• Korean Journal of Artificial Intelligence
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2018

The development of modern information technology has increased the amount of big data about patients' information and diseases. In this study, we developed a prediction model of diabetes using the health examination data provided by the public data portal in 2016. In addition, we graphically visualized diabetes incidence by sex, age, residence area, and income level. As a result, the incidence of diabetes was different in each residence area and income level, and the probability of accurately predicting male and female was about 65%. In addition, it can be confirmed that the influence of X on male and Y on female is highly to affect diabetes. This predictive model can be used to predict the high-risk patients and low-risk patients of diabetes and to alarm the serious patients, thereby dramatically improving the re-admission rate. Ultimately it will be possible to contribute to improve public health and reduce chronic disease management cost by continuous target selection and management.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 2019

Background: Closed reduction of the fracture under general or local anesthesia with elevators or forceps is widely used to treat nasal bone fractures. However, operating under general anesthesia increases the risk of morbidity and raises the cost of management. Furthermore, using forceps or elevators may cause undercorrection, new fractures, mucosal damage, and nasal hemorrhage. We therefore performed manual reduction under local anesthesia, using the little finger, to minimize the demerits of treatment under general anesthesia with forceps or elevators and aimed to assess functional and aesthetic outcomes, and patient satisfaction. Methods: Patients who visited the plastic and reconstructive surgery department between November 2016 and November 2017 with nasal bone fractures and treated by a single surgeon were prospectively followed up. Patients with simple unilateral or bilateral nasal bone fractures were treated with bedside finger reduction under local anesthesia and patients with comminuted nasal bone or septal fractures were scheduled for closed reduction under general anesthesia. Results: Of 84 patients, 28 met the inclusion criterion and underwent bedside finger reduction under local anesthesia. Twenty-seven patients (96.4%) were successfully contacted via telephone for survey. Twenty-three (85.2%) showed good and three (11.1%) showed fair results. All 27 patients (100%) were satisfied with their postoperative function and 25 (92.6%) were satisfied with their postoperative aesthetic result. Twenty-five patients (92.6%) preferred the finger reduction method under local anesthesia over closed reduction under general anesthesia. Conclusion: Finger reduction under local anesthesia in patients with mild unilateral or bilateral nasal bone fractures is an easy and efficient procedure with high patient satisfaction and favorable postoperative functional and aesthetic outcomes.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.239-250
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• 2012

In recent years, national health insurance(NHI) coverage had been expanded gradually for cancer as a severe disease requiring high level of medical expenditure, to reduce patient's financial burden. But, subjective burdens level for out-of-pocket(OOP) money expense are still considerable owing to high medical cost and decent numbers of services not covered by benefit plan. This study aimed to investigate OOP medical expenditures and identify factors influencing subjective financial burden in cancer patients. A 28-items questionnaire for self-reporting by responders was designed to satisfy study goal and finalized following by one pilot study and experts' verification process. Subjects were enrolled during July to October 2010 through regular meetings organized by five patient or patient-advocacy groups had acknowledged the study purpose. Subjects who aged 20 or more, have histories of cancer diagnosis and anticancer drug use, and voluntarily agreed to participate in this study were recruited. Total 107 subjects included in the analysis have cancer lesions in breast, colon, kidney, liver or stomach at the stages from I to IV. Approximately 73% of them has passed less than 5 years since cancer diagnosis. For the OOP medical expenditure regarding cancer, less 6 million won was in 31%, 6-15 million won in 35% and more than 15 million won in 28% of responders, and more than half responders(58%) felt financial burden subjectively. 63% of responders had subscribed commercial insurances, resulting in money receipts of more than 10 million won since cancer diagnoses in 76% of responders. Logistic regression results showed significant differences in subjective OOP financial burden level depending on gender, household income level, benefit type, commercial insurance money receipt degree, year cancer diagnosed, cancer lesion, therapy type, duration of anticancer drug use, drug listing in national formulary, total OOP medical expenditure and total OOP anticancer drug expense. They had mixed feelings both wishes to expand NHI coverage to reduce financial burden(70%) and no willingness to increase premium(59%). This result suggested that NHI might direct future strategies to reduce absolute total OOP medical cost and expand benefit plan coverage in higher burden groups in particular.

• Journal of Creative Information Culture
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.129-139
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• 2020

As the variety of scientific technology has grown repeatedly since the 19th century, innovative technology is developing high-level in healthcare field. The system to improve patient's satisfaction for silver generation introduced in domestic medical process result from promotion of convergence technology. But utilization of small and medium hospital is inevitable with maintain limited performance around existing large hospitals and high cost service system. Therefore phenomenon that weakness of patient's satisfaction and service accessibility for silver generation occurs. This study propose the design method that Android-based low-cost smart medical treatment information service system to improve accessibility to user of small and medium hospital for effective patient's satisfaction services management and medical services.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.109-129
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was the acquisition of the optimum scale of the apportionment of standard & high-class bed for the maximum profit representative of the desire of customers in a General Hospital with 1,100 beds located in Seoul. This investigation was proceeded by the analysis of the result of the simulation with the survey of both the patients' needs for bed and the degree of the medical service by the grade of the ward. And finally the consequence was obtained as follows: 1. The result of the investigation of the inpatients' preference for the grade of ward classes shows that a private ward reflected 4.3 percent, a semi-private ward 1.7 percent, a three-bed ward 0.1 percent, and a ward with six beds 93.9 percent each other. 2. A questionnaire poll was paralleled of service terms of a medical doctor and a nurse by ward class, the data were used for the standard of the allotment of labor cost by the ward class. The poll shows that the service tenn of a medical doctor and a nurse based on a ward with six beds by ward class showed 1.7 times in internal medicine and 1.9 times in surgery at a private ward; 1.4 times in internal medicine and 1.7 times in surgery at a semi-private room; and 1.2 times both in internal medicine and in surgery at a three-bed ward 3. The resultant findings revealed the most profit per bed and per patient in a private ward. However, an analysis of profit with a standard of unit area by ward class represented a higher profit in both the internal medicine and the surgery semi-private ward than other ward classes. 4. The result of the analysis through simulation based on the data of the prime cost per the ward class proved the optimum scale of the distribution of beds by class as follows: sixteen beds of the internal medicine and twenty three beds of the surgery in the private ward; two hundreds and two of the internal medicine and one hundred and ninety eight of the surgery in the semi-private room; three of both the internal medicine and the surgery each other in the three-bed ward; one hundred and ninety eight of the internal medicine and two hundred and fifty two of the surgery in the ward with six beds. The result of this research exhibits that the income and expenditure of the hospital could be improved by changing parts of wards into private ones(containing the maximum profit per a unit of width) in case the scale of the number of beds is reset with the consideration of the profit per the unit width. In the near future it's strongly expected that the research for the more scientific standard of the allotment of labour cost by ward class and for definition of the optimum scale of the number of beds that actualize the maximum profit with the change of the three elements of the prime cost: cost of materials; labor costs; management expenses.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.196-201
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• 2016

Rehabilitation exercises are the treatments designed to help patients who are in the process of recovery from injury or illness to restore their body functions back to the original status. However, many patients suffering from chronic diseases have found difficulties visiting hospitals for the rehabilitation program due to lack of transportation, cost of the program, their own busy schedules, etc. Also, the program usually contains a few medical check-ups which can cause patients to feel uncomfortable. In this paper, we develop a remote rehabilitation system with bio-signals by a stereo camera. A Kinect stereo camera manufactured by Microsoft corporation was used to recognize the body movement of a patient by using its infrared(IR) camera. Also, we detect the chest area of a user from the skeleton data and process to gain respiratory status. ROI coordinates are created on a user's face to detect photoplethysmography(PPG) signals to calculate heart rate values from its color sensor. Finally, rehabilitation exercises and bio-signal detecting features are combined into a Windows application for the cost effective and high performance remote rehabilitation system.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.289-296
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• 1999

Objectives: This study describes the risk factors affecting the unexpected readmission of 261 patients who were discharged from a university hospital in Seoul. Methods: This case-control study reviewed medical records of inpatients who had been discharged from a hospital between 1 August 1995 and 31 October 1995 after the treatment for general diseases. The cases were 68 patients who were readmitted unexpectedly within 28 days of discharge from an index stay, and the controls were 193 Patients who were discharged without readmission during the study period. Results: Logistic regression analysis results were as follows; Patients who had no operation during their hospital stay were more likely to be readmitted unexpectedly than patients who had operation. Patients who had 1 or 2 parts of their body being involved in treatment were more likely to be readmitted unexpectedly than patients who hand more than 3 parts of their body being involved in treatment. Patients who had complications after surgery were more likely to be readmitted unexpectedly than patients who had no complications. Insufficient discharge planning caused unexpected readmissions. Conclusions: Discharge planning education should be extended to health care providers. And the assessment of discharge planning should be evaluated. Readmission is often necessary for the treatment of related problems of originating from initial hospitalization, which causes cost problems. Unexpected readmission is preventable and the models for readmission can serve as a valuable clinical tool for high risk patients.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.350-361
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• 2013

aksun(藥饍), or 'Traditional oriental medicine nutrition therapy', is expected to be an effective nutritional intervention for the patients suffering from chronic diseases. However, there are no systemized protocol that utilize Yaksun as an effective nutrition therapy for Asian patients even though they are accustomed to traditional oriental diet. We investigated the possibility of using Yaksun for developing an effective Medical Nutrition Therapy for Asian patients and proposed factors that have to be considered. Articles published between 1995-2012 about MNT (Medical Nutrition Therapy) and Yaksun were reviewed. Male and female patients of two Korean Medicine Hospitals (n=93) and one Korean Medicine Clinic (n=20) answered a questionnaire asking about their thoughts on the effectiveness of nutritional intervention for their disease management and about their expectations toward Medical Nutrition Therapy on Korean Medicine. 92.9% of the patients have perceived that nutritional intervention is important in disease management. 79.6% of the patients have positively responded that they are willing to use the Medical Nutrition Therapy on Korean Medicine as a clinical nutrition therapy if developed. Female patients, aged in their forties and fifties, educated equivalent to high school graduates and more, and who visited Korean medicine clinic were most interested in the Medical Nutritional Therapy on Korean Medicine. The factors considered in developing the protocol are 1. effectiveness 2. safety 3. expense, in order of importance. Nutritional intervention protocol using Yacksun is necessary for the patients. Medical Nutrition Therapy on Korean Medicine is in need of development. Accumulated case-control studies, cost effectiveness studies, and studies about programming and systemizing the protocol are needed.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.109-113
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• 1999

Purpose : Because we don't have inappropriate health care system for the terminal cancer patients, there were abnormal behavior patterns of health care utilization. So, There were needs to develop the comprehensive care for terminal cancer patients. Increased attention is being paid to the futility of life-sustaining treatment and high cost of management of terminal cancer patients Materials and Methods : This study was performed on cancer patients, registered in 1996 Central Cancer Registry, who were as insured person of Korea Medical Insurance and died from January 1997 to June 1998. We studied the day of medical care and medical expenses of 151 cancer patients evaluable. Results : The mean day of inpatient care was 39 days, and the mean days of outpatient care was 14 days in study subjects. Mean expenses per day of medical care, day of inpatient, and day of outpatients care were 85,392 won, 105,908 won, and 40,173 won. 95% of medical expenses is paid to the general hospital, and 85% of medical expenses was paid for inpatient care. About half of all medical expenses in th last 6 months were incurred in the last 60 days of life, and about 30 percent were incurred in the last 30 days. Expenses of outpatients care increased between 6 month and 3 months, after which they decreased. Expenses of inpatients care increased during all last 6months Conclusion : The distribution or medical expenses during the last 6 months in our study is similar to the distribution of American Medicare costs. We need to study medical expenses during the last year of life with large scale and details in order to develop the plan about the management of terminal cancer patient.

• Healthcare Informatics Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.387-393
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• 2018

Objectives: This paper describes an experience of implementing seamless service trials online and offline by adopting Internet of Things (IoT) technology based on near-field communication (NFC) tags and Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) beacons. The services were provided for both patients and health professionals. Methods: The pilot services were implemented to enhance healthcare service quality, improve patient safety, and provide an effective business process to health professionals in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. The services to enhance healthcare service quality include healing tours, cancer information/education, psychological assessments, indoor navigation, and exercise volume checking. The services to improve patient safety are monitoring of high-risk inpatients and delivery of real-time health information in emergency situations. In addition, the services to provide an effective business process to health professionals include surveys and web services for patient management. Results: Considering the sustainability of the pilot services, we decided to pause navigation and patient monitoring services until the interference problem could be completely resolved because beacon signal interference significantly influences the quality of services. On the other hand, we had to continue to provide new wearable beacons to high-risk patients because of hygiene issues, so the cost increased over time and was much higher than expected. Conclusions: To make the smart connected hospital services sustainable, technical feasibility (e.g., beacon signal interference), economic feasibility (e.g., continuous provision of new necklace beacons), and organizational commitment and support (e.g., renewal of new alternative medical devices and infrastructure) are required.