PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the association between increased level of ambient particulate matter and emergency room visits for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted. We enrolled patients who lived in Seoul, Korea and were diagnosed with COPD in the emergency room between January 2012 and December 2014. Meteorological factors [daily highest temperature, lowest temperature, mean temperature, diurnal temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, amount of sunshine and particulate matter less than 10 µm (PM 10)] between December 2011 and December 2014 in Seoul were acquired from the Korea Meteorological Administration. We used a multiple Poisson regression model with daily patient's number of COPD as a response variable and meteorological factors as explanatory variable. Variable selection was done via an Elastic net. RESULTS: There was a total of 1,179 emergency visits for acute exacerbations of COPD patients. PM10 (before 4, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 22, 24, 27, 28 day), rainfall (before 1, 6, 8, 16, 18 day), relative humidity (before 2, 8), and daily temperature difference (5, 10, 15 day) had a relationship and a lag effect with COPD exacerbations. CONCLUSION: This study showed that an increased concentration of PM10 was associated with COPD exacerbations. A future study that reinforces the limitation of this study is necessary to get a helpful index for an adequate response of medical institution and efficient placement of medical personnel.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Humidity ; Korea ; Lung Diseases ; Meteorological Concepts ; Particulate Matter* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Regression Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Sunlight

PURPOSE: This study shows the change in emergency room use behavior by homeless patients after implementation of the ‘Seoul Type Citizen Sympathy Emergency Room Project’ in July 2015. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in a public hospital between January 2014 and December 2014 and January 2016 and December 2016. Homeless patients who visited the emergency room in 2014 and 2016 were compared based on age, gender, mode of insurance, admission, revisit within 48 hours, length of stay (LOS) in the emergency department (ED), total cost, and major diagnostic category. RESULTS: A total of 3,642 homeless patients were enrolled during the study period, of which 1,876 visited in 2014 and 1,766 in 2016. Fewer homeless patients in 2016 revisited within 48 hours (p=0.046). Homeless in 2016 had a shorter ED LOS (p < 0.001) and lower total cost (p=0.040). More homeless patients who visited due to alcohol revisited within 48 hours in 2016 (p=0.036). Moreover, these patients did not have a different ED LOS (p=0.060) or total cost (p=0.475). Medicaid homeless patients were less connected compared health insurance by screening, brief intervention, referral to treatment program. CONCLUSION: Comparison of homeless patients who visited the emergency room in 2014 and 2016 revealed fewer total homeless patients in 2016, as well as less revisits within 48 hours, shorter ED LOS and lower total cost. These findings indicate that the ‘Seoul Type Citizen Sympathy Emergency Room Project’ was effective in the emergency room, but improvements for alcohol and medicaid homeless patients are needed.
Alcoholics ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Health Policy ; Homeless Persons ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Insurance ; Insurance, Health ; Length of Stay ; Mass Screening ; Medicaid ; Referral and Consultation ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the characteristics and classification of congenital color vision deficiency (CVD) by the SNU computerized color test (SCCT) that was developed to sufficiently utilize the advantages of a computer. METHODS: Hardy-Rand-Rittler test (HRR test), Nagel anomaloscope and SCCT were performed on 60 eyes of 30 CVD patients and 30 normal subjects and the results were compared. RESULTS: In normal subjects, the error scores were all zero at all colors by SCCT. By SCCT protan color defectives showed a peak at hue 0 red in 7 eyes (29.2%), at hue 150 green in 3 eyes (12.5%), at hue 180 green in 18 eyes (75%), and at hue 330 red in 2 eyes (8.3%). By SCCT, deutan color defectives showed a peak at hue 0 red in 2 eyes (5.6%), at hue 150 green in 24 eyes (66.7%), at hue 180 green in 2 eyes (5.6%), and at hue 330 red in 23 eyes (63.9%). CONCLUSIONS: SCCT showed specific axes in CVD patients, with accuracy and high sensitivity to diagnosis. SCCT appears to be useful clinically as a color vision test to diagnose and classify CVD patients.
Classification* ; Color Vision Defects* ; Color Vision* ; Diagnosis ; Humans

PURPOSE: To investigate the color vision defect in diabetic patients using the SNU computerized color test (SCCT). METHODS: From May to September 2003, diabetic patients with visual acuity 0.6 or better underwent various examinations including biomicroscopy, fundus photography, Ishihara color test, Hardy?Rand?Rittler (HRR) test, Seohan computerized hue test (SCHT), and SNU computerized color test. The SCCT was developed by using the Matlab 6.0 program. RESULTS: A total of 160 eyes of 82 diabetic patients were included. Thirty-two patients had no diabetic retinopathy, 19 had mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), 12 had moderate NPDR, 12 had severe NPDR, and 7 had proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). In the all diabetic patients, the average total error score (TES) of SCHT was 189 and that of SCCT was 8.5; in patients without diabetic retinopathy, the scores were 125 and 3.64; in patients with mild NPDR, 185 and 8.16; in patients with moderate NPDR, 209 and 11.1; in patients with severe NPDR, 288 and 15.6 ; and in patients with PDR, 324 and 17.6 respectively. On the HRR test, patients without diabetic retinopathy had 1 tritan defect; those with mild NPDR 2 tritan, 2 protan, and 2 deutan defects: those with moderate NPDR, no color defects ; and those with severe NPDR, 2 tritan, and 2 protan defects, and 1 deutan defect. CONCLUSIONS: In diabetic patients, TES of SCHT and SCCT was higher according to the severity of diabetic retinopathy. SCHT and SCCT were more useful than HRR test.
Color Vision Defects* ; Color Vision* ; Diabetic Retinopathy* ; Humans ; Photography ; Visual Acuity