The purposes of this research were to examine the effect of the catering company's dietetic internship program through a self-evaluating ability test about management performance between pre and post internship programs and consequently to suggest improvement in the internship program. In this study, two types of questionnaires were conducted in July and October 2006, targeting 41 dietetic interns who trained in a 6 months internship program. Except the 4 dropped interns, data from 37 interns were collected and used for statistical analysis, using the SPSS Win 11.0 version. The results of this study were as follows: First of all, the analysis on the effect of the internship program according to classified management segments showed significant improvements in the following order: purchase management (p < 0.001), computer program management (p < 0.001), facilities management (p < 0.001), accounting management (p < 0.01), personnel management (p < 0.01), retention management (p < 0.01), sanitation management (p < 0.01), service management (p < 0.01) and foodservice management (p < 0.01). However, there was no significantly improvement in management of clients. Secondly, the result of the analysis on the details of each management segment that were significant improvement and changing score was the top 5 duties were as follows: In the purchase management, the score of weekly and daily order management was increased 1.0 (p < 0.001), the score of weekly inventory management was 0.81 (p < 0.001). In the computation office management, expenses handling through a computer program was 0.65 (p < 0.01). In the personnel management, the score of work schedule management increased 0.81 (p < 0.001). In the accounting management, the score of monthly profit and loss account management was 0.65 (p < 0.001). Furthermore, qualified educational programs connected with the internship program will have to be systematically developed and continually carried out in order to improve service and management abilities of branch managers.
Appointments and Schedules ; Internship and Residency* ; Office Management ; Personnel Management ; Sanitation ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an education program for AIDS prevention on knowledge about AIDS and attitudes towards AIDS/people with AIDS among male-high school students. METHODS: A research design used in this study was a randomized and non-synchronized control group pre-and-post test. The participants were 560 male students from five high schools in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. In each school two classes were randomly assigned to each the experimental or control group. The contents of the education program for AIDS prevention consisted of six parts with a total of 50 minutes. The data were analyzed using t-test and chi-square test with SPSS WIN program version 13.0. RESULTS: There were significant differences in knowledge and attitudes between experimental and control groups. The experimental group showed higher scores in knowledge and more positive attitudes than the control group. CONCLUSION: The education program was effective in increasing positive attitudes towards AIDS/people with AIDS among male high school students. Further application of the program with female students is needed before the results of the study can be generalized.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Research Design

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of suicide attempters visiting emergency department in a general hospital located at local city. METHODS: To investigate the characteristics of suicide attempters, the medical records of 201 suicide attempters were reviewed with a structured analytic sheet. Data were analyzed using χ² test, two sample t-test, and oneway ANOVA. RESULTS: Among total of 201 suicide attempters, 114 (56.7%) lived in rural areas. 114 (56.7%) were men and most of them (71, 35.3%) lived in rural areas. 155 (77.5%) was the first trier and the most frequently used method was taking pesticides. There were gender and regional differences in the suicide-related characteristics of suicide attempters. CONCLUSION: The results provide empirical evidences to design and implement strategies at both macro and micro levels to prevent suicide.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Methods ; Pesticides ; Suicide*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the variables that are associated with the health related quality of life (HRQOL) for patients with breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 112 subjects were recruited from a cancer center at a university hospital by using convenience sampling. The subjects were asked to complete questionnaires about HRQOL, fatigue and social support (family and medical team support). A trained research assistant then measured the subjects' shoulder range of motion (ROM) and the arm parameters for lymphedema. The data was analyzed using t-tests, Mann-Whitney tests, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The HRQOL was strongly correlated with fatigue (r=-0.80, p<0.01). It was also positively correlated with family support (r=0.57, p<0.01) and medical team support (r=0.33, p<0.01). The HRQOL was significantly lower for the patients who had limited shoulder rotation. Fatigue and family support together explained 65% of the variance in the HRQOL for the patients with breast cancer, after controlling for education and income. Of them, fatigue uniquely explained 32% of the variance in the HRQOL. CONCLUSION: Fatigue was the strong predictor of the HRQOL. This result suggests that fatigue might be primary managed for improving the HRQOL of patients with breast cancer.
Arm ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Lymphedema ; Quality of Life ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Shoulder ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify knowledge and attitudes on antibiotic use held by adolescents (middle and high school students) in Korea. METHODS: Data were collected from a convenience sample of 651 students residing in 5 major cities in Korea. The questionnaire was developed after an extensive literature review and professional advisory meetings. Descriptive statistics, t-test, chi square test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients with the SPSS program were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Respondents correctly answered 6.23 antibiotic-related questions out of 15 questions. Two thirds of the respondents knew viruses caused most colds and coughs, but 80% did not know that antibiotics do not work against viruses. High school students' attitudes towards antibiotics were somewhat negative. More middle school students than high school students asked doctors for antibiotics for a cold. High school students did not check if antibiotics were included in their prescription for a cold. There was no significant correlation between knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotic use. CONCLUSION: Education programs on appropriate antibiotic use need to be developed for these students. Continual reinforcement and repetition of the contents are required to change attitudes.
Adolescent ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cold Temperature ; Cough ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Drug Resistance ; Humans ; Korea ; Prescriptions ; Reinforcement (Psychology)

Globally, the issue of palliative and end-of-life care (PEOLC) in nursing homes is a common concern, and the need to measure the preparedness of nursing staff for end-of-life care is increasing. This study aimed to verify the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the self-reported scale for the Staff Preparedness for PEOLC in long-term care homes. Methods: A total of 161 staff took part in the study; among them were nine nurses, 19 nursing assistants, 133 care workers at four nursing homes located in Wonju and Suncheon cities, South Korea. The scale was translated according to the guidelines of World Health Organization guidelines and Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments, and its reliability and validity were evaluated through assessing its internal consistency, stability, and construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis, CFA). Results: CFA confirmed that the measurement tool had a good fit (comparative fit index=.96, Turker-Lewis index=.95, root mean-squared error of approximation=.07). The items’ internal consistencies of the items were found to be reliable with Cronbach’s alpha=.94; the Pearson’s correlation coefficient between test and retest of the tool was .86 (p<.001); and the intraclass correlation coefficient value was .91 (95% confidence interval: .85~.96). Conclusion: The Korean version of the Staff Preparedness for PEOLC in long-term care homes was confirmed to be a useful and reliable scale for measuring the preparedness of nursing staff in Korean long-term care facilities in Korea for PEOLC.

Purpose: To analyze 10-year trends in utilization of visual field tests for adult glaucoma or glaucoma-suspect patients using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment data. Methods: Health claims for the years 2010 to 2019, as recorded via Korea’s Health Insurance Review and Assessment service, were accessed. We identified glaucoma patients using the glaucoma diagnostic codes H40 (glaucoma) and H42 (glaucoma in other diseases classified elsewhere). For verification of the glaucoma diagnosis, information on any antiglaucoma medication prescriptions and ocular surgery history also was obtained. Visual field testing data was isolated using procedural codes E6690 (kinetic perimetry) and E6691 (standard automated perimetry [SAP]) performed in tertiary hospitals. Any changes in visual field test utilization were identified using regression trend analysis. Results: From 2010 to 2019, the total number of SAP procedures performed in tertiary hospitals for either glaucoma or glaucoma-suspect patients increased gradually from 93,459 to 216,433. With regard to kinetic perimetry examinations, the total number decreased gradually from 6,364 to 3,792. The yearly average SAP number per patient showed a slight increase, from 1.168 to 1.248 (ß = 0.008, R2 = 0.669, p = 0.004). Meanwhile, the yearly average number of kinetic perimeter examinations per patient showed a significant decrease, from 1.093 to 0.940 (ß = -0.013, R2 = 0.580, p = 0.010). Conclusions Between 2010 and 2019, the yearly average number of SAP procedures performed per glaucoma or glaucoma-suspect patient increased in Korea. Meanwhile, the yearly average number of kinetic perimetry examinations per patient significantly decreased.

Purpose: We report a case of keratitis that improved after removal of a causative plant foreign body from below the posterior surface of an opaque cornea. The foreign body was revealed by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and gonioscopy.Case summary: A 79-year-old woman was referred with an impression of left-eye keratitis; the eye had been injured by a branch of a tangerine tree 1 month prior. She had been given the usual topical antibiotics by a local clinic, but they were ineffective. At her initial visit, her visual acuity was only hand motion in the left eye; slit-lamp examination revealed a 3 × 3-mm corneal infiltration with a hypopyon in the anterior chamber. Despite administration of strong topical antibiotics on an hourly basis, the corneal lesion worsened. AS-OCT and gonioscopy revealed a small foreign body below the posterior surface of the cornea; this was surgically removed. The corneal opacity and corneal epithelial defects dramatically improved, and the hypopyon disappeared. Conclusions The possibility of a residual foreign body should be considered if trauma precedes infectious keratitis that does not improve with conventional treatment and the posterior surface of the cornea is not visible because of corneal opacity. In such a case, AS-OCT and gonioscopy can be useful.

Background: As a side effect of interscalene brachial plexus block (ISBPB), stellate ganglion block (SGB) causes reductions in pupil size (Horner’s syndrome) and cardiac sympathetic nervous activity (CSNA). Reduced CSNA is associated with hemodynamic instability when patients are seated. Therefore, instantaneous measurements of CSNA are important in seated patients presenting with Horner’s syndrome. However, there are no effective tools to measure real-time CSNA intraoperatively. To evaluate the usefulness of pupillometry in measuring CSNA, we investigated the relationship between pupil size and CSNA. Methods: Forty-two patients undergoing right arthroscopic shoulder surgery under ISBPB were analyzed. Pupil diameters were measured at 30 Hz for 2 s using a portable pupillometer. Bilateral pupil diameters and CSNA (natural-log-transformed low-frequency power [0.04–0.15 Hz] of heart rate variability [lnLF]) were measured before ISBPB (pre-ISBPB) and 15 min after transition to the sitting position following ISBPB (post-sitting). Changes in the pupil diameter ([right pupil diameter for post-sitting – left pupil diameter for post-sitting] – [right pupil diameter for pre-ISBPB – left pupil diameter for pre-ISBPB]) and CSNA (lnLF for post-sitting – lnLF for pre-ISBPB) were calculated. Results: Forty-one patients (97.6%) developed Horner’s syndrome. Right pupil diameter and lnLF significantly decreased upon transition to sitting after ISBPB. In the linear regression model (R2 =0.242, P=0.001), a one-unit decrease (1 mm) in the extent of changes in the pupil diameter reduced the extent of changes in lnLF by 0.659 ln(ms2/Hz) (95% CI [0.090, 1.228]). Conclusions Pupillometry is a useful tool to measure changes in CSNA after the transition to sitting following ISBPB.