• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2017

Globally, efforts are being made to develop and strengthen a palliative care policy to support a comprehensive healthcare system. Korea has implemented a hospice and palliative care (HPC) policy as part of a cancer policy under the 10 year plan to conquer cancer and a comprehensive measure for national cancer management. A legal ground for the HPC policy was laid by the Cancer Control Act passed in 2003. Currently in the process is legislation of a law on the decision for life-sustaining treatment for HPC and terminally-ill patients. The relevant law has expanded the policy-affected disease group from terminal cancer to cancer, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic liver disease/liver cirrhosis. Since 2015, the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme reimburses for HPC with a combination of the daily fixed sum and the fee for service systems. By the provision type, the HPC is classified into hospitalization, consultation, and home-based treatment. Also in place is the system that designates, evaluates and supports facilities specializing in HPC, and such facilities are funded by the NHI fund and government subsidy. Also needed along with the legal system are consensus reached by people affected by the policy and more realistic fee levels for HPC. The public and private domains should also cooperate to set HPC standards, train professional caregivers, control quality and establish an evaluation system. A stable funding system should be prepared by utilizing the long-term care insurance fund and hospice care fund.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.445-448
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• 2006

Purpose: The nose is the most prominent skeletal feature of the face and is thus prone to frequent injury. Closed reduction of nasal bone fractures can be performed under general or local anesthesia. However, the benefits and the drawbacks in either form of anesthesia chosen are seldom perceived by the surgeon. A retrospective study was performed to assess the differences in the outcome among the two groups subjected to surgery under different type of anesthesia and to introduce our method of local anesthesia and its adequacy. Methods: Two hundred and fifteen patients during a 2-year period were included in the study. 2% Lidocaine mixed with 1:100,000 epinephrine was injected on the anterior ethmoid nerve and the periosteum. Assessment factors included intra-operative adequacy of analgesia, post-operative analgesic requirement and functional and aesthetic outcome of surgery. Results: 19 patients were manipulated under general anesthesia and 196 patients were manipulated under local anesthesia on the anterior ethmoidal nerve and dorsal periosteum. No statistically signigicant variable in performance of surgery could be attributed to the mode of anesthesia employed(p > 0.05). Four patients experienced complications after reduction. One developed septal deviation and three nasal obstruction. But, no secondary operations were needed. Conclusion: Anterior ethmoidal nerve block and dorsal periosteal injection of 2% Xylocaine, combined with topical intranasal 4% lidocaine and epinephrine provided sufficient analgesia comparable to that of general anesthesia.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.278-284
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• 2021

Background: Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the quality of life and imposes a high socioeconomic burden. Studies have reported that statins, a HMG CoA reductase inhibitor, have a positive or negative effect on osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between statins and osteoporosis risk. Methods: We used the total patient sample data of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA-NPS-2018). We analyzed the prevalence of osteoporosis in adult patients of Korea who were diagnosed with dyslipidemia and were prescribed statins at the same time. The odds ratio (OR) according to the intensity and type of statin was used to confirming the prevalence. Results: Among the 1,138,899 patients included in the study, 143,895 patients used statins and 27,524 patients (19.13%) were diagnosed with osteoporosis in the statin group. The OR value of statin group was 0.96 (95% CI 0.94-0.98), confirming that the prevalence of osteoporosis decreased, and a significant decrease was seen in all statin intensity. Some of the moderate-intensity statins rather increased the prevalence of osteoporosis, but atorvastatin and rosuvastatin obtained positive results at both medium- and high-intensity doses, and lovastatin, a low-intensity statin, showed the greatest reduction in the prevalence of osteoporosis. Conclusion: We found that the prevalence of osteoporosis was reduced in the statin group, and there was a constant correlation regardless of gender or age. However, a large, prospective, double-blind and randomized study is needed for a long period of time to demonstrate the effectiveness of statins.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.25-28
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• 2016

Purpose: Reconstruction of small defects of the dorsal fingers and toes is a challenging task. Although adipofascial flap is widely used for these areas, additional refinements are warranted. In this paper, we define the appropriate defect size in the finger and toes that can be treated with the adipofascial flap, refine its surgical indications and present a few surgical tips. Materials and Methods: Twelve patients with dorsal defects of the fingers and toes were treated with a random-type adipofascial turn-over flap and skin graft. If the defect area exceeded the size that could be covered by a conventional design, the flap base was designed in oblique or curvilinear fashion to lengthen the flap. For accurate defect coverage, the width of the flap base was designed in an asymmetrical shape depending on the defect configuration, varying the width from 0.3 to 1.0 cm, as opposed to the standard 0.5 to 1.0 cm width. Moreover, the lateral limit of the flap was defined as the lateral axial line. The size of the defect ranged from $3.0{\times}1.7cm$ to $1.5{\times}1.3cm$. Results: All flaps survived completely. Gliding function of the hand was well preserved and there was no evidence of tendon adhesion. Conclusion: The small defect in the dorsal finger and toe can be defined as less than one phalanx-length, measuring about $3.0{\times}2.0cm$ in size. If the defect exceeds this dimension, it is recommended that a different option be considered. We believe the adipofascial flap is an excellent option for treating small defects.

• Journal of Clinical Nutrition
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.38-44
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• 2018

Purpose: Parenteral nutrition (PN) is known to provide therapeutic beneficial improvements in malnourished patients for whom enteral nutrition is not feasible. The objective of this study was to investigate the current clinical characteristics and utilization of PN in Korea. Methods: We analyzed the Health Insurance Review Agency National Inpatients Sample database from 2014 to 2016, which included 13% of all hospitalized patients in Korea. Adult patients aged 20 years or older and receiving premixed multi-chamber bag containing PN were included for this study. Patient characteristics, admission type, primary diagnosis, and hospital demographics were evaluated. SAS version 9.4 was used for data analysis. Results: From 2014 to 2016, 149,504 patients received premixed PN, with 226,281 PN prescriptions being written. The mean patient age was 65.0 years, and 81,876 patients (54.8%) were male. Premixed 3-chamber bag and 2-chamber bag PN solutions were utilized in 131,808 (88.2%) and 32,033 (21.4%) patients, respectively. The number of patients hospitalized through the emergency department were 70,693 (47.3%), whereas 43,125 patients (28.8%) were administered PN in intensive care units. In the adult PN patients, the highest primary diagnosis was malignant neoplasm of the stomach (8,911, 6.0%), followed by organism unspecified pneumonia (7,008, 4.7%), and gastroenteritis and colitis of unspecified origin (6,381, 4.3%). Overall, 34% of adult PN patients were diagnosed with malignancies, the most common being neoplasm of the stomach (17.7%), neoplasm of bronchus/lung (11.2%), neoplasm of colon (11.1%), and neoplasm of liver/intrahepatic bile ducts (10.0%). PN solutions were most frequently administered in the metropolitan area (55.0%) and in hospitals with more than 1,000 beds (23.6%). Conclusion: PN was commonly administered in older patients, with primary diagnosis of malignancy in a significant number of cases. This study is the first large-scale description of PN-prescribing patterns in real-world clinical practice in South Korea.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.111-116
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• 2022

After COVID-19, the number of people with sleep disorders around the world is increasing. In particular, in the flow of the 4th industrial revolution, the differentiation of types and characteristics of the sleep industry is accelerating. Therefore, in this study, the characteristics of each type of sleep-related industry were reclassified from an industrial point of view, and based on this, an attempt was made to review the classification system that can help companies develop sleep products and improve related national systems. Based on the 10th standard industry classification, we compared input cost, value, and usability and analyzed common characteristics, treatments, and preventive effects based on this. A comprehensive taxonomy using matrix analysis was reviewed. As a result, in terms of cost (A), the most common sleeping products are general mattresses and general bedding. It is an IOT device (auxiliary device), and the value aspect (B, B/D) included sleep cafe, bedding rental and management service, and sleep consulting. In terms of utility (A/B), a total of 6 product groups including sleep aids (health functional foods) belong to this category, and in terms of treatment (A/C), a total of 3 product groups including sleep clinics (medical services) belong to this category. As for the product group (A/D) with both properties, it was found that non-insurance sleep treatment medical devices, sleep-related over-the-counter drugs, and some sleep monitoring applications belong to this category. Ultimately, it was found that the sleep industry classification enables the most active product development and composition according to the relative relationship between cost and utility, and treatment and utility. appeared to be necessary.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.174-179
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• 2007

The survival of patients with gastric cancer is improved by early diagnosis and surgical treatment. However, there is no established treatment for locally recurrent cancer or cancer arising at an anastomotic site after total gastrectomy; further, most surgeons are reluctant to resect this type of cancer because of frequent systemic metastasis and there are few competent surgeons who have the skill to perform such an operation. We have experienced recurrent cancer at an anastomotic site after total gastrectomy: one patient had recurrent cancer and two patients had metachronous cancer. All these patients were operated on and the patients were discharged without any complications. All of them are alive at the time of this report. In some cases, good results could be expected for operating on recurrent cancer of an anastomotic site after previous total gastrectomy. So, we present here our experience along with a review of literatures.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.243-252
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate diabetic knowledge, self-care behaviors, and HbA1c of patients with diabetic mellitus in public hospitals. Methods: Participants were 287 adult patients who had been diagnosed with diabetes in two public hospitals in Seoul. Collected data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation with the SPSS (PASW) 21.0 program. Results: For general characteristics of the participants, there were significant differences in the level of diabetic knowledge according to age (F=11.28, p<.001), educational level (F=11.07, p<.001), type of health insurance (F=9.38, p<.001), and monthly income (t=-4.58, p<.001) and in the self-care behaviors according to age (F=8.61, p<.001) and in HbA1c according to age (F=6.72, p=.001). As for disease related characteristics of the participants, significant differences were found for self-care behaviors according to education about diabetes (t=3.90, p<.001) and in HbA1c according to education about diabetes (t=3.26, p=.001) and current diabetic therapy methods (F=13.51, p<.001). The study results showed that there was no correlation between diabetic knowledge and self-care behavior, or between self-care behavior and HbA1c. Conclusion: Results indicate that when developing preliminary data on nursing intervention education programs on diabetes, increasing diabetic knowledge and self-care behaviors would help to improve blood glucose levels.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.329-345
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• 2020

Purpose: This was a nationwide population-based study conducted to investigate the epidemiology, treatment, disease outcomes, and associated factors of childhood intussusception in South Korea. Methods: Data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database on all patients <18 years old diagnosed with intussusception from 2007 to 2017 were analyzed. Results: A total of 34,688 cases were identified among 30,444 patients. The overall incidence was 28.3/100,000 person-years with a male predominance. Most cases (83.1%) occurred in children <3 years old, with an annual incidence of 195.2, 200.1, and 118.6 cases per 100,000 children in their first, second, and third year of life, respectively. The median age at the first occurrence was 18.7 months, and it was higher in boys than in girls. The post-discharge recurrence rate was 10.6% (3,226/30,444) and the in-hospital recurrence rate was 6.1% (1,842/30,444). The total recurrence rate (post-discharge recurrence and/or in-hospital recurrence) was 15.0% (4,580/30,444). Enema reduction was successful in 90.0% of cases. Enema reduction was more successful in girls than in boys. A total of 3,296 (10.8%) patients underwent 3,481 surgeries, including 735 (21.1%) laparoscopic surgeries. Post-discharge recurrence and surgery were significantly affected by age, sex, and hospital type. Mortality was noted in nine cases (0.03%). Conclusion: Our study provides accurate epidemiologic data on the treatment and outcomes of intussusception through complete enumeration during an 11-year-period.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.180-193
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• 1997

This study was designed to set up more developed curriculum in Nursing department of a junior college. The sample for the study were fifteen curriculums of fifteen selected junior colleges in Seoul and Kyunggi area. The credits and hours of each curriculum were analyzed into means and compared with the one of the example college. The data were categorized into seven sections; cultural subject, basic medical science, major subjects such as Nursing, Fundamental Nursing, electives, teaching and non-teaching subjects, and clinical practice. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics. The results of the study were as follows; 1. Credit hours of Cultural subjects of each college ranges from $5.8\%\;to\;25.7\%$ of the total graduate credit hours; most commonaly lectured subjects are English 05 colleges), Korean (11 colleges), psychology (10 colleges), and computer (10 colleges). 2. In the case of the example college, Anatomy and Psychology were jointed as one subject, Basic Nursing Science, and some more study in depth should be made to develop more of this type of conjunction among related subjects on basic medical science. 3. As for the mendatory subjects of the example college, subjects on Adult Nursing was fourteen credits (14 hours), which was higher than the average 12.9 hours of other colleges compared. 4. Credit hours of Basic Nursing Laboratory were eight to ten credits (12-18 hours), which was higher than actual class hours. As more and more hospitals test clinical aptitude when recruiting nurses, more emphasis should be paid to the clinical practice. 5. Among fifteen sample curriculums six to twelve electives were offered with twelve to twenty-three credits. Most commonly opened subjects were Physical Examination (5), Nursing English (14). and Geriatrics Nursing (13). Nursing English are considered to be more important in the view of clinical practice. and Oriental Nursing, Nursing Information and Health Insurance Management should be considered as specialized subjects. 6. Teaching and Non-teaching subjects In case of the example school. Clinical Emergency Medicine, Introduction to Emergency Medicine were offered for these non-teaching class students so they could prepare for the qualification examination. 7. Clinical Practice The average credit hours for clinical practice of the sample college were 20.9 credit hours $(66.5\%)$ and the example school offered twenty credit hours which was slightly lower than the other forteen.