PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of nurses' awareness of healthcare accreditation on their job stress and turnover intention. METHODS: Across-sectional correlation study design was used. Participants consisted of 143 nurses from two tertiary hospitals in Seoul and Gyunggido, South Korea. Data were collected in October 2016 using self-report questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, an ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression in SPSS/WIN 21.0. RESULTS: Awareness of health care accreditation correlated negatively with job stress (r=−63, p < .001) and turn over intention (r=−.50, p < .001). Awareness of health care accreditation was the factor that most influenced job stress, explaining 38% of the variance (F=23.10, p < .001). Awareness of health care accreditation and duty pattern were the factors that most influenced intention to leave, explaining 32% of the variance (F=10.35, p < .001). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest raising nurses' awareness of certification systems to reduce their job stress and turnover intentions. It will be necessary to provide support for the aggressive work nurses do and improve their work structure, highlighting the need for both manpower and institutional support. Accordingly, providing regular education programs and appropriate compensation schemes, by raising nurses' awareness of medical institutions' certification systems, is necessary.
Accreditation ; Certification ; Compensation and Redress ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Intention ; Korea ; Personnel Turnover ; Seoul ; Statistics as Topic ; Tertiary Care Centers

BACKGROUND: One effective way to improve return-to-work (RTW) performance may be to convince the employer that the worker has the necessary skills. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of having a professional certification among workers injured in occupational injuries on their return to work. METHODS: The Panel Study of Workers' Compensation Insurance (PSWCI) targets workers who completed medical care in 2012 after an occupational injury. The study population (n = 2000) was stratified by gender, age, region, disability grade, and rehabilitation service use. A total of 1458 workers were finally selected for this study. The effect of having a certification on RTW status was calculated with an odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals using binomial and multinomial logistic regression analyses. In the binomial logistic regression analysis, the RTW group was made up as a combination of the return to original work and the reemployment groups. RESULTS: The ORs of RTW among those with a certification compared to those without certification were 1.38 (1.16-1.65) in Model 1, 1.25 (1.05-1.50) in Model 2, and 1.22 (1.01-1.47) in Model 3. Among female workers with a certification, the OR of RTW was 4.60 (2.68-7.91), that of return to original work was 3.21 (1.74-5.91), and that of reemployment was 5.85 (3.34-10.27). Among daily workers with a certification, the OR of RTW was 1.32 (1.03-1.69) and that of reemployment was 1.37 (1.07-1.76). CONCLUSION In conclusion, injured workers with a certification generally had a higher RTW rate. In particular, the RTW rate was higher among female workers and daily workers with a certification than among those without.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Certification/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Injuries/statistics & numerical data* ; Republic of Korea ; Return to Work/statistics & numerical data* ; Vulnerable Populations/statistics & numerical data* ; Workplace/statistics & numerical data* ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: To the emergency physician, issuing a death certificate is becoming a burden as the DOAs(Deaths on Arrival) have increased in recent years. We analyzed the agreement on the causes of death issued by emergency physicians and attempted to find out whether emergency physicians complied with the guidelines for issuing death certificates. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A survey questionnaire containing twelve pre-selected DOA cases which were supplemented with relevant past medical history and physical examination was used. The cases, with varying causes of death, were chosen from the medical records of DOA patients who presented to the emergency department at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, from January 1997 to December 2000. The questionnaires were sent to 60 emergency physicians(22 specialists and 38 residents) at 22 university-affiliated teaching hospitals and 2 general hospitals across the nation. They were asked to identify the most probable direct cause of death for each of the 12 cases. The same questionnaire was sent to medical examiners at the National Institute of Scientific Investigation and to a Korean emergency physician at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, USA. We also included an open question about the optimal age for the use of 'senility' as a cause of death. RESULTS: All 60 emergency physicians responded to the survey. The average number of causes of death per case was 9.7(7~14). The range of concordance of causes of death was 23.3% to 66.6%. Out of a total of 720 causes of death given by the emergency physicians, 35(4.9%) failed to adhere to the death certification guidelines. Also, 210 causes of death were not listed in the Korean classification of standard causes of death. Interestingly, the medical examiner answered 'unknown etiology' and the emergency physician in the USA answered 'cardiopulmonary arrest' or 'respiratory arrest' in most cases. Regarding 'senility' as a cause of death, 22 physicians(36.7%) thought the optimal age was over 80 years. CONCLUSION: A significant lack of agreement exists in determining the cause of death for the DOA patients arriving at emergency departments. Therefore, an all-out effort is essential to find ways to improve and resolve this situation. As the death certificate is a legal document and a basis for vital statistics, emergency physician should seek a rational consensus to improve and resolve these inconsistencies.
Cause of Death* ; Certification ; Classification ; Consensus ; Coroners and Medical Examiners ; Death Certificates* ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hospitals, General ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Physical Examination ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Specialization ; Vital Statistics

OBJECTIVES: To increase the booster vaccination rate, the Korean government legislated a measles vaccination for elementary school students in 2001, requiring parents to submit a certificate of vaccination upon the admission of the students to elementary school. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of measles vaccination certificates which were issued to parents. METHODS: Using questionnaire survey data of 890 general practitioners and 9,235 parents in 2005, we investigated the evidence for booster vaccination certificates of measles. RESULTS: In the survey of general practitioners, 59.5% of the certificates depended on the medical records of clinic, 13.5% was immunization booklets, 23.7% was re-immunizations, 1.9% was confirmation of record of other clinics, and 1.4% was parents' statements or requests without evidence. In the survey of parents, 36.2% of the certificates depended on the medical records of clinic, 43.4% was immunization booklets, 18.0% was reimmunizations, and 2.4% was parents statements or requests without evidence. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that a majority of the booster vaccination certificates of measles was issued on the basis of documented vaccinations and it means that the implementation of the law requiring the submission of elementary school students' vaccination certificates has been very successful in Korea.
Adult ; Aged ; *Certification ; Documentation ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Measles Vaccine/*administration & dosage ; Medical Records ; Middle Aged ; Parents ; Questionnaires ; *Schools ; Vaccination/legislation & jurisprudence/*standards/statistics & numerical data

PURPOSE: To call on health authorities to construct an organized surveillance and investigation system with national financial support for sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) in Korea. METHODS: A single-center retrospective study was conducted on 19 SUID cases, including an analysis of vital statistics for Korean infants, estimation of costs, and suggestion of plans. RESULTS: SUID is the second most common cause of infant deaths in the ER. Most of the deceased infants in this study were discovered in a prone position and bystanders had not in any of the cases started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the scene. Immediate intraosseous (IO) access was not performed in the ER. All cases were categorized as "unclassified sudden infant death" according to the San Diego definition because autopsies and various screening tests were not performed. The assumed rate of incidence of SUID in Korea is 0.3~0.56 per 1000 live births per year. The cost for a response per SUID case was estimated to be over one million won. CONCLUSION: 1) Immediate launching of nation-wide "back-to-sleep campaign" is urgent. 2) Certification in infant resuscitation and prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) should be required for workers in day care centers, orphanages or caregivers companies. 3) IO access should be performed immediately for infant cardiac arrest cases in the ER. 4) A nation-wide campaign would also be helpful to change irrational ideas about dead bodies, get public agreement on performing autopsies and raising the autopsy rate. 5) Legislation should be promoted to mandate autopsies and to organize and maintain a surveillance and investigation system with multi-agency support.
Autopsy ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Caregivers ; Certification ; Day Care, Medical ; Financial Support ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infusions, Intraosseous ; Korea* ; Live Birth ; Mass Screening ; Orphanages ; Prone Position ; Resuscitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Sudden Infant Death* ; Vital Statistics