Objective: This study examined the up-to-date facts from real cases of emergency medical litigations to provide information to act appropriately in medical lawsuits against emergency medicine specialists. Methods: Data were collected from lawsuits from 2008 to 2020. Thirty-nine cases were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Six emergency medicine specialists and one resident with a lawyer’s license participated in the analysis. Results: Medical litigations have surged since 2015. The lawsuits were due mainly to misdiagnoses and violations of the duty to explain. Medical staff won in 12 (38.7%) cases and lost in 19 (61.3%). The main reason for losing was a violation of the duty of care. In criminal claims, 50% of cases resulted in confinement. The win rate was 1.4 times higher in cases where consultation was requested from other specialties (42.9% and 29.4% win with consultation and without, respectively). Conclusion The win rate in lawsuits is decreasing, and the level of penalty is becoming more severe. The decrease in the violation of duty to explain was attributed to education through the years. The win rate was higher when consulting with other specialists. Hence, active consultation is recommended. In addition, the system of radiology interpretation requires improvement because of the many misdiagnoses from reading diagnostic images.

Objective: This study examined the up-to-date facts from real cases of emergency medical litigations to provide information to act appropriately in medical lawsuits against emergency medicine specialists. Methods: Data were collected from lawsuits from 2008 to 2020. Thirty-nine cases were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Six emergency medicine specialists and one resident with a lawyer’s license participated in the analysis. Results: Medical litigations have surged since 2015. The lawsuits were due mainly to misdiagnoses and violations of the duty to explain. Medical staff won in 12 (38.7%) cases and lost in 19 (61.3%). The main reason for losing was a violation of the duty of care. In criminal claims, 50% of cases resulted in confinement. The win rate was 1.4 times higher in cases where consultation was requested from other specialties (42.9% and 29.4% win with consultation and without, respectively). Conclusion The win rate in lawsuits is decreasing, and the level of penalty is becoming more severe. The decrease in the violation of duty to explain was attributed to education through the years. The win rate was higher when consulting with other specialists. Hence, active consultation is recommended. In addition, the system of radiology interpretation requires improvement because of the many misdiagnoses from reading diagnostic images.

Objective: This study examined the up-to-date facts from real cases of emergency medical litigations to provide information to act appropriately in medical lawsuits against emergency medicine specialists. Methods: Data were collected from lawsuits from 2008 to 2020. Thirty-nine cases were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Six emergency medicine specialists and one resident with a lawyer’s license participated in the analysis. Results: Medical litigations have surged since 2015. The lawsuits were due mainly to misdiagnoses and violations of the duty to explain. Medical staff won in 12 (38.7%) cases and lost in 19 (61.3%). The main reason for losing was a violation of the duty of care. In criminal claims, 50% of cases resulted in confinement. The win rate was 1.4 times higher in cases where consultation was requested from other specialties (42.9% and 29.4% win with consultation and without, respectively). Conclusion The win rate in lawsuits is decreasing, and the level of penalty is becoming more severe. The decrease in the violation of duty to explain was attributed to education through the years. The win rate was higher when consulting with other specialists. Hence, active consultation is recommended. In addition, the system of radiology interpretation requires improvement because of the many misdiagnoses from reading diagnostic images.

Background: This study aims to delineate the characteristic features of adjustment disorder (AjD) from those of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and assess the discriminant validity of Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-5 PTSD measures by comparing self-reported data from an outpatient cohort. Methods: The study participants included psychiatric outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital in South Korea.Psychological assessments comprised the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, the National Stressful Events Survey-PTSD Short Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Insomnia Severity Index, and the Short Form-8 Health Survey. Results: A total of 149 responses (51 participants with AjD and 98 with PTSD) were analyzed. It was observed that workplace conflict was the most common stressor among AjD patients (29%), while traffic accidents were the primary trauma source for PTSD patients (39%). Individuals with AjD reported significantly lower levels of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms, along with a higher quality of life. After controlling for educational level as a covariate, the differences in PTSD and depressive symptoms remained significant. Conclusion The findings of this study support the discriminant validity of DSM-5 PTSD measures for AjD and reinforce the notion that that AjD represents a milder form within the stress response spectrum.

Background: This study aims to delineate the characteristic features of adjustment disorder (AjD) from those of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and assess the discriminant validity of Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-5 PTSD measures by comparing self-reported data from an outpatient cohort. Methods: The study participants included psychiatric outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital in South Korea.Psychological assessments comprised the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, the National Stressful Events Survey-PTSD Short Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Insomnia Severity Index, and the Short Form-8 Health Survey. Results: A total of 149 responses (51 participants with AjD and 98 with PTSD) were analyzed. It was observed that workplace conflict was the most common stressor among AjD patients (29%), while traffic accidents were the primary trauma source for PTSD patients (39%). Individuals with AjD reported significantly lower levels of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms, along with a higher quality of life. After controlling for educational level as a covariate, the differences in PTSD and depressive symptoms remained significant. Conclusion The findings of this study support the discriminant validity of DSM-5 PTSD measures for AjD and reinforce the notion that that AjD represents a milder form within the stress response spectrum.

Background: This study aims to delineate the characteristic features of adjustment disorder (AjD) from those of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and assess the discriminant validity of Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-5 PTSD measures by comparing self-reported data from an outpatient cohort. Methods: The study participants included psychiatric outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital in South Korea.Psychological assessments comprised the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, the National Stressful Events Survey-PTSD Short Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Insomnia Severity Index, and the Short Form-8 Health Survey. Results: A total of 149 responses (51 participants with AjD and 98 with PTSD) were analyzed. It was observed that workplace conflict was the most common stressor among AjD patients (29%), while traffic accidents were the primary trauma source for PTSD patients (39%). Individuals with AjD reported significantly lower levels of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms, along with a higher quality of life. After controlling for educational level as a covariate, the differences in PTSD and depressive symptoms remained significant. Conclusion The findings of this study support the discriminant validity of DSM-5 PTSD measures for AjD and reinforce the notion that that AjD represents a milder form within the stress response spectrum.

Background: This study aims to delineate the characteristic features of adjustment disorder (AjD) from those of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and assess the discriminant validity of Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-5 PTSD measures by comparing self-reported data from an outpatient cohort. Methods: The study participants included psychiatric outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital in South Korea.Psychological assessments comprised the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, the National Stressful Events Survey-PTSD Short Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Insomnia Severity Index, and the Short Form-8 Health Survey. Results: A total of 149 responses (51 participants with AjD and 98 with PTSD) were analyzed. It was observed that workplace conflict was the most common stressor among AjD patients (29%), while traffic accidents were the primary trauma source for PTSD patients (39%). Individuals with AjD reported significantly lower levels of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms, along with a higher quality of life. After controlling for educational level as a covariate, the differences in PTSD and depressive symptoms remained significant. Conclusion The findings of this study support the discriminant validity of DSM-5 PTSD measures for AjD and reinforce the notion that that AjD represents a milder form within the stress response spectrum.

Background: This study aims to delineate the characteristic features of adjustment disorder (AjD) from those of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and assess the discriminant validity of Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-5 PTSD measures by comparing self-reported data from an outpatient cohort. Methods: The study participants included psychiatric outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital in South Korea.Psychological assessments comprised the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, the National Stressful Events Survey-PTSD Short Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Insomnia Severity Index, and the Short Form-8 Health Survey. Results: A total of 149 responses (51 participants with AjD and 98 with PTSD) were analyzed. It was observed that workplace conflict was the most common stressor among AjD patients (29%), while traffic accidents were the primary trauma source for PTSD patients (39%). Individuals with AjD reported significantly lower levels of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms, along with a higher quality of life. After controlling for educational level as a covariate, the differences in PTSD and depressive symptoms remained significant. Conclusion The findings of this study support the discriminant validity of DSM-5 PTSD measures for AjD and reinforce the notion that that AjD represents a milder form within the stress response spectrum.

Economic evaluations in the healthcare are used to assess economic efficiency of pharmaceuticals and medical interventions such as diagnoses and medical procedures. This study introduces the main concepts of economic evaluation across its key steps: planning, outcome and cost calculation, modeling, cost-effectiveness results, uncertainty analysis, and decision-making. When planning an economic evaluation, we determine the study population, intervention, comparators, perspectives, time horizon, discount rates, and type of economic evaluation. In healthcare economic evaluations, outcomes include changes in mortality, the survival rate, life years, and quality-adjusted life years, while costs include medical, non-medical, and productivity costs. Model-based economic evaluations, including decision tree and Markov models, are mainly used to calculate the total costs and total effects. In cost-effectiveness or costutility analyses, cost-effectiveness is evaluated using the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, which is the additional cost per one additional unit of effectiveness gained by an intervention compared with a comparator. All outcomes have uncertainties owing to limited evidence, diverse methodologies, and unexplained variation. Thus, researchers should review these uncertainties and confirm their robustness. We hope to contribute to the establishment and dissemination of economic evaluation methodologies that reflect Korean clinical and research environment and ultimately improve the rationality of healthcare policies.

Objective: There has been a consistent import of Plasmodium falciparum malaria into South Korea. As artesunate has been shown to reduce malaria related mortality in other countries, we sought to evaluate the treatment outcomes of P. falciparum malaria with artesunate. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed demographic (age, sex, travel history, and year of admission) and clinical data (sign and symptoms, laboratory findings, complications, treatment outcome) of patients with imported P. falciparum malaria diagnosed between 2014 and 2019. Results: A total of 55 patients with P. falciparum malaria were included, of which 36.4% had severe P. falciparum malaria. Their mean (±standard deviation) age was 42.6 (±12.8) years. Overall, the median length of hospital stay was 6 days (interquartile range, 4-9; range, 3-36) and 21.8% of the patients needed intensive care unit (ICU) care. The overall mortality rate was 3.6%. In patients with severe P. falciparum malaria, half of the patients (50.0%) needed ICU care and the mortality rate was 10.0%. Conclusion This is the first study to report the outcomes of imported P. falciparum malaria treated with artesunate. The mortality rate for severe P. falciparum malaria in this study was higher than that in other non-endemic countries. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of treatment of P. falciparum malaria with artesunate.