BACKGROUND: This study was performed to evaluate the results of intervention activities on the management of steam sterilizers and sterile items in out-patient clinics and clinical laboratories. METHODS: A checklist was developed and used to monitor and evaluate the adequacy of sterilizers and sterilized items at out-patient clinics and clinical laboratories in a tertiary-care hospital. The checklist consisted of 7 items: condition of the material used for packaging sterile items, maintenance of shelf-life records, sterilizer cleanliness, maintenance of expiry date details of sterilized items, sterilization conditions, use of chemical indicators, and the results of biological indicators. Monitoring and additional intervention activities were carried out once every week for 53 weeks from August 2007 to July 2008. The study period was divided into 2 terms, early and late intervention; the duration of each term was 6 months, and we compared the ratio of adequacy of management of sterilizer and sterilized items between the 2 terms. RESULTS: There were a total of 795 observations from 15 departments in 1 year. Sterility of the materials used for packaging increased from 87.4% in the first 6-month term to 97.9% in the second 6-month term. Records for shelf-life increased from 89.6% to 98.5% in the same period, while the figures for maintaining expiry date details of sterilized items and for steam sterilizer cleanliness increased from 92.6% to 99.2%, and from 91.9% to 98.5 (P<0.05), respectively. CONCLUSION: Our intensive checklist-based intervention was effective in improving the management of steam sterilizers and sterile items in out-patient clinics and clinical laboratories.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Checklist ; Humans ; Infertility ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Outpatients ; Product Packaging ; Steam ; Sterilization

PURPOSE: The study purposes were to construct and test structural equation modeling on the causal relationship of community residents' perceived quality of care, image, and role performance with satisfaction, intention to (re)visit and intention to recommend hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 3,900 community residents from 39 district public hospitals. The questionnaire was designed to collected information on personal characteristics and community awareness of public hospitals. Community awareness consisted of 6 factors and 18 items. The data were collected utilizing call-interview by a survey company. Research data were collected via questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and AMOS version 20.0. RESULTS: Model fit indices for the hypothetical model were suitable for the recommended level: chi2=796.40 (df=79, p <.001), GFI=.93, AGFI=.90, RMSR=.08, NFI=.94. Quality of care, image, and role performance explained 68.1% of variance in community awareness. Total effect of quality of care process factors on satisfaction (path coefficients=3.67), intention to (re)visit (path coefficients=2.67) and intention to recommend hospital (coefficients=2.45) were higher than other factors. CONCLUSION: Findings show that public hospitals have to make an effort to improve community image through the provision of quality care, and excellent role performance. Support for these activities is available from both Central and Local Governments.
Adult ; Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Intention ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Perception ; *Personal Satisfaction ; *Quality of Health Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate and elucidate actual experiences of alcoholics' spouses using familial social gatherings. METHODS: A total of nine women whose alcoholic husbands were attending Al-Anon meetings held in Y Cathedral in S District of Seoul were included in this study. Data collection of this study was conducted through in-depth interviews with participants from September 24 to November 30, 2015. Data analysis was conducted at the same time as the data collection, and analysis was performed according to the method suggested by Colaizzi(1978). RESULTS: We categorized the participants' experiences into five themes including ‘Trapped in a Deep Dark Tunnel’, ‘Life of Walking in an Endless Tunnel’, ‘Reaching a Dead End’, ‘Walking towards a Ray of Light’, ‘Finding Oneself on a Strange Path’. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide an understanding of the essential structure of the life experiences of alcoholic spouses using familial social gatherings.
Alcoholics ; Alcoholics Anonymous ; Alcoholism ; Data Collection ; Female ; Humans ; Life Change Events ; Methods ; Seoul ; Spouses ; Statistics as Topic ; Walking

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to find the relationship between oral health conditions of elderly people and closures of public dental health clinics in rural areas. METHODS: Oral examinations and surveys were conducted in 2011 from May 11 through November 4 on 383 seniors over 65-years and under 74 years old. RESULTS: The results of this study were as follows: 1. The results of comparative analysis of the usage behaviors of health clinics of subjects in relation to the closures of public dental clinics within the area showed that the usage level and frequency of public health agencies in areas with public dental clinics were high, and that the trend of influence on personal oral health conditions and improvement in prevention was high. When compared to 3 years ago, there was an 11.6 percentage point reduction in areas without public dental clinics (24.4%) compared to areas with public dental clinics (12.8%). 2. The results of comparative analysis of the oral health conditions and behaviors of subjects in relation to the closures of public dental clinics showed that the level of dental caries was high in areas with no public dental clinics, and the number of toothbrush usage and oral health supplemental product usage were shown to be high in areas with public dental clinics. CONCLUSION: The closures of public dental clinics were found to affect oral health behavior and conditions of elderly people in rural areas.
Aged* ; Dental Care for Aged ; Dental Caries ; Dental Clinics* ; Diagnosis, Oral ; Humans ; Oral Health* ; Public Health* ; Rural Health Services

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to provide a clear definition of the health literacy for patients with cardiovascular disease by analyzing the dimensions and properties using Hybrid concept analysis.METHODS: The concept of health literacy of patients with cardiovascular disease was analyzed according to the cyclic process of theoretical phase-field work phase-final analysis phase presented in the Hybrid model. We reviewed 26 literatures and conducted in-depth interviews with 13 patients with cardiovascular disease.RESULTS: The concept of health literacy in cardiovascularpatients is derived from two dimensions and five attributes. Literacy skills, health information search ability and health information utilization skills were derived as attributes in the individual functional dimension, while active communication with the medical team and utilization of health information support resources were derived at the interrelational dimension. It is defined as the individualized and integrated ability of an individual to explore and utilize the various health information needed to make appropriate health decisions during the chronic course after diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, to communicate proactively with medical staffs and to utilize support resources.CONCLUSION: This study will contribute to the development and related research of health literacy measurement tools that can be used in cardiovascular nursing practice based on the attributes and indicators of health literacy for patients with cardiovascular disease.

PURPOSE: We evaluared the risk factors, clinical characteristic, diagnosis and treatment of neonatal systemic fungal infection in 28 cases in order to find ways to prevent development of and to improve the prognosis of neonatal systemic fungal infection METHODS: From November 1994 to August 1996, 28 premature infants who were diagnosed as systemic fungal infection at Ilsin Christian Hospital NICU were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: 1) The mean gestational age was 30.7 weeks(27-35.5weeks) and the mean birth weight was 1528g(975-2980g). 2) The risk factors associated with the development of neonatal systemic fungal infection included long-term use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, prolonged hyperalimentation, prolonged use of aminophylline and steroid, and endotracheal intubation. 3) The most common presenting clinical manifestations were temperature instability, feeding intolerance, and apnea. 4) In laboratory studies, blood, urine, and CSF culture positivity was 92.8%, 92.8%, and 10.7%, respectively and renal and cranial sonogram were helpful to evaluate the renal and CNS involvement. 5) The principal treatment was intravenous amphotericin B administration for 4 weeks. The side effects, such as renal toxicity, hepatotoxicity, hypokalemia, and vomiting, developed but were reversible. 6) The mortality rate was 7.1%, and ventriculo-peritoneal shunts was performed in 3 cases who had fungal meningitis for the management of postmeningitic hydrocephalus. CONCLUSION: For was beformedin the diagnosis of neonatal systemic fungal infection is very difficult and the mortality is high, we recommend that antifungal therapy be initiated in clinically ill infants who are not responsive to antibiotic therapy and have negative culture findings and have some of the risk factors associated with systemic fungal infection.
Aminophylline ; Amphotericin B ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Apnea ; Birth Weight ; Diagnosis ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Hypokalemia ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Meningitis, Fungal ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt ; Vomiting

Head ; Lipoma ; Neck Muscles ; Neck ; Recurrence ; Shoulder ; Subcutaneous Tissue

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify influence of health behavior in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design included 150 patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention in S hospital in S city. Data were collected by using self-questionnaires July 5-August 26, 2021 and were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple regression with SPSS 23.0. Results: Factors significantly influencing health behavior in patients with coronary artery disease were health empowerment (β = .48, p < .001), and post-traumatic growth (β = .20, p = .013). The explanatory power of related variables was 39%. Conclusion Based on the this study, it was found that health empowerment and post-traumatic growth had a significant effect on the health behavior of patients with coronary artery disease. Thus, it is necessary to promote the health behavior of patients with coronary artery disease through the development of intervention programs to improve health empowerment and post-traumatic growth.

BACKGROUND: The control of multidrug-resistant microorganisms (MDROs) is important in preventing healthcare-associated infections. We performed a survey to evaluate the current system for control of MDROs in general hospitals in Korea. METHODS: A questionnaire consisted of queries about infection control systems, personnel, antibiotic use monitoring systems, isolation and barrier precautions, and obstacles to and opinions about MDROs. The questionnaire was mailed to 145 hospitals with more than 300 beds in November 2005. RESULTS: One hundred and two of the 145 (70.3%) hospitals responded; 65.3% of the responded hospitals had antibiotics control programs and 96.0% of those had control programs for MDROs. Surveillance cultures for vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were taken in 21.6% and 16.7% of the hospitals, respectively. Over 90% of the hospitals had guidelines with respect to wearing gloves, collecting infectious wastes, and cleaning the environment for MRSA and VRE, but less than a half of the hospitals had the same standard for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing gram-negative bacteria and carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Most hospitals recommended gowning when contamination or invasive procedures were anticipated, but for VRE patients, gowns were used more strictly whenever there was contact with MDROs. Major obstacles related to isolation of patients infected or colonized with MDROs were the cost for isolation rooms (37.3%), and proposed solutions were reimbursement from the medical insurance company (86.3%), construction of a nationwide management system (61.8%), and effort by individual hospitals (58.8%) for MDROs infection control. CONCLUSION: Most of the hospitals have adopted control programs, but more needs to be done. Further efforts, including periodic reporting of antibiotic resistance, sufficient cost reimbursement, and providing education and increased awareness are urgently needed.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Colon ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Education ; Enterococcus ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; Hospitals, General* ; Humans ; Infection Control* ; Insurance ; Korea* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Postal Service ; Surveys and Questionnaires

To determine the extent of environmental contamination and the effect of disinfection around patients with carbapenemresistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) measurements and microbial culture tests. Methods: The subjects of this study were 10 patients hospitalized in a single room due to CRE from April 13 to 21, 2021. One hundred and sixty samples were collected using cotton swabs from the patients’ environment including the surface and drain of sinks and toilet seats before and after disinfection of the room after discharge. Twenty-one samples were collected from the nurses’ personal digital assistants (PDAs), keyboards, and computer mice before disinfection. The relative light units (RLUs) and CRE colony-forming units (CFU) of 181 samples were measured using ATP test equipment and chrome agar plates, respectively. Results: The highest RLUs were measured at the sink drains before and after disinfection. Four CRE samples from the sink drains (2), sink surface (1), and toilet bowl (1) before disinfection were cultured. Based on the failure criteria ( ≥ 250 RLU/cm2 and ≥ 1 CFU/100 cm2 ), 90 % and 50 % of the samples from the drain exceeded the failure criteria before and after disinfection, respectively. In the culture tests, CRE was not detected after disinfection. Conclusion: According to the RLU and CFU measurements of drain samples, disinfection was not effective. Thus, improvements in the disinfection methods of drains, as well as more efficient and systematic environmental decontamination and disinfection evaluation tools, are needed to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of disinfection in various places.