To identify the factors related to the readmission and ambulatory visit we analyzed the data in discharge abstract DB(DADB) and outpatient database(OPDB) for 19,983 patients discharged in 1990 from an university hospital(S Hospital) in Seoul. The target patients were limited to those who didn' t have previous episode of discharge in that hospital. Readmission data for 10 years(1990-1999) and ambulatory visit data for 5 years(1995-1999) were analyzed by using x2 test and multiple logistic regression analysis. The main results of this study is as follows. 1) As the number of readmission was increased, readmission rate(RR) was also increased while the average length of stay(ALOS) was decreased. 2) RR was higher in male, transferred from other health care facilities, with consultation, biopsy, ICU care episode during hospitalization. 3) In logistic regression, RR of patients living close to S Hospital hospital was higher than the others wh?n other variables were adjusted. 4) RR of the patients with the diagnosis(Dx) of cancer or cancer related condition was the highest(47.6%), and the consistency rate (CR) of principal Dx group with that of previous admission was also the highest in cancer patients. As the number of readmission was increased the CR of Dx group was also increased. 5) 23.4%(4866) of the target patients had episode of visiting outpatient dispensary(OPD) for between 1995-1999 and the average number of visit was 13.6 times. Patients with the Dx of heart disease showed the highest proportion in ambulatory visit.
Biopsy ; Delivery of Health Care ; Episode of Care ; Heart Diseases ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Outpatients ; Patient Care* ; Seoul

Abundant data on patients have been accumulated in hospital since the introduction of the computerized system. Now data mining is required for the survival and growth of hospital. Cases of 19,558 patients were analyzed to investigate factors influencing readmission and repeated admissions, and to estimate probability of readmission with considering covariate effects. Techniques of Kaplan-Meier method, Cox proportional hazards model, and WLW method were applied to the analysis. The conclusions are as follows. The severity of disease, congenital defect and chronicity of disease are influencing readmission or repeated admissions of a patient. Patient s characteristics, such as gender, distance from residence and type of discharge are also related to them. The probability of readmission can be estimated for a patient with variety of conditions for certain period of time. It is suggestive that survival analysis is a good methodology for data mining works on computerized data in hospital. If death certificate data are connected with patients' data, we will be able to get a good data source to medical studies.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; Data Mining ; Death Certificates ; Humans ; Medical Records* ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Survival Analysis*

OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to investigate individuals with night eating syndrome tendency in 115 female undergraduate sample based on night eating syndrome criteria, and analyze its association between mood, sleep, and alcohol use. METHODS: Subjects were divided into high and low tendency group of night eating syndrome based on the night eating questionnaire. All participants completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, Munich Chronotype Questionnaire, and Alcohol-Use Disorders Identification Test. Data was collected at two time points which were 3 months apart. All analyses were conducted using repeated measure ANOVA. RESULTS: Results indicated a significant difference between night eating syndrome tendency groups for anxiety and depression [F(1,113)=12.35, p=0.001 and F(1,113)=9.59, p=0.002, respectively]. Depression also had a significant time effect [F(1,113)=11.15, p=0.001]. Additionally, the high night eating syndrome tendency group had higher levels of insomnia severity [F(1,113)=24.34, p<0.001], eveningness [F(1,113)=15.09, p<0.001], and alcohol use [F(1,113)=6.73, p=0.011], and lower sleep efficiency [F(1,113)=6.30, p=0.014] compared to the low night eating syndrome tendency group. CONCLUSIONS: The high night eating syndrome tendency group had higher negative mood, sleep disturbance, and alcohol use compared to the low night eating syndrome tendency group. In summary, intervention for night eating syndrome may be important to consider in undergraduate students.
Alcohol Drinking ; Anxiety ; Circadian Rhythm ; Depression ; Eating* ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Female* ; Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to check the degree of residual microbial contamination after disinfection of reusable suction containers, used in an intensive care unit (ICU) and present basic data for efficient use through cost analysis in comparison to disposable suction containers. METHODS: This study was conducted on 32 reusable suction containers used in an ICU on a selected specific day. After disinfection and washing, specimens were collected from the used containers and cultured to check for microbial contamination. Additionally, a comparative narrative study analyzes the cost of using reusable suction containers and disposable suction containers. Data were analyzed with the SPSS WIN 20.0 program using real numbers and percentage χ²-test. RESULTS: As a result of the study, microorganisms were found in all samples where in 30 were gram-positive (62.5%) while 13 were gram-negative (27.1%). Based on level of contamination, microorganisms were less than 10CFU/ml in 18 samples (56.3%); 11–99CFU/ml in six samples (18.8%); and more than 100CFU/ml in eight samples (25%). Cost per day for a reusable suction container was 10,655 + α while cost per day for a disposable suction container was 10,666 won. CONCLUSION: This study found that reusable suction containers, even after disinfection, accounted for factors of potential infection as well as microbial contamination. So, disposable suction containers are superior in cost-effectiveness and highly efficient for use with infected patients.
Costs and Cost Analysis ; Disinfection ; Drainage ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Microbial Interactions ; Suction

Objectives: Hyponatremia is prevalent electrolyte disorder and can be fatal in older adults. Evaluative studies on hyponatremia among older adults are scarce, especially targeting for those who visited emergency department (ED). We aimed to estimate the prevalence and to identify risk factors of hyponatremia among elderly patients visiting the ED. Methods: A retrospective chart review was completed including 65 or older patients who visited ED at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from September to December 2019. Patients with the serum sodium concentration of less than 130mEq/L was defined as a hyponatremia group. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess predictive factors for hyponatremia. Results: Of the total 2,445 patients, 155 (6.3%) were confirmed to have hyponatremia at the time of ED visits. Risk factors for hyponatremia identified in logistic regression analysis were thiazides (aOR=2.64, 95% CI 1.66-4.21), opioids (exclude tramadol) (aOR=3.45, 95% CI 1.72-6.94), and desmopressin (aOR=6.98, 95% CI 2.45-19.84). Compared to the use of thiazides alone, it was confirmed that the possibility of hyponatremia was more than quadrupled when proton pump inhibitor (PPI) was used together (aOR=4.08, 95% CI 1.74-9.55). Conclusions About 6.3% of older adults visiting the ED had hyponatremia. Age, number of medications taken, previous history of hyponatremia, heart failure, cirrhosis, pneumonia, sepsis, prescribed drugs including thiazides, opioids (exclude tramadol), or desmopressin or taking PPI together with thiazides was confirmed to correlate with the risk of hyponatremia.

Background: Denosumab (Prolia®) is administered every 6 months for osteoporosis treatment. Co-administration of calcium and vitamin D is required to minimize hypocalcemia risk. We evaluated clinical outcomes based on the administration interval of denosumab and co-prescription with calcium-vitamin D combination products. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using electronic medical records from 668 patients who started denosumab therapy between January 1 and December 31, 2018, at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Clinical outcomes, as measured by changes in T-score, were evaluated by the intervals and concurrent prescriptions with calcium–vitamin D combination products. Results: Of the 668 patients, 333 patients met the eligibility criteria. These patients were divided into two groups based on appropriateness of the administration interval: “Appropriate” (304 patients, 91.3%) and “Inappropriate” (29 patients, 8.3%). T-score changes were significantly higher in the “Appropriate” than in the “Inappropriate” group (0.30±0.44 vs. 0.13±0.37, p=0.048). At the beginning of the treatment, 221 patients (66.4%) were prescribed calcium-vitamin D combination products, but the changes in T-scores were not significantly different by the prescription status of the product (0.29±0.46 vs. 0.28±0.38, p=0.919). Conclusion T-scores were significantly improved in patients with appropriate administration intervals. No significant changes in T-scores were observed by the prescription status with calcium-vitamin D combination products. For optimal treatment outcomes, prescribers should encourage adherence to the approved prescription information on dosage and administration, and pharmacists should provide medication counseling for patients.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the importance of the protection of patients' health information in clinical settings, little is known about the awareness of this concept in nursing students due to the lack of a suitable measurement tool. Hence, this study attempted to redevelop the Patients' Health Information Protection Awareness Scale, and evaluate its construct validity and reliability for nursing students. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Nursing students who were in their 3rd and 4th year were recruited from 10 universities in Korea to assess the construct validity, and 30 experts (27 nurses and 3 faculty members) participated in the content validation process. RESULTS: The content validity assessment indicated that 23 items were ideal. The assessment of construct validity using exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors: communication, management, and referrals. They together accounted for 54.1% of the variance in scale scores. The three-factor scale had good fit in the confirmatory factor analysis. Scale reliability was confirmed, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.94 for all items. CONCLUSIONS: This study was the first attempt to redevelop the Patients' Health Information Protection Awareness Scale for student nurses. The 23-item scale was shown to be a reliable and valid tool. It facilitates the assessment of nursing students' awareness of patient information protection. Academic nursing programs and health organizations can use its scores to implement adequate education plans to safeguard information in nursing students.
Computer Security* ; Education ; Health Information Management ; Humans ; Korea ; Nursing ; Referral and Consultation ; Reproducibility of Results ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of Diabetes Empowerment Measurement Scale Short Form (DES-SF) for use with diabetic patients in Korea. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was used with 107 participants. Bilingual nursing professionals performed translation and reverse translation. Reliability and validity such as face validity, construct validity, and concurrent validity were conducted. To assess the concurrent validity, the correlation coefficients between the Korean version of the DES-SF and a concurrent scale (Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale, DSES) were calculated. RESULTS: In the explanatory factor analysis, a uni-dimension was proposed, the one factor accounted for 49.4% of total variances. The Korean version of the DES-SF correlated with a concurrent variable such DSES for reliability of the Korean version of the DES-SF, Cronbach's α=.85. CONCLUSION: The findings show that the Korean version of the DES-SF is reliable and valid for evaluating empowerment in patients with diabetes in Korea.
Humans ; Korea ; Nursing ; Power (Psychology)* ; Reproducibility of Results*