignant tumor in Korea. Surgical operation is one of the major treatment modalities for gastric cancer patients. Therefore, gastrectomy is one of the most common procedures in General Surgery. There were variation in length of hospital stay and medical treatment for gastrectomy between three surgeons at Asan Medical Center. Clinical pathways have received considerable attention as a tool for reducing the medical practice variation, increasing the efficiency of care process, and improving the quality of care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a clinical pathway for gastrectomy in gastric cancer patients. Methods : The clinical pathway for gastrectomy was developed and implemented by a multidisciplinary group in Asan Medical Center. A computerized clinical pathway program was developed and revised after a pilot test. A total of 145 patients underwent gastrectomy by three surgeons at Asan Medical Center. We compared the length of hospital stay, patient satisfaction, and the unplanned readmission rate between the pre-pathway group (n=67) and the post-pathway group (n=78). We also investigated the degree of satisfaction among the physicians and nurses who were main end-users of the clinical pathway. Results : The clinical pathway was applied to all target patients. The average length of hospital stay was shortened from 12.7days to 10.6days (p<0.01). The degree of patient satisfaction with the care process changed from 90.3% to 89.2% after the implementation of the clinical pathway, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.761). Unplanned readmission rate was 2.9% in the pre-pathway group and 0% in the post-pathway group. More than 90% of physicians and nurses answered that the clinical pathway had been a useful tool in their medical practice. Conclusions : The findings of the study demonstrated that implementation of the clinical pathway for gastrectomy produced substantial reduction in the length of hospital stay while improving the quality of patient outcomes. The computerized clinical pathway program can be used as one of the powerful patient management tools for reducing the practice variations and increasing the efficiency of care process in Korean hospital settings.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.40-49
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• 2008

Purpose: This descriptive study was to investigate the quality of life in patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from June 1 to October 13, 2007. Method: The survey was conducted in 6 different university hospitals which located in Seoul and Jeollanam-do province using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-BMT Scale (FACT-BMT) version 4. We collected a total of 155 questionnaires and analyzed 149 among them. Results: The average score of quality of life was 2.53 out of 5. Physical well being score was highest among sub-domains, followed by emotional well-being, additional concerns, social/family well-being, and functional well-being. Study subjects worried that their conditions would get worse. However study subjects didn't regret having been received HSCT. Age, duration from HSCT, age at diagnosis, income, readmission, HSCT type, educational background, marital status, and the level of activities of daily living were related to quality of life. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicates that the HSCT survivor's quality of life issue is still important and have to be investigated repeatedly in the future. That is necessary for generalizing QOL outcomes for clinical use. We also suggest to develop interventions to improve QOL.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was to examine the food intake and family support of patients with Coronary Artery Disease(CAD). Methods: 90 hospitalized patients who received CAD medical treatment were randomly selected. The food intake frequency and family support instrument were utilized. Collected data was analyzed by SPSS/WIN 14.0: t-test, $x^2$-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results: The mean score of food intake frequency was 5.65(total mean score 97.50) which was relatively healthy food intake based on the CAD treatment guidelines. Undesirable food intake items were fruit, fish, milk etc. The mean score of family support was 2.44(range: 1 - 4). Food intake showed a significant(p < .001) positive correlation with family support. There was significant difference(p < .05) on family support according to exercise. There was significant difference(p < .05) on LDL level, one of the CAD risk factors, between first admission patients and readmission patients. Conclusion: These findings suggest that nursing intervention education programs should be developed to appropriately care for CHD patients for needed changes.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.175-186
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• 2010

Purpose: Delirium can be a highly prevalent symptom in intensive care units but it may still be under-recognized despite its relation with inclined morbidity, mortality, cost, and readmission. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a protocol that covers risk factors and non-pharmacological interventions to prevent delirium in ICU patients. Methods: This study was conducted using methodological design, and it followed the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) guideline development steps: 1) the scope of protocol was decided (population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes); 2) guidelines, systematic reviews, and protocols were reviewed and checked using methodology checklist; 3) the level of evidence and recommendation grades was assigned; 4) the appropriateness of recommendations was scored by experts; 5) the final protocol & algorithm was modified and complemented. Results: The evidence-based delirium prevention protocol was completed that includes predisposing factors, precipitating factors and recommendations with evidenced grades. Conclusion: This protocol can be used as a guide nurses in screening patients with high risk factors of delirium as well as in intervening the patients non-pharmacologically to prevent delirium.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.229-242
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• 2023

Purpose: The electronic frailty index (eFI), which is derived from electronic health records, has been recommended as screening tool for frailty due to its accessibility and ease of use. The objective of this systematic review was to identify the prevalence of frailty assessed by the eFI and its influence on health outcomes in older adults with chronic diseases. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Cochrane, Google search, and nursing journals in Korean from January 2016 to December 2022. Results: Twelve studies were analyzed. The eFI score, based on routine clinical data, was associated with adverse health outcomes. The most frequent outcome studied was mortality, and the eFI was associated with increased mortality in nine studies. Other outcomes studied included hospitalization, length of stay, readmission, and institutionalization in relation to hospital care usage, and cardiovascular events, stroke, GI bleeding, falls, and instrumental activities of daily life as health conditions. Conclusion: Early identification of frailty in older adults with chronic diseases can decrease the burden of disease and adverse health outcomes. The eFI has a good discriminative capacity to identify frail older adults with chronic diseases.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2018

Purpose: This study investigated the factors affecting the use of empirical antibiotics in febrile infants from 1 month to less than 3 months. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of hospitalized previously healthy infants with fever in Pusan National University Children's Hospital from January 2010 to December 2016. Clinical features, laboratory findings and antibiotic therapy were analyzed. Respiratory viruses were identified by multiplex reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and were reported after 1-3 days. Enterovirus were identified by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and were reported in several hours. Results: The 129 of 366 subjects used empirical antibiotics and 237 patients didn't used empirical antibiotics. Empirical antibiotics were used more frequently when the fever was longer before admission, respiratory symptoms and ill being appearances were present and C-reactive protein was elevated. The rate of readmission was low in the group not used empirical antibiotics. Most of the patients detected by enterovirus PCR in cerebrospinal fluid didn't used empirical antibiotics. The results of respiratory virus multiplex RT-PCR showed no difference in the use of empirical antibiotics. Conclusions: In our study, empirical antibiotic prescriptions were affected not respiratory virus multiplex RT-PCR but enterovirus PCR. If multiplex RT-PCR were reported more rapid turn around time, it will affect antibiotic use.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.606-618
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• 2000

The purpose of the study was to investigate the characteristics of the clients registered in the department of home health care nursing in a hospital and to analyze nursing intervention activities recorded in charts by application of Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) system. For the descriptive survey study, data were collected by reviewing charts of 572 home health care clients between May, 1997 and July, 2000 at K hospital in Seoul. The average age of the clients was 66 years and the number of clients in their 70s ranked first with 28.2 percent(158 people). The mean length of home care service was 47 days with the highest frequency of less than four weeks (56 %). With regard to medical diagnosis, cancer showed the highest frequency (48%, 271 people), followed by cerebrovascular disease (19%), and pulmonary disease (6.9%). According to analysis of nursing interventions by the NIC system, the most frequently used nursing interventions in level 1 were interventions in the Physiological: Complex domain which were used 3,663 times (33%) among 11,107 total interventions. The Safety domain was the second most frequently used intervention, followed by the Physiological: Basic, and the Behavioral domains. In level 2, the Risk Management class was the most frequently used interventions with 3,108 interventions (27.9%), followed by Drug Management, and Tissue Perfusion Management classes. In level 3 interventions, Vital Sign Monitoring was the most frequently used intervention, 569 times (5.1%), followed by Health Screening, and Neurological Monitoring interventions. In sum, half of the clients in the study had cancer and were in their 70s. The most frequent reason for ending home care was death (40%), followed by readmission (28%). These findings represent clients with severe conditions referred to the home care nursing department as it was a University teaching hospital. Further research on analyzing nursing interventions performed in each institution needs to be conducted to develop a standardized list of nursing interventions to use in home health care settings.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the usefulness of the following four comorbidity indices in gastric cancer patients who underwent surgery: Charlson Comorbidity Index(CCI), Cumulative Illness rating scale(CIRS), Index of Co-existent Disease(ICED), and Kaplan-Feinstein Scale(KFS). Methods : The study subjects were 614 adults who underwent surgery for gastric cancer at K hospital between 2005 and 2007. We examined the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of 4 comorbidity indices for 50 patients. Reliability was evaluated with Spearman rho coefficients for CCI and CIRS, while Kappa values were used for the ICED and KFS indices. Logistic regression was used to determine how these comorbidity indices affected unplanned readmission and death. Multiple regression was used for determining if the comorbidity indices affected length of stay and hospital costs. Results : The test-retest reliability of CCI and CIRS was substantial(Spearman rho=0.746 and 0.775, respectively), while for ICED and KFS was moderate(Kappa=0.476 and 0.504, respectively). The inter-rater reliability of the CCI, CIRS, and ICED was moderate(Spearman rho=0.580 and 0.668, and Kappa=0.433, respectively), but for KFS was fair(Kappa=0.383). According to the results from logistic regression, unplanned readmissions and deaths were not significantly different between the comorbidity index scores. But, according to the results from multiple linear regression, the CIRS group showed a significantly increased length of hospital stay(p<0.01). Additionally, CCI showed a significant association with increased hospital costs (p<0.01). Conclusions : This study suggests that the CCI index may be useful in the estimation of comorbidities associated with hospital costs, while the CIRS index may be useful where estimatation of comorbiditie associated with the length of hospital stay are concerned.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.51-64
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was to analyze adherence to self-care behaviors and identify factors affecting the adherence behaviors among inpatients with heart failure. Methods: A total 94 hospitalized inpatients from three hospitals participated in a survey. Data were collected using structured self-reported questionnaire from November 28, 2011 to March 31, 2013 and analyzed using frequency, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression. Results: The score of adherence to self-care behaviors among inpatients with heart failure was $26.02({\pm}8.84)$. Factors related to the adherence to self-care behaviors were living with spouse (t=-2.47, p=.019), functional state (t=2.18, p=.034), heart failure knowledge (r=-.49, p<.001), social support (r=-.35, p<.001), self-control (r=-.25, p=.016), and self-care confidence (r=-.24, p=.019). The factors affecting adherence to self-care behaviors were heart failure knowledge, self-care confidence, and social support. These factors explained 32% of the variance in adherence to self-care behaviors. Conclusion: The adherence to self-care behaviors with heart failure can be improved if heart failure knowledge, self-care confidence, and social support are improved. Therefore, developing a nursing intervention program for patient with heart failure that is considered these factors leads to improve quality of life and prevent readmission.