No abstract available.
Delivery of Health Care*

No abstract available.
Methods*

No abstract available.
Cause of Death* ; Korea*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Fibronectins* ; Paraffin*

BACKGROUND: Silver has been used for disinfection and sterilization. We aimed to confirm the in-vitro antibacterial effects of nanocrystalline silver-coated gauze. METHODS: Fourteen clinical isolates each of Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii were used. Bacterial suspensions made in tryptic soy broth were exposed to Ordinary and silver-coated gauze. Bacteria were then harvested from the gauze immediately and after 24 h incubation, cultured on blood agar plates and eunmerated for viable counts. The number of colonies was converted into common logarithms for comparison. RESULTS: The number of colonies recovered from silver-coated gauze was significantly lower than those recovered from ordinary gauze when harvested immediately after exposure (E. coli, 3.06 vs 1.73; A. baumannii, 3.13 vs 1.98; P<0.001). After 24 h incubation of exposed gauze, silver-coated gauze produced less than 1 CFU/mL, whereas ordinary gauze produced a number of colonies significantly higher than it did immediately after exposure (E. coli, 4.13; A. baumannii, 4.46; P<0.001). Conclusion: Compared with ordinary gauze, silver-coated gauze was shown to have 99.99% antibacterial effect.
Acinetobacter baumannii ; Agar ; Bacteria ; Disinfection ; Escherichia coli ; Silver ; Sterilization ; Suspensions

Equity-focused public health policy has solid theoretical and practical basis, in addition to ethical one. In the Republic of Korea (hereafter Korea), however, equity in health has not had a high priority in policy goals, regardless of policy areas and particular actors or approaches. Equitable health has been only a minor concern in most public health issues and their decision-making. Generic public health policies are needed to reduce inequity in health, but the importance of a firm basis for sound policy-making cannot be overemphasized. Health equity should be ‘mainstreamed’ in all public health policies. Potential approaches include intersectoral collaboration, health impact assessment, and ‘Health in All Policies’. Public policy agendas for equitable health cannot be formulated without measurement and recognition of the problem. Korea is still suffering from the lack of reliable information on the current status of health inequity, resulting in a relatively weak awareness of the problem among both the general public and policy-makers. More information is needed to increase recognition and awareness that will increase intervention and actions. The absence of decision-making and actions should not be justified even by the lack of information on determinants and pathways of health inequities. Generic plausible solutions can often work in the real world according to political and social commitment. I have discussed several aspects of public health policy from the perspective of health equity, focusing on current status and plausible explanation. Policy process, agenda setting in particular, is highlighted and theories and concepts are presented along with analysis and description of current situation.
Cooperative Behavior ; Health Impact Assessment ; Korea ; Public Health* ; Public Policy ; Republic of Korea ; Social Determinants of Health

A statistical observation was made on 267 in-patients with age distribution and operative procedures in the Department of Urology, National Seoul Hospital, during the period from January 1. 1976 to December 31, 1978.
Age Distribution ; Seoul ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Urology*

PURPOSE: To identify trends in patient satisfaction adjusted for sociodemographic factors and health status from 1989-2003. METHODS: Five repeated cross-sectional surveys were used. The study sample included 290,534 household members 20 years of age and over from the five survey periods of 1989, 1992, 1995, 1999, and 2003. Satisfaction was measured using a five-point scale, ranging from "very satisfied" to "very dissatisfied." Crude satisfaction rates, representing the proportion of patients satisfied (very satisfied or satisfied), were calculated for each survey period. Satisfaction rates adjusted for age, sex, marital status, education, and selfrated health status were calculated for each of the five years. RESULTS: Crude satisfaction rates increased from 15.4% in 1989 to 40.5% in 2003. The proportions of satisfaction and dissatisfaction were reversed after 15 years had passed. However, the satisfaction trend was not linear throughout the different years, with 1992 being the year with the lowest satisfaction rate (9.7%). These trends in crude rates did not change even after adjusting for patient characteristics. The odds of satisfaction in 1992 were 38% lower (odds ratio 0.62, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.64) than the odds in 1989. In 2003, the odds of satisfaction were 4.01 times (95% CI 3.89 to 4.13) the odds for 1989. Older, female, married, and less-educated people were more likely to be satisfied. Patients who rated their health as "very good" had the highest satisfaction rate, and those with "neutral" health ratings had the lowest. General hospitals achieved substantial improvement whereas pharmacies became the lowest-rated of all institutions. CONCLUSIONS: The Korean health system has achieved better patient satisfaction rates over the past 15 years. Increased health expenditure, resources, and quality improvement efforts may have contributed to this progress.
Adult ; Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Patient Satisfaction ; Quality of Health Care/*trends ; Socioeconomic Factors

The retroperitoneal space is that indefinite area in the lumber and iliac region which lies between the peritoneum and the posterior wall of the abdominal cavity. The term retroperitoneal cyst or tumor is usually confined by the pathologist to these arising from the structures situated in the retroperitoneal space. Retroperitoneal cysts are that of non-neoplastic nature and originated from retroperitoneal tumor Because the retroperitoneal space is rather extensive and adjacent organs are easily displaced, many of the cysts grow to a large size before giving any clinical manifestation. Frequently, when the patient is first seen, there is an indefinite abdominal mass the exact nature of which is obscure, and the diagnosis is not made until the time of surgical investigation.
Abdominal Cavity ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Peritoneum ; Retroperitoneal Space