• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.41-63
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• 2002

The purpose of this study is to analyze the interrelation of influential factors in organizational conflict and organizational commitment. The data for this study were collected through a self-administered survey with a structured Questionnaire to 1,167 subjects from several nursing staff members, administration staff members and medical technicians of six hospitals. In this analysis frequency test, t-test, ANOVA, hierarchical multiple regression and structural equation model were used. The main findings of this study are as follows. 1. Factors which influence organizational conflict were analyzed. The type of occupation and the year of service were socio-demographic variables which influenced organizational conflict positively. Adjusted R square was 0.03. Perceptions on organizational structure and organizational culture were analyzed with two- level variables that were added. The findings were as follows. Adjusted R square increased to 0.25. The year of service, internal process culture and rational goal culture were positive variables. The design of organizational structure, human relations culture and open system culture were negative variables. 2. Variables which influence organizational commitment were analyzed. Age and the year of service were positive variables, while academic background based on high school education was a negative variable. Adjusted R square was 0.16. Perceptions on organizational structure and organizational culture were analyzed with two-level variables that were added. The findings were as follows. The characteristics of organizational structure, human relations culture and organizational culture were positive variables. Adjusted R square increased to 0.55. The variables of organizational conflict were added in 3 steps. Findings were as follows. The variables of hierarchical conflict showed negative influence and were included in two-level influential variables. Adjusted R square increased to 0.56. 3. Structural equation model was analyzed in order to examine the relation between organizational structure and the variables of organizational culture, organizational conflict and organizational commitment. Thirteen path coefficients out of seventeen path coefficients were significant. Age had negative influence on organizational conflict and positive influence on organizational commitment. The year of service had positive influence on organizational conflict and organizational commitment. The design of organizational structure, human relations culture and open system culture had negative influence on organizational. conflict. They had positive influence on organizational commitment. Internal process culture and rational goal culture had positive influence on organizational conflict. Organizational conflict had negative influence on organizational commitment. The squared multiple correlation of this model was 25.1% in organizational conflict and 52.7% in organizational commitment. The conclusion of this study is as follows. Factors in organizational structure and organizational culture, rather than socio-demographic factors, had a stronger influence on the organizational conflict and organizational commitment of hospitals. In order to decrease organizational conflict, to increase organizational commitment and to maximize the effectiveness of hospital management, it is necessary to understand the overall relation between organizational structure, organizational culture, organizational conflict and organizational commitment, with the effort of improving personalized factors and individual factors of organization management.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.52-79
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• 2002

The hospital is characterized by it's remarkable labor industry and human resources input by unit. Recently, the administrative personnel are recognized as an important staff to provide a hospital guidance to consumer and also easiness for consumer's visit to hospital. The purpose of this study is to find the organizational effectiveness of the administrative personnel in hospitals. The survey data involved in the study was derived from 229 personnels working in 3 medium and small sized hospitals and 1 university hospital in Inchon area. The major finding are as follows; 1. The organizational efficiency in accordance with the general characteristics of subjects in order of over 31 years of age, university graduates, long-term tenure and high position is higher, whereas, in as much as wage and well trained personnels in are higher, general hospital's organizational efficiency is higher in comparison with those of university hospital. 2. The organizational efficiency in accordance with satisfaction and the psychological motive contributional factors is higher as much as the high satisfactory level in every hospitals in general. 3. The organizational efficiency in accordance with the factors of job characteristics is higher in as much as difficulty of the jobs is lesser, however there was not statically significance. In as much as job standard level is higher and the more job responsibility the higher organizational efficiency. It was obvious that the higher professional expertise as well as the training and application level are improving the organizational efficiency. 4. The organizational efficiency in accordance with the factors of structural characteristics was higher in as much as the intercommunication was smooth and the structural formalization level are higher, however there was not statically significance between the participation level of decision making and the organizational efficiency. 5. In as much as older age, management of organization and the job level are satisfied, the higher structural formalization level, the smooth intercommunication have affected as major influence factors of organizational efficiency. 6. In the university hospitals is satisfied in the management and job level of hospital organization as there are no difficult jobs while the level of hospital's organizational formality is high and the intercommunication is smooth, which are improving the organizational efficiency. In the general hospitals is also satisfied the management and job level of hospital organization and psychological motive contributional factors is higher, it was apparent that the organizational efficiency is higher in as much as the level of job standardization is high and the intercommunication is smooth. As a result of this study, in order for improving the organizational efficiency of administrative personnel in hospitals, the management and job level as well as personal relation are preferably satisfied, whereas formalization of organization, intercommunication and etc. should be satisfied, and, therefore, it is advisable to buildup discriminated organizational management and environment for different division on the basis above factors. Since this study is carried on four hospitals in Inchon area, there is a certain limit to generalize its result to all domestic hospitals, nevertheless the gallop poll was made by developing the questionnaires with reasonability and reliability. Especially. as the study was carried by analyzing the comparison of influence factors' difference of organizational efficiency in accordance with the divisional characteristics of the university and general hospitals.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.40-61
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to promote the efficiency of the management of the controls organization in the university hospitals and general hospitals by evaluating the factors underlying organizational conflict. The subject population included 351 hospital workers randomly selected from two general hospitals of less than 200 beds and two university hospitals over 500 beds in Seoul area. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire. To define related factors for the level of conflict among departments in each hospitals multivariate regression analysis was conducted. Independent factors were characteristics of subjects, conflicting factors between the departments. The results are as follows: 1. Those in high job position group demonstrated significantly higher level of conflict between departments. Those working in the general hospitals, who were older and had long-term tenure at current working hospital had higher level of conflict between the departments. 2. Concerning the involvement of conflicting factors and the level of conflict in the employees' there was statistically significant positive correlation between reliability and job-related and intradepartmental level of conflict in university hospitals. There was a significant positive correlation between interdepartmental conflicting factors of mutual dependence, difference in goal/orientation and interdepartmental level of conflict. 3. In the university hospitals, among the interdepartmental factors, mutual dependence and difference in goal/orientation had statistically significant influence and showed a positive relationship with interdepartmental level of conflict. In the general hospitals, job position was a significant factor which showed that those in high position such as section chief or above, compared to those in general position had higher level of conflict. Among the interdepartmental characteristics, factors of mutual dependence and goal/orientation had statistically significant influence and showed a positive relationship with interdepartmental level of conflict. In the general hospitals setting efforts to reduce conflict in areas among workers with high position, old age, and long tenure and those in medical care department should be made and prudent management and planning for improved manpower and increased budget or efficient allocation and clear definition of job description are necessary to adequately assess. In the university hospitals setting efforts to reexaminitation of the organizational structure and efficiency conveyance of information and efforts to resolve conflict among young workers with lower level of education is need. This study has its own merit in comparing empirically the conflict among hospital workers in the university hospitals and general hospitals. Future study are needed with respect to the relationship between interdepartmental level of conflict and the effectiveness of the hospital organization for improved resolution of conflict in the organization and hospital management.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.17-33
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• 1987

As a result of technical advances and industrialization, the characteristics of domestic and industrial wastes are becoming more complex. Accordingly, improved treatment and disposal systems are being continuously sought to take account of complex characteristics and to comply with economic restrictions. In this study, an application of pyrolysis to the treatment of industrial wastes, including waste scrap rubber, waste raw material used in making the slipper bottom and waste PVC pipe, and the effectiveness of pyrolysis in resource recovery from these wastes were investigated. Batches of wastes were pyrolysed by external heating to a temperature of 400-800$\circ$C in a 32 mm diameter x 0.9 m long silica tube to produce combustible gases, oils and chars. Before the start of pyrolysis runs, the entire system was purged with nitrogen gas to exclude the air. The temperature inside the retort was controlled by the thermocouple in the gas stream, and referred to as the pyrolysis temperature. Under these conditions three products were separately collected and further analyzed. The results were summarized as follows. 1. More gases and less chars were produced with higher pyrolyzing temperature and with higher rates of heating, but the yields of oils tended downwards at temperatures above 700$\circ$C. Accordingly, operating conditions of pyrolysis should be varied with desired material. 2. Calorific values and sulfur contents of produced oils were sufficient and suitable for fuel use. Chars from waste rubber had high heating values with low sulfur contents, but calorific values of chars from waste PVC and waste slipper were as low as 3, 065-4, 273 kcal/kg and 942-2, 545 kcal/kg, respectively. Therefore, char from these wastes are inappropriate for fuel. 3. Soluble contents of Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn in chars from waste rubber and waste slipper were below the Specific Hazardous Waste Treatment Standards. However soluble contents of Pb and Cd in chars from waste PVC were one or two times and five or seven times exceedingly the Specific Hazardous Waste Treatment Standards, respectively. 4. Post high heating is desirable for treatment method of waste PVC which generates toxic hydrogen chloride. 5. The proportions of hydrogen, methane and ethane in produced gases were in the range of 3.99-35.61% V/V, 18.22-32.50% V/V and 5.17-5.87% V/V, respectively. 6. Pyrolysis is a useful disposal method in case of waste slipper, which was hardly combustible, and thus investigations of this kind of materials are required for effective management of industrial waste. 7. Based upon the possible market development for products, overall pyroly economics to take account of treatment values of noncombustible or hazardous materials should be evaluated.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.837-852
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• 2000

Backgrounds : Today, tuberculosis cannot only be cured medically, but also controlled by public health. Despite the overall worldwide decline in tuberculosis, the disease continues to be a significant problem among developing countries and in the slums of large cities in some industrialized countries. Particularly, this communicable disease has come into the public health spotlight because of its resurgence in the 1990's. our country has been operating the Korean National Tuberculosis Control Program since 1962, focusing around public health centers. Therefore, this study aims to compare the effectiveness of tuberculosis control activities, one of the major public health activities in Korea, by producing indexes, such as the yearly registration rate per 100,000 population and treatment compliance of tuberculosis on in small areas (communities). Methods : This work was accomplished by constructing a time-series analytic model using data from "1980~2000: the Yearly Statistical Report" with patient registry data of 234 City. County. District public health centers and by identifying the factors influencing the tuberculosis indexes. Results : The trends of pulmonary tuberculosis positive point prevalence and pulmonary tuberculosis negative point prevalence on X-ray screening have declined steadily, beginning in 1981 and continuing to 1998 by region (city, county, district). Although the tuberculosis mortality rate steadily shows a declining trend by year and region, but Korea still ranks first among 29 OECD countries in 1998, with a tuberculosis mortality rate of 7.1 per 100,000 persons, according to the time-series analysis for fatal diseases. Conclusion : The results of the study will form the fundamental basis of future regional health care planning and the Korean Tuberculosis Surveillance System on 2000. Since the implementation of local autonomy through the Local Health Act of 1995, it has now become vita1 for each city, county, district public health centers to determine its own priorities for relevant health care management, including budget allocation and program goals.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.86-97
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• 1997

Background : It is a primary goal for hospital personnel to improve the quality of patient care. In Korea the concept of quality assurance has been spread over the last five years. Many hospitals have implemented quality assurance programs that fit their own philosophy and needs. As a result, they are supposed to have different experiences and attitudes toward quality assurance. To investigate their diversity will be helpful to have a direction to the future and to enhance the quality assurance activities in Korean hospitals. Objectives : The aim of this study is to obtain information about hospital personnel's attitude and opinion toward quality assurance in hospitals. Methods : A questionnaire was developed which consisted of five parts; the general characteristics of respondent, the concepts of quality assurance, need for quality assurance program, current status of quality improvement activities, and participation in programs. Using the registry of Korean hospitals, 102 hospitals with more than 400 beds were selected. Questionnaires were mailed to hospital staffs of each hospital; top managers, clinical department heads, registered nurses, medical recorders, and administrators. Results : Of 2038 questionnaires sent, 877 were returned, giving response rate of 44%. Most respondents(70%) regarded quality assurance as efforts to provide patient with care in highest quality and to improve effectiveness or resource utilization. Ninety-nine percent of respondents agreed to need for quality assurance in their hospitals. There were current quality improvement programs implemented in the department of 553 respondents(62%), and most of the(85%) have participated in at least one program. Lack of motivation was pointed out as a barrier to implement the programs. Conclusion : Although most respondents have known of the concept and need for quality assurance, this study suggests that education and motivation of hospital personnel be needed to activate the quality assurance programs in hospitals.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.41-50
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• 2013

Objectives: As a newcomer to the medical tourism industry, Korea needs to differentiate itself from the leading competing countries to vitalize its early-stage medical tourism industry. This study aims to introduce a strategic plan to vitalize the Korean integrated medical tourism so that Korea can differentiate itself from competing countries and create high added value. Methods: The concept and actual conditions of medical tourism and Oriental medical tourism were examined. A plan to differentiate Korea from the competing countries in the medical tourism industry was studied to create high added-value through strategic vitalization of its medical tourism industry. Results: Korean integrated medical tourism must be developed differently from those of other South-East Asian countries in order to strategically promote the cash-cow medical tourism industry. In order to develop such medical tourism, Korean medical practice, which integrates Western and Oriental medicine, is to be developed through mutual understanding and fusion of other disciplines among medical doctors and Oriental medical doctors who are working in local healthcare for health promotion of local residents and disease prevention and control. This will play a key role in developing a unique medical tourism product of Korea by means of strategic alliances as an integrated medicine. Manpower specialized for integrated medicine is to be specially supplied for Oriental medicine-related business lines at city, county and borough levels, among local governments, that are enthusiastically carrying forward Oriental medical tourism with an interest to promoting more active and strategic business development and raise the effectiveness and efficiency of public health centers handling related medical tourism. Manpower specialized for Korean integrated medical tourism is to be specially supplied for the Ministry of Culture, Health and Tourism, a policy control tower to develop and vitalize high value-added fusion (theme) tourism products such as the Korean integrated medical tourism, in order to discover, promote and support Korean integrated medical tourism's differences from existing medical tourism. Conclusions: The differentiated integrated medical tourism that only Korea can offer in a variety of forms, in order to create a key area of high value-added medical tourism, should be strategically vitalized through a liaison between integrated medicine and tourism and the realization of patient-centered health care services with medical technology developed based on mutual understanding of Western and Oriental medicine.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.98 no.1
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• pp.26-32
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• 2009

The use of natural environments to change lifestyle and health has been long recognized. In particular, forests, trees, and open space have been shown to promote mental health. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of the structured psychotherapeutic program using forest environment ("forest activity program") to improve the symptoms of nine patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who were taking variable doses of antidepressants. We assessed the depressive symptoms, quality of life, and autonomic nerve regulation among the MDD patients. Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression (HRSD) scores significantly decreased after the forest therapy (13.56 vs. 5.56, p=0.003), and some subscores of Short Form 36 health survey questionnaire (SF-36) and heart rhythm coherence are improved as well. Combined with antidepressant pharmacotherapy, the structured psychotherapeutic program using forest environment showed an improved health status for MDD patients and thus has potential as an adjuvant treatment for MDD, especially for rehabilitation and relapse prevention.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.145-152
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• 2017

Objectives : There has been long lasting trend of deinstitutionalization and public health centered care in management of individuals with disabling mental illness. We aimed to investigate current vocational rehabilitation state and effectiveness of system in korea. Methods : We carried basic survey via telephone and e-mail beforehand to figure out how many and which institutions are operating vocational rehabilitation programs to psychiatric patients. A questionnaire packages were sent to total of 108 institutions in Korea which were operating occupation rehabilitation program. Results : Of 108 institutions, 40.74% were returned with answers. The person in charge of vocational rehabilitation at each institution was mainly mental health social worker(48.8%), and the budget under \1,000,000 was the majority(61.5%) among surveyed institutions. The most commonly used vocational rehabilitation programs was case management(23.1%), followed by psychosocial rehabilitation program(21.2%), and on-the-job training(17.9%). The most effective program was case management(27.4%), followed by psychosocial rehabilitation program(19.8%), on-the-job training(17.9%). The main barrier of occupation rehabilitation to be conducted widely was 'worries about being excluded from beneficiary of National Basic livelihood Protection Act'. Conclusions : Our results suggest that, in spite of high demand in vocational rehabilitation programs, government financial support is still lacking.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-30
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• 1994

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systematic disease with unpredictable course of exacerbation and remission, characterized by pain, joint deformity and reduced activity by joint limitation. The growing public awareness of the need for health management of chronic illnesses, provides impetus for nursing to demonstrate social effectiveness by active nursing intervention in this vast area in general, and with rheumatoid condition in particular. However, nursing interventions to date have not demonstrated its active participation in the management of chronic conditions. Nursing intervention for the patients having rheumatoid arthritis is one such area that needs to be studied intensively and to demonstrate their effectiveness empirically. The purposes of this study were two fold : first, to develop a comprehensive program that was intensified with therapeutic joint exercises in water, self-help group activities and utilization of self-efficacy promoting strategies : and secondly, to determine the effect of aquatic exercise program on pain, physiological changes and quality of life in the rheumatoid arthritis patients. Thirty five female subjects participating in this study were selected from outpatients in the Rheumatism Center, Hanyang University hospital. The period of data collection was from December, 1992 to March, 1993 in seoul and Taejeon. Subjects in Taejeon were assigned to the experimental group. The comprehensive aquatic exercise program for the experimental group was carried out three times a week for 6 weeks in regular swimming pool. Subjects in Seoul did not participated in the program, and treated as the control group. Data were analyzed with repeated measure MANCOVA, t-test, ANCOVA, percentage of change, Kruskal-Wallis 1-Way ANOVA using SPSS $PC^+$ program. Results were obtained as follows : 1) Scores on Korean pain scale, Numeric pain score, and RAI score of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group (t=2.11, p=0.022 ; F=4.40, p=0.044 : t=3.10, p=0.002). 2) There was significant improvement in the physiological parameters (higher joint movement parameters, F=15.64, p=0.024 ; higher lean body mass, percentage of change=+12.2, lower body weight, t=1.01, p=0.026 : lower ESR, t=1.69, p=0.001) in the experimental group compaired with subjects In the control group. 3) There was significant improvement in the specific self-efficacy score through the comprehensive aquatic exercise program(t=2.73, p=0.011), but not in the general self- efficacy score(t=0.62, p=0.113). 4) The quality of life failed to show significant improvement in the experimental group as compaired with the control group (F=3.69, p=0.064). 5) In the experimental group, findings from additional analysis showed no significant difference in the specific self-efficacy between those who continued to aquatic exercise after completing 6 week program and those who stopped (X2=0.086, p=0.690). Therefore, adherence to aquatic exercise program for 6 weeks seem to be affected mainly by self-help group activities. An indepth study to delve into articulation of mechanisms affecting the effect of aquatic exercise program be recommended. A further study is necessary to determine the difference in the effect of group and individual aquatic exercise program, to assess factors affecting adherence to exercise for an extended length of time.