The purpose of this study was to examine the trends of length of hospital stay (LOS), which is most likely to be a major attribute to hospital performance From 1984 to 1994, an average LOS of each hospital was analyzed by factors such as medical departments, bed size, occupancy rate, region and ownership. This study was analyzed changing rate of LOS during 11 years. This rate was calculated by simple regression, which was used only with hospital without missing data during 11 years. This study findings are as follows. 1. The results indicated that the average LOS was steadily increased until 1990 but it was slightly decreased after 1990. 2. This trend could be found in all hospital scale and all group of occupancy rate. Specifically this trends of LOS were found in internal medicine, corporate owned hospitals, and hospitals in major city. But LOS of individual owned hospital was continuously increased until 1994. 3. Means of changing rates of LOS were calculated from 1984 to 1994. If we divided it into two parts, before 1990 and after 1990, most changing rates of LOS before 1990 except individual owned hospital were found positive sign. The changing rates after 1990 were negative sign but small hospital(lesser then 200 bed), individual owned hospital, national & public hospital and hospital in small urban have little change of LOS after 1990. Finally from this results we thought that most hospitals in korea began to be concerned with LOS. Nevertheless LOS of several hospital such as small hospital or individual owned hospital was increased. And this trend may be caused by a few patients, low occupancy rate, or low profit. This trend of LOS is different from that of other countries. Perhaps this phenomenon is resulted from the reimbursement method. Because of fee for service reimbursement system in korea the hospitals didn't need to shorten LOS in order to save the cost and increase the profit. Therefore reform of hospital cost reimbursement method will be reduced to reduce hospital cost in korea. we thought that the korean health authority should consider the reimbursement method by unit of bundle of services, for example DRG and prepayment in the united states. This study presents some limitations such as on insight of severity of disease, case-mix measurement of hospital, and other clinical characteristics that can possibly affect LOS, However, this study reports an important trend in LOS from 1984 to 1994.
Diagnosis-Related Groups ; Fee-for-Service Plans ; Hospital Bed Capacity ; Hospital Costs ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Korea* ; Length of Stay* ; Ownership ; United States

No abstract available.
Brain* ; Child* ; Humans ; Seizures*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Twins*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to survey health requirements of middle-aged women and their families and to provide guidelines for developing nursing interventions by describing the process of family health maintenance experienced by middle-aged women and its conceptual system. METHODS: To get saturated data, each of four researchers conducted two or three times of in-depth interview with eight middle-aged women aged between 40-64 years old and living in Seoul and Chuncheon from the 10th to the 30th of October 2004 and each interview was continued one or two hours. The Grounded theory adopted by Strauss & Corbin (1998) is a substantive theory that can explain the experiencing process of middle-aged women. RESULTS: We found that the casual condition of family health maintaining by middle-aged women was "confidence of health belief", and "pouring by body moving" was found to be its phenomenon. A textual condition that might respond to the phenomenon was "fatal roles acceptance", and intervening conditions that promote their family health were "retracing" and "gathering health information". These intervening conditions impacted middle-aged women's confidence in family health and led them to take actions/interactions such as "being a model of health", "adapting to circumstances", "do-it-myself", "taking-care" "harmonious mind" and "the pursuit of cleanness". These actions/interactions produced results such as "being stronger", "being unmanageable" and "being fruitful". CONCLUSIONS: Health confidence and practical health behaviors were observed in the process that the middle-aged female participants experienced unmanageable circumstances but they accepted their roles and responsibilities and recognized that they must be get stronger. The behaviors of health-together-with were divided into enthusiastic type, adaptation type and self-sacrificing type. Therefore middle-aged woman with the understanding of family health maintaining process as well as the theoretical system and practical principals needs to implement the intervention in acceptable level of family health process of preventing psychological and physical problems.
Family Health* ; Female ; Gangwon-do ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Nursing ; Seoul

OBJECTIVES: Homocysteine has been associated with cognitive impairment and various psychiatric symptoms. This study was designed to examine the relationship exists between plasma homocysteine concentration and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia(BPSD). METHODS: 41 subjects with dementia of Alzheimer's type were included in this study. We carried out history taking, physical examination, and cognitive assessment for the diagnosis of dementia of Alzheimer's type based on DSM-IV. We scored the Mini Mental State Examination(MMSE), Global Deterioration Scale(GDS), Clinical Dementia Rating(CDR), and the Korean Neuropsychiatric Inventory(K-NPI). We also measured levels of homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 in the plasma. RESULTS: We found statistically significant positive correlations between homocysteine concentration with NPI total score, and with scores of several sub-domains such as delusion, agitation/aggression, depression/dysphoria, and elation/euphoria. No significant correlation existed between homocysteine levels and scores of MMSE, GDS, and CDR. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that plasma homocysteine levels are associated with BPSD. Further research is necessary to identify pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying these relationships.
Delusions ; Dementia* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Folic Acid ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Plasma ; Vitamin B 12

PURPOSE: Atopic findings may be associated with severity of pneumonia in 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection, which could suggest a possible association between atopic findings and the severity of viral infections. Thus, we studied association between atopic findings and severity of disease in children with H1N1 influenza infection. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in 74 children admitted in a single tertiary institute and confirmed as H1N1 patients by reverse transcriptase (RT) - polymerase chain reaction (PCR). They were divided into 2 groups according to the severity of pneumonia. We evaluated whether the atopic finding is risk factor between the two groups. RESULTS: Children with severe pneumonia had higher percentages of serum eosinophilia (88% vs 40%, P<0.001), asthma (65% vs 35%, P=0.011), allergic rhinitis (71% vs 40%, P=0.009), and IgE level (P=0.007). We found positive correlations between aeroallergen sensitizations and severity of pneumonia (82% vs 53%, P=0.007). CONCLUSION: Among patients with H1N1 pneumonia, asthma and atopic findings are risk factors for severity of pneumonia.
Asthma ; Child ; Eosinophilia ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Influenza, Human ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Risk Factors ; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase

No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Theophylline*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between health promoting behaviors and state anger and modes of anger expression in elderly women. METHOD: In this descriptive correlational study, the participants were 143 elderly women who lived in D city. Data were collected from September to December, 2004. Personal interviews with a structured questionnaire were used. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficients with SPSS Win 11.0 program. RESULTS: The score for health promoting behavior in the elderly women was above the mean score, The dimension with the highest score was nutrition and the dimension with the lowest score was exercise. A significant negative correlation was found between health promoting behaviors and state anger, anger-in(suppression of anger) and anger-out(expression of anger) in elderly women. But there was a significant positive correlation between health promoting behaviors and anger discussion. CONCLUSION: State anger, anger-out, anger-in as negative variable and anger discussion as a positive variable were identified. These results suggest that anger should be considered as an important factor when nurses develop educational programs to enhance health promoting behavior in elderly women.
Aged* ; Anger* ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among body image, depression and sexual function in Korean postmenopausal women. METHODS: Subjects were 96 postmenopausal women who have lived in Korea. Data was collected using Semantic Differential scale, CES-D, and FSFI. RESULTS: The level of body image was positive, depression was mild, and sexual function was moderate. There were no significant correlation between depression and sexual function. The subjects who had more positive body image experienced higher sexual function and less depressed mood. CONCLUSION: These findings showed the need for a knowledge development program for nurses regarding women's sexual function. Also, nurses must do counseling with sexual partner's and consider patients' body image when counseling those who complain of sexual dysfunction
Body Image* ; Counseling ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Postmenopause ; Semantic Differential ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among body image, depression and sexual function in Korean postmenopausal women. METHODS: Subjects were 96 postmenopausal women who have lived in Korea. Data was collected using Semantic Differential scale, CES-D, and FSFI. RESULTS: The level of body image was positive, depression was mild, and sexual function was moderate. There were no significant correlation between depression and sexual function. The subjects who had more positive body image experienced higher sexual function and less depressed mood. CONCLUSION: These findings showed the need for a knowledge development program for nurses regarding women's sexual function. Also, nurses must do counseling with sexual partner's and consider patients' body image when counseling those who complain of sexual dysfunction
Body Image* ; Counseling ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Postmenopause ; Semantic Differential ; Surveys and Questionnaires