• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.130-137
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• 2019

Objectives : When a patient who attempts suicide visits the emergency room, it is important that the departments of emergency medicine, internal medicine, and psychiatry communicate with each other and prioritize treatment. This study was conducted to verify the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary emergency consultation system (ECS) for drug intoxicated patients. Methods : We retrospectively analyzed the data from medical records prior to the ECS, from July 2017 to May 2018, and after the ECS, from July 2018 to May 2019, to verify the effectiveness of the system. Results : After the ECS, admission to open wards was significantly higher than to the intensive care units (χ²=8.567, p=0.014). In addition, the proportion of consultations to the department of psychiatry among patients admitted to other departments tended to increase (χ²=4.202, p=0.053), and the time required for consultation response decreased (Z=-2.031, p=0.042). As a result of the consultation, the proportion of the patients who had been transferred to the department of psychiatry was increased (χ²=4.692, p=0.043), and the time spent to transfer tended to decrease (Z=-1.941, p=0.052). Conclusions : After implementing the ECS for drug intoxicated patients, unnecessary intensive care unit admissions, consultation response time, and the time spent to transfer were reduced, and the rate of consultation referrals and transfer rates increased. This means that the multidisciplinary consultation system rapidly provided essential medical services to patients at lower medical costs.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.131-133
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• 1997

Number of elderly patients requiring nerve blocks have been increasing in recent years. We had two elderly patients who suffered stroke one day and three days after lumbar facet joint block and lumbar single epidural block respectively. Both patients due to their advanced age had potential risk factor to suffer one or more of the following; stroke, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Due to our experience with these patients, we suggested the following: (1) Nerve blocks should be reconsidered for elderly patient who posesses a potential risk factor to suffer a stroke. (2) Prior to invasive block administration of mild sedatives or analgesics may provide beneficial effects for patients with hypertension. (3) Adequately informed consent must be fully discussed time of consultation with patient scheduled for nerve block especially for elderly and risky patient.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.225-230
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• 2022

Objectives: Patients with excessive tooth wear should first be diagnosed for the etiology of the tooth wear. Causes of tooth wear include bruxism, clenching, and taking medications for systemic diseases. After identifying the cause of tooth attrition, the final prosthesis should be restored with an appropriate vertical dimension. Methods: A 79-year-old man with worn out teeth desired a whole dental treatment. He was on medications for high blood pressure and asthma. The treatment proceeded with a consultation with a medical doctor. The medications for asthma evoked multiple teeth wear and a loss of the vertical dimension. After recovery of 3 mm of vertical dimension, 2 months of evaluation was followed by an interim prosthesis. Results: The increased vertical dimension caused no problem in function and esthetics, and the final restoration was performed with a full monolithic zirconia crown. Group function, adequate anterior guidance, and the occlusal plane were determined. Conclusions: After the final restoration, the patient was both esthetically and functionally satisfied, and a night guard splint was delivered to prevent prosthesis fracture. The patient was informed about the potential tooth wear associated with asthma drugs and educated to visit the clinic regularly.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2011

Purpose: Recently, social interest in an organized trauma system for the treatment of patients has been increasing in government and academia and the establishment of trauma center is being considered across the country. However, establishing such a system has not been easy in Korea, because enormous experiences and resources are necessary. The objectives of this study were (1) to estimate a trauma patient's demands during the course of treatment and (2) to provide appropriate direction for trauma centers to be established in Korea. Methods: The records of 207 patients who were admitted to the Department of Trauma Surgery in Ajou University Medical Center due to trauma were retrospectively reviewed for a 1 year period from March 2010 to February 2011. Patients were reviewed for general characteristics, number of hospital days, numbers and kinds of surgeries, numbers and kinds of consultations, ISS (Injury Severity Score) and number of patients with ISS more than 15. Results: All 207 patients were enrolled. The average number of hospital days was 36.7 days. The ICU stay was 15.9 days, and the general ward stay was 20.8 days. Admitted patients occupied 9.02 beds in ICU and 11.80 beds in the general ward per day. The average number of surgeries per patient was 1.4, and surgery at the Department of Trauma Surgery was most common. Number of consultations per patient was 14.23, and consultations with orthopedic surgeons were most common. The average ISS was 18.6. The number of patients with ISS more than 15 was 141 (61.8%) and the average number of patients treated per trauma surgeon as a major trauma patient was 94.3. The number of mortalities was 20, and the mortality rate was 9.7%. Conclusion: To reduce mortality and to provide proper treatment of patients with major trauma, hospitals need some number of beds, especially in the ICU, to treat patients and to prepare them for emergent surgery. An appropriate number of trauma surgeons and various specialists for consultation are also needed.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.89-92
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• 2014

Myiasis is usually caused by flies of the Calliphoridae family, and Cochliomyia hominivorax is the etiological agent most frequently found in myiasis. The first case of myiasis in a diabetic foot of a 54-year-old male patient in Argentina is reported. The patient attended the hospital of the capital city of Tucum$\acute{a} $n Province for a consultation concerning an ulcer in his right foot, where the larval specimens were found. The identification of the immature larvae was based on their morphological characters, such as the cylindrical, segmented, white yellow-coloured body and tracheas with strong pigmentation. The larvae were removed, and the patient was treated with antibiotics. The larvae were reared until the adults were obtained. The adults were identified by the setose basal vein in the upper surface of the wing, denuded lower surface of the wing, short and reduced palps, and parafrontalia with black hairs outside the front row of setae. The main factor that favoured the development of myiasis is due to diabetes, which caused a loss of sensibility in the limb that resulted in late consultation. Moreover, the poor personal hygiene attracted the flies, and the foul-smelling discharge from the wound favoured the female's oviposition. There is a need to implement a program for prevention of myiasis, in which the population is made aware not only of the importance of good personal hygiene and home sanitation but also of the degree of implication of flies in the occurrence and development of this disease.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 2011

Dental extraction is potentially stress-inducing in many disabled patient. The body's response to dental stress involves the cardiovascular system(an increase in cardiovascular workload), the respiratory organ and the endocrine system(change in metabolism). To minimize the stress, the stress reduction method was established. The obtained contents were as follows: (1) Recognize the patient's degree of medical risk, (2) Complete medical consultation before dental therapy, (3) Schedule the patient's appointment in the morning, (4) Monitor and record preoperative and postoperative vital signs, (5) Use psychosedation during therapy, (6) Use adequate pain control during therapy, (7) Short length of appointment : do not exceed the patient's limits of tolerance, (8) Follow up with postoperative pain/anxiety control, (9) Telephone the risk patient later on the same day that treatment was given. Though the stress reduction method above was applied to the dental extraction in disabled patients with the advanced infected teeth, the complications(syncope, shock, bleeding & infection, etc.) may be occurred. For prevention of complications associated with the extraction, the authors treated the advanced infected teeth with endodontic drainage and incision & drainage before extraction. The final extraction and wound closure were then done after about 3 weeks.

• Journal of The Korean Dental Society of Anesthesiology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2008

Common dental procedures (local anesthesia and dental treatment) are potentially stress-inducing in many patients, especially medically compromised patients. The body response to dental stress involves the cardiovascular system (an increase in cardiovascular workload), the respiratory organ and the endocrine system (change in metabolism). To minimize the stress to the medical risk patient, the stress reduction protocol was established. The obtained contents were as follows: (1) Recognize the patient's degree of medical risk (2) Complete medical consultation before dental therapy (3) Schedule the patient's appointment in the morning (4) Monitor and record preoperative, perioperative and postoperative vital signs (5) Use psychosedation during therapy (6) Use adequate pain control during therapy (7) Short length of appointment: do not exceed the patient's limits of tolerance (8) Follow up with postoperative pain/anxiety control (9) Telephone the higher medical risk patient later on the same day that treatment was given. This protocol is predicated on the belief that the prevention of or reduction of stress ought to begin before the start of an appointment, continue throughout treatment, and, if indicated, into the postoperative period. The authors used the stress reduction protocol in the care of local anesthesia infected teeth in medically compromised patients. The final prognosis was comfortable without any complications.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.57 no.8
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• pp.428-436
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• 2019

In cases of a patient referral, the general dentist should communicate the patient's dental information as clearly as possible to the specialist to whom he/she is referring his/her patient. For this reason, it is necessary to write a referral letter in an accurate and complete manner. The purpose of this study is to analyze the referral letters of patients who are referred to the department of conservative dentistry in a dental university hospital. From January, 2017 to December, 2018, we gathered the information of the patients who were referred to the department of conservative dentistry in a dental university hospital with referral letter. We evaluated the fidelity of a total of 750 referral letters and recorded the information of the referral dentist and the dental clinic. The relationship between each item and fidelity was analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program. The analysis of the contents of the referral letters yielded the following results: The fidelity of the referral letter was higher when the patient was referred during the root canal treatment, or when there was a root canal filling or when there was pain during chewing. The fidelity of referral letter was low in cases where the referring clinic is close to and has cooperative relationship with dental university hospital. Among the factors affecting the fidelity, the year of graduation of the referral dentist was the most influential. This study confirmed the fact that the clinical practice of writing patient referral letters still leaves much to be desired. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to create more clear and standardized guidelines for writing referral letters.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2018

Purpose: The Korean government has tried to decrease the suicide death rate over the last decade. Suicide attempts, particularly non-fatal attempts, are the most powerful known risk factor for a completed suicide. An analysis of suicide attempt methods will help establish the effective preventive action of suicide. Fit prevention according to the method of suicide attempt may decrease the incidence of suicide death. Self-poisoning is suggested as a major method of both suicide attempts and suicide death. The aim of this study was to determine if a self-poisoning patient is a suitable target for the prevention of the suicide. Methods: This was retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort, which included patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) after a self-harm or suicide attempt from Jan 2013 to Dec 2017. The proportion of methods in suicide attempts, psychological consultation, and fatality according to the suicide attempt method were analyzed. The types of poison were also analyzed. Results: Poisoning was the most common method of suicide attempts (52.1%). The rate of psychological consultations were 18.8% for all patients and 29.1% for poison patients (p<0.001). The rate of mortality in poisoning was 0.6%. Psychological consultation was performed more frequently in admission cases than discharged cases. The most common materials of poisons was psychological medicines and sedatives that had been prescribed at clinics or hospital. Conclusion: Self-poisoning is a major method of suicide attempt with a high rate of psychiatric consultation, low mortality rate, versus others methods. The prevention of suicide death for suicide attempts may focus on self-poisoning, which is the major method of suicide attempts. A suitable aftercare program for self-poisoning may be an effective method for preventing suicide if an early diagnosis and management of psychiatric disorders through psychiatric consultation can be made, and early connection to social prevention program for non-fatal patients are possible.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.175-192
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to identify the care needs of family-caregivers to the patients with stroke. Subjects were 115 family-caregivers caring for the patients while they were in-patients or out-patients with stroke in two general hospitals and one oriental medicine hospital located in Seoul and Kwang-Ju. The instrument used for this study was made by the researcher on the basis of results of literature review and interviews with family-caregivers, composed of 35 items. Internal validity by calculation of cronbach's alpha with data of respondents was 0.91, which was regarded as high. The Data were analyzed by SAS program, with percentage, mean, t-test, and ANOVA. Factor structures of care needs of family-caregivers were elicited by factor analysis(PCA, Varimax rotation). Datum collection had been from July 1 to August 14, 1997. The results of this study were as follows : 1. The mean score of the sum of the care needs of family-caregivers was 3.96 and the highest-mean item was 'need for immediate care(M=4.77)', and the lowest-mean item was 'need for chaplian's visit (M=2.82)'. 2. Care needs of the family-caregivers were : Need to be informed of the disease, treatment and care ; need of education and assistance related to physical functional level ; need of social support and consultation ; need of management of nursing problem related to immobility ; need of appreciation ; need of the way to communicate with patients ; need of immediate care and help. The highest mean factor was the 'need for immediate care and help(M=4.74)', and the lowest mean factor was the 'need of appreciation(M=3.58)'. 3. The variables influencing the degree of care needs perceived by family-caregivers to the patients with stroke were as follows : There were significant differences between need to be informed of the disease, treatment and care and general characteristic factors, which were family caregiver's sex (p=.0178), caring period(p=.0223) and patient's suffering period(p=.0244). There were significant differences between need of education and assistance related to physical functional level and general characteristic factors, which were patient's paralysis(p=.0177), patient's ADL dependency(p=.0032). There were significant differences between need of social support and consultation and general characteristic factors, which were family caregiver's sex(p=.0055), occupation(p=.0159), religion(p=.0093) and patient's sex(p=.0134). There was significant difference in the degree of need of management of nursing problem related to immobility, according to the patient's ADL dependency(p=.0493). There were significant differences between need of appreciation and general characteristic factors, which were family caregiver's age(p=.0107), sex(p=.0133), and patient's age(p=.0338). There were significant differences between need of the way to communicate with patient and general characteristic factors, which were patient's paralysis(p=.0002) and aphasia(p=.0001). There were significant differences between need of immediate care and help and general characteristic factors, which were family caregiver's caring period(p=.0162) and patient's suffering period(p=.0116). 4. The mean score of patient's ADL dependency was 3. 38 and the highest-mean item was 'ascending and descending stairs(M=4.12)', and the lowest-mean item was 'drinking(M=2.60)'. There was no significant difference in the degrees of care needs related to the patient's ADL dependency. 5. The highest information source of family-caregivers was from the doctors about the disease, treatment and care(26.1%). The second highest one was from mass media(20.8%), and the third one was from the nurses. The above findings may be used as the basic data to seek more efficient way of elevating nursing practice and quality for family-caregivers to the patients with stroke.