Background: Success in preventing HIV transmission from mother to child has been confirmed, however intervention remains difficult in both services and access barriers due to discrimination and stigma. Objectives: To clarify the HIV prevalence in pregnant women and evaluate the indicators related to the impact of intervention on prevention of mother-to child transmission of HIV. Subjects and method: This study was carried out in 5 districts in 5 provinces that implemented the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) Project. The interventions included the training to provide knowledge, skills on counseling, testing and supervision on PMTCT. The data were collected from designed-questionaires. Results:The results showed there are 100% of pregnant women that came for antenatal visits, had voluntary test counseling. The prevalence of HIV (+) among pregnant women was 0,43%. There were 57 infants born to mothers with HIV (+); received prophylaxis treatment. At the time of the study, there were 31 infants at 18 months of age that received HIV test and all of them were confirmed as negative. Conclusion: Intervention on PMTCT was effectively achieved and should be expanded nationally. Communication, counseling is very important to encourage pregnant women with HIV (+); visit for antenatal care, followed up by health facility and strict adherence to the PMCT schedule to diminish the chance of transmission to their infants.
Prevention of Mother to Child transmission ; HIV testing counseling ; HIV voluntary test.

Voluntary work in our hospital by women belonging to the Women's Division of the Agricultural Cooperatives Association (JA) in Nagano got started in 1973, when the hospital accepted the organized activity of the women. In the beginning, participants were mostly officials of the Women's Division, but later on, other people joined them. They formed a society of volunteers known as Aspara Kai. The voluntary activities are wide-ranging from those directly concerned with care of patients to collecting materials. They have played an important role as a bridge connecting health care to the community by telling people how things are going on in the hospital. Among the activities our hospital sponsors or supports, there are short courses in nursing care, health, mutual help and so on. Doctors and many other specialists on the hospital staff participate in these projects as volunteer lecturers. To enrich the content of these activities, we wish to join hands more tightly with the agricultural cooperatives and become a bearer of health care, medical service and welfare in the region. By carrying out our activities with a sense of unity, comprehensively and efficiently, we will be able to build a society of mutual aid.
seconds ; Hospitals ; Transection, NOS ; Human adult females ; Voluntary

BACKGROUND: Macintosh laryngoscopic intubation is a lifesaving procedure, but a difficult skill to learn. The Airtraq optical laryngoscope (AOL) is a novel intubation device with advantages over the direct laryngoscope for untrained personnel in a manikin study. We compared the effectiveness of AOL with Macintosh laryngoscope for tracheal intubation by novice personnel. METHODS: We selected 37 medical students with no prior tracheal intubation experience and educated them on using both laryngoscopes. Seventy-four patients were randomly divided into two groups (group A: AOL, group M: Macintosh laryngoscope). We recorded the tracheal intubation success rate, intubation time, number of attempts, intubation difficulty scale, and adverse effects. RESULTS: The total success rate was similar in the two groups, but the success rate at first attempt was higher in group A (P < 0.01). Group A also showed reduced duration and attempts at intubation, as well as adverse effects such as oral cavity injury. Additionally, participant reports indicated that using the AOL was easier than the Macintosh laryngoscope (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The AOL is a more effective instrument for tracheal intubation than Macintosh laryngoscope when used by novice personnel.
Humans ; Intubation ; Laryngoscopes ; Manikins ; Mouth ; Students, Medical ; Voluntary Workers

PURPOSE: This study tested a model of hospice volunteer's motivations and outcomes to encourage more volunteer workers to participate in hospice care. METHODS: This included 200 volunteers who attended the Autumn Conference in 2007 and 132 volunteers from five hospice organizations. RESULTS: Volunteers' existential well-being affected an endogenous variable of volunteers' participation in volunteer activities. The durability of volunteer activity was affected by value motivation, the level of participation in volunteer activities and the level of job satisfaction. For volunteers' job satisfaction level, valid endogenous variables included existential well-being, social motivation, understanding motivation and value motivation. The durability of volunteer activities was indirectly affected through three different paths. Volunteers' existential well-being determined the level of their participation in volunteer activities, which in turn affected the durability of such activities. Social motivation influenced volunteers' job satisfaction, and then the durability of volunteer activities. Volunteers' understanding of motivation also influenced their job satisfaction, and then the durability of volunteer activities. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, this study proposes that the durability of volunteers activities could be improved by developing a program to improve volunteers' well-being and by providing volunteers with education on altruistic values, encouraging them to seek intellectual growth, and advocating them to continue volunteer activities based on close relationships with other volunteers.
Hospices ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Motivation ; Quality of Life ; Voluntary Workers

OBJECTIVES: The MVV reflects subjective dyspnea, exercise capacity, postoperative complication. But, the MVV embodies certain disadvantages and is dependent on coordination, endurance and motivation. A timed vital capacity for calculation of an indirect maximal voluntary ventilation is used. We evaluated differences in prediction formulas for the MUV according to the status of ventilatory function. METHODS: Forty-seven normal subjects, 68 patients with obstructive ventilatory impairment, and 23 patients with restrictive ventilatory impairment were studied. The relationships between the MVV and Flow or time parameters in forced expiratory volume and flow volume curves were compared among normal subjects and patients with obstructive or restrictive ventilatory impairment. RESULTS: 1) High correlation coefficients(R>or=0.87) were found between the FEV0.5, 0.75, 1 and the MVV in 47 normal subjects and 91 patients with ventilatory impairment. 2) The MVV can be conveniently estimated from the FEV1 values. The following regression formulas for the prediction of the MVV were obtained. Normal: MVV=44.01 X FEV1-21.09(r(2)=0.771, SEE=11.085) Obstructive ventilatory impairment: MVV=38.34 X FEV1-4.58(r(2)0.812, SEE=4.816) Restrictive ventilatory impairment: MVV=45.20 X FEV1-3.80(r(2)=0.899, SEE=6.929). 3) There were significant differences in prediction formulas for the MVV obtained by FEV1 between each group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that different prediction formulas for the MVV, by multiplying the FEV1 by a constant, are respectively required in normal subjects and patients with obstructive or restrictive ventilatory impairment.
Dyspnea ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Maximal Voluntary Ventilation ; Motivation ; Postoperative Complications

In recent decades it has been proved that the success or failure of family planning program in developing countries has tremendous impact on the improvement of health, welfare, as well as the general socio-economic development. Therefore it is worth giving a review of family planning in Korea during the last two decades. We are happy to credit the voluntary leaders, particular1y from the public health sector of universities, who played a key pioneering role in the initiation of the organized effort and for the continued leadership in the development of the national program. The organization of 17,000 village level family planning mothers' clubs in 1968 is one of the most outstanding innovative achievements. Despite such long standing problems as very poor morale of the family planning workers, poor national health care network, and stubborn preference for boys, Korea has been fairly successful in achieving the demographic objectives by reducing the total fertility rate from 6.0 in 1960 to 2.7 in 1968, and by increasing the rate of family planning practice from 9% in 1964 to 49% in 1978.
Contraception/methods ; Family Planning/trends* ; Human ; Korea ; Population Control ; Population Density ; Voluntary Health Agencies

Innovative new medical programs such as Problem Based Learning (PBL) are being developed worldwide. An increasing number of medical schools are starting to introduce these programs into or even to replace the existing curriculum. At Yonsei University College of Medicine (YUCM), we developed our own PBL curriculum and evaluation method. In order to develop a program suitable for our school, we suggest that for trial purposes, a small number of student and teacher volunteers should be selected and that the tutors involved in the program be given adequate training.
*Education, Medical ; Faculty ; Japan ; *Problem-Based Learning ; Schools, Medical ; Students ; *Voluntary Workers

No abstract available.
Adult ; Family Planning* ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Legislation, Medical ; Male ; Population Control ; Voluntary Health Agencies

PURPOSE: This study was done to investigate effects of foot massage and supportive communication provided by hospice volunteers on depression, anxiety, and mood of cancer patients who are going under intravenous chemotherapy at out patient department (OPD). METHODS: A non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design was used. Sixty-four participants were recruited from out-patients setting in a university hospital by a convenient sampling. Two trained-hospice volunteers first provided regular hospice volunteer service to 34 patients in the control group. Subsequently, foot massage and supportive communication were provided to 30 participants in the experimental group. After the intervention, all participants answered the structured questionnaire with visual analog scales on depression, anxiety, and mood including general characteristics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two sample t-test, and paired t-test by PASW 17. RESULTS: After the intervention, changes in negative moods, i.e. strain and powerlessness in the experimental group were significantly different from those in control group; strain and powerlessness in the experimental group were significantly decreased by foot massage and supportive communication provided by hospice volunteers. CONCLUSION: The current findings provide an empirical evidence of a brief and efficacious intervention for cancer patients. Further studies are warranted with larger sample size to validate the effectiveness of foot massage and supportive communication as a solid intervention for cancer patients who are undergoing intravenous chemotherapy at OPD.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Foot ; Hospice Care ; Hospices ; Humans ; Massage ; Outpatients ; Sample Size ; Sprains and Strains ; Voluntary Workers ; Weights and Measures ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate effectiveness of a peer support program conducted by older community volunteers for older adults living alone. METHODS: Thirty volunteers trained as peer supporters were matched with low-income, older adults living alone in the community on gender. Visits occurred on a weekly basis over the 12 month study period, and the volunteers provided peer support for health management to solitary older adults. Data were collected, before the start of the program and again 6 and 12 months after its initialization, from intervention and control groups regarding physical health, general health, mental health, depression, social functioning, and satisfaction with social support. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze data. RESULTS: By the end of the program, socially isolated older adults in the intervention group had significantly higher scores in physical health and general health than elders in the control group. Significant interaction effects between time and group were found for depression, social functioning, and satisfaction with social support. CONCLUSION: The peer support program undertaken by older community volunteers was effective in improving physical health, general health, depression, social functioning, and satisfaction with social support in socially isolated, low-income, older adults.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Depression ; Female ; *Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Health ; *Personal Satisfaction ; Program Evaluation ; Social Support ; *Voluntary Programs