• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.104-124
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• 1996

Background : In these days, the health care organizations have concerned about customer-centered care in order to empower the competitiveness on the health care markets. The departments working for quality management of the hospitals have used health care quality indicators in terms of medical areas as well as service areas of the hospitals. However, there were insufficient efforts to develop the credible measurement to seek the customers' needs, their expectations and their satisfaction levels related to health care services because various kinds of challenges were in the process of scale development to measure customers' satisfaction in health care. The purpose of this study was to develop the satisfaction scale to health care services in a Korea health care organization and to test its tool with validity and reliability. Method : The concept of this tool was acceptability that one of the components of health care quality defined by Donabedian. Acceptability has the five dimensions of concept: Accessibility; Patient-Practitioner Relations; Amenities; Patient Preferences as to the effects of care; and Patient Preferences as to the costs of care. The Satisfaction Tool to Health Care Services was reviewed by expert panel with five researchers, including hospital managers and a professor related to quality management of the hospitals. As a result, the content validity index was .84 in the outpatient satisfaction tool. The inpatient satisfaction tool had .87 of the content validity index. The Satisfaction Tools to Health Care Services finally consisted of 44 items for outpatients/their families and of 60 items for inpatients/their families. Study subjects of the construct validity test were 479 outpatients/their families and 561 inpatients/their families who visited or admitted at a University hospital from July 1, 1996 through August 10, 1996. The data were examined by Factor Analysis with SPSS. Result : The items of Satisfaction tools for outpatients/their families were categorized by eleven factors with eigenvalue greater than 1.0 accounting for 64.2 percent of the variation in item scores. Also, the items of inpatient tool had eleven factors with eigenvalue greater than 1.0 accounting for 60.3 percent of the variation in item scores. The reliability of overall scale were .95 and .96 for the outpatients/their families satisfaction scores and inpatient/their families satisfaction scores. The internal consistency reliability with eleven factors was ranged from .30 to .94 for inpatients/their families. The Satisfaction Tool with eleven factors for inpatients/their families had internal consistency reliability ranged from .53 to .89. Conclusion : The Satisfaction Tools to Health Care Services focused on outpatients/their families and inpatients/their families developed in this study had a high reliability and the strong evidence of content validity and construct validity based on quality concept. Therefore, this tool would be utilized as a credible quality indicator of health care services to assess the quality problems and to monitor the quality improvement activities in Korean Health Care Organizations.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.149-157
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• 2011

Urbanization of the world's population has given rise to more than 450 cities around the world with populations in excess of 1 million (megacity) and more than 25 so-called metacities with populations over 10 million (Brinkhoff, 2010). The United States today has a total resident population of more than 308,500,000 people, with 81 percent residing in cities and suburbs as of mid - 2005 (UN, 2008). Urban meteorology is the study of the physics, dynamics, and chemistry of the interactions of Earth's atmosphere and the urban built environment, and the provision of meteorological services to the populations and institutions of metropolitan areas. While the details of such services are dependent on the location and the synoptic climatology of each city, there are common themes, such as enhancing quality of life and responding to emergencies. Experience elsewhere (e.g., Shanghai, Helsinki, Tokyo, Seoul, etc.) shows urban meteorological support is a key part of an integrated or multi-hazard warning system that considers the full range of environmental challenges and provides a unified response from municipal leaders. Urban meteorology has come to require much more than observing and forecasting the weather of our cities and metropolitan areas. Forecast improvement as a function of more and better observations of various kinds and as a function of model resolution, larger ensembles, predicted probability distributions; Responses of emergency managers, government officials, and users to improved and probabilistic forecasts; Benefits of improved forecasts in reduction of loss of life, property damage, and other adverse effects. A national initiative to enhance urban meteorological services is a high-priority need for a wide variety of stakeholders, including the general, commerce and industry, and all levels of government. Some of the activities of such an initiative include: conducting basic research and development; prototyping and other activities to enable very--short and short range predictions; supporting and improving productivity and efficiency in commercial and industrial sectors; and urban planning for long term sustainability. In addition urban test-beds are an effective means for developing, testing, and fostering the necessary basic and applied meteorological and socioeconomic research, and transitioning research findings to operations. An extended, multi-year period of continuous effort, punctuated with intensive observing and forecasting periods, is envisioned.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.24-35
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• 2011

This paper demonstrates a methodology of integrated operation and management system for intermodal connectivity center (ICC), which is planning to be build up as a large scale public transit facilities for green growth strategy by the national government. The ICC needs to be capable of providing the integrated location based information for the public transit users in terms of collaborating a variety of transit modes and complex facility in a large scale center. Recently, the upcoming information and communication technologies enable to come up with real time information provision on nomadic and portable devices, i.e. smart phones and/or tablet PCs, as what the users actually need to get on demand. In order to provide the public transit users in ICC with the integrated information on their smart phones for example, the integrated operation and management system plays a key role to collect the data utilizing the wireless communication with real time location tracking and to manage them to be effective and operational sources for applicable personalized services. Thus, this paper defines a type of services, subsystems, and relevant technologies for the system integration so called a "Smart Garatagi Service" and shows a filed test demonstration case in the existing airport terminal, Gimpo Domestic.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.109-118
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• 1999

The need for and components of a contemporary community pharmacy externship for pharmacy students have not been clearly identified in Korea. Mail survey was performed among 20 college of pharmacy deans and 800 community pharmacists to analyze the current status and develop a consensus regarding major focus area and criteria of community pharmacy externship to be implemented under the separation of dispensary from medical practice in year 2000. Mail survey yielded $80\%\;and\;23.5\%$ response rate for pharmacy school deans and community pharmacists, respectively. Of the 16 pharmacy schools that responded 14 said they have externship program in hospital pharmacy, and only 8 pharmacy schools responded of having externship program for community pharmacy. However, these community pharmacy programs lacked criteria and standard guideline for the externship. The results of survey revealed that community pharmacy externship program for students should be organized and directed toward developing expert knowledge and skills in pharmacy practice activities, clinical services, communications, pharmacy management, and professionalism. Pharmacy practice components should include competencies and skills in computer application, prescription processing, dispensing, pharmaceutical compounding, Narcotics Control Law application, maintenance and provision of drug information, and laws and regulations. Clinical service components should include the ability to identify patient's drug-related problems, provide long-term patient care and appreciate drug therapy services. Communication skills should be taught to effectively express his/her professional opinion, deduce the needs of others, utilize appropriate techniques and media to communicate ideas and conduct a patient interview and to obtain patient drug history. Pharmacy management skills should be taught to be efficient in medical insurance and drug control process. It was found that professionalism, morality, pharmacy practice experience, ability to provide clinical services, collect and provide drug information and regality are important criteria of preceptors. Externship sites should possess the ability to stock various drugs, access and provide diverse pharmacy services and should have private patient counseling area. Most pharmacists agreed that top 200 drugs' generic and brand name, indications, dosage, side effects, and contraindication should be instructed during the externship. It was also found that student and preceptor should be evaluated for their performances during the externship. This information will be incorporated into teaming objectives for students and to develop Academic Extemship Program Guidelines.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.69 no.3
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• pp.35-63
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• 2017

This study conducted researches to get related basic materials and grope for a way to prevent or treat suicidal ideation. For the researches, the study examined eco-systematical variables of suicidal ideation of those who are 65 years or older, and the influence of the change in the eco-systematical variables by using the source materials researched in sixteen cities/provinces over the country from KOWEPS(Korea Welfare Panel Study), and then reviewed if there any difference according to whether they had suicidal ideation or thought in the previous year. The analysis result shows that each variable of the ecological system such as individual, family, and social system has an effect on the elderly's suicidal ideation, and there is difference in the influence factor according to whether they had suicidal ideation in the previous year or not. The result implies the policy to cope with the elderly's suicide needs multidimensional approach of individual, family, and society rather than a simple individual level. And also there should be a different support or service according to their situation or conditions like previous suicidal ideation. Especially, it is quite significant that the factors do not influence the elderly who had suicidal ideation in the previous year, but have an effect on those who did not have any suicidal ideation, which means that the proactive and preventive support related to suicidal ideation would guarantee a more efficient and effective policy.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.31-46
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to analyze the contents of elderly housing in the unit "Family Life & Housing" in Technology & Home Economics 9th grade textbooks. The results of this study are as follows: First, the contents, illustrations, pictures, floor-plans, graphs and tables in current unit "Family Life & Housing" varied widely among textbooks and some didn't even contain these informations. Illustrations and pictures which are suit to the content and which contain positive image of space and living should be chosen. Second, most of the contents about elderly housing were concentrated on the life cycle, three-generation housing and universal design, discussed in chapter 'utility of living space.' The unification of overlapped contents and description which don't have stereotype about elderly housing are needed. Not only the interior environment but also the exterior environment of the elders and life-support service for them should be included in the contents. Contents that reflect the change of future population composition and the ratio of three-generation household are required. The elderly housing floor plan needs to be diversified in quantity such as ones which reflect the Korean characteristics or ones which enable person an independent life.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.61-73
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• 2017

Purposes : The purpose of this study is to identify factors that have effects on safety activities of hospital personnels by investigating causality between patient safety culture, job stress, safety system and safety activities of faculty and staff member who are working for oriental medicine hospital of university. Methodology : The subjects were 246 employees working in 4 oriental medicine hospitals of university in Daejeon and Chungcheongnam-do. The data were collected from January 16 to January 25, 2017 using a structured questionnaire. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, ANOVA and Duncan test with SPSS 22.0 were used. Findings : The activity score for patient safety of faculty and staff member, who were experienced at job training program after joining a company and regular training course for qualification or license, was meaningfully higher than that of group who had no job training experience. The result indicated that the higher there is level of safety culture and safety system and the lower there is work stress, the more the activity has positive effect on patient safety. The level score of awareness for safety culture of faculty and staff member in C hospital, which is facing financial crisis in business circumstances recently, showed average value of 3.29. It was significantly lower than that of the other three hospital. Also, The activity score for patient safety was markedly lower than that of the other three hospital. This result become interested in the process of linking non-financial performance and financial performance. The level score of safety activity in A hospital which obtained healthcare accreditation was remarkably higher than that of the other three hospital which didn't certify healthcare accreditation. Pratical Implications : Subjects about Q.I or patient's experience management must be included in curriculum of Oriental medicine. It is necessary to get the effect of job training program for faculty and staff member through the process of preparation for obtaining healthcare accreditation. When the hospital director is appointed, it must be considered that he/she has the ability to attach importance to analysis and management of the factors creating safety accident, and has business mindset for healthcare delivery of customer- centricity. This research showed that financial performance of hospital, which of business environment is favorable; located in metropolitan city and having large scale of hospital and quality of residence rating but low-level of safety culture and safety activity, was lower than that of general hospital situated in small and medium-sized cities. More research needs to be done for answering this result.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.35 no.1A
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• pp.33-43
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• 2010

Recently, users want to use real-time multimedia services, such as internet, VoIP, etc., using their IEEE 802.11 wireless lan mobile stations. In order to provide such services, a handoff among access points is essential to support the mobility of a node, in such an wide area. However, the legacy handoff methods of IEEE 802.11 technology are easy to lose connections. Also, the recognition of a disconnection and channel re-searching time make the major delay of the next AP to connect. In addition, because IEEE 802.11 decides the selection of an AP depending only on received signal strength, regardless of a node direction, position, etc., it cannot guarantee a stable bandwidth for communication. Therefore, in order to provide a real-time multimedia service, a node must reduce the disconnection time and needs an appropriate algorithm to support a sufficient communication bandwidth. In this paper, we suggest an algorithm which predicts a handoff point of a moving node by using GPS location information, and guarantees a high transmission bandwidth according to the signal strength and the distance. We implemented the suggested algorithm, and confirmed the superiority of our algorithm by reducing around 3.7ms of the layer-2 disconnection time, and guaranteed 24.8% of the communication bandwidth.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.73-82
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• 2017

In Korea, previous certification of water supply infrastructure was mainly focused on economical and physical aspects. Recently, hygienic safety of water supply service has become a sensitive and important issue to our people for evaluating the water quality with growth of economy and education system. According on water quality in 497 Korean water supply facilities, pH values in the supplied water have ranged between 5.8-8.5. However, little is known about metal leachability at the pH conditions observed in the real water supply systems because a fixed pH condition (pH 7.0) has been used in the current standard method, 'Hygienic Safety Testing Method', in water supply. In this work, we examined the effects on heavy metal leachability with pH differences in the water supply pipes which are typically used in Korea. As a result, the amounts of metal leachability were tended to increase when pH levels were decreased. Especially at pH 5.8, Cu leachability from Cu pipes was found to exceed the public health standard level even after applying a normalization factor (NF) given by the current Korea standard method. The Cr and Cu leached from stainless steel pipes, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn from Cu-based pipe fittings, and Zn from Zn-based pipe fittings were exceeded the Korean hygienic safety standards while, after applying the NF, concentrations of the leached metals were satisfied with the current Korean standard. The findings from this work provide implications on the needs of reforming the current hygienic safety standard methodology.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.14-25
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• 2005

This study was conducted to examine the present state, types of services, difficulties, education programs, motivation, satisfaction and attitude of hospice volunteers and also to suggest supporting programs for the volunteer. For these purposes, a questionnaire was distributed among the 200 hospice volunteers in ten hospice organizations in Daejeon and Chungcheong province. In this research, 85.5% of the respondents were women and most of them were housewives in their forties and fifties. The majority of hospice volunteers had an education background of more than high school. Christianity (94%) was the dominant religion of volunteers. Among the service area of the hospice, emotional caring, such as listening closely and establishing empathy were the most frequently done by the respondents and the next one was spiritual care. Hospice volunteers who had started with altruistic motivation show more dynamic activities in emotional, spiritual, physical caring and so on, than those with non-altruistic motivation. Most of the respondents expressed that they felt a hospice volunteer was valuable. However they had a hard time to overcome the sorrow coming from sharing empathy with the dying patients. Those who had started with altruistic motivation usually took part in two times per a week and had more positive attitude. Volunteers who had been working more than five years showed better attitude than those who had been working less than three years. The longer the voluntary services, the more positive attitude experienced by volunteers. Hospice volunteers encountered the most considerable difficulty with lack of background knowledge and their actual capability. Insufficiency of time was the next reason for the considerable difficulty of the hospice volunteer. On the other hand, those who served more than twice per week replied that lack of background knowledge and their capability were the least considerable difficulty. Insufficiency of time was the reason of difficulty for male volunteers, as well as for females under thirty and those in their forties and fifties respectively. Generally most of the hospice volunteers (70%) were satisfied with their services and they usually satisfied with physical caring, spiritual caring, hospice's family caring. The less difficulty in voluntary services, more satisfaction for the volunteers in the end. There is a positive correlation between a attitude of the hospice volunteer and frequency of voluntary services while the volunteers' difficulty affect negatively their attitude as well as the frequency of voluntary services. Most of the hospice volunteers want to have more education about basic skills, volunteer's attitude and role, spirituality, the way of attending on the hospice and so on. Most of them considered discussion and sharing different cases as the most effective method. They also wish to had more supporting programs for the hospice volunteers(in the order of their needs) such as regular events, newsletters, personal concern, social meetings among the volunteers, insurance and minimum expenses. Based on the study results, more programs should be run in order to activate the voluntary services regardless of their gender and education background. A continuous practical supporting policy and education programs are required in order to provide special education and training courses considering every field of voluntary services. Expanding the role of the volunteers allows them more opportunities to take part in voluntary services and th activate participation. It is necessary to establish a new hospice system as a part public medical system, which can not only facilitate the voluntary services for a hospice but also enhance professional hospice volunteers. Finally, experts are needed to operate the voluntary services effectively.