• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.61-66
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• 2022

Objectives: In the epidemiology of communicable diseases, the term epidemic period, also referred to as "wave" is often used in the general and academic milieu. A wave refers to a natural pattern of increase in the number of sick individuals, a defined peak, and then a decline in the number of cases. It implies a pattern of peaks and valleys after a particular peak is taken. The idea of epidemic waves is a useful tool for predicting the course as well as helping to accurately describe an epidemic. However, in many domestic and foreign news as well as in various research results in Korea, most of the reports either had no standard, were inaccurate, had a questionable classification of the period of the epidemic, or the basis for classification of a given wave was not presented. Methods: The author reviewed and organized related literature with epidemic wave. The author made several suggestions of an epidemic wave as follows. Results: To start with, it should be based on the number of incident cases in consideration of the size of the outbreak, then the period from the bottom to the peak and then reaching the next bottom; also, the period over a certain scale based on the number of incident cases; and the period according to the change in the major infection type (mutation-dominant species). In addition, according to the period of change in the vaccination rate (formation of herd immunity), as well as the content and duration of the intervention, that is, classification according to the applied quarantine stage. Furthermore, the classification of epidemic periods by the time-dependent reproduction number or time-varying reproduction number (Rt), and lastly the application of mathematical methodology. Conclusions: Therefore, classifying the epidemic period into generally known and accepted time frames is considered to be a very important task for future research analysis and development of intervention strategies.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.121-132
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• 2019

Objectives: This study analyzed the prescription antibiotics characteristics of Acute respiratory infection outpatients. It provides a basis for establishing the correct evaluation project on appropriate prescribing indicators. Methods: The research data were collected from the National Health Insurance Corporation's 2014 sample cohort for Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Otorhinolaryngology, Family Medicine and General practitioner clinics classification of diseases codes J00-J06, J20-J22, J40 outpatients. Results: The antibiotic prescription rate on the evaluation project for appropriate prescribing indicators of Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service was 43.54%, whereas in this study it was about 10% higher because the analysis targeted the entire acute respiratory infection diagnosis. Conclusions: There is a need to identify the correct antibiotic prescription by expanding the current assessment standard. Such standard must include acute lower respiratory infections and minor diagnosis because current evaluation projects on appropriate prescribing indicators targets only the major diagnosis of acute upper respiratory infection.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.658-667
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze trends in Korean-Western Collaborative Medicine studies by disease group. Methods: Articles published until May 2020 were searched in domestic databases (NDSL, RISS, KISS, DBPIA, and KoreanTK) using the keywords '한양방', '양한방', '협진', '협의진료', '의한의', '의·한의', and '통합의학'. The articles were analyzed according to the publication year, journal type, research methodology, and disease group using the major and intermediate classifications of the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases (KCD-7). Results: In total, 112 articles were selected. The most frequent major disease groups were disease codes G, C (D), I, and M, in that order. The medium disease groups numbered 41 and most commonly involved collaborative studies on cerebrovascular diseases. Among the three top KCD-7 major group diseases, publications on Group C (D) were increasing significantly, publications on Group G were slightly increasing, but, publications on Group I decreased in the 2010s compared to the 2000s. Conclusions: In this study, we analyzed the frequent disease groups treated with domestic Korean-Western medicine in collaborative studies using the major and medium classifications of KCD-7. Well-designed clinical trials and economic evaluation research are needed, and this study can provide directions for future collaborative studies using Korean-Western medicine.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.65-72
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• 2016

Objectives : While neck pain is highly prevalent in Korea, studies examining its Korean medical treatment are currently lacking. The aim of this study was to assess current Korean medical treatment practice patterns for neck pain. Methods : A preliminary questionnaire was developed to investigate current practice patterns of neck pain and cervical intervertebral disc displacement (IDD) treatment, and underwent further revision through external review. The final questionnaire was distributed as a web-based survey to 18,289 potential respondents by email. Results : The response rate was 3.34 %. Most participants replied that they received multiple Korean medicine interventions for neck pain treatment consisting of such methods as acupuncture, wet cupping, interferential current therapy and electroacupuncture. A total of 378 respondents acknowledged that diagnostic testing was needed for neck pain treatment. The most commonly used Korean Standard Classification of Diseases (KCD) principal diagnosis code for neck pain was M542, and for cervical IDD was M501. Conclusion : This survey study helps determine current practice patterns of neck pain, and recognizes the need for use of diagnostic devices in neck pain treatment. These results are further anticipated to provide basic data for clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and future studies using Korean National Health Insurance and Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service data.

• The Journal of KAIRB
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.21-32
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• 2023

Purspose: The purpose of this study is to examine the meaning and definition of vulnerable subjects in clinical trials in light of domestic and international regulations and guidelines, to analyze the contents of standard operation procedures (SOPs) among advanced general hospitals in Korea that conduct clinical trials, and to examine deliberation procedures for operation plans. Methods: The study examined how vulnerable research subjects were defined and described in related regulations and the classification of vulnerable research subjects presented in the IRB/HRPP SOPs of 18 clinical trial institutions, including 11 AAHRPP-accreditated general hospitals in Korea, as well as the operation of the IRB deliberation. Results: Among all domestic and international regulations and guidelines, only the The Council for International Organization of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) guidelines explain why vulnerability is related to judgments on the severity of physical, psychological, and social harm, why individuals are vulnerable, and for what reasons. However, the classification of vulnerable subjects by institutions differed from the classification by the International Conference on Harmonization-Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP). A total of the 16 institutions classified children and minors as vulnerable research subjects. 14 institutions classified subjects who cannot consent freely were classified as vulnerable subjects. 15 institutions classified sujects who can be affected by the organizational hierarchy were classified as vulnerable subjects. Subjects in emergency situations were regarded as vulnerable research subjects in 8 of institutions, while people in wards, patients with incurable diseases, and the economically poor including the unemployed were categorized as vulnerable research subjects in 7, 4, and 4 of institutions, respectively. Additionally, some research subjects were not classified as vulnerable by ICH-GCP but were classified as vulnerable by domestic institutions 15 of the institutions classified pregnant women and fetuses as vulnerable, 11 classified the elderly as vulnerable, and 6 classified foreigners as vulnerable. Conclution: The regulations and institutional SOPs classify subjects differently, which may affect subject protection. There is a need to improve IRBs' classifications of vulnerable research subjects. It is also necessary to establish the standards according to the differences in deliberation processes. Further, it is recommended to maintain a consistent review of validity, assessment of risk/benefit, and a review using checklists and spokeperson. The review of IRB is to be carried out in a manner that respects human dignity by taking into account the physical, psychological, and social conditions of the subjects.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to determine potential contributing factors associated with biosecurity level of farrow-to-finish pig farms and to develop a classification tree model to explore how these factors related to each other based on prediction model. To this end, the author analyzed data (n = 193) extracted from a cross-sectional study of 344 farrow-to-finish farms which was conducted between March and September 2014 aimed to explore swine disease status at farm level. Standardized questionnaires with information about basic demographical data and management practices were collected in each farm by on-site visit of trained veterinarians. For the classification of the data sets regarding biosecurity level as a dependent variable and predictor variables, Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) algorithm was applied for modeling classification tree. The statistics of misclassification risk was used to evaluate the fitness of the model in terms of prediction results. Categorical multivariate input data (40 variables) was used to construct a classification tree, and the target variable was biosecurity level dichotomized into low versus high. In general, the level of biosecurity was lower in the majority of farms studied, mainly due to the limited implementation of on-farm basic biosecurity measures aimed at controlling the potential introduction and transmission of swine diseases. The CHAID model illustrated the relative importance of significant predictors in explaining the level of biosecurity; maintenance of medical records of treatment and vaccination, use of dedicated clothing to enter the farm, installing fence surrounding the farm perimeter, and periodic monitoring of the herd using written biosecurity plan in place. The misclassification risk estimate of the prediction model was 0.145 with the standard error of 0.025, indicating that 85.5% of the cases could be classified correctly by using the decision rule based on the current tree. Although CHAID approach could provide detailed information and insight about interactions among factors associated with biosecurity level, further evaluation of potential bias intervened in the course of data collection should be included in future studies. In addition, there is still need to validate findings through the external dataset with larger sample size to improve the external validity of the current model.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.55-63
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• 2018

Objectives : This study was conducted to survey on the research trends of Pharmacopuncture in Korea. Methods : We searched Korean research database by using keyword 'Pharmacopuncture', 'Bee venom'. Korean research databases were Korean Studies Information Service System(KISS), Research Information Service System(RISS), National Digital Science Library(NDSL) and Korean Medicine Information System(OASIS). We classified articles identified by publish year, type of research and diseases. Results : We analyzed 533 studies. Clinical studies and non-clinical studies except literature studies were decreased from 2015. However, Literature studies had not shown particular change over the past decade. Pharmacopuncture treated disease was classified by Korean standard classification of disease(KCD), M-code (37.8%), G-code(18.4%) were frequently used. Conclusions : A variety of disease was treated by pharmacopuncture. It is necessary to increase the level of evidence of pharmacopuncture. through additional studies in the future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 1976

Reorganization of myun health care service is one of the main issues in health care delivery in rural Korea. The fundamenta, concept of the role and function of the myun health subcenter is that it is the basic unit of rural health care service and is to provide comprehensive health care service through the integration of curative and preventive services. The aim of this study is to analyze the patterns of curative activities in the myun health subcenter in terms of the most prevalent types of diseases, necessary diagnostic methods and required equipment, types of treatment, necessary drugs and materials, and finally the cost of curative services. The population on which this study was done was the 1596 patients who visited the two myun health subcenters (Sunwon Myun and Naega Myun) in Kang Wha County, the area of the Yonsei University Community Health Teaching Project, during period from May 1, 1975 to June 10, 1976. For the patient's record in the clinic, problem oriented medical records were used. Decisions regarding the disease classification, the diagnostic methods used and selection of the most appropriate and adequate medical treatment were made by a group of three experienced physicians after reviewing the medical records which had been written by public physicians who were treating patients in the study area. The records were reviewed by resident staff members of the Department of Preventive Medicine, of Yonsei University College of Medicine. A brief summary of results of the study is as follow: 1. 29.9% of the patients who visited the clinics were ages between 0-4. No sex difference was observed among patients less than 20 years of age. However, among patients over 20 years old, females predominated. Thus it is evident that the majority of patients were either children or mothers and grandmothers. 2. The distance from the individual villages to the myun health subcenter was one of important factors in determining the ratio of clinic visits. However, other factors such as the activities of the health workers also affected the rates substantially. 3. The most common 25 diseases comprised 90.2% of all the diseases recorded. Acute respiratory infection (25.5%), Skin (12.7%) , diarrheal diseases (6.8%), neuralgia and back pain (4.9%) and. all other injuries (3.9%) were the five most common diseases. 4. Of all the diseases diagnosed and treated, 9.2% required simple laboratory tests for diagnosis, 6.5% required X-ray examination, and altogether 13.6% required either laboratory test or X-ray examination. 5. Treatment and management of 42.0% of the cases could be accomplished with simple, inexpensive drugs, 12.8% required the use of more expensive drugs (mostly antibiotics) and injections were required in 19.7% of the cases. Minor surgery and referral were necessary in 5% of the cases. 6. The cost for diagnosis and treatment was estimated with a standard which was set by general concensus. The average cost of diagnosis was 144 per case and the cost of treatment was 726 per case, The Total average cost per visit was 870.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.105-114
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• 2021

A 38-year-old Korean man without any other history was diagnosed with myelopathy due to a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula. Following embolization and high-dose steroid therapy, the patient was treated with complex Korean medical therapies including acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, electro-acupuncture, Chuna manual therapy, herbal medicine, and cupping therapy in addition to conventional treatment. To assess the patient's improvement, international standard for neurological classification of spinal cord injury, Korean version of modified Barthel index, functional independence measure, spinal cord independence measure III, walking index for spinal cord injury II, modified Ashworth scale were used. After treatment, the muscle strength and sensory function of the lower extremities were improved, and the spasticity was reduced, resulting in a rapid improvement in performance of daily activities. These results suggest that complex Korean medical therapies may be effective for myelopathy, and further clinical studies are needed to clarify their effects.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.225-233
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• 2023

This case study reports the clinical effect of Korean medicine treatment on vascular disease of spinal cord. A 58-year-old female patient was diagnosed as vascular disease of spinal cord and treated with combined Korean medicine treatment such as acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, herbal medication, and physical therapy for 16 days. The patient was assessed for International Standard for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Numeral Rating Scale (NRS). After treatment, total scores of ISNCSCI, BBS, and NRS were numerically improved. Also symptoms of neurogenic bladder were improved. This study suggests that Korean medicine treatment could be effective treatment for vascular disease of spinal cord.