PURPOSE: To estimate the reporting rate of tuberculosis in one medium-sized city in Korea. METHODS: Data claimed by national health insurance corporationand notification data of KTBS (Korea Tuberculosis Surveillance System) were compared through medical record-linkage method. Regarding the cases that were claimed medical care fee as tuberculosis but not notified to KTBS, we reviewed medical charts of the patients and investigated the reasons of failure to notify. RESULTS: Number of cases claimed health insurance fee as tuberculosis occurrences in Cheonan was 2,331 in 2007, while 956 cases were matched as notified cases to KTBS after electronic record-linkage by personal identifier. Among remaining 1,375 cases that were not matched, real missed cases through medical record review survey were found to be 104. The reasons of failure to notify were because of 'not tuberculosis patients' (500, 36.4%), 'notified in 2006' (421, 30.6%), 'diseases coding error' (341, 24.8%) and 'notified as other diseases' (9, 0.7%). Therefore, the corrected reporting rate was calculated at 93% (95% CI: 91.6% - 94.2%). Notably, reporting rate of clinics (58.1%) was significantly lower than those of hospitals (93.4%) or general hospitals (96.6%). CONCLUSIONS: All cases of tuberculosis diagnosis, which were claimed and not notified, were verified, the reporting rate was not as low as that of the data known through media. However, to reach the goal of tuberculosis elimination (reporting rate over 95%), more effort into improvement of the reporting system is necessary.
Clinical Coding ; Disease Notification ; Electronics ; Electrons ; Fees and Charges ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Mandatory Reporting ; Medical Record Linkage ; Medical Records ; National Health Programs ; Private Sector ; Tuberculosis

Adolescent ; Communicable Disease Control ; legislation & jurisprudence ; Female ; Humans ; Immunization Programs ; Male ; Mandatory Programs ; Papillomaviridae ; immunology ; Papillomavirus Vaccines ; therapeutic use ; Patient Compliance ; Risk ; United States ; Vaccination ; legislation & jurisprudence ; trends

Attitude to Health ; Civil Defense ; ethics ; Communicable Disease Control ; Communication ; Ethics, Medical ; Freedom ; Health Personnel ; ethics ; Health Planning ; ethics ; Health Priorities ; ethics ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; isolation & purification ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; Mandatory Programs ; ethics ; Moral Obligations ; Pandemics ; ethics ; Patient Rights ; ethics ; Primary Health Care ; ethics ; Public Health ; ethics ; Public Health Administration ; ethics ; Resource Allocation ; ethics ; Singapore ; Trust

The Guthrie bacterial inhibition assay (BIA) tests for elevated phenylalanine (PHE) by measuring B. subtilis growth zone density in an agar medium. Dried blood spots with elevated PHE on initial BIA screening undergo repeat BIA testing and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Specimens with elevated PHE by TLC or BIA on second-tier testing require recall. To streamline PKU screening and reduce the recall rate, we tested a modified BIA protocol incorporating autoclaving of dried blood spots. Autoclaving improves growth zone appearance and has been previously reported to reduce the number of specimen requiring repeat testing. From June to October 2006, dried blood spot samples with initially elevated PHE were autoclaved at 110°C for 5 min, then retested by BIA. Samples with still-elevated PHE were analyzed by TLC. 1078 of 37,268 samples (2.89%) had initially elevated PHE. After autoclaving, 1036 no longer exhibited elevated PHE decreasing to 42 (0.11%) the number requiring TLC. By comparison, the unmodified algorithm resulted in 3.14% of samples received from July - December 2006 requiring both repeat BIA and TLC testing. We have since modified our PKU screening algorithm to require repeat BIA testing from autoclaved samples prior to TLC analysis. This translates to a significant reduction in time and resources for second-tier testing and follow-up, and prevents stress for the parents of a newborn who would have been recalled unnecessarily.

PURPOSE: A questionnaire is a mandatory screening tool for the deduction of an androgen deficiency in aging males (ADAM). The aim of this study was to translate the ADAM questionnaire into Korean and validate it linguistically. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two native Korean speakers, who were also fluent in English, independently translated the original English version of the ADAM questionnaire into written Korean. A panel, consisting of the aforementioned translators and four urologists, reviewed the translations to form a single acceptable forward translation. Another translator, having never seen the original version, back-translated the first draft into English. The discrepancies between the original form and the first draft of the Korean translation were reviewed by the panel. Cognitive debriefing interviews with five impotent males with low serum total testosterone levels (>250 ng/dl) were conducted to test the interpretation of the translation. RESULTS: After the forward translation of the ADAM questionnaire, the cultural, linguistic and emotional aspects were discussed, item-by-item, to arrive at a first version. Another bilingual translator then back- translated the first Korean version into English. The panel discussed every discrepancy and decided to modify questions 6 and 8 (second version). Five ADAM patients gave their opinions on the understandability of the translated questionnaire and clarified the questions on a standard form. Through this cognitive debriefing process, the second version was verified as the final Korean version of the ADAM questionnaire, without modifications. CONCLUSIONS: The linguistic validation of Korean version of the ADAM questionnaire has been completed, which might be a useful and reasonable screening tool for the detection of androgen deficiency in aging Korean males.
Aging* ; Humans ; Linguistics ; Male* ; Mandatory Testing ; Mass Screening ; Surveys and Questionnaires* ; Testosterone ; Translations

BACKGROUND: Tissues for transplantation can save lives or restore essential functions. According to national policies and regulations, access to suitable transplantation, as well as the level of safety, quality, efficacy of donation, and transplantation of tissues, differ significantly between countries. We reviewed a few guidelines on tissue banking from the aspect of screening tests. In addition, four-year experience with screening panels for donated bones and donors at a tertiary hospital is introduced. METHODS: Seven national and international guidelines for screening tests for donors and donated tissues were reviewed. At our institution, screening tests for donation involve two steps. At retrieval, the first screening panel, including ABO/Rh typing, unexpected antibody screening, VDRL, HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc IgM, anti-HCV, anti-HIV, and microbiological cultures was performed. The second screening panel, including the same tests, except culture studies, was performed after 90 days. From 2008 to 2011, a total of 245 retrievals of bone tissue were performed and the screening panel results were analyzed. RESULTS: Mandatory screening serologic tests for living donors can differ according to local law or regulation and/or screening for endemic diseases. At our institution, among 245 donated bones for a period of four years, 61 bone tissues were discarded due to noncompliance for the second screening (n=32), contamination or no culture study results (n=9), abnormal serologic test results (n=8), and so on. CONCLUSION: Donor screening policies for tissue banking are various according to national laws or endemic disease status. Second screening tests with consideration of the window period should be adopted.
Adoption ; Bone and Bones ; Donor Selection ; Endemic Diseases ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Jurisprudence ; Living Donors ; Mandatory Testing ; Mass Screening ; Serologic Tests ; Social Control, Formal ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Tissue Banks ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe Korean nurses' willingness to report suspected elder abuse and examine its related factors. METHODS: A descriptive correlational design was used. A convenience sample of 365 nurses from a hospital completed our questionnaires. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to examine predictors of willingness to report. RESULTS: Sixty-eight nurses (18.6%) were not willing to report suspected elder abuse. In the stepwise logistic regression analysis, fewer years in clinical work, a higher level of knowledge on elder abuse law, and the perception of more severe abuse were found to be significant predictors of willingness to report elder abuse. CONCLUSION: As the Welfare of the Aged Act included a clause on mandated reporters, nurses' role in intervening in elder abuse cases has become more critical. In order to increase nurses' reporting, education on elder abuse should be provided to all nurses, and support programs should be designed for nurses to effectively involve them in reporting elder abuse.
Aged ; Elder Abuse ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Logistic Models ; Mandatory Reporting ; Surveys and Questionnaires

This paper reviewed structure and current status of laws related to patient safety using patient safety law matrix to promote systematic approach in legal system of patient safety. Laws related to patient safety can be divided into three areas: laws for preventing; laws for knowing about; and laws for responding. In the case of Korea, gaps are especially prominent in the areas of laws for knowing about and responding. Patient safety law which will be enacted in July 2016 will fill the gap in the area of laws for knowing about. This law will be comprehensive law, covering the full spectrum of laws related to patient safety. However, after reviewing current patient safety law in Korea, the following drawbacks were identified: absence of code for grasping the current patient safety level; absence of code for mandatory reporting in patient safety reporting system; and absence of code for privilege about patient safety work product. Furthermore we need wider discussions about covering issues of open disclosure, apology law, coroners system, and complaint management system in patient safety law.
Coroners and Medical Examiners ; Disclosure ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Korea* ; Mandatory Reporting ; Patient Safety* ; Risk Management

China ; epidemiology ; Communicable Diseases ; epidemiology ; Disease Notification ; methods ; Humans ; Mandatory Reporting ; Rural Health Services

This study aimed to describe adverse effects or reactions by medical devices. There may be unexpected effects caused by medical devices that can often be harmful to the patient. This is defined as a medical device adverse event or adverse effect (MDAE). We should prevent the recurrence of MDAEs by reporting them to regulatory authorities and device manufacturers. This reporting requires that manufacturers check the manufacturing process and update the medical device. However, it is difficult for both patients and medical persons to recognize and report MDAEs because adverse effects can be ambiguous to them in many cases. In addition, many medical persons lack an understanding of the role of this reporting. In Korea, the Ministry of Health and Welfare enacted laws and regulations for MDAE reporting in 2005. However, the number of MDAEs reported was still very small. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety started the Medical Device Safety Monitoring Center project in 2011, with the purpose of promoting MDAE reporting. Since the Medical Device Safety Monitoring Center project began, the number of reported MDAEs rapidly increased from 137 in 2010 to 6,078 in 2017. Medical persons and device manufacturers should be encouraged to voluntarily report MDAEs and provide useful information. Korea is an important member of the International Medical Device Regulators Forum and leader of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Regulatory Committee. There should be medical device vigilance with global cooperation.
Equipment and Supplies ; Equipment Safety ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Mandatory Reporting ; Recurrence ; Safety Management ; Social Control, Formal