• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.328-335
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• 2011

Objectives: Depressive disorder (DD) is a complex disease, and the assessment of work ability in patients with DD is also complicated. The checklist depression (CDp) has recently been developed to support such work ability assessments and has been recommended for implementation in insurance medicine, starting with an analysis of the organisational and social contexts. The aim of this study was to identify the potential facilitators and barriers in the use of the CDp by insurance physicians (IPs) during work ability assessments of employees on sick leave due to DD. Methods: A qualitative research was conducted based on semi-structured interviews. The participants were IPs with at least one year of work experience in performing work ability assessments. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed qualitatively. Results: Ten IPs (7 males, 3 females; mean 53 years) were interviewed. Important facilitators, which emerged for use of the CDp, were an oral introduction for colleagues and staff, support from management, valuing the increased transparency in work ability assessments with using the CDp, having adequate time for assessments as well as modification of the appearance (colour, plasticised form) and content (clarifying aspects of the examples) of the assessment tool. The fear of the loss of autonomy, lack of added value of the CDp, high workload, inadequate instructions and lack of time were mentioned as barriers. Conclusion: Adequate introduction to the use of CDp and the fear of the loss of autonomy of IPs need special attention in planning its implementation.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.44.1-44.11
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• 2023

Background: A series of breast cancer cases were recently reported in a tertiary university hospital in South Korea. Nurses are generally exposed to risk factors for breast cancer such as night shift work, antineoplastic agents, and job strain. However, the epidemiological evidence of excess incidence among nurses remains lacking. This study aims to investigate the excess incidence of breast cancer among nurses in a tertiary university hospital and provide epidemiological evidence of occupational risk factors. Methods: A retrospective cohort was developed using personnel records of female workers in the nursing department who worked from January 2011 to June 2021 in a tertiary university hospital in South Korea. Sick leave records were used to identify cases of breast cancer. The standardized incidence ratio of breast cancer among nurses was compared to the general population. Results: A total of 5,509 nurses were followed up for 30,404 person-years, and 26 breast cancer cases were identified. This study revealed a significantly increased breast cancer incidence among all included nurses, with a standardized incidence ratio of 1.65 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-2.41), compared to the general population. Workers, who handle antineoplastic agents in their representative department and current and/or former department, had significantly elevated breast cancer standardized incidence ratios of 2.73 (95% CI: 1.008-5.94) and 3.39 (95% CI: 1.46-6.68), respectively. Conclusions: This study provides significant evidence of increased breast cancer risk among nursing staff in a hospital setting, particularly those who handle antineoplastic drugs. Measures that reduce exposure to risk factors should be implemented, especially anticancer drugs, to protect healthcare professionals. Further research at a national level that focuses on healthcare workers is necessary to validate breast cancer incidence and its contributing factors.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.329-338
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• 2018

This study was conducted to examine musculoskeletal disorder and analyze the effects of musculoskeletal pain control and self-efficacy on musculoskeletal disorders in dental hygienists. Material and Methods; 483 dental hygienists residing in Gwangju were collected by the convenience sampling method and the self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted. Frequency analysis, crosstab analysis, t-test, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used for analysis. Results: the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among subjects was 83.9% for the prior year, with 29.8% of patients being afflicted by musculoskeletal disorders. The factors influencing musculoskeletal disorders were musculoskeletal pain resolution. For pain resolution, the odds ratio of musculoskeletal disorders of the group who answered treatment in a hospital, an Oriental medicine clinic, or a pharmacy was 0.22 (95% confidence interval, 0.14-0.34) compared with the group who answered sick leave or task change, suggesting a negative relationship. These findings indicate that people with musculoskeletal disorders were not treated in the hospital, Oriental medicine clinic, or pharmacy. Therefore, it is necessary to improve medical management (oriental medicine, intravenous injection or medication, heat therapy or cryotherapy, steroid treatment, counseling, endovascular treatment using spinal cord stimulation, physical therapy, stretching, rehabilitation, and manual therapy) and job environment and to make a good approach to the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders to control dental hygienists' musculoskeletal pain.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.112-128
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• 2003

Since areas of pain and dysfunction of musculoskeletal typically suffered by the patients with back disorders spread all over the body, WBIP(GCM Program) for the primary treatment and management is required. The purpose of this study is to analyze if WBIP(GCM Program) based on the hyper/hypomobility pattern of Four Body Types can identify the effective treatment of back disorders and the effect on the postural balanced restoration of the spine and extremities. Non-specific back disorder is still a major reason for sick leave. And moreover, its been reported that there was often recurrence to the patients whose symptom had been diminished. As a WBIP(GCM Program) based on kinematic chain patterns of Four Body Types, this study gave a new information on the effective diagnosis, treatment and management of non-specific back disorders. 337 patients above the twenty-five years old with the non-specific back disorders at the hospital and oriental medical clinics at Kyungnam and Busan areas in South Korea from August 24th, 2000 to Feb 23rd, 2001 have randomly been assigned to four experimental groups such as Whole Body Intervention Program Group, Physical Therapy Group like modality treatments, Acupuncture-Treatment Group, and Placebo Control Group. According to intervention program applied to the each four group for three times per week(twelve times per 4weeks), as the time-series methods, we compared and evaluated the body status of the pretest with that of post treatment completion of four week, three month, and six month, respectively. As the analytical method of measurement, our researchers used the Moire Interferometry Unit and Postural Kit that could measure the postural balance of spine and extremities. The collection of data was performed in the designated hospital and oriental medical clinics. For the analysis of the data, the SPSS 10.0 package program was used. X2-test has been taken in order to compare and analyze characteristics and GPES of the patients in four experimental groups. Repeated Measure ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test has been adopted in order to compare the effects of the balanced restoration of the spine and extremities among four Groups categorized for this study. Statistical significance was accepted at the 0.05 level of confidence The effect of the balanced restoration on the spine and extremities of the patients with non-specific back disorders has been proved in all of the Groups. As for the restoration degree, however, WBIP(GCM Program) Group produced the highest effectiveness in terms of the fact that it had a dense moire in comparison with the other three Groups and that the Moires of both sides had the same level by the time(p<0.01). WBIP(GCM Program) based on four tilting types of scapular and ilium and hyper/hypomobility pattern took a higher effect on the balanced restoration of the spine and extremities through a whole body as well as the treatment of back disorders than the other three Groups which the usual remedy without classification of body type had been applied to.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 1977

Despite the fact that it is not a fatal symptom. the lower back pain of human species is considered a health problem of modern society: 80% of world population experience it and the distress and dysfunction caused by interferes daily life as well as the general productivity. This study was performed to investigate the general tendency of lower back Pain on nurses: influence of nursing activities, working condition and the physical characteristics of nurses on the pain in order to provide data for prevention and treatment. 386 nurses working at 16 general hospitals throughout the country were sampled. Questionaries developed by the researcher was used for data gathering. Results are as follows : 1. Lower back pain was experienced by most(72.3%) of the nurses: the highest rate of -Pain experience was revealed to be the a9e group of 35-39 (80.8%) followed by 25-29 group (74.2%). 2. In almost all instances (91.4%), the first pain attack occurred before the age of 29, and in 73.1%. the attack occurred between the age of 15-24. 3. In 10.1%, the pain was almost persistent or occurred every other day frequency. In 9%, the pain was relieved by the administration of analgesics or "unable to move". 4. More than 6 days′sick leave due to the pain revealed to be in 2.2%. No significant difference was revealed between specialities of service. 5. Pain experience and the over or under weight revealed not to have significant relations. (X$^2$=0.55224, p〉0.7587) 6. The length of working hour of I. C. U. and O. R, revealed to be longer than that of nurses general ward, however. no significant difference on the rate of pain occurrence apparent. (X$^2$=0.4952, p〉0.8239) No significant difference on the rate of pain occurrence between nurses working over 46 hours/week and under 45 hours/week. (X$^2$=3.86241, p〉0.078318) 7. The most frequent Pain related movement revealed to be "lifting patient or heavy object" (24. 7%, N=68) followed by "the sameness of position, either standing or sitting"(16.8%) 8. Regular physical exercise revealed to have no significant influence on the rate of Pain occurrence. 9. Higher raft of pain experience was revealed in the group of nurses wearing eye glasses. Uncomfortable shoes revealed to have influenced the pain. 10. The most frequent pain relieving treatment revealed to be "rest" (54.2%, N= 151) followed by "analgesics" (12.6%, N=35) and "hot compress/fomentation"(10.5%, N=29). In 13.7% (N=38) no special care was given.