In step with the widespread use of antimicrobial agents in medical treatment, microbial substitution and emergence of new drug-resistant bacteria have become life-threatening problem today. Both have resulted from the postopreative practice of administering prophylactic medication and long-term, desultory drug administration. Drug-resistant microbes can occur easily with the inadequate use of drug. Therefore, our hospital has held in check the incidence of drug-resistant microbial infection by letting ICT members make the rounds of the wards and go over the notifications of the prescription of specific antimicrobial agents and the reports on drug-resistant bacteria. At the begiing, the notification and the report were filed separately. Recently, the information obtained from thses two channels has become easier of access because all the necessary data appear on the same screen at once by using patients' IDs. We believe that the streamlining of work and putting two kinds of data together have proved very usefull for infection control, as it has become possible to keep careful watch over the use of specific antimicrobial agents and the detection of drug-resistant microorganism simulataneously. By sharing the information obtained by us with all the rest on the hospital staff, we will continue to make efforts along this line and contribute toward the prevention of the outbreak of nosocomial infections as well as community-acquired ones.
Microorganism ; Pharmaceutical Preparations ; Medical Surveillance ; microbial ; Bacterial

A medical device recall event tracking system was designed, which can enable the users to obtain the recall, early warning and other information related to medical devices in time. The tracking system can timely obtain and release the recall information of medical devices, effectively improve the quality control of hospital medical devices, reduce the use risk of medical devices, and ensure the life safety of patients.
Humans ; Medical Device Recalls ; Product Surveillance, Postmarketing

OBJECTIVESTo analyze medical device recall information of FDA U.S. and to address the safety issue of medical device.

METHODFor each report, the recall class, product name, product class and recall reason were recorded and classified for analysis.

RESULTS3093 reports were identified; the recalling reasons of the three classes were significantly different. It is found that the main recall reason for medical material is package problems (39%) and design defectiveness (19%), for medical tools are design defectiveness (27%) and package problems (26%), and for medical equipment are design defectiveness (45%) and system failures (39%). The number of software recalled is 109. The main recall reason for high risk equipment is design defectiveness, and the I class level of high risk equipment recalled was decline in 2006 compared to that in 2005.

CONCLUSIONMonitoring and application of medical device recall information should be strengthened, and the objective law of medical device safety issue should be summed up, in order to provide reference for supervision of medical device.

Equipment Safety ; Medical Device Recalls ; Product Surveillance, Postmarketing ; United States ; United States Food and Drug Administration

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates whether Korean news media pay more attention to emerging diseases than chronic ones, and whether they closely follow the changes in the magnitude of health risks of chronic or well-known diseases. These two features are expected to appear as the result of surveillance function served by health journalism that should be the main source of the public's risk perception. METHODS: The number of stories published in 10 newspapers containing the words, 'SARS,' 'Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy,' 'Avian Influenza,' and 'Influenza A virus' was compared with the number of stories on chronic or well-known diseases. We also counted the annual number of stories, published in a 12-year period, containing following terms: 'cancer,' 'diabetes,' 'hypertension,' 'pneumonia,' and 'tuberculosis.' The number was compared with the actual mortality of each disease. RESULTS: Although cancer represented the primary cause of mortality, the newspapers covered key emerging diseases more than cancer or other well-known diseases. Also, media coverage of 'pneumonia' and 'tuberculosis' did not vary in accordance with changes in the mortality of each disease. However, the news media coverage did vary in accordance with the mortality of 'cancer,' 'diabetes,' and 'hypertension.' CONCLUSIONS: Korean health journalism was found to have both strong and weak points. The news media reduced the relative level of attention given to pneumonia and tuberculosis. Bearing in mind the major influence of news coverage on risk perception, health professionals need to be more proactive about helping to improve Korean health journalism.
*Access to Information ; Bibliometrics ; *Chronic Disease ; *Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; *Journalism, Medical ; Newspapers ; Population Surveillance ; Public Health ; Republic of Korea ; *Risk Assessment

BACKGROUNDAppropriate planning and staffing for medical services at large-scale athletic events is essential to provide for a safe and successful competition. There are few well-documented accounts describing the demand for such services. The present study provided the data from the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Paralympics, with a view to provide the guidance for planning future events.

METHODSA total of 22 029 and 8046 patients, who received medical care from a physician at an Olympic or Paralympic medical station, were included. The patient proportion among different personnel, various disease proportions at different kinds of venues, and the disease spectrum at specified venues at the Olympics and Paralympics were analyzed.

RESULTSAt both games, the patient proportion varied by accreditation status. The staff accounted for the largest number of visits at the Olympics (44.83%) and Paralympics (36.95%), with respiratory diseases the most common. Various disease spectrums were discovered at the different kinds of venues. Surgical diseases were the most frequently listed reason for visits, both at competition and non-competition venues, especially during the Paralympics. The sport-related injuries accounted for a majority of the surgical cases during both games. At training venues, ear nose and throat diseases accounted for the greatest number of visits during both games.

CONCLUSIONSDuring both games, people contracted different diseases at different venues. Adequate surgeons should be designated to offer assistance mostly in trauma situations. Appropriate numbers of physicians in respiratory diseases and otorhinolaryngology is of great importance.

Anniversaries and Special Events ; China ; Emergency Medical Services ; utilization ; Humans ; Population Surveillance ; Public Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Sports

INTRODUCTIONAs of 2001, the Philippines ranks 7th among the world's 22 countries with a heavy tuberculosis (TB) burden. As the country accelerates its campaign to control the global epidemic, the Philippine Tuberculosis Initiatives for the Private Sector (PhilTIPS) joined the efforts to combat it through the Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) strategy and brought it to the level of medical schools. PhilTIPS commissioned this work to develop an evidence-based medical curriculum with strong and conscious integration of TB-DOTS.

MATERIALS AND METHODSIn the needs assessment, curricula, sample tests, and syllabi were reviewed. Deans and curriculum committee chairs were also asked to answer a questionnaire dealing with how TB, TB control and DOTS were taught. Based on the needs assessment, the TB control-DOTS core curriculum was developed. Ten months after its implementation, a monitoring evaluation was conducted through questionnaires, review of records and key informant interviews.

DISCUSSIONRepresentative samples of 18 out of 32 schools participated in the needs assessment and monitoring phase. Data revealed that the biomedical and clinical aspects of TB are emphasised in all schools. But only 7 out of 18 (38.89%) actually dealt with DOTS. A competency-based, integrated, and interactive TB-DOTS curriculum was then developed. The competencies around which the curriculum was designed were: (1) a thorough understanding of TB as a biomedical and social phenomenon; (2) the management of TB patients; and (3) an adherence to DOTS in managing TB patients. The curriculum was reviewed by local and international panelists, and implemented in 2003 to 2004. Monitoring evaluation 10 months later revealed that this curriculum was minimally to moderately integrated by medical schools. The study exhorts all medical schools to empower their graduates with competence in TB-DOTS.

Curriculum ; Directly Observed Therapy ; Humans ; Philippines ; Population Surveillance ; Program Development ; Public Health ; Schools, Medical ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tuberculosis ; prevention & control

Bioterrorism events have worldwide impacts, not only in terms of security and public health policy, but also in other related sectors. Many countries, including Korea, have set up new administrative and operational structures and adapted their preparedness and response plans in order to deal with new kinds of threats. Korea has dual surveillance systems for the early detection of bioterrorism. The first is syndromic surveillance that typically monitors non-specific clinical information that may indicate possible bioterrorismassociated diseases before specific diagnoses are made. The other is infectious disease specialist network that diagnoses and responds to specific illnesses caused by intentional release of biologic agents. Infectious disease physicians, clinical microbiologists, and infection control professionals play critical and complementary roles in these networks. Infectious disease specialists should develop practical and realistic response plans for their institutions in partnership with local and state health departments, in preparation for a real or suspected bioterrorism attack.
*Bioterrorism ; Communicable Disease Control/organization & administration ; Disaster Planning/*organization & administration ; Disease Notification/methods ; Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control ; *Health Policy ; Humans ; Korea ; *Sentinel Surveillance ; Specialties, Medical/organization & administration

Recent epidemics and pandemics have highlighted a number of ethical concerns about the response to the increasing threat of emerging infectious diseases. Some of these ethical concerns are very fundamental. They include why a pandemic was declared, how much clinical information can be collected for public health without threatening patient confidentiality and how to ensure fairness in the distribution of resources. We discuss these issues and suggest approaches to resolve these dilemmas as we anticipate the next pandemic.
Communicable Disease Control ; Communicable Diseases ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; ethics ; Ethics, Medical ; Global Health ; Humans ; Pandemics ; ethics ; Public Health Practice ; ethics ; Quarantine ; Sentinel Surveillance ; Singapore ; epidemiology

The concept of medical devices adverse events is introduced in the paper. The contents of surveillance of adverse events are discussed and the government's role in the surveillance is presented as well.
Equipment Failure ; Equipment Safety ; Equipment and Supplies ; Government Agencies ; Medical Errors ; prevention & control ; Product Surveillance, Postmarketing ; Risk Factors ; Safety Management ; methods ; Social Responsibility

BACKGROUND: In Korea, cases with hepatitis A have been reported to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the sentinel surveillance system. However, it was difficult to study the exact nation-wide incidence of hepatitis A infection. We studied the incidence of clinically apparent hepatitis A infection and the seroprevalence of anti-HAV IgG among auxiliary police officers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed clinically apparent and hospitalized hepatitis A patients from 2002 to 2006 in National Police Hospital via medical records. We also measured anti-HAV IgG antibody from 507 auxiliary police officers. RESULTS: The estimated annual incidence of clinically apparent hepatitis A infection among auxiliary police officers was 10.6-14.8 cases per 100,000 population from 2002 to 2006. The overall anti-HAV IgG seropositive rate among auxiliary police officers was 0.6% (3/507). CONCLUSION: Among auxiliary police officers, the estimated annual incidence of clinically apparent hepatitis A infection was above 10 cases per 100,000 population and the positive rate of anti-HAV IgG was very low. The results were comparable to those in the low endemicity countries. The routine HAV vaccination among auxiliary police officers might be suggested.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Hepatitis A Antibodies ; Hepatitis A virus* ; Hepatitis A* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Incidence* ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Police* ; Sentinel Surveillance ; Seroepidemiologic Studies* ; Vaccination