BACKGROUND: A kids café is a popular indoor playground in Korea that combines a playground for young children and a café for their caregivers. There have been no national reports about kids café-related injuries in Korea. This study investigated kids café-related injuries in Korea registered in a multicenter injury surveillance database and analyzed the risk factors for significant kids café-related injuries.METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was performed using the Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance registry in Korea between 2011 and 2016. Significant injury was defined as an injury requiring hospitalization or surgery. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to obtain the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) for factors associated with significant kids café-related injuries.RESULTS: Among 1,537,617 injured patients, we extracted 891 patients who were injured in kids cafés. Of these, 46 (5.2%) were admitted, and 39 (4.4%) underwent surgery. The most common injured anatomical site, injury type, and mechanism were lower extremity (28.2%), superficial injury (27.2%), and slip (27.1%), respectively. Among injury-inducing factors, significant injuries were most commonly caused by a trampoline (28.1%), and rock climbing equipment was the only risk factor in a kids café that led to significant injury after adjusting for age, sex, injury mechanism, and injured anatomical sites (aOR, 14.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.51–147.72).CONCLUSION: The rock climbing equipment in a kids café can cause serious injury to children. Establishing safety regulations for rock climbing equipment in kids cafés may have the greatest impact in reducing significant injuries requiring hospitalization or surgery.
Caregivers ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Emergencies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Lower Extremity ; Odds Ratio ; Play and Playthings ; Risk Factors ; Social Control, Formal ; Wounds and Injuries

One person dies every six seconds from a smoking-related disease and this problem is likely to worsen. While many people try to quit smoking on their own or with using medicinal products, many of them fail. There is an ongoing debate within the public health community about e-cigarettes on whether they have a potential role in smoking cessation, whether their use can reduce harm for individual users, whether the widespread use of these devices has the potential to reduce or increase population-level harm, and how best to regulate e-cigarette use to minimize both individual and population-level harm. Although the long-term effects of e-cigarette use among smokers and non-smokers are not known, nicotine aerosol produced from a solution, rather than from burning tobacco, releases fewer harmful substances than cigarette smoke does. Some experts advocate wider availability and softer regulations regarding e-cigarette use and perceive them as having the potential to help smokers quit or switch to a harm-reducing means of consuming nicotine. Based on scientific evidence on e-cigarettes, this article explores its pros and cons to public health in order to guide practice, policy, and regulation through reviews of debate articles. ‘Quit or die’ is no longer the only option for those who cannot quit. Safer nicotine products offer another way. There is substantial international and independent evidence that these products are safer than cigarettes.
Burns ; Electronic Cigarettes ; Harm Reduction ; Humans ; Nicotine ; Public Health ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Smoking Cessation ; Social Control, Formal ; Tobacco ; Tobacco Products

Treatment of burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is challenging because there is no consensus regarding pharmalogical or nonpharmalogical therapies. The use of anticonvulsants is controversial. We present nine patients BMS who respond to pregabalin. They were diagnosed secondary BMS except two. Etiologic regulations were made firstly in patients with secondary BMS but symptoms did not decrease. We preferred pregabalin in all patients and got good results. Furthermore the addition of pregabalin to the treatment of two patients who did not respond adequately to duloxetine provided good results. We are only aware that pregabalin may reduce symptoms as a result of case reports. We believe that the diagnosis of pathologic etiology with appropriate diagnostic tests will result in better outcomes in treatment.
Anticonvulsants ; Burning Mouth Syndrome ; Burns ; Consensus ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Duloxetine Hydrochloride ; Humans ; Pregabalin ; Social Control, Formal

PURPOSE: Residents' duty-hour regulations and the evolution of minimally invasive surgical techniques require more effective and efficient surgical skill teaching models. We used frozen-thawed human tissue remnants harvested during abdominoplasty or abdominal tissue-based breast reconstruction to allow for a medium-sized group workshop program, simulating a realistic surgical environment and visual/haptic feedback. METHODS: Full-thickness abdominal tissue (skin and subcutaneous fat) were donated from patients who underwent autologous breast reconstruction and gave consent to use their tissue for comprehensive research and medical educational purposes. Anonymized tissue was frozen-preserved and then thawed the day of the surgical skills workshop. A total of 53 residents completed 50-minute hands-on training in 3-to-5 person modules in four sessions of the workshop program. RESULTS: Thawed tissue regained almost normal texture and consistency. Structural integrity was also histologically confirmed. All participants were generally satisfied with the program, especially regarding the suture material provided. CONCLUSION: Frozen-thawed tissue remnants from abdominoplasty or autologous breast reconstruction could be preserved and used as a suture education material in medium-group workshops for surgery residents or medical students given anonymity and with proper consent guaranteed. This approach provided an excellent model maintaining relatively real anatomic structure and consistency with minimal cost.
Abdominoplasty ; Anonyms and Pseudonyms ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Internship and Residency ; Mammaplasty ; Social Control, Formal ; Students, Medical ; Sutures ; Training Support

BACKGROUND: Increasing workplace health-care perception has become a major issue in the world. Most of the health-related problems are faced because of the lack of health management instruments. The level of health care can be improved through workplace health well-being regulations. The aim of the present study is to formulate a conceptual model of physical checkup. METHODS: This study applied conceptual theories and figures and used secondary data from articles and relevant websites for evaluating the validity of the study. RESULTS: Annual health checkup increases health-care awareness perception of states, organizations, employees, and their families and manages the annual health record of employees, organizations, and states. CONCLUSIONS: Health care and awareness perception of states, organizations, employees, and families improves with annual health checkup, and annual health checkup also prevents unhealthy acts.
Delivery of Health Care ; Health Status ; Humans ; Social Control, Formal

BACKGROUND: Painters in the automotive sector are routinely exposed to volatile organic solvents, and the levels vary depending on the occupational health and safety controls enforced at the companies. This study investigates the levels of exposure to organic vapors and the existence of controls in the formal economy sector in southern Colombia. METHODS: This is an exploratory study of an observational and descriptive character. An analysis of solvents is conducted via the personal sampling of painters and the analysis of samples using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 1501 method. The amount of solvents analyzed varied according to the budget allocated by the companies. The person in charge of the occupational safety and health management system was interviewed to learn about the exposure controls implemented at the companies. RESULTS: A medium exposure risk for toluene was found in one company. Another presented medium risk for carbon tetrachloride, xylene, ethylbenzene, and n-butanol. The others showed low risk of exposure and that the controls implemented were not sufficient or efficient. CONCLUSION: These results shed light on the working conditions of these tradespeople. The permissible limits established by Colombian regulations for the evaluated chemical contaminants were not exceeded. However, there were contaminants that exceeded the limits of action. The analysis of findings made it possible to propose improvements in occupational safety and health management systems to allow the optimization of working conditions for painters, prevent the occurrence of occupational diseases, and reduce costs to the country's health system.
1-Butanol ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; Colombia ; Humans ; Methods ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (U.S.) ; Occupational Diseases ; Occupational Health ; Social Control, Formal ; Solvents ; Toluene ; Xylenes

BACKGROUND: The oil and gas industry is one of the riskiest industries for confined space injuries. This study aimed to understand an overall picture of the causal factors of confined space accidents through analyzing accident reports and the use of a qualitative approach. METHODS: Twenty-one fatal occupational accidents were analyzed according to the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System approach. Furthermore, thirty-three semistructured interviews were conducted with employees in different roles to capture their experiences regarding the contributory factors. The content analyses of the interview transcripts were conducted using MAXQDA software. RESULTS: Based on accident reports, the largest proportions of causal factors (77%) were attributed to the organizational and supervisory levels, with the predominant influence of the organizational process. We identified 25 contributory factors in confined space accidents that were causal factors outside of the original Human Factors Analysis and Classification System framework. Therefore, modifications were made to deal with factors outside the organization and newly explored causal factors at the organizational level. External Influences as the fifth level considered contributory factors beyond the organization including Laws, Regulations and Standards, Government Policies, Political Influences, and Economic Status categories. Moreover, Contracting/Contract Management and Emergency Management were two extra categories identified at the organizational level. CONCLUSIONS: Preventing confined space accidents requires addressing issues from the organizational to operator level and external influences beyond the organization. The recommended modifications provide a basis for accident investigation and risk analysis, which may be applicable across a broad range of industries and accident types.
Accidents, Occupational ; Classification ; Confined Spaces ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Oil and Gas Industry ; Social Control, Formal

We conducted this study to compare the awareness and attitude of Busan housewives about consuming marine products. The survey was conducted from April 10 to May 31, 2019 by using a questionnaire. The degree of preference of seafood was higher among individuals in their 40s than those in the other age groups. Among the women in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 70s, the reason for liking seafood was ‘taste’, and for those in their 60s it was ‘nutrition’. Overall the most common reason for disliking seafood was the ‘fishy smell (37.4%)’. Conception degree of nutritive value of seafood was higher among individuals in their 30s and 40s than that for those individuals in their 50s, 60s and 70s. As for the price of seafood, the wives over 40s thought seafood was more expensive than did those wives in their 30s. The younger the individuals were, the lower was the perceived degree of safety was 49.8% of the subjects reported that the main concern for purchase was ‘freshness’. The perceived degree of safety for imported seafood was better for the wives in their 60s and 70s than that for those wives in their 30s, 40s and 50s. The confidence level for local Korean seafood was higher for the wives in their 60s than that for the wives in their 50s. The degree of preference for seafood was moderate overall, except for Jellyfish. Age was positively correlated with conception for safety and dietary attitude (P<0.01), whereas age was negatively correlated with monthly food expenditure, nutrition knowledge and intake requirements (P<0.01). Preference for seafood was positively correlated with conception for safety (P<0.05), nutrition knowledge (P<0.05), dietary attitude (P<0.01), awareness for nutritive value (P<0.01) and intake requirements (P<0.01). Laws and regulations should be reinforced in order to promote eating more seafood and periodic research to determine the actual amount of consumed seafood and people's preferences should be conducted.
Busan ; Eating ; Female ; Fertilization ; Health Expenditures ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Nutritive Value ; Seafood ; Smell ; Social Control, Formal ; Spouses

Hospice and palliative care can help terminal patients and their family members to face the natural end of life more comfortably, by providing them with an environment to address psychosocial and spiritual problems, as well as physical symptoms. However, most patients and their caregivers have the misconception that hospice care means the withdrawal of all treatments. Many physicians also consider hospice care to be a form of terminal care after all treatments are finished. Laws regulating the withdrawal of life-prolonging treatment came into effect in Korea in 2018, and these regulations also apply to most terminal stages of benign diseases. The withdrawal of futile life-prolonging treatment is quite different from euthanasia or negligence. At the last stage of disease, treatment aimed at alleviating various symptoms can make critically ill patients more comfortable and thereby help them to die with dignity. Patients with a terminal illness should receive hospice and palliative care, instead of futile life-prolonging treatment. Therefore, education and training programs to promote a proper understanding of hospice and palliative care should be considered mandatory.
Caregivers ; Critical Illness ; Education ; Euthanasia ; Hospice Care ; Hospices ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Malpractice ; Palliative Care ; Social Control, Formal ; Terminal Care ; Withholding Treatment

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