Human Anatomy and Physiology is one of the basic professional courses for students majored in special education in normal colleges. It is of great importance to develop a comprehensive curriculum and improve the associated teaching approaches. In recent years, we have taken a series of approaches including optimizing the teaching content, highlighting the curriculum value, diversifying the teaching methods, and improving the evaluation methods. These approaches have received good effects and responses. Here we summarize the experiences and share our insights with colleagues.
Curriculum ; Education, Special ; Humans ; Students ; Universities

BACKGROUND: This article intended to identify and describe areas in need of services and interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families in Seoul, Korea. METHODS: A descriptive comparison was made between available services and interventions in Seoul, Korea and Massachusetts, USA. Relevant information was obtained through sending phone/email inquiries to the governments and organizations, visiting their official websites, and searching for published articles or reports. RESULTS: In a few areas such as level of education, economy, and general quality of healthcare, Seoul was found to be similar to Massachusetts. However, in terms of services and interventions for individuals with ASD and their families, especially early identification and intervention, special education, care coordination, school-based programs, and transition to adulthood, Massachusetts was shown to have far more availability. CONCLUSION: The limited availability of services and interventions for individuals with ASD and their families in Seoul in comparison to Massachusetts, underlines target areas for further investment and development.
Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Autistic Disorder ; Education ; Education, Special ; Humans ; Investments ; Korea ; Massachusetts ; Quality of Health Care ; Seoul

Understanding the biopsychosocial model of illness is crucial for any meaningful advance of health. The maintenance and promotion of health is achieved by different combinations of physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being. Health is not an objective of living. It is not only a state, but also a resource for everyday life. Health is a positive concept that emphasizes personal and social resources, as well as physical capacities. Understanding the biopsychosocial model of health and disease is very important in the medical system. George Engel challenged the medical profession to reconsider a strict biomedical approach to medical education and care, and to embrace a "new medical model," the biopsychosocial model. He argued that humans are at once biological, psychological, and social beings who behave in certain ways that can promote or harm their health. Although understanding the biopsychosocial model of illness is important, Korea's medical system have mainly been focusing on the biomedical model of illness. I would like to highlight the importance of biopsychosocial model of illness for Korea's medical system and real clinical field according to the 20th anniversary of Korean Society of Psychosomaitc Medicine.
Anniversaries and Special Events ; Education, Medical ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Korea ; Psychosomatic Medicine

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relation between violence experiences and the professional quality of life for hospital nurses. METHODS: The participants for this study were 212 nurses in one general and three special hospitals located in the metropolitan area of Seoul, South Korea. Data gathered through October and November 2013 were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi2 test. RESULTS: Nurses experienced verbal violence, physical threats and physical violence more frequently from patients and their families rather than from doctors or peer nurses. Nurse's compassion satisfaction was low when nurses experienced violence from peer nurses. Burnout was high when nurses experienced violence from doctors, peer nurses, patients and their families. Secondary traumatic stress was affected by violence from patients and their families. The professional quality of life of nurses was associated with violence from doctors, peer nurses, patients and their families. Of the nurses, 69.3% answered that formation of a positive organizational culture would be the most effective measure for prevention of violence in hospitals. CONCLUSION: The formation of positive organizational culture, development of violence intervention policies and education are crucial to improve the professional quality of hospital nurses' life.
Education ; Empathy ; Hospitals, Special ; Humans ; Korea ; Organizational Culture ; Quality of Life* ; Seoul ; Violence*

Anniversaries and Special Events ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; methods ; Learning ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Physicians

Anniversaries and Special Events ; Congresses as Topic ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Learning ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Physicians

Anniversaries and Special Events ; Education, Medical ; history ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Occupational Medicine ; history

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of lifestyle modifications on the constipation relief, the time required to see the effects, and the effective lifestyles for constipation in older adults admitted to a geriatric hospital. METHODS: Nonequivalent control group pre-post test design was used. The subjects consisted of 25 elderly in the control group and 23 in the experimental group. Constipation was measured with symptoms of constipation, number of bowel movement and use of laxatives. Life style modification consisted of drinking water before breakfast, having a breakfast, scheduled toileting after breakfast and walking everyday for 3 weeks. RESULTS: Symptoms of constipation (t=2.23, p=.030) and number of bowel movement per week (t=-2.55, p=.014) were significantly different between two groups after 3 weeks. Drinking water, scheduled toileting and walking might contribute to the results. CONCLUSION: Lifestyle modification was effective on constipation in older adults admitted to a geriatric hospital. However, the effects were produced after 3 weeks. Nevertheless, it is recommended that nurses continuously encourage older adults for drinking water, regular trying for bowel movement and walking to relieve constipation, since the lifestyle modification does not need any special education and skill.
Adult* ; Aged ; Breakfast ; Constipation* ; Drinking Water ; Education, Special ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Humans ; Laxatives ; Life Style* ; Walking

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the knowledge and attitude of parents toward their mentally retarded child enrolled for special education in an elementary in Manila.
METHODOLOGY: Using a Tagalog version of the 25 item Index of Parent Attitude (IPA) was used to measure the parents' relationship problems with and their attitude towards their special child. A score below 30 meant that there was no clinically significant problem in tghe parent child relationship, while a score above 30 meant there was a problem and a score above 70 meant parents experienced severe stress with the potential to becoming violent towards their children. A 10 item Knowledge Questionnaire Regarding Mental Retardation (KQMR) answerable by True or False, was also drafted in Taglog. A linguist was consulted to translate and back translate both questionnaires. A score of 1-4 was considered as having poor knowledge, 5-7 good and 8-10 as having excellent knowledge. Consent from the principal of Sta. Ana Elementary School and from parents of mentally retarded children was requested to conduct the study. Parents who had accompanied their children to school and were present at the tiem of study was conducted were included in the study once they agreed to participate. Those who were found to have low scores in th KQMR were invited for 2 Focused Group Discussions (FGD) that lasted for 2 hours each; during with the psychiatrist in training explored their difficulties in managing their mentally retarded children.
RESULTS: Sixty parents agreed to participate in answering the questionnaires and only 18 parents joined the FGD sessions. Based on the IPA 41 (68.33%) were identified as having a significantly problematic attitude towards their child; 16 (26.67%) had no significant problems and 3 (5.0%) had the tendency to become violent towards their child. Forty six (76.67%) were considered to have poor level of knowledge regarding Mental Retardation while 14 (23.33%) had good fund of knowledge and no one had excellent scores. It was mostly the mothers (55 or 91.67%)  who were in school to respond to the questionnaire, most of whom were married (55 or 91.67%) and all of them were more than 30 years old; 43 (71.67%) were unemployed. Fifty percent had a monthly income less than 5000.00 PhP, 40% had 5-10 thousand PhP and 10% had 10,000.00 PhP or more monthly income. Fifty five (91.67%) were high school graduates while 18 or 30% had reached college level. Fifty six (93.33%) were Roman Catholics. From the KQMR many (68%) considered that all mentally retarded children are similar in characteristics and behavior, 70% didn't think that medications could control behavioral changes and 80% didn't think psychiatrist could help in dealing with behavioral or maladaptive changes of such children, while 60% believed that all  types of mental retardation are hereditary. On the other hand 87% were correct in disagreeing with the statement that mentally retarded children become Schizophrenic and 83% considered that the behaviorial changes among mentally retarded children are similar to those of other children.
CONCLUSION: Although some had an accurate understanding about mental retardation most were misinformed, thus the urgent need to educate all parents i.e. both fathers and mothers and perhaps even other members of the family about mental retardation- its causes, complications and how their children could be better managed at home and in school.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the knowledge and attitude of parents toward their mentally retarded child enrolled for special education in an elementary in Manila.
METHODOLOGY: Using a Tagalog version of the 25 item Index of Parent Attitude (IPA) was used to measure the parents' relationship problems with and their attitude towards their special child. A score below 30 meant that there was no clinically significant problem in tghe parent child relationship, while a score above 30 meant there was a problem and a score above 70 meant parents experienced severe stress with the potential to becoming violent towards their children. A 10 item Knowledge Questionnaire Regarding Mental Retardation (KQMR) answerable by True or False, was also drafted in Taglog. A linguist was consulted to translate and back translate both questionnaires. A score of 1-4 was considered as having poor knowledge, 5-7 good and 8-10 as having excellent knowledge. Consent from the principal of Sta. Ana Elementary School and from parents of mentally retarded children was requested to conduct the study. Parents who had accompanied their children to school and were present at the tiem of study was conducted were included in the study once they agreed to participate. Those who were found to have low scores in th KQMR were invited for 2 Focused Group Discussions (FGD) that lasted for 2 hours each; during with the psychiatrist in training explored their difficulties in managing their mentally retarded children.
RESULTS: Sixty parents agreed to participate in answering the questionnaires and only 18 parents joined the FGD sessions. Based on the IPA 41 (68.33%) were identified as having a significantly problematic attitude towards their child; 16 (26.67%) had no significant problems and 3 (5.0%) had the tendency to become violent towards their child. Forty six (76.67%) were considered to have poor level of knowledge regarding Mental Retardation while 14 (23.33%) had good fund of knowledge and no one had excellent scores. It was mostly the mothers (55 or 91.67%)  who were in school to respond to the questionnaire, most of whom were married (55 or 91.67%) and all of them were more than 30 years old; 43 (71.67%) were unemployed. Fifty percent had a monthly income less than 5000.00 PhP, 40% had 5-10 thousand PhP and 10% had 10,000.00 PhP or more monthly income. Fifty five (91.67%) were high school graduates while 18 or 30% had reached college level. Fifty six (93.33%) were Roman Catholics. From the KQMR many (68%) considered that all mentally retarded children are similar in characteristics and behavior, 70% didn't think that medications could control behavioral changes and 80% didn't think psychiatrist could help in dealing with behavioral or maladaptive changes of such children, while 60% believed that all  types of mental retardation are hereditary. On the other hand 87% were correct in disagreeing with the statement that mentally retarded children become Schizophrenic and 83% considered that the behaviorial changes among mentally retarded children are similar to those of other children.
CONCLUSION: Although some had an accurate understanding about mental retardation most were misinformed, thus the urgent need to educate all parents i.e. both fathers and mothers and perhaps even other members of the family about mental retardation- its causes, complications and how their children could be better managed at home and in school.