OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study are to test the applicability of the continuing hospitalization judgement guidelines of The Primary Mental Health Review Board and to provide the basic data for the development of valid guidelines. METHODS: The request sheets submitted to Cheongju Primary Mental Health Review Board for continuing hospitalization from April 2009 to July 2001 were reviewed. The results according to the guidelines were compared with board's final decision. The aim in making these comparison was to determine the factors affecting the board's decisions. RESULTS: Cheongju Primary Mental Health Review Board assessed 1223 requests during the period, and declined 65 of those requests. The sensitivity and specificity for dissent of the algorithm in the guidelines are 51.6% and 97.0%, respectively. The patterns of data in the sheets from the mental facilities were different from the psychiatric hospital or the clinic. The presence of a guidance's signature, mental status, and specialist's opinion could be factors affecting the board's decision. CONCLUSION: The result suggests that distinguished guidelines are needed for mental facilities. Social support systems and functional impairments may be meaningless because they did not affect the board's decision or could be replaced by other factors. The algorithm and judgement system should be revised to increase sensitivity for dissent. Further research is required concerning the development of standardized guidelines on the judgement for continuing hospitalization.
Dissent and Disputes ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Human Rights ; Mental Health ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Osteoporosis has become a rapidly social burden for public health in South Korea, but the lack of study on osteoporosis of persons affected Hansen's disease. For the evaluation of the prevalence of osteoporosis of persons-affected Hansen's disease, we investigated a bone mineral density (BMD) of persons affected Hansen's disease who live in the settlement villages. 1,125 subjects(male: 462, female: 663 & MB: 743, PB: 382) were included, and the mean age was 72.2 +/- 8.3 years. The prevalence of osteoporosis was 67.8% and that of osteopenia was 26.7%. The T-score and Z-score of MB type patients showed a significantly lower compared with that of PB type patients(T-score: p=0.014, Z-score: p=0.018).
Bone Density ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Leprosy* ; Osteoporosis* ; Prevalence* ; Public Health ; Republic of Korea

Transient hyperkalemia has been reported to occur in eletric burn patients following intravenous administration of succinylcholine. We have studied the origin of the elevated serum K+ concentration after injection of succinylcholine from both the non-burned area and from the burned area in electirc burn patients. Blood samples for serum K+ measurement were drawn 1,2,3,4,5 and 10 minutes after administration of succinylcholine from both the burned are and the non-burned area in 6 electric burn patients. The following results were obtained: 1) Serum K+ levels increased in the burned group in 3 minutes after injection of succinylcholine. 2) The serum K+ concentration of venous samples from the electric burn area were more increased than from the non-burned area injection of succinylcholine.
Administration, Intravenous ; Burns ; Burns, Electric ; Humans ; Hyperkalemia ; Succinylcholine*

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of an empathy ability improvement program on empathy ability and parenting efficacy among mothers of elementary school students. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study using a pre-test/post-test control group design. The experimental group (n=23) completed an empathy ability improvement program, while 22 mothers were assigned to the control group. Pre-test and post-test analyses were conducted using the empathy ability scale and parenting efficacy scale. The data were analyzed using the χ2 test and test independent t-test. RESULTS: The experimental group showed a statistically significant improvement in empathy ability (t=2.79, d=4.48, p=.008) and parenting efficacy (t=2.87, d=0.89, p=.006) in comparison to the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that empathy education may be effective for improving empathy ability and parenting efficacy in mothers of school-age children.
Child ; Education ; Empathy* ; Humans ; Mothers* ; Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Parenting* ; Parents*

Recently the detection rate of new patients of leprosy becomes low in Korea. Deformity is defined as any deviation from the normal appearance of any parts of the body. Deformity can become a handicap for a person's whole life-time. So the leprosy is the causes of physical deformities, the leprologists must be concern about the physical deformities. For the purpose of evaluating the physical deformities of person inflicted with leprosy, a study was carried out of 870 leprosy out-patients [(who had visited Institute for Leprosy Research, Korean Hansen Welfare Association during 1 year(Oct. 2001- Sep. 2002)]. Of 870 patients, 806 (92.6%) had one more deformities or disfigurements, 806 (92.6%) had deformities or disfigurements of face, 537 (61.0%) had deformities or disfigurements of hands, and 349 (40.1%) had deformities or disfigurements of feet.
Congenital Abnormalities* ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Leprosy* ; Outpatients*

Leprosy related service of our country is including new patient finding and treatment, preventing the relapse and rehabilitation service. Latest new patient's occurrence is decreasing much than past, and the persons affected leprosy are gradually older. So the necessity of rehabilitation service about them is increased. Influences of hearing ability in human's life is the communication, the recognition of sound, the studying of speech faculty, and the perception ability about several circumstance. NCHS of U.S.A. was reported the hearing loss is one of high incidence disease along with the hypertension and the arthritis in the old persons, and especially the inclination of hearing loss becomes serious as do graying. It was carefully presumed that 20% of old persons more than 65 years old has some difficulties of hearing ability in Korea. The 52 persons affected leprosy(PALs) were examined the pure tone audiometry for the evaluating of the hearing loss. Among them, we have found the 12 persons(23.1%) with the hearing loss, by the results of pure tone audiometry(more than 40 dB).
Aged ; Arthritis ; Audiometry ; Hearing Loss* ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Korea ; Leprosy* ; Perception ; Recurrence ; Rehabilitation

The national goal of leprosy programme in Korea is the preventing transmission of leprosy and disability by the early case-finding and treatment, the returning well-being life by the rehabilitation and supporting life. Recently, there is reported the high disability rate(92.6%) of who visit the Institute for Leprosy Research. And the 28 re-registered patients(60.1%) in Institute for Leprosy Research during recent 5 years among 46 total re-registered patients were re-registered for the need of recheck and re-treatment of leprosy and rehabilitation service, and the 12 patients(26%) were re-registered for the purpose of rehabilitation service only. For evaluating the status of the function of leprosy clinic in rehabilitation programme of leprosy programme, authors investigated the total 870 patients who visited the Institute for Leprosy Research from Oct. 2001 to Sep. 2002. The 660(75.9%) patients were taken the plastic surgical procedures; facial reconstruction, fat injection for muscular atrophy in hand, skin graft and etc., the 717(82.4%) patients were taken the orthopedic surgical procedures for the deformity of hand and foot, skin defects and etc., and the 402 (46.2%) patients were taken the rehabilitation medicine services; physical therapy, prosthesis and etc.. And the 355(40.8%) patients were taken the new surgical procedures and the 356(40.9%) patents were taken the new prosthesis within a given period of time. So we supposed that the function of leprosy clinic in rehabilitation programme of leprosy programme is very important, and its need is on the increase.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Leprosy* ; Muscular Atrophy ; Orthopedic Procedures ; Prostheses and Implants ; Rehabilitation* ; Skin ; Transplants

This preliminary study was intended to clarify the effect of intraoperative fluid therapy on Acid-Base balance of the use of Hartmann's solution and 5% Dextrose solution. The arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure and oxygen partial pressure and pH are basic indices of the adequacy of ventilation in anesthetized patients, respiratory care and intensive care. In order to achieve this goal, the data collections were done at the Department of Anesthesia in Hanil Hospital from Mar., 1980 to Aug., 1980. The samplings, 20 cases, were included A.S.A. class I and II. We used 1,500 to 1,800cc/2hrs. of Hartmann's solution and 1,000cc/2hrs, of 5% Dextrose solution each 10 patients through the operative period. Observations were made for the followings; pH, PaCO2HCO-3. From the results of this study, there were no significant relationship between the use of 5% Dextrose solution and Hartmann's solution on Acid-Base balance during the intraoperative period.
Acid-Base Equilibrium* ; Anesthesia ; Carbon Dioxide ; Critical Care ; Fluid Therapy* ; Glucose* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Intraoperative Period ; Oxygen ; Partial Pressure ; Ventilation

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine whether the club foot of the affected fetus is related to the location, size, and rupture state of the spinal neural tube defect lesion. METHODS: Ultrasound and medical records of 21 fetuses with spinal neural tube defect were reviewed. At the time of diagnosis 7 fetuses had clubfoot and 14 fetuses didn't have. All the fetuses with spinal neural tube defect were divided into two groups, one with clubfoot fetuses, and the others without clubfoot. RESULTS: The mean lesion size of the clubfoot group was significantly larger than normal foot group (4.1+/-1.22 cm vs 2.1+/-1.59 cm). And the level of lesion is significantly higher in club foot group. But the rate of sac rupture is lower in club foot group. CONCLUSION: The fetuses with clubfoot detected at the time of diagnosis had larger size and higher level of lesion.
Clubfoot ; Diagnosis ; Fetus* ; Foot* ; Medical Records ; Neural Tube Defects* ; Neural Tube* ; Rupture ; Ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal*

The Ziehl-Neelson's AFB staining method was mainly used for the AFB observation of the mycobacteria. However, this method has several issues of false negative results, and hence a comparative experiment of the Ziehl-Neelson's AFB staining and the fluorescence staining method was done to remedy this problem. As the fluorescence staining method brightly highlights the AFB in a dark field, and also as it is observed with the lower power objective, it is a method that can better the observation and shorten the time of observation as well. The fluorescence staining method that was used in this experiment did a comparative analysis of the Auramine O-Rhodamine B and the Acridine Orange. The results showed that although the Auramine O-Rhodamine B allows easier observation of the AFB with a high fluorescence expression rate for the multibacillary leprosy sample, the darkness on the periphery makes it hard to observe anything else, while also making it hard to observe the cell changes and paucibacillary leprosy of the AFB. However, the Acridine Orange staining method highlights the cells in dark green and changes the color of the AFB from bright red to orange making it easier to observe bacilli. The results of the study show that the Acridine Orange method is superior to the Auramine O-Rhodamine B method in detecting acid fast bacilli in specimen.
Acridine Orange ; Benzophenoneidum ; Citrus sinensis ; Darkness ; Fluorescence ; Leprosy, Multibacillary ; Leprosy, Paucibacillary ; Mycobacterium ; Mycobacterium leprae