• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.89-115
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• 2021

Korea's health care delivery system is based on the Medical law and the National Health Insurance Act. In order to efficiently operate limited medical resources, it is classified to use medical institutions according to the severity of the disease. The question is whether a tertiary care hospital can terminate a medical contract for a patient, if treatment for severe diseases has already been performed at a tertiary care hospital. In the case of termination of treatment, the Korean court has both a judgment that recognizes the right to terminate and a judgment that denies the termination. Among the U.S. rulings, there are rulings that order transfer to a skilled nursing facility or nursing home or home if acute treatment is no longer needed. Considering that medical resources are limited, it is necessary to acknowledge the right to terminate the contract of the medical institution when treatment by a medical institution is completed.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.55-65
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose was to investigate the factors influencing the alcohol consumption behavior of adolescents to provide basic data for a nursing intervention program to improve health management and prohibit alcohol consumption. Method: The subjects were 306 university students, living in K city in Chungnam province from April 1 to 20th, 2002. The instruments used were the alcohol consumption behavior scale, that is the drinking intensity score, and developed by Shin(1998)'s scale of drinking problem, refusal self-efficacy scale by Aas et. al.(1995), alcohol expectancy by Goldman et. al. (1989), TPQ scale by Cloninger(1991), depression scale by Zung(1974), family cohesion scale by Olson et. al. (1983). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression by using SPSS & SAS program. Results: The multiple regression analysis revealed that the most powerful predictor of alcohol consumption behavior was the influence of friends (drinking everyday) (17.0%). A combination of alcohol expectancy (8.0%), influence of friends (4.0%), father's influence (2.0%), depression(2.0%), refusal self-efficacy (1.0%), personality of harm avoidance(1.0%), and monthly pocket money (2.0%) accounted for 38.6% of the variance in alcohol consumption behavior. Conclusion: From the results, we recommend to use the database that develops nursing intervention program for decreasing the alcohol consumption behavior including the influencing factors in university students.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.156-165
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• 2019

Purpose: Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is a standard treatment for limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) showing a response to initial treatment, but many patients do not receive PCI due to comorbidities or refusal. This study aims to define the patient group for whom PCI can be omitted with minimal risk. Materials and Methods: Patients with LS-SCLC who underwent radiotherapy with curative aim at our institution between January 2004 and December 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who did not receive PCI were evaluated for brain metastasis-free survival (BMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and prognostic factors for survival, and treatment outcomes were compared with a patient cohort who received PCI. Results: A total of 350 patients achieved a response following thoracic radiotherapy, and 190 of these patients did not receive PCI. Stage I-II and a complete response (CR) to initial therapy were good prognostic factors for BMFS and OS on univariate analysis. Patients with both stage I-II and a CR who declined PCI showed comparable 2-year BMFS to those who received PCI (92% vs. 89%). In patients who achieved CR, PCI did not significantly improve OS or PFS. Conclusion: There should be less concern about omitting PCI in patients with comorbidities if they have stage I-II or a CR, with brain metastasis control being comparable to those patients who receive PCI.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2005

Gastric lavage is now known to be ineffective, unnecessary or hazardous in some circumstances where it used to be performed as a routine. This article concerns the medico-legal aspect of forced gastric lavage. The Supreme Court 2005.1.28, 2003da14119 is the case where a patient, who ingested the organophosphate insecticide to attempt suicide and refused lavage. At first we discuss the effectiveness or hazards of lavage because a very high degree of proof -of negligence, not error of clinical judgment - would be required. Lavage, with or without the informed consent, performed negligently which result in harm could, of course, give rise to a claim in negligence. A doctor might also be held negligent in failing to perform an act which he/she had a duty to perform.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.8
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• pp.718-725
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• 2007

Sleep disorders are very common among pediatric patients. Its prevalence is between 10% and 45% in preschool- and school-aged children. However parents commonly do not concern about their children's sleeping habits and for many pediatricians, there is not part of the routine office visit about a childs sleep. Sleep disorders were classified by International Classification of Sleep Disorder (ICSD) as dyssomnias, parasomnias, sleep disorders associated with mental, neurologic, or other medical disorders, and proposed sleep disorders. There are lots of differences in the causes, manifestations, and managements of sleep disorders between children and adult. The sleep disorders in childhood may manifest themselves as bedtime resistance, refusal to go to bed at a parentally described time, sleep-onset delay, inability to fall asleep within a reasonable time, prolonged nighttime awakening, and inability to return to sleep without assistance after waking during the night, and so have wide-ranging influences on children's behavior, mood, school performance, and family life. It's very important for pediatrician to concern about the sleep disturbances in childhood and so the problems of sleep in children should be early detected and managed.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.96-102
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• 2006

Jehovah's Witnesses refuse a transfusion of blood or blood products because of religious beliefs; this refusal at times presents a dilemma for the treating physician. We report a case of a 25-year-old Jehovah's Witness patient who underwent a reoperation for a previous proximal humerus shaft fracture and experienced unexpected massive hemorrhage intraoperatively and postoperatively. The postoperative lowest hemoglobin level was 2.9 g/dl. The patient recovered from the severe anemia without any clinical sequala. We review the legal, ethical and religious issues and suggest the best possible medical care that Jehovah's Witness patient would permit.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.45-65
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• 2020

This study interprets the records of Bianque (醫案) as a medicine practice rather than a simple legend or story, and analyzes its effect on the development of oriental medicine. It also compares aspects of the Bianque related to patient treatment as described in 『韓非子』, 『韓詩外傳』, 『史記』, and reinterpreted using other contemporary literature. The clairvoyant power of 『史記』 「扁鵲傳」 was created by Sama-Cheon(司馬遷) exaggerating the pulse diagnosis with clairvoyance. The contents of the treatment of Sogan-Ja(趙簡子)'s confusion affairs in the first agenda, show that Bianque master the pulse diagnosis. The contents of the treatment of Kwek-Seja(虢世子)'s disease in the second agenda is a record of knowledge of acupuncture using acupuncture points. The content of refusal of treatment in the third agenda, 腠理, 肌膚, 腸胃, 骨髓 and the progression of the disease and the corresponding treatment of 湯熨, 鍼石, 火齊 are specified in detail. From the content of Bianque, he was not a martial art, but a doctor who practiced medicine, and contributed to the development of the pulse diagnosis.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.51
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• pp.329.1-329.9
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• 2018

Background: Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is routinely performed to identify brain lesions in girls with central precocious puberty (CPP). We aimed to investigate the prevalence and type of brain lesions among Korean girls with CPP and evaluate the need for routine brain MRI examinations. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated data on 3,528 girls diagnosed with CPP from April 2003 to December 2016, and identified 317 girls who underwent sellar MRI. Exclusion criteria were patients with a known brain tumor or who did not undergo brain MRI due to refusal or the decision of the pediatric endocrinologist. Results: Normal sellar MRI findings were observed in 291 of the 317 girls (91.8%). Incidental findings were observed in 26 girls (8.2%). None of the patients had pathological brain lesions. Conclusion: The prevalence of intracranial lesions among girls who were generally healthy and without neurological symptoms but diagnosed with CPP was lower than that previously reported. Furthermore, none of the identified lesions required treatment. It may be prudent to reconsider the routine use of brain MRI to screen all patients with CPP, especially if they are healthy and neurologically asymptomatic, and are girls aged 6-8 years.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.137-142
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• 2011

Purpose: In relation to perinatal healthcare, medical institutions and resources are limitative and also are in a state of flux due to the therapeutic specialty. We analyzed requests for interhospital transfers received by Busan 1339 Emergency Medical Information Center (EMIC) to grasp the state of perinatal healthcare delivery system. Methods: This study was conducted on the basis of data inputted into the computing system of Busan 1339 EMIC, between January 1 and December 31, 2009. In connection with 378 pregnant women and 136 newborns who were required to transfer, retrospective analyses were made of the success rate of transfer (SR), the number of contacted hospitals, the time required for transfer and the reason of transfer and refusal. Results: In the case of pregnant women, the SR were 65.5%. They came in contact with 2.7 hospitals, and it took 24.4 minutes. As for the reason of transfer, preterm labor accounted for the highest proportion. In the case of newborns, the SR were 71.3%. They came in contact with 2.4 hospitals, and it took 15.6 minutes. The most common reason of transfer were respiratory symptoms. In the reason of refusal with pregnant women and newborn, the lack of medical staff, medical equipments and wards accounted for great. Conclusion: Many pregnant women and newborns have been transferred to hospitals by EMIC, but the SR has not been higher yet. Accordingly, there is a need to evaluate the propriety of perinatal treatment system, as well as to set up effective perinatal healthcare delivery system.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.615-622
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• 2000

Objective : Percutaneous vertebroplasty is an effective and minimally invasive procedure consisting of the injection of a PMMA(polymethyl methacrylate) into the vertebral body compression fracture with osteoporosis. Matherials and Methods : Twenty-eight procedures were performed for vertebral body compression fractures with osteoporosis in 25 patients(22 women, 3 men). The mean age was 65.9 years old. The inclusion criteria for percutaneous vertebroplasty were 1) acute vertebral body compression fracture with osteoporosis, 2) expected high operative morbidity in old age, 3) no neurologic deficits, 4) no or minimal canal enchroachment, 5) patient refusal of invasive surgery. All patients underwent MR images before the procedure. Under local anesthesia, after the percutaneous needle puncture of the involved vertebra via a transpedicular approach and venography using the water soluble contrast material, PMMA injection was introduced into the fractured vertebral body. Results : The procedure was technically successful in all patients. All patients experienced excellent pain relief (complete pain relief ; 10, marked pain relief ; 14). One patient experienced marked pain relief, however, the patient died during the follow-up period due to stomach cancer. There were twelve paravertebral tissue leaks, twelve paravertebral venous plexus leaks, four epidural leaks and one intradiskal leak, but no clinically significant complications occurred in all patients. Conclusion : Percutaneous vertebraoplasty is a valuable procedure in the treatment of vertebral body compression fracture with osteoporosis, providing immediate pain relief and early mobilization. MRI is the most reliable diagnostic tool for identifying painful fractured vertebral body.