PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore the attitudes of physicians and nurses. METHOD: Attitudes were measured by using the korean version of the SADP(Scale of Attitudes toward the Disabled Persons : Choi, G. H., & Lam, C. S., 2000). A korean version SADP consist of 24-item, six-point Likert-type scale(the points are -3, -2, -1, +1, +2, +3, where -3 is disagree very much and +3 is Agree very much), measuring general attitudes toward people with disabilities. The sample included 90 physicians, 114 nurses at a university hospital in Busan. The data were collected using questionnaires, and were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean score, standard deviation, t-test and one-way ANOVA. RESULT: When studying the physicians group by itself, SADP scores tended to increase with women physicians, old age, married, higher educational level, more years of experience, medical unit. When studying the nurses group by itself, SADP scores tended to increase with the age of thirty, single, educational level, more years of experience, surgical unit. But not to a statistically significant degree. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the nurses had significantly higher score than the physicians(t=-4.63, p<.001). When studying the physicians group and the nurses group by itself, not to a statistically significant degree.
Busan ; Disabled Persons* ; Female ; Humans ; Physicians, Women ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: PAP smear has been highly appraised for screening cervical cancer. Generally regarded is that women physicians regularly screen for PAP would promote patients' early detection and treatment rate by their strong recommendation. Hereby we investigated PAP-screening in primary care women physicians, recommending proportion and associated factors. METHODS: Questionnaires were sent to 981 members of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine, Korean Association of Family Practitioners, Korean Medical Women's Association, and Songpa-gu and Kangdong-gu family practitioners. a total of 193 respondents was analyzed. RESULTS: Among the total 55.4% of the respondents screened for PAP smear regularly, either annually (23.9%), or from their treating gynecologists (61.6%) or through routine check-up (81.1%). Common reasons for not screening were lack of time (40.7%) and forgetfulness (38.4%). Recommending proportion for PAP to patients was 49.2%. Reasons for not recommending were lack of equipment, forgetfulness (18.8% each). Confidence of PAP as a screening test was very high (71.5%); significantly related to PAP-screening and to recommending proportion (P=0.033, P=0.005, respectively). Many of the respondents thought physician's own PAP-screening affected its recommendation (45.3%), whereas significant relation to their actual PAP-screening was not found (P=0.845). PAP-screening in physicians showed no significant relationship with recommending proportion (P=0.053). Internal disease history had meaningful relation only with recommending proportion (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Though physicians show strong confidence in PAP and undergo more than the general public, most do not screen for it regularly and the recommending proportion was low. To improve physician's PAP-screening and recommending proportion, re-education of physicians and provision of proper clinical equipment are required.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Female ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Physicians, Women* ; Primary Health Care* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Historical development of Women's Medical Training Institute in Seoul, Korea, between 1928 to 1938, which had been elevated to the Kyongsong Women's Medical College in Seoul. Korea, under the Japanese Imperial Government will be presented. The College, after flew changes of its policies, finally became as Medical College of the Korea University in 1971. Dr. Rosetta Sherwood Hall, a medical missionary from New York who had spent for 44 years in Korea, witnessed the necessity of having woman doctors in Korea in order to save those shy Korean ladies silently suffering from sickness. As an initial step to implement women's medical education, Dr. R.S. Hall together with Drs. Kil Chung-Hee and Kim Tak-Won founded the Chosun Women's Medical Training Institute in 1928, with a purpose to eventually elevate it to a Women's Medical School. The Institute had a five-years course of curriculum with one year of pre-medical and four years of medical education. In 1933, Dr. Hall, at the age of 66, had to retire and return to America. Therefore, the management of the Institute had been transferred to Drs. Kim T.W and Kil C.H., but under a new name of Kyongsong Women's Medical Training Institute, upon the request from Japanese Government. The Institute had moved to a new location and continued to expand its curriculum, and furthermore, a hospital had been annexed. In order to elevate the Institute to a medical school, a committee had been formed in 1934, and pursued its goal very actively, as had been reported in several newspapers in those days. The organizing committee members were consisted of over 70 prominent Koreans from all walks of life with Mr. Park Young-Hyo as the chairman, naturally, Japanese Government had felt such a movement distasteful, as evidenced by the fact that they even attempted to abolish pre-existing educational organization for Koreans. A notable philanthropist Mr. Kim Chong-Ik joined as an active member of the above committee in 1936. However, unexpectedly, Mr. Kim C.I. became ill and passed away on May 1937 with his will to promote the Institute to a Women's Medical College, leaving a large sum of assets. The following year 1938, the Kyongsong Women's Medical Training Institute had been elevated to the Kyongsong Women's Medical College and both the students and various teaching materials of the Institute had been transferred to the Medical College. Although Japanese took over total management of the College and those members who set the important ground work for that Medical College were rejected to join as an active member, their management only lasted for 7 years until Korea liberated from the Japanese ruling on August 15, 1945.
English Abstract ; History of Medicine, 20th Cent. ; Korea ; Physicians, Women/*history ; Schools, Medical/*history

PURPOSE: This study aimed to analyze the experience of female trainees who were trained in hospitals after graduating from medical school, focusing on methods of representing their gender in training courses. METHODS: We interviewed 8 trainees who had been trained in a hospital in Seoul and 4 faculties from June 2010 to October 2010. We analyzed their similarities and differences and developed a vocational identity formation process to represent gender. RESULTS: Gender was represented contradictorily in their training course, affecting their choice of specialties and interactions with patients. But, female trainees did not want to their being distinguished from their male counterparts with regard to being a good doctor to be influenced by meritocracy. It was difficult for them to bear children and balance work and family life due to aspects of the training system, including long work hours and the lack of replacement workers. Consequently, they asked their parents to help with child care, because hospitals are not interested in the maternity system. Female trainees did not consider being a doctor to be a male profession. Likely, they believed that their femininity influenced their professionalism positively. CONCLUSION: The methods of representing gender are influenced by the training system, based a male-dominated apprenticeship. Thus, we will research the mechanisms that influence gender-discriminated choices in specialties, hospitals, and medical schools and prepare a maternity care system for female trainees. Strategies that maximize recruitment and retention of women in medicine should include a consideration of alternative work schedules and optimization of maternity leave and child care opportunities.
Appointments and Schedules ; Child ; Child Care ; Female ; Femininity ; Humans ; Male ; Parental Leave ; Parents ; Physicians, Women ; Prejudice ; Retention (Psychology) ; Schools, Medical ; Ursidae

As early as in the 6th year of King Taejo of the Ch sen Dynasty(1406), there emerged a medical training organization which turned out women doctors who would engage in the treatment of diseases for women and conduct the service of midwifery. Of course the healing art those women doctors adopted at that time was Oriental medicine, and due to the strict Confucian prejudice against women, the medical treatment for women did not go beyond the limit of home treatment. Such being the situation. from the viewpoint of Western medicine, it is hard to say that there existed women doctors in Korea before the advent of the Kyongsong Women's Medical Training Institute. Such social situations and the customs peculiar to the Korean women badly required the existence of women doctors. However, the Ch sen Government-General which was the ruler of the Korean Peninsula at that time, was quite indifferent to the urgent need. In the meantime, Dr. Rosetta S. Hall, an American Methodistic woman doctor, fully aware of these situations through her long experience of medical service for Korean women privately encouraged Korean women to study medicine while personally conducting medical education for them by establishing a medical training institute. At that time, Kil Chung-Hee, a woman doctor, and her husband Dr. Kim Tak-Won actively supported Dr. Hall for educational work for women. They succeeded to the work of operating the training institute established by Dr. Hall and made strenuous efforts to get it elevated to the status of a women's medical college. There was active participation in their undertaking and a committee for the formation of a foundation was organized. When the attainment of the goal was imminent Kim Chong-Ik a man of seat wealth from Sunchon, Chulla South Province, willed a Japanese a large amount of money totaling six hundred and fifty thousand won (three hundred thousand won as a fund for the establishment of a women's medical college and three hundred and fifty thousand won for the starting of a T.B. sanatorium). Thus, the Women's Medical College was opened by the hand of the Japanese. Fortunately, however, the faculty was composed of young and enthusiastic Korean doctors, among whom were professors with great interest in Women's education. This resulted in the illusion to some degree of Korean national spirit into the mind of the students who were forced to receive Japanization education. In consideration of these points, the acquirement of fund for the establishment of the Kyongsong Women's Medical College was made possible by the efforts of Kim Tak-Won who endeavored to promote the Kyongsong Women's Medical Training Institute to the status of a regular college, the activities of the College Establishment Committee and the generosity of Kim Chong-Ik who was moved by the enthusiastic activities of the Committee. In this regard it may not be wrong to say that even though the Kyongsong Women's Medical College was opened by the Japanese due to the requirement of the times, it was a continuation of the Kyongsong Women's Medical Training Institute because the educational philosophy of the professors of the former was the same as that of the professors of the latter.
Education, Medical/*history ; English Abstract ; History of Medicine, 19th Cent. ; History of Medicine, 20th Cent. ; Korea ; Physicians, Women/*history

Career Choice ; Female ; General Surgery ; manpower ; Humans ; Male ; Physicians, Women ; supply & distribution ; Prejudice ; Schools, Medical ; organization & administration

PURPOSE: Physicians' attitudes may have a strong influence on women's decision regarding prenatal screening options. The aim of this study is to assess the physicians' attitudes toward prenatal screening for fetal aneuploidy including non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) in South Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed and collected at several obstetrics-gynecological conferences and meetings. The questionnaire included 31 multiple choice and 5 fill-in-the-blank questions. Seven questions requested physicians' demographic information, 17 questions requested information about the NIPT with cell-free fetal DNA, and 12 questions requested information about general prenatal screening practices. RESULTS: Of the 203 obstetricians that completed the survey. In contrast with professional guidelines recommending the universal offering of aneuploidy screening, only 53.7% answered that prenatal aneuploidy testing (screening and/or invasive diagnostic testing) should be offered to all pregnant women. Physicians tended to have positive attitudes toward the clinical application of NIPT as both primary and secondary screening methods for patients at high-risk for fetal trisomy. However, for patients at average-risk for fetal trisomy, physicians tended to have positive attitudes only as a secondary screening method. Physicians with more knowledge about NIPT were found to tend to inform their patients that the detection rate of NIPT is higher. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to investigate expert opinion on prenatal screening in South Korea. Education of physicians is essential to ensure responsible patient counseling, informed consent, and appropriate management after NIPT.
Aneuploidy* ; Congresses as Topic ; Counseling ; DNA* ; Education ; Expert Testimony ; Female ; Genetic Testing ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Methods ; Practice Patterns, Physicians' ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Care ; Prenatal Diagnosis* ; Trisomy

Pregnant women are prioritized to receive influenza vaccination. However, the maternal influenza vaccination rate has been low in Korea. To identify potential barriers for the vaccination of pregnant women against influenza, a survey using a questionnaire on the perceptions and attitudes about maternal influenza vaccination was applied to Korean obstetricians between May and August of 2014. A total of 473 respondents participated in the survey. Most respondents (94.8%, 442/466) recognized that influenza vaccination was required for pregnant women. In addition, 92.8% (410/442) respondents knew that the incidence of adverse events following influenza vaccination is not different between pregnant and non-pregnant women. However, 26.5% (124/468) obstetricians strongly recommended influenza vaccination to pregnant women. The concern about adverse events following influenza vaccination was considered as a major barrier for the promotion of maternal influenza vaccination by healthcare providers. Providing professional information and education about maternal influenza vaccination will enhance the perception of obstetricians about influenza vaccination to pregnant women and will be helpful to improve maternal influenza vaccination coverage in Korea.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Influenza Vaccines/*immunology ; Influenza, Human/*prevention & control ; Maternal Welfare ; *Perception ; Physicians/*psychology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Republic of Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vaccination