Publication lag is a determinant to journal efficiency that was not yet studied concerning Korean medical journals. To measure publication lag, we investigated the publication timestamps of 4,762 articles published by 10 Korean medical journals indexed in Scopus database, randomly selected from the KoreaMed Synapse since 2013. The total publication lag was 246.5 (Q1, Q3; 178.0, 347.0) days. The overall acceptance lag was 102.0 (65.0, 149.0) days. The overall lead lag was 123.0 (63.0, 236.0) days. The year of publication did not significantly affect the acceptance lag (P = 0.640), supposedly shortening it by about 1.4 (97.5% confidence interval [CI], −5.2 to 8.0) days/year, while the date affected the lead lag (P = 0.028), shortening it by about 12.9 (1.3 to 24.5) days/year. The Korean medical journals have reduced the total publication delay entirely by means of reducing the lead lag, not by reducing the acceptance lag.
Bibliometrics ; Peer Review ; Publications* ; Synapses

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of the Tai Chi exercise program on cognitive function among older adults at risk of dementia living in rural areas. Methods: A non-equivalent control group with a pretest-posttest design was used. Forty-four subjects at risk of dementia aged over 75 were recruited from the dementia care center in O county. The experimental group participated in the Tai Chi exercise program twice a week for one-hour session for 12 weeks, while the control group received the routine management from the dementia care center. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 24.0 program with descriptive statistics, x2 test, and Mann-Whitney test, t-test and ANCOVA. Results: The significant improvement was found in cognitive function (F=4.72, p=.036) and attention (F=4.44, p=.041) for the Tai Chi exercise group compared to the control group. No adverse events have been notified during the intervention. Conclusion The study findings suggest that Tai Chi exercise program is safely and effectively applied to older adults at risk of dementia, revealing the potential benefits to improve cognitive function in this population. Further studies are warranted to explore the relationship between physical exercise and cognitive function in older adults with various types of cognitive impairment.

Purpose: This study conducted a job analysis of visiting nurses in the process of change. Methods: Participants were the visiting nurses working for the Seoul Metropolitan city. On the basis of the Public Health Intervention Wheel model, two times of the focus group interview (FGI) with seven visiting nurses and one time of the Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) with 34 visiting nurses were performed. A questionnaire survey of 380 visiting nurses was conducted to examine the frequency, importance and difficulty levels of the tasks created by using the FGI and DACUM. Results: Visiting nurses’ job was derived as the theme of present versus transitional roles. The present role was categorized as ‘providing individual- and group-focused services’ and ‘conducting organization management’, while the transitional role was categorized as ‘providing district-focused services’ and ‘responding to new health issues’. The job generated 13 duties, 28 tasks, and 73task elements. The tasks showed the levels of frequency (3.65 scores), importance (4.27 scores), and difficulty (3.81 scores). All the tasks were determined as important, exceeding the average 4.00 scores. The group- and district-focused services of the tasks were recognized as more difficult but less frequent tasks. Conclusion The visiting nurses exert both present and transitional roles. The transitional roles identified in the present study should be recognized as an extended role of visiting nurses in accordance with the current changing healthcare needs in South Korea. Finally, the educational curriculum for visiting nurses that reflects the transitional roles from the present study is needed.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) of some music college freshmen majoring in string instruments. METHODS: The study subjects were 199 freshmen majoring in strings at three colleges in Seoul and surrounds. The symptom prevalence and related factors of PRMDs were surveyed with a self-administered questionnaire. The Southampton Protocol was used to diagnose PRMDs. RESULTS: The freshmen had played for 9 years and 7 months on average. The symptom prevalence of PRMDs according to the modified-NIOSH surveillance criteria was 73.4%. The shoulder was the most prevalent symptom complaint site. The prevalence of PRMDs by the Southampton Protocol was 54.3% and myofascial pain syndrome was the most common. The instrument (violin or viola vs. cello or bass), regular breaks, self perceived evaluation of playing posture and regular computer use had a significant association with the symptom prevalence of PRMDs in univariate logistic regression analysis (p<0.05). The instrument, regular breaks and regular computer use were significant variables affecting the symptom prevalence of PRMDs in multivariate logistic regression analysis (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that music college freshmen playing strings are a high risk group for musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, the prevention of PRMDs requires the establishment of an ergonomic playing-environment, and the education of comfortable posture and stretching program such as musical warming up and physical stretching. It is especially important to form an effective treatment and rehabilitation system based on earlier diagnosis for musicians who are suffering from the PRMDs.
Diagnosis ; Education ; Logistic Models ; Music* ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes ; Posture ; Prevalence* ; Questionnaires ; Rehabilitation ; Seoul ; Shoulder ; Viola