Background: Residents and nurses who activate rapid response teams (RRTs) are well positioned to offer insights on its effectiveness. Here, we assess such evaluation of RRTs and identify barriers to activation in a 1,400-bed teaching hospital. Methods: We conducted a 24-item Likert-scale survey from January to May 2017 among residents and ward nurses with RRT experience. Factor analysis was used to identify the barriers. Results: This study comprised 305 nurses and 53 residents, most of whom were satisfied with their RRT experiences. Factor analysis showed that lack of awareness of activation criteria was a major barrier, with only 21.4% and 22.2% participants, respectively, confident about their knowledge of activation protocols. Of the survey respondents, 85.7% reported first contacting the doctor before activating the RRT. Despite the protocol, 66.7% first discussed the decision with other staff, and 71.5% called the RRT when the patient’s condition worsened despite management. Conclusions Nurses and residents value RRTs but face barriers in initiation, primarily due to a lack of confidence in applying the activation criteria. Many prefer to consult a doctor or manage the patient before calling the RRT.

Background: The Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) was developed in 2004. During this time, industrial structures have evolved, and societal awareness of occupational stress has changed. This study aims to develop and validate a revised version of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS®19), tailored for workers, reflecting these changes. Methods: The KOSS®19 was developed based on the 26-item KOSS–short form (SF) through a review by eight experts. A survey was conducted including 359 service industry workers, comprising the KOSS®19, Burnout, and Depression scales. The KOSS®19 subscales were restructured, and their reliability and validity were evaluated. Results: The KOSS®19 composed of eight subscales: hazardous physical environment (2 items), high job demand (3 items), insufficient job control (2 items), low social support (2 items), job insecurity (2 items), organizational injustice (4 items), lack of reward (2 items), and work-life imbalance (2 items). The reliability and validity of the KOSS®19 were found to be satisfactory. Conclusions The KOSS®19 is a suitable tool for assessing occupational stress, effectively replacing the original KOSS and KOSS-SF.

Background: Emotional labor refers to the management of emotions and expressions to meet the emotional requirements of a job role. This study aimed to develop a revised version of the Korean Emotional Labor Scale (KELS®11), based on the first edition (KELS-24) introduced in 2014, and to provide practical applications and guidelines for its use in the Korean workplace through a validation process. Methods: The revised version of KELS®11 was derived from the 24-item KELS, following a review process involving eight experts. To validate the scale’s reliability and validity, a self-administered survey was conducted among 359 service industry workers using KELS®11, burnout, and depression scales. KELS®11 was reclassified, and its reliability and validity were evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted to establish sex-specific cutoff values (normal vs. high-risk groups). Results: KELS®11 was designed to account for individual, organizational, and cultural contexts. It consists of four subscales and 11 items: “emotional regulation” (2 items), “emotional dissonance” (3 items), “organizational monitoring” (2 items), and “organizational protective system for emotional labor” (4 items). KELS®11 demonstrated good validity (content validity ratio: 0.84; item convergence/discriminant validity success rates: 100%; correlation with burnout: r = 0.185–0.436, p < 0.01; correlation with depression: r = 0.128–0.339, p < 0.05) and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.597–0.795). Additionally, sex-specific reference values were established to determine risk groups based on the intensity of emotional labor exposure. Conclusions KELS®11 is a validated and reliable measurement tool designed to assess the intensity and magnitude of emotional labor in the workplace. The revised tool reflects critical considerations in the development of emotional labor measurement scales.

Background: Workplace violence refers to any act or threat of physical violence, verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation, bullying, mobbing, or other aggressive and disruptive behaviors that occur at work. This study aims to develop and validate a revision of the Korean Workplace Violence Scale (KWVS®13), based on the first edition of the Korean Workplace Violence Scale (KWVS-24), and to provide practical applications and guidelines for the Korean workplace environment. Methods: The revised KWVS®13 was developed by restructuring the 24-item KWVS through a review process involving eight experts. To validate the reliability and validity of KWVS®13, a self-administered survey comprising KWVS®13, burnout, and depression scales was conducted among 359 service industry workers. KWVS®13 was reclassified, and its reliability and validity were assessed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to establish sex-specific cutoff values (normal vs. risk) of the scale. Results: KWVS®13 consists of 13 items across four subscales: “psychological and sexual violence from customers” (4 items), “psychological and sexual violence from supervisors or coworkers” (4 items), “physical assault from customers, supervisors, or coworkers” (2 items), and “organizational protective system for workplace violence” (3 items). We found that KWVS®13 shows relatively good validity (content validity ratio for content validity: 0.888; success rate of item convergent and discriminant validity: 100%, and significant correlation coefficient with burnout (r = 0.115–0.83, p < 0.05) and depression (r = 0.098–0.348, p < 0.05) with the exception of Organizational Violence Protection System for Workplace Violence) and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.827–0.860). The reference values for determining risk groups according to the intensity of exposure to workplace violence are presented separately by sex. Conclusions KWVS®13 is a robust and useful measurement tool to objectively and quantitatively assess the intensity and magnitude of workplace violence. It incorporates important considerations for workplace violence assessment and provides a reliable framework for evaluating workplace violence in various professional settings.

Background: This study aimed to develop standard job categories for constructing a job-exposure matrix (JEM) for police officers in South Korea and to evaluate their applicability. Methods: We examined standard job codes related to police personnel management and compared them with job classifications from police publications. Using R Shiny, we developed a web-based search tool for standard codes. A pilot survey of 130 police officers assessed the codes' applicability and relevance to health-related hazardous factors. Results: Eighty-seven standard functional codes used in the police personnel management system POOL were organized into minor categories as the basic units of standard jobs. These were grouped into 20 sub-major categories and further consolidated into 10 major categories to develop the standard job codes. The responses to the standard job codes in the pilot survey were 75% accurate compared with the final expert evaluation results and 99.2% accurate compared with the algorithm-based automatic allocation results. The results of the job-hazardous factor network analysis revealed that the most frequently reported hazardous factor was emotional labor, followed by night shifts and electromagnetic waves. Emotional labor was identified as the top hazardous factor in six out of the nine standard job categories. Conclusions The standard job codes developed in this study were designed in connection with the personnel management system for police officers, making them well-suited for constructing a comprehensive JEM for the entire police force.

A comprehensive list of occupational diseases among farmers is crucial for both compensation and prevention efforts. In Korea, most farmers are self-employed, and some occupational diseases are compensated through farmer safety insurance. However, it is not harmonized with industrial accident compensation insurance and does not adequately reflect the true burden of occupational diseases among farmers. To address this gap, the authors compiled a list of occupational diseases tailored to Korean farmers by reviewing the International Labor Organization’s list of occupational diseases, the Korean Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance List, the occupational disease lists of other countries, and relevant literature on farmers’ work-related diseases.

This study aimed to identify the factors affecting dry eye syndrome and quality of life (QoL) among college students. Methods: This cross-sectional study administered a descriptive survey to 184 college students across Korea. Data collection was conducted from August 27 to 28, 2024, using an online survey platform (Google Forms). The self-reported survey comprised the Health-Related Quality of Life Instrument with 8 Items scale, the Dry Eye Questionnaire 5, and the Ocular Surface Disease Index. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 27.0. Results: The participants had a mean age of 21.37 (standard deviation 1.96) years. Regression analysis identified sleep satisfaction, vision-related functions, and dry eye symptoms as statistically significant predictors of QoL, accounting for 18.4% of the variance (F = 14.71, p < .001). Dry eye symptoms were significantly influenced by the use of artificial tears, vision-related functions, and environmental factors, which accounted for 41.3% of the variance (F = 43.93, p < .001). Additionally, significant determinants of ocular surface disease included the use of vision correction tools, the presence of ophthalmic diseases, sleep satisfaction, and dry eye symptoms. These factors explained 45.7% of the variance, confirming the model's robustness (F = 31.84, p < .001). Conclusion: It is necessary to identify strategies to alleviate dry eye syndrome in college students and develop comprehensive prevention and management programs to improve their QoL.

Purpose: The opacity of zirconia sometimes requires a veneering material; thus lithium disilicate, a veneer material with excellent strength, can be used. This study investigated the fracture resistance of zirconia–lithium disilicate (Zr-LS2) bi-layered crowns according to the design of the substructure. Materials and Methods: Five groups of posterior Zr-LS2 restorations (Zirtooth and Amber LiSi-POZ) were fabricated with different zirconia substructure coverage (control group, groups half occlusal zirconia coverage; 1/2OZ, and three-quarter occlusal zirconia coverage; 3/4OZ) and margin designs (control group, groups collar margin; C-M, and collarless margin; Cl-M). All restorations were cemented with self-adhesive resin cement followed by 24-h water storage and thermocycling (10,000 cycles, 5°C and 55°C). The fracture load was measured, and failure mode analysis, fractography, and elemental analysis were performed. The one-way analysis of variance and Fisher’s exact test were performed for statistical analyses (α=.05). Results: A significant difference was found in the fracture load of Zr-LS2 restorations according to the zirconia coverage of the occlusal area and margin design (P<.05). Group 3/4OZ was significantly larger than the control group C and 1/2OZ (P<.05). The C-M group had greater fracture loads based on margin design than the control group C and Cl-M (P<.05). Conclusion The fracture resistance of posterior Zr-LS2 restorations increased with the zirconia coverage, occlusal thickness, and collar margin.

Background: To assess the quality of life (QoL) and treatment satisfaction with intermittently-scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: This prospective observational study included 189 women with GDM who completed the Korean version of the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life Questionnaire (K-ADDQoL). Among them, 25 women who utilized isCGM between gestational weeks 30 and 34 completed the Korean version of the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire change version (K-DTSQc) to evaluate their satisfaction with isCGM during pregnancy. Results: GDM had a negative impact on the perceived QoL in 89.4% of the women. All 19 domains of the K-ADDQoL were adversely influenced by GDM, with the most significant impact on the freedom to eat (weighted impact score, −6.98 ± 2.49, P < 0.001) and the least impact on the sex life (−0.25 ± 0.80, P = 0.008). Younger women and those treated with insulin perceived themselves as being more affected in their QoL due to GDM. Women perceived to have less effect on their QoL attributed to GDM exhibited higher ΔHbA1c one year after delivery (ΔHbA1c, 0.3 ± 0.4% vs. 0.0 ± 0.4% in less affected vs. more affected women). The utilization of isCGM improved treatment satisfaction (overall satisfaction score, 10.36 ± 9.21, P < 0.001), independent of glycemic control during pregnancy. Conclusion Although GDM negatively affects the perceived QoL during pregnancy, attentiveness to GDM management may have a positive impact on long-term glycemic control.Moreover, employing isCGM can enhance treatment satisfaction in women with GDM.