• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.143-146
• /
• 2015

Since 2012, outbreaks of the Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been reported, including the Republic of Korea. To date, most of the people infected with the virus are adults. Herein we describe the clinical characteristics of cases of MERS-CoV infection among children. As of October 29, 2015, MERS-CoV has caused 34 pediatric infections, which accounts for 2.1% of all cases. The median age was 13 years (range 9 months to 17 years) and where gender has been reported (n=33), 57.6% cases were male. About half of the patients were asymptomatic and the majority of the symptomatic patients had respiratory symptoms. In general, the clinical outcome in children was favorable. Among the four patients who died of progressive pneumonia, three had documented comorbidities. MERS-CoV infection in children has a lower incidence and mortality compared to adults.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.216-224
• /
• 2019

The number of patients from Middle Eastern Arabic countries is steadily increasing in respect to the South Korean government's medical tourism strategies. Word of mouth is one of the main determinants concerning the Middle Eastern Arab patients' medical tourism destination. Further, patients' satisfaction affects repurchase and revisit intention. This study aimed to measure the level of Middle Eastern Arab patients' satisfaction, and to measure the effect of different medical factors on satisfaction in such patients who are seeking medical attention in South Korea. A 110 Middle Eastern Arab patients who visited South Korea for medical purposes participated in our survey between November, 2016 and April, 2017. All factors had a high mean (${\geq}4.24$; ${\geq}84.8/100$) except for one factor (hospital halal meals (3.82; 76.4)). To identify factors influencing participants' overall satisfaction we used multiple regression analysis. Physicians, interpreters, and halal meals were the main factors influencing overall Middle Eastern Arab patients' satisfaction. Physicians and interpreters in Korea are recommended to be oriented to basic Islamic beliefs and Middle Eastern Arab patients' behavior. Daily communication, such as speaking directly to the patient, limiting important issues to two or three at a time, and translating sentence by sentence, could help to improve Middle Eastern Arab patients' satisfaction. Enlisting Middle Eastern nutrition specialists in medical institutions in South Korea may substantially improve non-medical services satisfaction such as halal food and dietary restrictions.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Health Science
• /
• v.3 no.3
• /
• pp.399-408
• /
• 2015

Objective. There were two objectives of the study, first was to identify the barriers as perceived by the patients and providers to access the low vision services and second was to identify the challenges faced by the main providers. Study design. Structured questionnaire based interviews of patients and providers Methodology. To find out the barriers to access of low vision services, the interviews based on structured questionnaire were conducted for two patient groups. The first group consisted of 97 visually impaired individuals attending the department of low vision services at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital Rawalpindi while the second group included 56 visually impaired individuals attending the four rehabilitation centers/schools for the blind in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. To identify the barriers as perceived by the main providers of low vision services and challenges faced by them the interviews based on structured questionnaire were conducted for 19 low vision service providers. Results. From patients point of view, major barrier to low vision services identified was inability to visit hospital /rehabilitation center alone - 29.8% in hospital group and 33.9% in rehabilitation centers group, while the lack of social support, lack of family support, cost of travelling, long distance, afford ability, hesitation in using devices and lack of satisfaction were other important barriers identified. From providers' point of view, major barrier to uptake of services was the need for repeated follow-ups. Optometrists were the main provider of low vision services contributing to 47.4% of the providers. The major challenge faced by the providers was motivation of patients to use low vision devices. Conclusion. The major barrier to low vision services according to the patients is inability to visit the hospital alone, while according to providers, it is the need for repeated follow up which proves major barrier towards uptake of services. The motivation is the major challenge faced by providers, majority of which are optometrists.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.485-498
• /
• 2011

The aim of this study was to acquire information related to recognition of atopic dermatitis, asthma, and snack intake status among middle school students in the Seoul area. The survey was carried out by self-questionnaires on 535 students in the 2nd and 3rd grade (88 Patients: atopic dermatitis and asthma group and 428 Control: healthy group). All data were analyzed using SPSS (version 13.0) software. The results were as follows: Among patients, females (61.4%) had a significantly higher prevalence of symptoms than males (38.6%) (p<0.001). Body mass index was not significantly different between the patients and Control group. The most common source for obtaining information about atopic dermatitis and asthma was 'TV or radio' (38.4%), followed by 'family members or relatives' (27.3%) in patients, but 'Internet' (22.2%) was most common in the control group (p<0.05). Although awareness of atopic dermatitis and asthma was similarly low between the two groups, patients had a higher percentage of correct answers on atopic knowledge (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in knowledge of asthma between the two groups. Frequency of snack intake was significantly lower in patients (p<0.05), and consumption of sundae, fried food, liquefied fermented milk, hamburger, pizza, and french fries was also significantly lower (p<0.05). The reason of selecting snacks was mainly 'taste' in both groups. In conclusion, education regarding atopic knowledge and appropriate snack selection is necessary for students with atopic dermatitis or asthma.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.131-135
• /
• 2015

Since April 2012, more than 1,600 laboratory-confirmed human infections with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been reported, occurring primarily in countries in the Arabian Peninsula; the majority in Saudi Arabia. The MERS outbreak in Korea, which began in May 2015 through the importation of a single case who had recently traveled to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. As of November 28th, 186 secondary and tertiary cases had been reported; 38 deaths, mainly associated with underlying chronic illnesses, were reported. One case was exported to China and has been recorded as the first MERS case in China. Thirty-seven confirmed cases were associated with the index case, who was hospitalized from May 15 to May 17. Emergency room at one of the nation's largest hospitals had been affected by hospital-to-hospital and intra-hospital transmissions of MERS-CoV, resulting in an outbreak of 90 infected patients. The vast majority of 186 confirmed cases are linked to a single transmission chain associated with health facilities. The median age of patients is 55 years, with a range of 16 to 87 years. The majority (61%) of patients are men. Twenty-five (14%) of the cases involve healthcare workers. The overall median incubation period was six days, but it was four days for secondary cases and six days for tertiary cases. There has been no evidence of airborne transmission and sustained human-to-human transmission in communities. Intensified public health measures, including contact tracing, quarantine and isolation of all contacts and suspected cases, and infection prevention and control have brought the MERS-CoV under control in Korea. Since 4 July no new cases have been reported.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.136-142
• /
• 2015

The Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (KSPID) has participated in the task force team consisting of government authorities as well as civil medical experts and facilities to block the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in 2015. KSPID posted the "Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) Pop-up" in the homepage of The Korean Pediatric Society and The Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. KSPID also released the "Guidelines for testing for MERS in children and adolescents" and the "Instructions for the Operation of National Safe Hospital" for children and adolescents in a timely manner. Such actions were aimed to prevent unnecessary anxieties, studies and isolation of pediatric patients with respiratory symptoms and signs caused by other common microbial etiologies as being suspected for MERS patients. This strategy relieved the doctors and parents from unnecessary fear and prevented the loss of unnecessary health care costs, and has proven to be a well-judged guideline and management protocol as evaluated after the final end of MERS outbreak. KSPID and its members should support the presence of pediatric infectious disease (PID) specialists in every medium size hospitals in Korea by developing the need for consultation fees for PID consultation in the hospital based practice and promoting the potential for cost savings related to prevention of health care associated infections and optimal prescription of antimicrobial agents. KSPID and its members need to approach and develop a communication plan to political decision makers to demonstrate and convince them of the importance of a PID specialist service.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.402-410
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical to protect healthcare workers from pandemic outbreaks. This study was designed to identify nurses' knowledge, attitude and perceptions on PPE. Methods: Data were collected from 154 nurses working at a tertiary general hospital, where positively diagnosed and suspected patients were accepted and admitted during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus outbreak in 2015. The PPE tool consists of 20 items for knowledge, and 5 each for attitudes and perceptions. Results: Overall, knowledge for PPE was higher than moderate (76.95/100), but there was a lack for items related to powered air purifying respirator (PAPR). For attitudes, willingness to work in pandemic outbreaks was the most positive (4.04/5.00). Goggles and PAPR were perceived as the most uncomfortable barriers to work. There was no correlation between knowledge, attitude and perceptions, despite a strong positive correlation between attitude and perceptions. PPE training was identified as a factor to improve knowledge and attitudes on PPE. Conclusion: To respond to pandemic influenza, nurses need to expand their knowledge on PPE up to Level C, and be updated through regular training. Study findings suggest that repetitive studies targeting nurses and other healthcare workers at various hospital settings are necessary.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.179-188
• /
• 2017

Purpose: This study examined post-traumatic stress (PTS) and the factors affecting it among general hospital nurses after the MERS(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic. Methods: Data were collected from 170 nurses who worked at general hospitals since the first reported MERS outbreak. The IES-R-K assessed PTS. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: The mean PTS level was 7.80 points (range: 0~88); 7.1% of the participants were at a high risk. Nurses who had been in contact with patients suspected or diagnosed with MERS had high post-traumatic levels; those who had been quarantined during the MERS outbreak had relatively higher PTS levels. Shift-work nurses had higher PTS levels than those with fixed working hours. Above charge' nurses stress levels were higher than staff nurses' stress levels. The results showed that factors including contact with an MERS-suspected or diagnosed patient, position at work, and working status of MERS-affected nurses explained 16% of the PTS. Among the main variables, nurses' above charge position was the greatest factor affecting PTS. Discussion: It is necessary to develop intervention studies and programs considering these variables. Furthermore, development and implementation of differentiated programs should be done considering the position of above charge nurses.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
• /
• v.33 no.53
• /
• pp.348.1-348.6
• /
• 2018

We report a case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in a 61-year-old businessman returning from Kuwait. The patient arrived there on August 16, 2018, developed watery diarrhea on August 28 (day 0), and came back to Korea on September 7 (day 10) as his condition worsened. Upon arrival, he complained of diarrhea and weakness, but denied any respiratory symptoms, and he directly went to visit an emergency room. Chest radiography revealed interstitial infiltrates in the lungs, and he was immediately transferred to an isolation unit. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of sputum samples taken on day 11 returned positive for MERS-CoV. No secondary MERS-CoV infection was identified among people who had close contact with him. This case underscores the importance of a high index of suspicion of MERS-CoV infection in any febrile patients who present after a trip to the Middle East.

• Kidney Research and Clinical Practice
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.111-116
• /
• 2017

The Korean Society of Nephrology participated in the task force team consisting of government authorities and civilian experts to prevent and control the spread of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2015. The Korean Society of Nephrology MERS Task Force Team took an immediate action and drafted 'the clinical recommendation for hemodialysis facilities' to follow when the first and the only confirmed case was reported in the hemodialysis unit. Owing to the dedicated support from medical doctors, dialysis nurses, and related medical companies, we could prevent further transmission of MERS infection successfully in hemodialysis units. This special report describes the experience of infection control during MERS outbreak in 2015 and summarizes the contents of 'the clinical practice guideline for hemodialysis facilities dealing with MERS patients' built upon our previous experience.