PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the effects on stress and depression by developing and implementing an integrated stress management program for inpatients in the psychiatric closed ward. METHODS: The study was a one-group pretest-posttest design. A total of 36 patients in the closed ward participated in this study. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires to measure hospital stress and depression. Data were analyzed by using t-tests and one-way ANOVA with SPSS/WIN 21.0. RESULTS: Integrated stress management program was designed based on Lazarus and Folkman stress-appraisal-coping model. Total of eight 1-hour sessions were delivered for four weeks in the group. There were significant differences in the inpatient stress scores before and after the intervention. However, the integrated stress management program showed some reduction in depression but did not show signifiant differences statistically. CONCLUSION: Our study findings confirm that the use of the integrated stress management program can reduce stress of the patients, that enable them to stabilize their minds at hospitalization. However, further study is needed to confirm the effects on depression. Thus, it would be beneficial to provide psychiatric nursing intervention tailored to psychiatric patients' symptoms, especially for reducing inpatient stress.
Depression ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Managed Care Programs ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Stress, Psychological

No abstract available.
Diagnosis-Related Groups ; Forecasting ; Health Policy/*trends ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Managed Care Programs/trends ; Mental Health Services/*trends ; United States

PURPOSE: Although there have been studies emphasizing the re-education of North Korean (NK) doctors for post-unification of the Korean Peninsula, study on the content and scope of such re-education has yet to be conducted. Researchers intended to set the content and scope of re-education by a comparative analysis for the scores of the preliminary examination, which is comparable to the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE). METHODS: The scores of the first and second preliminary exams were analyzed by subject using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The passing status of the group of NK doctors for KMLE in recent 3 years were investigated. The multiple-choice-question (MCQ) items of which difficulty indexes of NK doctors were lower than those of South Korean (SK) medical students by two times of the standard deviation of the scores of SK medical students were selected to investigate the relevant reasons. RESULTS: The average scores of nearly all subjects were improved in the second exam compared with the first exam. The passing rate of the group of NK doctors was 75%. The number of MCQ items of which difficulty indexes of NK doctors were lower than those of SK medical students was 51 (6.38%). NK doctors' lack of understandings for Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures, Therapeutics, Prenatal Care, and Managed Care Programs was suggested as the possible reason CONCLUSION: The education of integrated courses focusing on Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures and Therapeutics, and apprenticeship-style training for clinical practice of core subjects are needed. Special lectures on the Preventive Medicine are likely to be required also.
Clinical Competence ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures ; Education ; Foreign Medical Graduates ; Humans ; Lectures ; Licensure ; Managed Care Programs ; Prenatal Care ; Preventive Medicine ; Refugees* ; Students, Medical

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a substantive theory of case management (CM) practice by investigating the experience of nurse case managers caring for Medical Aid enrollees in Korea. METHODS: A total of 12 nurses were interviewed regarding their own experience in CM practice. Data were recorded and analyzed using grounded theory. RESULTS: Empowerment was the core category of CM for Medical Aid enrollees. The case managers engaged in five phases as follows, phase of inquiring in advance, building a relationship with the client, giving the client critical mind, facilitating positive changes in the client's use of healthcare services, and maintaining relationship bonds. These phases moved gradually and were circular if necessary. Also, they were accelerated or slowed depending on factors including clients' characteristics, case managers' competency level, families' support level, and availability of community resources. CONCLUSION: This study helps understand what CM practice is and how nurses are performing this innovative CM role. It is recommended that nurse leaders and policy makers integrate empowerment as a core category and the five critical CM phases into future CM programs.
Adult ; Case Management/*organization & administration ; Community Health Nursing ; Female ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea ; Managed Care Programs ; Nurse-Patient Relations ; Nursing Staff/*organization & administration ; Power (Psychology)

BACKGROUND: It is debatable whether a managed care model would affect the quality of care and length of hospital stay in the treatment of hip fractures in elderly patients. METHODS: This prospective study was undertaken to determine whether or not a managed care critical pathway tool shortened hospital stay in a group of 102 senior patients with fractures of the hip during follow-up. We compared our study findings with two equivalent populations of senior hip fracture patients not treated using a critical care pathway concerning specific markers of quality. RESULTS: The managed care group had a 9% mortality rate, 95% return to prefracture living and 63% return to ambulatory status. The rates compared favorably with previous studies. The quality of care provided before and after the critical pathway was equivalent, while the post-pathway length of stay dropped 30%. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed care protocol is recommended to shorten hospital stay in elderly patients with hip fractures.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Hip Fractures/*epidemiology/mortality/*therapy ; Humans ; Length of Stay/*statistics & numerical data ; Los Angeles/epidemiology ; Male ; Managed Care Programs/*statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Patient Readmission ; Postoperative Complications ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Health Care

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial stress has been hypothesized to impact renal changes, but this hypothesis has not been adequately tested. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychosocial stress and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and to examine other predictors of eGFR changes among persons with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: Data from a survey conducted in 2005 by a major health maintenance organization located in the southeastern part of the United States, linked to patients' clinical and pharmacy records (n=575) from 2005 to 2008, was used. Study participants were working adults aged 25-59 years, diagnosed with DM but without advanced microvascular or macrovascular complications. eGFR was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. A latent psychosocial stress variable was created from five psychosocial stress subscales. Using a growth factor model in a structural equation framework, we estimated the association between psychosocial stress and eGFR while controlling for important covariates. RESULTS: The psychosocial stress variable was not directly associated with eGFR in the final model. Factors found to be associated with changes in eGFR were age, race, insulin use, and mean arterial pressure. CONCLUSION: Among fairly healthy DM patients, we did not find any evidence of a direct association between psychosocial stress and eGFR changes after controlling for important covariates. Predictors of eGFR change in our population included age, race, insulin use, and mean arterial pressure.
Adult* ; Arterial Pressure ; Continental Population Groups ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Diet ; Glomerular Filtration Rate* ; Health Maintenance Organizations ; Humans ; Insulin ; Pharmacy ; United States

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine whether coordination between healthcare providers at an inpatient rehabilitation facility and healthcare providers in a community setting improves osteoporosis medication use in the community. METHODS: In 2012, a coordination project between an inpatient geriatric rehabilitation facility located in north-central Israel and general practitioners in the community setting was initiated. In this retrospective pseudo-experimental study, we compared osteoporosis medication use among patients who were hospitalized at the facility following an osteoporotic fracture during 2011–2012, and who constituted the control group (n=20), and patients who were hospitalized at the facility during 2013–2015, and who constituted the trial group (n=129). Data were collected from the patients' records and from records of the health maintenance organization concerning medications issued to the patients by pharmacies. RESULTS: Differences were observed between the trial and the control group in osteoporosis medication management by healthcare providers, both at the inpatient rehabilitation facility and in the community, suggesting favorable trends. However, osteoporosis medication use in the community was slightly lower in the trial group, then in the control group (32.8% vs. 34.2%, respectively). A regression analysis indicated that the only variable predicting use of osteoporosis medications in the community was a previous diagnosis of osteoporosis in the community. CONCLUSIONS: The study results indicate that mere coordination between the healthcare settings is insufficient in order to ensure continued care in the community, emphasizing the need for an osteoporosis coordinator.
Delivery of Health Care ; Diagnosis ; General Practitioners ; Health Maintenance Organizations ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Israel ; Osteoporosis ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; Pharmacies ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: There is a perceived need among policymakers and other actors in the local health system to better address the challenges in financing healthcare, in general, and chronic or debilitating conditions, in particular, in order to develop appropriate policy and program responses.
OBJECTIVE: This paper aimed to present perceived issues and challenges in financing schizophrenia and colorectal cancer in the Philippine context, as identified by stakeholders.
METHODS: Verbatim transcription of the proceedings of a moderated discussion of stakeholders in schizophrenia and colorectal cancer care was analyzed for themes on challenges and recommendations in the financing of the two conditions in the local setting.
RESULTS: A total of 28 stakeholders representing healthcare providers, professional organizations, health maintenance organizations, patient support groups, and government participated in the meeting. Three main issues on financing debilitating conditions were identified by participants: a) government support for the two conditions is currently limited; b) coverage by third-party payors for schizophrenia or colorectal cancer is either absent or restricted; and c) the process of accessing medicines or alternative modes of financing for healthcare was perceived to be disparate and inconvenient for patients and their caregivers. Participants also provided recommendations in improving the mechanism of healthcare financing.
CONCLUSION: The general picture that emerged from this moderated discussion pointed to limitations in the prevailing mechanisms for financing schizophrenia and colorectal cancer in the Philippines. Improvements in the current financing mechanisms, and identification of alternative modes, is necessary to ensure universal health coverage.

Human ; Healthcare Financing ; Health Maintenance Organizations ; Caregivers ; Universal Coverage ; Delivery Of Health Care ; Insurance, Health, Reimbursement ; Government ; Self-help Groups ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Schizophrenia

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe the patterns of use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for arthritic knees in clinical practice, particularly focusing on the co-prescription of gastroprotective agents for patients with risk factors for adverse gastrointestinal (GI) events. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Each cross-sectional cohort was a group of outpatients visiting 111 physicians who had prescribed NSAIDs for the patients' arthritic knees for more than three consecutive months. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by each patient and physician. RESULTS: Nine hundred and forty five patients (48%) of the whole 1,960 patients belonged to the group with a high or very high risk for NSAID-induced gastropathy determined by northern California Health Maintenance Organization guidelines. Overall, only less than half of the patients were given co-prescription of gastroprotective agents, regardless of the presence or absence of GI symptoms and irrespective of the level of risk for NSAID-induced gastropathy. CONCLUSIONS: The physician prescribing NSAIDs for arthritic knees should monitor any GI symptoms and the patient monitor anylevel for NSAIDinduced gastropathy, and be willing to add gastroprotective agents as necessary in order to prevent serious adverse GI events.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; Arthritis ; California ; Cohort Studies ; Health Maintenance Organizations ; Humans ; Knee ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Outpatients ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Human breast milk contains numerous biomolecules. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are the third most abundant component of breast milk, after lactose and lipids. Amongst the synthetized HMOs, 2′-fucosyllactose (2′-FL) and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) are widely studied and are considered safe for infant nutrition. Several studies have reported the health benefits of HMOs, which include modulation of the intestinal microbiota, anti-adhesive effect against pathogens, modulation of the intestinal epithelial cell response, and development of the immune system. The amount and diversity of HMOs are determined by the genetic background of the mothers (HMO secretors or non-secretors). The non-secretor mothers secrete lower HMOs than secretor mothers. The breastfed infants of secretor mothers gain more health benefit than those of non-secretor mothers. In conclusion, supplementation of infant formula with 2′-FL and LNnT is a promising innovation for infant nutrition.
Breast Feeding ; Epithelial Cells ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Genetic Background ; Health Maintenance Organizations ; Humans ; Immune System ; Infant Formula ; Infant ; Insurance Benefits ; Lactose ; Milk, Human ; Mothers ; Oligosaccharides