No abstract available.
Cross Infection* ; Infection Control*

BACKGROUND: The ultimate goal of hospital infection control is to decrease the hospital infections. The change of hospital infections were depended closely to the healthcare workers' infection control practice keeping the infection control polices as recommendations. This study tried to measure the knowledge of nurses about the evidence based guidelines of hospital infection control to analysis the variables to impact on their knowledge, and to identify whether evaluation indexes for hospital infection effect on their knowledge. METHODS: Questionnaire survey was done nationally to 32 general hospitals over 300 beds from August 4, 2003 to the end of December. Only 12 hospitals that over about 10% of total nurses participated in this survey were included in this analysis. Statistical analyses were done using SPSS 12.0 for Windows PC (Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: The mean scores of hospital evaluation indexes of 12 hospitals were in mid range, and the scores of nurses' knowledge about the hospital infection control guidelines were in mid range. By multiple regression analysis and univariate analysis, nurses' knowledge of infection control was found to be strongly associated with every year attendance on infection control education. Hand hygiene evaluation index, infection control for health care workers index and total sum of evaluation indexes were significant to the nurses' knowledge. CONCLUSION: The significant variable to the nurses' knowledge of hospital infection control was identified as an annual education attendance. The education about hospital infection control should be done mandatory to nurses' education programs every year.
Cross Infection ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Hand Hygiene ; Hospitals, General* ; Infection Control* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.

The purpose of this study were to identify a relationship between symptom of health and fatigue-regulation behavior in middle-aged women. The subjects were 241 women living in Seoul and near the city, ranging in ages of 30-59(mean=42.1 years) being interviewed during the month of Oct. to Dec., 2000. The following questionnaires were utilized in this study: a self reported symptom of health and a fatigue-regulation behavior scale originated from Kwon(1997). The analysis for the data was done by SAS program, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. The results of this study were as follows 1. Total mean scores of health status were shown 29.1, physical symptom 17.9 and psychological symptom 11.2. According to symptom of body system were higher in muscular-skeletal sympom 5.5, neurologic symptom 3.5, and digestive symptom 2.7. 2. The mean scores of symptom of health were significantly different in duraion of marriage, status of menstruation, perceived fatigue, perceived cause of fatigue, perceived help of family, hours of sleep. Physical symptom was significantly different in years of educational, status of menstruation, perceived fatigue, perceived cause of fatigue, perceived help of family, hours of sleep. Psychological symptom was significantly different in parity, whether or not having past illness, perceived fatigue. 3. The neurologic symptom was significantly different in years of education, status of menstruation, perceived fatigue, time to rest The respiratory symptom was significantly different in years of education, status of menstruation and hours of physical exercise. The muscular-skeletal symptom was significantly different duration of marriage, status of menstruation, BMI. perceived fatigue, perceived cause of fatigue, perceived help of family. The cardiovascular symptom was significantly different in whether or not having religion, number of children, duration of marriage, number of pregnancy & abortion, parity, status of menstruation, BMI. The digestive symptom was significantly different in whether or not having religion and the number of children. The urologic symptom was significantly different in whether or not having job, type of family, status of menstruation, BMI, perceived fatigue, perceived cause of fatigue, perceived help of family. The score of fatigue was significantly different in number of pregnancy. 4. There were significantly positive relationships in the area of symptom on health, especially fatigue was significantly positive relationships in score of symptom of health, physical symptom and psychological symptom. 5. They choose fatigue-regulation behavior physical rest, method of diversion, management of stress, enough sleep, and psychological rest in order. In the near future, it is required that further studies investigate socio-environmental factors related to symptoms of health and develop programs motivating fatigue-regulation behaviors actively.
Child ; Education ; Exercise ; Fatigue ; Female ; Humans ; Marriage ; Menstruation ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Parity ; Pregnancy ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Report ; Seoul

No abstract available.
Child* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Health care workers (HCWs) are exposed to patients' blood occupationally by needlesticks or sharps injuries and by direct contact to mucous membranes or skins. This study was performed to investigate actively the descriptive epidemiology of HCWs' blood exposures in a University Hospital in Korea. METHODS: Over a 5 year period (from Jan, 1996 to Dec. 31, 2000), in a acute, educational, tertiary and about 1,500 beds university hospital, blood exposure episodes were reported by HCWs. The reported cases of 532 were analysed epidemiologically and statistically using PC SAS 6.12. RESULTS: The proportions of male and female were 44.0% (234), 56.0% (298) respectively the mean age was 29.2 years and the mode of career was 12 months. Distributions by job titles were 44.9% (239/532) in doctors' 29.5% (157/532) in registered nurses' 9.0% (48/532) in aid nurses, 6.4%(34/532) in housekeepers and 4.3%(23/532) in technicians. The proportions per 100 HCWs by job category were 4.4%(239/5,489) in doctors, 3.7%(157/4,262) in registered nurses and 1.3%(23/ 1,786) in technicians. and that per 100 beds was 6.8% (529/7,730). Distribution of reported cases were 13.0% (69/532), 11.5% (61/532), 9.2%(49/532) in March, April and May respectively. The major type of exposure was percutaneous injuries (96.3%, 513/533), and the most of them was needlesticks (91.4%, 469/513). The largest number of blood exposures occurred in inpatient ward(48.4%, 257/532) and the most injured body part was fingers (782%, 412/527), especially 1st finger (25%, 84/332). Blood exposure accidents were occurred during invasive procedures(66.3%, 341/514) and most of them were blood sampling(22.9%, 78/341) and recapping(20.8%, 71/341). Hepatitis B virus was the major bloodborne pathogens of reported cases (55.8%. 293/525). Post exposure prophylaxis and follow up were done for susceptible person but the seroposive conversions in them were not found. The association between job categories and exposure types and that between job titles and occurrence places were significant statistically(CMH chi-square p=0.001). The reporting cases of HBV exposures were decreased but those of HIV exposures were increased annually during the study period. CONCLUSION: We could find the descriptive epidemiology of Hews' occupational exposures to blood in a university hospital in Korea. And we can support the data in order to establish the policy or act for HCWs' safety and health from the boodborne hazards. In addition, to confirm the preventive effects of infection control activities for Hews from the risk of bloodborne diseases.
Blood-Borne Pathogens ; Cross Infection ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Fingers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B virus ; HIV ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Inpatients ; Korea ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Needlestick Injuries ; Occupational Exposure ; Occupations ; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Skin

BACKGROUND: It is expected that the demand for the information about the primary medical service in the forthcoming supersede age of communication will be on the increase. For that reason, family doctors who are in charge of the primary medical service have to play an important part in constructing a data-base for furnishing the medical information. This article presents a model which includes the roles of family doctors, constructing medical-related information site of family medicine in the communications net with PC to gat,her fundamental data in operating the system of medical information and elucidating the formation of medical-related information site and the effect of operating that system. METHODS: Since Aug. 20 in 1996, the site of family medicine, the program of medical information, has been set up in Unitel. The medical information of the site of family medicine is to be classified into two parts : for doctors and for the public. The former is composed of medicine documents, several kinds of medical data, a linkage with medicine site in Internet, movements of an academic society and information exchanges for friendship. The latter is mainly made up of some practical medical sense and medical counsel. RESULTS: From the opening the medical information site to Jul. 30 in 1997, 250 persons a day have connected with medical information site and this fact implied 15 hours connection a day in terms of the daily mean. The cases of health counsel averaged 6 cases connection a day and the annual statistics of those cases were about, 1980 cases. The major content of health counsel was related to common symptoms that could be settled in primary medical problem. According to the survey for connectors, most of connectors answered that the medical information through communications net was much more effective t.han that from other media in the educational aspects and very helpful in the prevention of diseases and in the medical expenditure. Above all, the medical information through communications net was very effective in correcting the mistaken practical medical sense. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary for family doctors to give thought to the connection of both information communication and medicine and to have correct understanding of medical domain in the cyberspace. On the foundation of these necessities, all the family doctors have to make the best of their way to construct a database with rnedical data and to transfer these data into the computer sites.
Friends ; Health Expenditures ; Humans ; Internet

Malignant melanoma is considered as one of the tumor originated from precancerous melanosis and predilected in the iris and choroid. The Authors experienced a case of malignant melanoma affecting the upper palpebral conjunctiva in 39 year old female. The tumor mass was excised radically and followed by X-Ray therapy. Slight opacities of lens body is developed after X-ray irradiation.
Adult ; Choroid ; Conjunctiva* ; Female ; Humans ; Iris ; Melanoma* ; Melanosis ; X-Ray Therapy

No abstract available.
Female ; Fertility* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyse the activities and status of infection control nurses (ICNs) and the trends of them since the first full-time ICN had been appointed in 1991. METHODS: Questionaries were mailed to 164 general hospitals with more than 300 beds. 85 hospitals were responded (51.8%) from 17June to 11 November 2003. RESULT: Full-time ICN was employed in 37.5%, 88.8% hospitals employed only one ICN regardless full-time or part-time ICN. ICNs spent time on surveillance (40.7%), teaching (29.4%), and meeting et al (30.3%). Surveillance was practice (67.5%), but surgical site surveillance was done in 12.1%. Personal characteristics and IC activities were significantly different between full-time and part-time ICNs. No of ICNs were increased by the national regulation and policy making. ICNs have improved the efficacy of infection control (IC) and abolished many wasteful ICs, The intensity of surveillance and the number of hospitals keep on hospital environmental control guidelines were increased. CONCLUSION: The number of ICNs was lower than 1980s' recommendation. The regulation on the ratio of ICN to beds should be added. The general features and activities of ICNs have been improved since 1991. However, to step up IC, the reward and support systems for ICN should be established.
Cross Infection ; Hospitals, General* ; Humans ; Infection Control* ; Policy Making ; Postal Service ; Reward