Background: Information technology plays an important role in the developmental process. Activities of the Vietnam health sector mainly provide social services so that the investment in application and development of information technology has met various difficulties and constraints. Objectives: This study aims to discover the real status and resolutions in state management on health information technology. Subjects and method: Research performed on 144 state organizations involved in the health sector in Vietnam, with 403 surveys between 2006 and 2007. The data were collected and analyzed by SPSS 10.0 software. Results: The state management capacity on information technology in the health sector remained weak and contains shortcomings. The health sector had no overall plan for applying and developing information technology; 43.8% of surveyed organizations have no special division for IT; 34.7% have no IT specialist. The investment effect was not high enough yet, up to 62.5% of surveyed organizations have LAN but only 42.4% have specialist management of software. There are no procedures for monitoring, surveying and assessing the effect of IT activities in the health sector. Conclusion: Real state of management on IT in the health sector still face many difficulties and ineffectiveness due to the orientation for application of IT development in the health sectors is still unclear.
State management ; information technology

To understand the current situation regarding the knowledge and demand for patients with prediabetes at different self-management levels, and to provide guide for improving their knowledge.
 Methods: A total of 312 prediabetes patients from 3 hospitals in Changsha were enrolled in this survey. The questionnaires covered diabetes self-management behavior scale and prediabetes knowledge status and demand questionnaire. Diabetes knowledge acquisition and demand were analyzed among patients with different levels of self-management.
 Results: The score of self-management behavior for patients with prediabetes was 39.1±13.9. The rate of knowledge acquisition was low and the rate of demand was high. The knowledge acquisition rate was high and the knowledge demand rate was low in patients with high levels of self-management. As for the contents of health education, the dietary collocation and method for glucose detection were highly needed by all self-management levels of patients.
 Conclusion: Prediabetes patients' self-management level are low. Health education to patients with prediabetes should be based on individualized demands.
Diabetes Mellitus ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Prediabetic State ; Self-Management ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Diabetic neuropathy is a complex and common disorder with multiple etiologies and affects about 43.1% of the Korean diabetes population. Good glycemic control slows progression of diabetic neuropathy in subjects with type 1 diabetes but seems to provide little benefit in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Moreover, neuropathy has been shown to develop in humans at stages of prediabetes and in the absence of overt hyperglycemia. Given the increasing incidence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and obesity and the impact of diabetic neuropathy on the quality of life of patients, a strategy for early diagnosis and discovery of an effective treatment is important for prevention and progression of diabetic neuropathy. Approximately 14.4% of Korean diabetics with neuropathy have associated pain, and management of this pain has been unsuccessful for many clinicians and patients. Choice of the correct drug(s), dosage, and patient management seems to be based on individualized conditions and needs. Overall, for good management and prevention for diabetic foot morbidities, early and proper diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy is essential, and simple and precise diagnostic methods must be developed.
Diabetic Foot ; Diabetic Neuropathies* ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Incidence ; Obesity ; Pain Management ; Prediabetic State ; Quality of Life

BACKGROUND: We attempted to determine the prevalence and characteristics of metabolically obese but normal weight (MONW) and metabolically healthy but obese (MHO) individuals in a large cohort of middle-aged Koreans. METHODS: 8,987 non-diabetic subjects were selected from the Chungju Metabolic disease Cohort Study performed in 2003-2006. MONW was defined as a body mass index (BMI) > or = 18.5 and < 23 kg/m2 with a homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in the highest quartile. MHO was defined as BMI > or = 25 kg/m2 with HOMA-IR in the lowest quartile. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 62.3 +/- 10.5 years (men 40.4%). The age-adjusted prevalence of MONW and MHO were 4.3% (5.3% men, 3.7% women) and 5.6% (3.6% men, 7.0% women), respectively. 14.2% of men and 12.9% of women were classified as MONW among the normal weight population, whereas 10.7% of men and 14.5% of women were classified as MHO among the obese subjects. The prevalence of prediabetes was significantly higher in the MONW group than in the MHO group (34.7 vs. 12.5%, P < 0.0001 in men; 23.1 vs. 8.8%, P < 0.0001 in women). The MONW group evidenced an equivalent risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) relative to the MHO group (10.77 +/- 0.68 vs. 10.22 +/- 0.90% in men; 7.02 +/- 0.34 vs. 7.26 +/- 0.26% in women, means +/- standard error [SE]). CONCLUSION: The subjects in the MONW group are characterized by a high risk of diabetes and CHD, despite their normal weights. Their substantial prevalence in the population emphasizes the importance of identifying subjects in the MONW group, and warrants more intensive risk management.
Body Mass Index ; Cohort Studies ; Coronary Disease ; Female ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Metabolic Diseases ; Prediabetic State ; Prevalence ; Risk Management ; Weights and Measures