The purpose of this study was to collect basic information for the development of information interchange infrastructure of health research and development library in Korea. Domestic data was collected via mail and telephone survey and site visit of information producing and distributing organizations and agencies in the health related field. Data was analyzed and tabulated using descriptive statistics. Research and development activities of the National Library of Medicine were examined using materials posted on the internet. Content of data was reviewed and summarized. It was found that we lack a standardized Korean medical subject headings for the medical librarians to refer when indexing an article written in Korean. And most of academic societies lack a standardized vocaburary system for their members to refer when wrting an article.
Abstracting and Indexing as Topic ; Humans ; Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems ; Internet ; Korea ; Librarians ; Medical Subject Headings ; National Library of Medicine (U.S.) ; Postal Service ; Telephone

Most of health care professional obtain and update their new knowledge and skills through continuing education. Nurses who works three shifts per day are not easy to attend continuing education session usually offered during their working hours. One of solutions to this problem would be to develop a education program which does not limit time and place. The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate a web-based continuing education program, to help nurse improve their knowledge of transfusion therapy and medical law, and to enhance their ability to contribute to the quality of patient care. A wide range of contents regarding transfusion therapy are covered extensively, concentration on principles of transfusion therapy and administration of whole blood and blood components, transfusion reactions. In the medical law, contents on Korean law in general, medical law, history of revision of medical law, nursing related medical laws are covered, Many color illustrations have been included to help nurses learning process. Each unit has a set of multiple choice questions to provide feedback to nurses. Two sets of questionnaires were used for this study. First, a questionnaire was administered to 21 nurses to collect information on their general characteristics, opinions of inservice and continuing education, and experiences of using computer and internet before they were exposed to the program. Second, another questionnaire was administered to 21 nurses after they were exposed to the program. They were asked to evaluate program in terms of its easiness of use, contents and ways of presenting contents, and usefulness of program for learning. The program generally was well received by the nurses. The program is a useful adjunct to the existing continuing education program. It also could be used in nursing student education and other health sciences.
Blood Group Incompatibility ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education* ; Education, Continuing ; Humans ; Internet* ; Jurisprudence ; Learning ; Multimedia* ; Nursing ; Patient Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Students, Nursing ; Teaching Materials*

Graves' disease, the main cause of hyperthyroidism in the pediatric age group, is very rare in children younger than 4 years old but can seriously interfere with growth and development if not recognized and treated. Here we report a case of a 3-year-old girl with Graves' disease who presented with goiter, exophthalmos, heat intolerance, and hyperactivity. At her first visit, her serum concentrations of triiodothyronine (T3) and free thyroxine (free T4) were normal, whereas that of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was decreased. Antimicrosomal antibody was 7,053.94 IU/mL, and TSH-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin was 31.62%. A thyroid scan showed diffuse enlargement with markedly increased uptake of both thyroid glands. Although T3 and free T4 levels were initially normal, she developed hyperthyroidism 3 months later. She was finally diagnosed with Graves' disease and treated with methimazole for 6 months. This is the first report of Graves' disease in children younger than 4 years old in Korea.
Child ; Child, Preschool* ; Exophthalmos ; Female ; Goiter ; Graves Disease* ; Growth and Development ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Immunoglobulins ; Korea ; Methimazole ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyrotropin ; Thyroxine ; Triiodothyronine

PURPOSE: The optimal timing and the consequences of dexamethasone therapy in chronic lung disease remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether early dexamethasone therapy would reduce the incidence of chronic lung disease and to determine the adverse effects and complications of prematurity associated with such therapy. METHODS: Twenty neonates with hyaline membrane disease(dexamethasone n=10, placebo n=10) of less than 32 weeks of gestation at Ewha Womens University Mokdong Hospital were enrolled. Infants were randomized to receive either early dexamethasone or placebo within 12 hours after birth for three days at 10 day intervals until postconceptional age was 36 weeks. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the incidence of chronic lung disease, duration of the ventilator therapy, O2 therapy and the duration of admission in the NICU. Retinopathy of prematurity and periventricular leukomalacia were more common in the dexamethasone-treated group(P< 0.05). There were no different in other complications between two groups. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that dexamethasone treatment in extreme low birth weight premature infants may be discouraged. And the duration of treatment and total dosage of dexamethasone should be reevaluated.
Dexamethasone* ; Female ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Leukomalacia, Periventricular ; Lung Diseases* ; Lung* ; Membranes ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; Ventilators, Mechanical

PURPOSE: This study was performed to propose an ontology methodology based on standardized nursing process as framework in obstetric and gynecologic nursing practice. METHODS: The instrument used in this study was based on the nursing diagnosis classification established by North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) (2009-2011), fifth edition of the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) (2008), forth edition of the Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) (2008) developed by Iowa State University and systematized nomenclature of medicine clinical terms (SNOMED CT). The nursing records data were collected from electronic medical records of one hospital from August to October 2010. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-one nursing diagnosis statements used in obstetric and gynecologic nursing unit were linked standardized nursing classifications and constructed nursing diagnosis ontology including interoperability. CONCLUSION: Not only will this result be helpful to complete nurse's lack of knowledge and experience, it will also help to determine nursing diagnosis logically by using standardized nursing process. It will be utilized as the method to construct ontology including interoperability in other nursing units. It will be presented nursing interventions according to nursing diagnosis and thus will be easier to establish nursing planning. This can provide immediate feedback of the nursing process application.
Electronic Health Records ; Iowa ; Logic ; Nursing Diagnosis ; Nursing Process ; Nursing Records ; Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine

The effects of NMDA-receptor antagonist (MK-801) were assessed for the oxygen free radical mediated brain (hippocampus) injury with eighty rats which were exposed to carbon monoxide (CO) followed by hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were used as parameters of the oxygen free radical reaction. Experimental groups consisted of (1) control group (=breathing with air), (2) CO group (=exposed to CO after air breath), (3) CO-air group(exposed to CO after air breath followed by air breath), and (4) CO-HBO group (=exposed to CO after air breath followed by 3 ATA HBO). Each group was divided two subgroup according to the pretreatment (normal saline or MK-801). CO, CO-air and HBO groups increased in SOD activity as compared with control group. And CO-air and HBO groups increased in MDA as compared with control and CO group. Pretreatment of MK-801 decreased SOD activities significantly (p-value<.05) , but MDA amount not significantly (p-value=.107). These results suggest a useful protective effect of NMDA-receptor antagonist (MK-801) in CO induced hippocampal injury mediated by oxygen free radicals.
Animals ; Brain Injuries* ; Brain* ; Carbon Monoxide ; Dizocilpine Maleate ; Free Radicals ; Malondialdehyde ; Oxygen* ; Rats* ; Superoxide Dismutase

BACKGROUND: Pyometra should be treated with caution in elderly patients because it may indicate a malignancy in the post-menopausal period and can result in life-threatening complications such as septicemia or pan-peritonitis. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical features of 30 patients aged ≥65 years who received treatment for pyometra between January 2010 and December 2014. RESULTS: The 30 patients (age: median, 74 years; range, 66-88 years) were evaluated. They presented with vaginal discharge (n=17), vaginal bleeding (n=8), abdominal pain (n=6), or fever (n=3). The most common accompanying systemic disease was hypertension (n=15), followed by diabetes mellitus (n=10). Of the 30 cases, seven were associ- ated with gynecologic malignancy (cervical cancers, n=3; endometrial cancers, n=3; and ovarian cancer, n=1); and 14, with gynecologic benign diseases (uterine myoma, n=5; cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, n=4; tubo-ovarian abscess, n=3; endometrial polyp, n=1; uterine prolapse, n=1). All the patients were treated with cervical dilatation and drainage. Fifteen patients underwent gynecologic surgery with antibiotic therapy, and 15 received empirical antibiotic treatment alone. Two women experienced spontaneous perforation of pyometra. Pyometra is considered a complication of benign and malignant gynecologic disease, until proven otherwise. CONCLUSION: In elderly patients with comorbidities, pyometra might induce severe complications such as pan-peritonitis or sepsis. Early accurate diagnosis is important to determine an appropriate individualized treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Abdominal Pain ; Abscess ; Aged* ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Comorbidity ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Fever ; Genital Diseases, Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Labor Stage, First ; Mortality ; Myoma ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Peritonitis ; Polyps ; Postmenopause ; Pregnancy ; Pyometra* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Uterine Hemorrhage ; Uterine Prolapse ; Vaginal Discharge

In Korea medical record administrators/technicians are coding diagnoses and procedures of discharged patients based on their medical records mostly using International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision(ICD-9) and International Classification of Procedures(ICPM) by WHO. This study examined consistency of coding in 63 hospitals in the year of 1992. The statistical data showed great inconsistency in coding patterns among many hospitals. The main reasons of inconsistency were coders errors, ill-defined diagnoses/procedures, no unified route to make new code numbers for the new or ambiguous diagnoses/procedures, inconsistency of selection of using optional(additional) codes, and inconsistency of reference records on coding. Near half of the hospitals do not recheck the accuracy of coding after completion of medical records by physicians. Most of the coders review operation record, admission and discharge record, discharge summary, progress notes, pathology report, and consultation record as references on coding, but 14 hospitals do not review the whole record when they code diagnoses and procedures. Twenty-three hospitals discuss with physicians when they have questions in assigning code numbers. Further study should be done continuously for valid and reliable statistics of diseases and operations and for establishing a systematic unified channel for the new and ambiguous cases.
Classification ; Clinical Coding* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; International Classification of Diseases* ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Pathology

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the genotype frequencies of interleukin 10 (IL-10) gene polymorphisms and to investigate their association with the risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in preterm Korean infants. METHODS: Two hundred fourteen preterm infants born at Ewha Womans University Mok Dong Hospital between November 2003 and July 2008 were studied. The cord blood of preterm neonates and the corresponding maternal blood were analyzed by PCR for IL-10 gene (IL-10 -1082A/G, -819T/C, and -592A/C) polymorphisms. The clinical data of patients were collected retrospectively by chart review. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies of IL-10 genes in Korean mothers with preterm infants differ from other reports. The prevalence of two promoter SNPs of the IL-10 cytokine gene was similar but none had the IL-10-1082GG homozygote. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated the risk of RDS to be significantly lower in the infants of the mothers with an IL-10-592AC/CC genotype than in those with an AA genotype (P= 0.033). The risk of RDS was significantly lower in the mother with an IL-10-819TC/CC genotype than in those with a TT genotype (P=0.030). However, IL-10 polymorphisms in the cord blood were not significantly different in preterm infants with RDS compared with the preterm infants without RDS. When we compared the incidence of RDS and each IL-10 A-1082G/T-819C/A-592C haplotype, the ACC haplotype had a protective effect on RDS (P=0.007). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the maternal IL-10-592A/C and IL-10-819T/C polymorphisms may have a role in the development of the RDS in preterm infants.
Female ; Fetal Blood ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Interleukin-10 ; Logistic Models ; Mothers ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies

The purpose of this study was to dcvclop nd test the validity of standardized Korean nome clature based on Nursing Intervention Classi ications (MC), developed by McCloskey and Bul chek at the University of Iowa, The four phases of the study were 1. Two professors and 15 graduate stude ts, who were taking a nursing intervention cours, translated the 433 nursing interventions of IC into Korean 2. 12 nurses with various clinical bac rounds reviewed the nomenclature, taking into nsider ation the definition and activities for each Korean nursing intervention. The Delphi method was used to determine the best appropriate nomenclature for each intervention ~. 20 academic and clinical experts in nursing were given a questionnaire to rate the validity of each Korean nomenclature using a 5 point Likert scale ranging from very inappropriate to very appropriate 4. five members of the Korean Nurses Association Research Committee reviewed the survey results and determined the most appropriate Korean nomenclature for each nursing intei veiition of NIC system. Most nomenclature had a score of more than 4.0, but seven nursing interventions had a score lower than 4.0: Critical Path Development (2.71), Calming Technique ~3.4l), Grief Work Facilitation (3.44), Order Transcription (3.44), Self Modification Assistance (3.44), and Teaching Psycho-motor Skills (3.47). These research results will be included in the nursing vocabulary dictionary to be published by Korean Nurses Association.
Critical Pathways ; Grief ; Iowa ; Nursing ; Vocabulary ; Surveys and Questionnaires