PURPOSE: Recently in Korea, there have been significant improvements in neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR). This study aimed to investigate the proportion of the NMR among IMR, with the goal of discerning the influence of improved NMR on the reduction of IMR in the last 5 years in Korea. METHODS: All data were from Statistics Korea. Changes in the NMR percentage among IMR and the percentage of the death by the distribution of the birth weight and gestational were investigated. RESULTS: The total birth rate decreased, but the total number of preterm and low birth weight infants increased. These was a large decrease in NMR and IMR. The proportion of NMR among INR exceeded 50%. Early NMR was higher than late NMR. Among the total infant death, the mortality of preterm and low birth weight infants was high. CONCLUSION: Between 2005 and 2009, the total birth has declined in Korea, but the frequency of low birth weight infants is trending upward. The improvements in NMR and IMR, and the downtrend of the NMR percentage in IMR, are encouraging. It seems that the continued decrease of mortality of preterm and LBWI is required for better improvements NMR and IMR in Korea. This result is expected to be used for the basic data to improve the management of the newborns in Korea.
Birth Rate ; Birth Weight ; Data Collection ; Epidemiologic Methods ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; International Normalized Ratio ; Korea ; Parturition ; Vital Statistics

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical nursing students using 360 degree evaluation. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study that conducted between September 2014 and February 2015, 28 students who were selected by census from those who were passing the last semester of the Nursing BSc program in Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. Data collection tools included demographic questionnaire and students' evaluation questionnaire, to evaluate "professional behavior" and "clinical skills" in pediatric ward. Every student got evaluated from clinical instructor, students, peers, clinical nurses, and children's mothers' point of view. Data analysis was done with descriptive and analytic statistics test including Pearson coefficient using SPSS version 18.0. RESULTS: The evaluation mean scores were as following: students, 89.74±6.17; peers, 94.12±6.87; children's mothers, 92.87±6.21; clinical instructor, 84.01±8.81; and the nurses, 94.87±6.35. The results showed a significant correlation between evaluation scores of peers, clinical instructor and self-evaluation (Pearson coefficient, p<0.001), but the correlation between the nurses' evaluation score and that of the clinical instructor was not significant (Pearson coefficient, p=0.052). CONCLUSION: 360 Degree evaluation can provide additional useful information on student performance and evaluation of different perspectives of care. The use of this method is recommended for clinical evaluation of nursing students.
Censuses ; Clinical Competence ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Data Collection ; Diagnostic Self Evaluation ; Humans ; Iran* ; Methods ; Mothers ; Nursing* ; Self-Assessment ; Statistics as Topic ; Students, Nursing* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Through the multi-stage hierarchical Bayesian model and Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, Bayesian statistics can be used in dependent spatial data analysis, including disease mapping in small areas, disease clustering, and geographical correlation studies. Recently, Bayesian spatial models have been developed with many types, which have made considerable progress in data analysis. This paper introduces several approaches that have been fully developed and applied, such as BYM model,joint model, semi-parameter model, moving average model and so on. Recently,many studies focused on the comparison work through Deviance Information criterion. Those results show that BYM model and MIX model of semi-parameter model could obtain better results. As more research going on, Bayesian statistics will have more space in applications of spatial epidemiology.
Bayes Theorem ; Epidemiologic Methods ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Markov Chains ; Models, Statistical ; Monte Carlo Method

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the contribution of individual risk factor to a disease on someone with several risk factors.

METHODSA method based on epidemiological theory and Bayes' theorem was established to measure the contribution of individual risk factor, using the relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR) value obtained from population-based cohort studies or meta-analysis.

RESULTSThe proportional contribution for individual risk factor to disease in one person can be measured or estimated.

CONCLUSIONThis method can be applied to risk assessment in a patient with more than one risk factor, and the results also contribute to our etiological study and clinical decision-making strategy.

Bayes Theorem ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Disease ; etiology ; Epidemiologic Methods ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Humans ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo explore the methods of estimating measurement reliability and their limitations.

METHODSAccording to the given examples, reliabilities of measurement were calculated and limitations of the methods of estimating reliability were analyzed.

RESULTSThe Kappa value of interobserver reliability was 0.793 between two pathologists. Between the two populations with different prevalence rates, the values of Kappa were 0.800 and 0.137 respectively, and with big difference. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of compositive index for A type behavior was 0.55.

CONCLUSIONThe Kappa index and alpha coefficient were both inherently population-specific. Before generalizing to different populations, the reliability needs to be measured.

Algorithms ; Data Collection ; methods ; statistics & numerical data ; Epidemiologic Measurements ; Observer Variation ; Reproducibility of Results ; Time Factors

Content validity is the degree to which an instrument has an appropriate sample of items for the construct being measured and is an important procedure in scale development. Content validity index (CVI) is the most widely used index in quantitative evaluation. There are 2 kinds of CVI: I-CVI and S-CVI. A method to compute a modified kappa statistic (K*) can be used to adjust I-CVI for chance agreement. S-CVI/UA and S-CVI/Ave are both scale level CVI with different formulas. Researchers recommend that a scale with excellent content validity should be composed of I-CVIs of 0.78 or higher and S-CVI/UA and S-CVI/Ave of 0.8 and 0.9 or higher, respectively. The characteristics and qualifications of the experts, process and main results of content validity evaluation should be reported in scale-related manuscript.
Data Collection ; Humans ; Psychometrics ; methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; standards

OBJECTIVE: Providing a risk assessment method for the implementation of radiotherapy to identify possible risks in the implementation of the treatment process, and proposing measures to reduce or prevent these risks. METHODS: A multidisciplinary expert evaluation team was developed and the radiotherapy treatment process flow was drawn. Through the expert team, the failure mode analysis is carried out in each step of the flow chart. The results were summarized and the (risk priority ordinal) score was obtained, and the quantitative evaluation results of the whole process risk were obtained. RESULTS: One hundred and six failure modes were obtained, risk assessment of (20%) high risk failure model are 22 and severity (≥ 8) high risk failure model are 27. The reasons for the failures were man-made errors or hardware and software failures. CONCLUSIONS Failure mode and effect analysis can be used to evaluate the risk assessment of radiotherapy, and it provides a new solution for risk control in radiotherapy field.
Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis ; Risk Assessment

BACKGROUND: Resilience engineering (RE) is a new paradigm that can control incidents and reduce their consequences. Integrated RE includes four new factors—self-organization, teamwork, redundancy, and fault-tolerance—in addition to conventional RE factors. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of these four factors on RE and determine the most efficient factor in an uncertain environment. METHODS: The required data were collected through a questionnaire in a petrochemical plant in June 2013. The questionnaire was completed by 115 respondents including 37 managers and 78 operators. Fuzzy data envelopment analysis was used in different α-cuts in order to calculate the impact of each factor. Analysis of variance was employed to compare the efficiency score means of the four above-mentioned factors. RESULTS: The results showed that as α approached 0 and the system became fuzzier (α = 0.3 and α = 0.1), teamwork played a significant role and had the highest impact on the resilient system. In contrast, as α approached 1 and the fuzzy system went toward a certain mode (α = 0.9 and α = 1), redundancy had a vital role in the selected resilient system. Therefore, redundancy and teamwork were the most efficient factors. CONCLUSION: The approach developed in this study could be used for identifying the most important factors in such environments. The results of this study may help managers to have better understanding of weak and strong points in such industries.
Analysis of Variance* ; Plants* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the reliability and validity of simple Burnout Questionnaire in occupational population.

METHODSA self-administered Burnout Questionnaire comprising 19 items was developed in light of Maslash Burnout Questionnaire and used for investigating 458 employees.

RESULTSCronbach's alpha between total items of Burnout Questionnaire and each factor fell in between 0.82 and 0.85 through the consistency test. All 19 items of Burnout Questionnaire were subjected to factor analysis, and three latent factors were identified, wherein 56.3% of total variance could be explained. According to the contents described in the items and Maslash burnout theory, they were emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. According to the covariance and the variance analysis, there was significant difference in the integral of the type of work among the three subitems (P < 0.01); there was significant difference in the integral of depersonalization between two sexes (P < 0.01); There were significant difference in the integral of the personal achievement among different level of education (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe reliability and validity of Burnout Questionnaire is acceptable and can be used for assessing burnout in occupational population.

Adult ; Analysis of Variance ; Burnout, Professional ; diagnosis ; psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sex Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Air pollution epidemiologic studies are intrinsically difficult because the expected effect size at general environmental levels is small, exposure and misclassification of exposure are common, and exposure is not selective to a specific pollutant. In this review paper, epidemiologic study designs and analytic methods are described, and two nationwide projects on air pollution epidemiology are introduced. This paper also demonstrates that possible confounding issues in time-series analysis can be resolved and the impact on the use of data from ambient monitoring stations may not be critical. In this paper we provide a basic understanding of the types of air pollution epidemiologic study designs that be subdivided by the mode of air pollution effects on human health (acute or chronic). With the improvements in the area of air pollution epidemiologic studies, we should emphasize that elaborate models and statistical techniques cannot compensate for inadequate study design or poor data collection.
Air Pollution* ; Data Collection ; Epidemiologic Methods* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Humans