• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.39-49
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• 2015

Since most medical facilities and medical personnel are concentrated in urban areas in South Korea, an imbalance of access to medical facilities causes a gap in medical resource availability between urban and rural areas. Accessibility to medical facilities is a means of assessment that evaluates a measure of inequality in utilization of medical resources. The evaluation of accessibility uses Euclidean distance, in general; however, this method has its limits in that Euclidean distance cannot reflect actual distance. This study aims to estimate real road distance from village halls to medical facilities in rural areas using Open Application Programming Interface (Open API) of an internet portal site. Using real road distance, we evaluated medical accessibility and compared it with Euclidean distance. The accessibility to primary medical institutions was valued relatively well, but secondary and tertiary medical institutions were vulnerable in Pyeonchang-gun. Comparing Euclidean distance with real road distance from village halls to medical facilities, real road distance appeared to be approximately 1.4 times that of Euclidean distance. This calculation is similar to the circuity factor of Gangwon-do in Korea that estimated to fix the limits of Euclidean distance and assumed real road distance.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.73-88
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• 2014

Objective: This research investigates how to increase the quality of medical service and supply high quality of medical service to patients. By using Kano Model theory we examines what medical service attributes the hospital would be conducted preferentially for patient's satisfaction and provides informations of management strategies for hospitals. Method: To study patients' perception of medical service quality, first we performed pilot test to derive 30 medical service attributes. With 30 medical service attributes, we conducted survey of 300 subjects who have experienced medical services in 6 months. To examine patients' conception of medical services, a modified Kano's questionnaire using 5 scale is applied. Finally we calculated SI(Satisfaction index) and DI(Dissatisfaction index) and PCSI(Potential Customer Satisfaction Improvement) index with Kano's Model analysis results. Key Findings: We found that the quality of medical service categorized in 15 one-dimensional elements, 9 must-be elements and 6 indifferent elements. Moreover the attribute of gives prompt services and have patient's best interest at heart scored the highest SI, whereas the attributes of accurate and precise medical service, exact records, enough explanation and polite attitudes are the highest score of DI. And also good explanation of the bill scored the highest PCSI. In this study findings indicate that while medical service providers try to increase patients' satisfaction by improving hospital's environments, patients' perception of trust and good interpersonal relationships with medical service providers have strong and positive impact on patients' satisfaction.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.189-197
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• 2020

The goal of this study is to present efficient measures to improve the quality of medical education through using a developed and applied continuous quality improvement (CQI) model suitable for medical education. To achieve this purpose, we developed a theoretical CQI model through a review of the literature according to the design-based research method. Through repetitive productive cyclical processes and professional reviews, we finally deduced an appropriate CQI model for medical education. The most important results of this study are as follows: First, the CQI model for medical education is defined as a quality management system with a cyclical course of planning, implementation, evaluation, and improvement of medical education. Second, the CQI model for medical education is composed of quality management activities of educational design, work, and evaluation. In addition, each activity has the implementation strategies of planning, doing, checking, and improving based on the PDCA model (Plan-Do-Check-Act model). Third, the CQI model for medical school education is composed of committees related to medical education doing improvement activities, as well as planning, implementing and evaluating it with CQI. As a result, we can improve teaching by using the CQI model for medical education. It is more meaningful because this gives us organized and practical measures of quality management and improvement in medical education as well as in the educational process.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.49-58
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• 2019

Purpose: Automated analytical systems have begun to emerge as a database system that enables the scanning of medical images to be performed on computers and the construction of big data. Deep-learning artificial intelligence (AI) architectures have been developed and applied to medical images, making high-precision diagnosis possible. Materials and Methods: For diagnosis, the medical images need to be labeled and standardized. After pre-processing the data and entering them into the deep-learning architecture, the final diagnosis results can be obtained quickly and accurately. To solve the problem of overfitting because of an insufficient amount of labeled data, data augmentation is performed through rotation, using left and right flips to artificially increase the amount of data. Because various deep-learning architectures have been developed and publicized over the past few years, the results of the diagnosis can be obtained by entering a medical image. Results: Classification and regression are performed by a supervised machine-learning method and clustering and generation are performed by an unsupervised machine-learning method. When the convolutional neural network (CNN) method is applied to the deep-learning layer, feature extraction can be used to classify diseases very efficiently and thus to diagnose various diseases. Conclusions: AI, using a deep-learning architecture, has expertise in medical image analysis of the nerves, retina, lungs, digital pathology, breast, heart, abdomen, and musculo-skeletal system.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.33-39
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• 2023

Purpose: FLASH radiotherapy (RT) using ultra-high dose rate (>40 Gy/s) radiation is being studied worldwide. However, experimental studies such as preclinical studies using small animals are difficult to perform due to the limited availability of irradiation devices and methods for generating a FLASH beam. In this paper, we report the initial dosimetry results of a prototype electron linear accelerator (LINAC)-based irradiation system to perform ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) preclinical experiments. Methods: The present study used the prototype electron LINAC developed by the Research Center of Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (DIRAMS) in Korea. We investigated the beam current dependence of the depth dose to determine the optimal beam current for preclinical experiments. The dose rate in the UHDR region was measured by film dosimetry. Results: Depth dose measurements showed that the optimal beam current for preclinical experiments was approximately 33 mA, corresponding to a mean energy of 4.4 MeV. Additionally, the average dose rates of 80.4 Gy/s and 162.0 Gy/s at a source-to-phantom surface distance of 30 cm were obtained at pulse repetition frequencies of 100 Hz and 200 Hz, respectively. The dose per pulse and instantaneous dose rate were estimated to be approximately 0.80 Gy and 3.8×10⁵ Gy/s, respectively. Conclusions: Film dosimetry verified the appropriate dose rates to perform FLASH RT preclinical studies using the developed electron-beam irradiator. However, further research on the development of innovative beam monitoring systems and stabilization of the accelerator beam is required.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.32-44
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• 2002

The role of radiology department has been greatly increased in the past few years as the technology in the medical imaging devices improved and the introduction of PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications System) to the conventional film-based diagnostic structure is a truly remarkable factor to the medical history. In addition, the value of using digital information in medical imaging is highly expected to grow as the technology over the computer and the network improves. However, the current medical practice, using PACS is somewhat limited compared to the film-based conventional one due to a poor image quality. The image quality is the most important and inevitable factor in the PACS environment and it is one of the most necessary steps to more wide practice of digital imaging. The existing image quality control tools are limited in controlling images produced from the medical modalities, because they cannot display the real image changing status. Thus, the image quality is distorted and the ability to diagnosis becomes hindered compared to the one of the film-based practice. In addition, the workflow of the radiologist greatly increases; as every doctor has to perform his or her own image quality control every time they view images produced from the medical modalities. To resolve these kinds of problems and enhance current medical practice under the PACS environment, we have developed a program to display a better image quality by using the ROI optical density of the existing gray level values. When the LUT is used properly, small detailed regions, which cannot be seen by using the existing image quality controls are easily displayed and thus, greatly improves digital medical practice. The purpose of this study is to provide an easier medical practice to physicians, by applying the technology of converting the H-D curves of the analog film screen to the digital imaging technology and to preset image quality control values to each exposed body part, modality and group of physicians for a better and easier medical practice. We have asked to 5 well known professional physicians to compare image quality of the same set of exam by using the two different methods: existing image quality control and the LUT technology. As the result, the LUT technology was enormously favored over the existing image quality control method. All the physicians have pointed out the far more superiority of the LUT over the existing image quality control method and highly praised its ability to display small detailed regions, which cannot be displayed by existing image quality control tools. Two physicians expressed the necessity of presetting the LUT values for each exposed body part. Overall, the LUT technology yielded a great interest among the physicians and highly praised for its ability to overcome currently embedded problems of PACS. We strongly believe that the LUT technology can enhance the current medical practice and open a new beginning in the future medical imaging.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.137-137
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• 2001

Purpose： The purpose of this study was to identify cerebral cortices related with sexual arousal fro visual sexual stimulation in healthy males using BOLD-based functional MR imaging Method： Sixteen male volunteers with sexually potent(mean age：24) were examined for thi study. Functional MRI was performed on a 1.5T MR scanner(GE Signa Horizon) with birdcage-type head coil. In this study, blood oxygenation level dependent(BOLD) technique was utilized to create fMR image reflecting local brain activities. The BOLD-based fMRI d were obtained from 7 oblique planes using gradient-echo EPI with $90^{\circ}$flip angle, 50ms TE 6000ms TR, $26cm{\times}26$ cm FOV, $128{\times}128$ matrix, and 10mm slice thickness. The sexual stimulation paradigm consisted of two alternating periods of rest and activati and it began with a 1 minute rest, followed by a 2 minute stimulation by a documentary a erotic video film. Brain activation maps were generated by cross-correlation of imag acquired during rest and activation periods. The index of activation was used to compare t number of pixels activated by each task in each volunteer, where the significance of th differences was evaluated by using Students t-test.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.125-143
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• 2003

This study was conducted to estimate the future government budget in medical expenditures using for the low-income handicapped, because medical expenditures to the low-income handicapped is escalating in these days. It became a big problem not only to the central-government but also to the district-government because they have to subsidize a part of co-payment. This study was designed to project the future government budget using structural model. For the short-term projection, the structural model is stronger than the regression model. The data used for this study were the population projection data based on National Census Data(2000) of the National Statistical Office, the data of Ministry of Health & Welfare, and the data of National Health Insurance Corporation from November 2m to June 2001. The results of the study are summarized as follows: The future government budget in medical expenditures using to the low-income handicapped will be 15-18 billion Won in the year 2003, 16-23 billion Won in 2004, 18-30 billion Won in 2005, 19-38 billion Won in 2006 and 21-49 billion Won in 2007. It is predicted that they would be increasing rapidly. Therefore, the government budget in medical expenditures using for the low-income handicapped must be enlarged.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.211-219
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• 2017

Objective : This study aimed to compare the clinical and radiologic outcomes of patients with subaxial cervical injury who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) with autologous iliac bone graft or polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages using demineralized bone matrix (DBM). Methods : From January 2005 to December 2010, 70 patients who underwent one-level ACDF with plate fixation for post-traumatic subaxial cervical spinal injury in a single institution were retrospectively investigated. Autologous iliac crest grafts were used in 33 patients (Group I), whereas 37 patients underwent ACDF using a PEEK cage filled with DBM (Group II). Plain radiographs were used to assess bone fusion, interbody height (IBH), segmental angle (SA), overall cervical sagittal alignment (CSA, C2-7 angle), and development of adjacent segmental degeneration (ASD). Clinical outcome was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and Frankel grade. Results : The mean follow-up duration for patients in Group I and Group II was 28.9 and 25.4 months, respectively. All patients from both groups achieved solid fusion during the follow-up period. The IBH and SA of the fused segment and CSA in Group II were better maintained during the follow-up period. Nine patients in Group I and two patients in Group II developed radiologic ASD. There were no statistically significant differences in the VAS score and Frankel grade between the groups. Conclusion : This study showed that PEEK cage filled with DBM, and plate fixation is at least as safe and effective as ACDF using autograft, with good maintenance of cervical alignment. With advantages such as no donor site morbidity and no graft-related complications, PEEK cage filled with DBM, and plate fixation provide a promising surgical option for treating traumatic subaxial cervical spine injuries.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.13-20
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• 2019

Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate the use experience of other medical institution of outpatients of Korean medical institution. Methods : Cross-sectional study using the 2017 Korean Medicine Utilization and Herbal Medicine Consumption Survey was conducted. Demographic variables and frequent diseases were analyzed according to the experience of using other medical institutions. The proportions of experience of using other medical institutions of patients with frequent diseases of Korean medical outpatient were analyzed. Results : Fifty-three percent of outpatient had experiencing using other medical institutions for the same symptoms. The frequent diseases of the two groups were similar. The proportion of single use of Korean medicine for injury of lumbar and pelvic, rhinitis, and menstrual disorders were relatively high. Conclusions : There was no notable difference in the frequent diseases according to use experience of other medical institution. Further studies on this topic are needed.