Osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures cause socioeconomic concerns, and medical system and policies appear insufficient to prepare for these issues in Korea, where the older adult population is rapidly increasing. Many countries around the world are already responding to osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures by adopting fracture liaison service (FLS), and such an attempt has only begun in Korea. In this article, we introduce the operation methods for institutions implementing FLS and characteristics of services, and activities of the FLS Committee for FLS implementation in the Korean Society for Bone and Mineral Research. In addition, we hope that the current position statement will contribute to the implementation of FLS in Korea and impel policy changes to enable a multidisciplinary and integrated FLS operated under the medical system.

Objectives: This study explored the current status of nursing informatics education in South Korea and developed a standardized curriculum for it. Methods: Data were collected in two stages: first, an online survey conducted from December 2020 to February 2021 among 60 nursing schools to analyze the current status of nursing informatics education; and second, a two-round Delphi survey with 15 experts from March to April 2021 to determine the mean and standard deviation of the demand for each learning objective in nursing informatics education. A standardized curriculum proposal was developed based on the results of the two-round Delphi survey. Results: Nursing informatics was most commonly taught in the fourth year (34%), with two credits. The proportion of elective major subjects was high in undergraduate and graduate programs (77.4% and 78.6%, respectively), while the proportion of nursing informatics majors was low (21.4%). The curriculum developed included topics such as nursing information system-related concepts, definitions and components of healthcare information systems, electronic medical records, clinical decision support systems, mobile technology and health management, medical information standards, personal information protection and ethics, understanding of big data, use of information technology in evidence-based practice, use of information in community nursing, genome information usage, artificial intelligence clinical information systems, administrative management systems, and information technology nursing education. Conclusions Nursing informatics professors should receive ongoing training to obtain recent medical information. Further review and modification of the nursing informatics curriculum should be performed to ensure that it remains up-to-date with recent developments.

Background: and Purpose: Blood pressure (BP) control is strongly recommended, but BP control rate has not been well studied in patients with stroke. We evaluated the BP control rate with fimasartan-based antihypertensive therapy initiated in patients with recent cerebral ischemia. Methods: This multicenter, prospective, single-arm trial involved 27 centers in South Korea. Key inclusion criteria were recent cerebral ischemia within 90 days and high BP [systolic blood pressure (SBP) >140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) >90 mm Hg]. BP lowering was initiated with fimasartan. BP management during the follow-up was at the discretion of the responsible investigators. The primary endpoint was the target BP goal achievement rate (<140/90 mm Hg) at 24 weeks. Key secondary endpoints included achieved BP and BP changes at each visit, and clinical events (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03231293). Results: Of 1,035 patients enrolled, 1,026 were included in the safety analysis, and 951 in the efficacy analysis. Their mean age was 64.1 years, 33% were female, the median time interval from onset to enrollment was 10 days, and the baseline SBP and DBP were 162.3±16.0 and 92.2±12.4 mm Hg (mean±SD). During the study period, 55.5% of patients were maintained on fimasartan monotherapy, and 44.5% received antihypertensive therapies other than fimasartan monotherapy at at least one visit. The target BP goal achievement rate at 24-week was 67.3% (48.6% at 4-week and 61.4% at 12-week). The mean BP was 139.0/81.8±18.3/11.7, 133.8/79.2±16.4/11.0, and 132.8/78.5±15.6/10.9 mm Hg at 4-, 12-, and 24-week. The treatment-emergent adverse event rate was 5.4%, including one serious adverse event. Conclusions Fimasartan-based BP lowering achieved the target BP in two-thirds of patients at 24 weeks, and was generally well tolerated.

Background: and Purpose: Blood pressure (BP) control is strongly recommended, but BP control rate has not been well studied in patients with stroke. We evaluated the BP control rate with fimasartan-based antihypertensive therapy initiated in patients with recent cerebral ischemia. Methods: This multicenter, prospective, single-arm trial involved 27 centers in South Korea. Key inclusion criteria were recent cerebral ischemia within 90 days and high BP [systolic blood pressure (SBP) >140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) >90 mm Hg]. BP lowering was initiated with fimasartan. BP management during the follow-up was at the discretion of the responsible investigators. The primary endpoint was the target BP goal achievement rate (<140/90 mm Hg) at 24 weeks. Key secondary endpoints included achieved BP and BP changes at each visit, and clinical events (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03231293). Results: Of 1,035 patients enrolled, 1,026 were included in the safety analysis, and 951 in the efficacy analysis. Their mean age was 64.1 years, 33% were female, the median time interval from onset to enrollment was 10 days, and the baseline SBP and DBP were 162.3±16.0 and 92.2±12.4 mm Hg (mean±SD). During the study period, 55.5% of patients were maintained on fimasartan monotherapy, and 44.5% received antihypertensive therapies other than fimasartan monotherapy at at least one visit. The target BP goal achievement rate at 24-week was 67.3% (48.6% at 4-week and 61.4% at 12-week). The mean BP was 139.0/81.8±18.3/11.7, 133.8/79.2±16.4/11.0, and 132.8/78.5±15.6/10.9 mm Hg at 4-, 12-, and 24-week. The treatment-emergent adverse event rate was 5.4%, including one serious adverse event. Conclusions Fimasartan-based BP lowering achieved the target BP in two-thirds of patients at 24 weeks, and was generally well tolerated.

Purpose: This study is to develop an interprofessional education (IPE) program for medical, nursing, and pharmacy students and to analyze the effectiveness. Methods: Subjects consisted of 116 students (41 medical, 46 nursing, and 29 pharmacy students) enrolled in their final year. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group, with 58 in each group. A pretest-posttest control group design was used. The program was operated for a single day, and consisted of small-group activities and role-play. We utilized the following tools: Perceptions towards Interprofessional Education (PIPE), Self-Efficacy for Interprofessional Experiential Learning (SEIEL), and Perception towards Interprofessional Competency (PIC). We used t-test and analysis of covariance for analysis. Results: The PIPE tool revealed that the scores of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p=0.000). The result was the same when the scores were categorized into the groups medical students (p=0.001), nursing students (p=0.000), and pharmacy students (p=0.005). The SEIEL study also indicated the intervention group scored significantly higher than the control group (p=0.000). However, pharmacy students did not reveal significant (p=0.983). The intervention group scored significantly higher than the control group in the PIC. A concluding survey of the intervention group indicated that most students were satisfied with the IPE program. Conclusion We hope this study will provide useful information for designing and improving IPE programs in other universities.

Purpose: This study will compare differences in perception of interprofessional education (IPE) in the faculty of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy. It will also analyze differences in the level of importance of IPE competences and the present competence levels of their students perceived by the faculty. Methods: The study included 115 participants from the faculty of medicine, 31 from nursing, and 23 from pharmacy. The surveys contained 21 questions on their perceptions of IPE, and perception on the nine competences of IPE. The results were analyzed using analysis of variance and χ2 analysis, and the Borich coefficient was calculated to identify the educational order of priority from the competence levels of their student of IPE. Results: Participants of 14.8% responded that they were aware of IPE, 95.8% responded that they did not have experience in IPE, and 95.8% responded that IPE was necessary. Among the subfactors of perception of IPE, the faculty of medicine had significantly lower perceptions of the importance, effectiveness, and support of IPE (p<0.001). The present competence levels of their students were significantly lower (p<0.001) than the level of importance of IPE competences perceived by the faculty, and its perception was at its lowest in the faculty of medicine. The needs assessment of the IPE program was in the order of communication skills (10.210), conflict-solving skills (10.114), problem-solving skills (9.319), empathy skills (9.110), and collaborative leadership (8.624) among the nine competences. Conclusion This study will contribute to providing basic data needed to develop faculty development programs on IPE and IPE programs for their students.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the degree of menopause symptoms and associated factors in patients with breast cancer who were receiving hormone therapy. METHODS: Data were collected with questionnaires from 150 patients with breast cancer who had been on hormone therapy at a hospital in Seoul. Data were analyzed with the t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient to compare the degree of menopause symptoms by demographic, clinical and psychological factors. RESULTS: The mean menopause symptoms score was 13.39±7.97. Most participants reported having hot flushes and sweating (75.3%), physical and mental exhaustion (82.7%) and sexual problems (64.7%). Menopause symptoms and depression were correlated with each other (p < .01). Somato-vegetative symptoms were different significantly by age, menopausal status at time of operation, occupation and tumor. Psychological symptoms were different significantly by marital status, operation type and chemotherapy. Urogenital symptoms were different significantly by prior history of cancer, occupation, operation type and radiation therapy. CONCLUSION: These findings can be used to provide tailored nursing interventions by identifying high risk groups for menopausal symptom among breast cancer patients receiving hormone therapy.
Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Depression ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Medication Adherence ; Menopause ; Nursing ; Occupations ; Psychology ; Seoul ; Sweat ; Sweating

PURPOSE: This study discusses the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE) using various approaches with the goal of evaluating the methods of diagnosis and treatment of PE in clinical practice in 2014 in South Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We surveyed 200 urologists and andrologists who treated patients with PE from July 1, 2014 to July 29, 2014 using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of 4 parts: disease, comorbidities, diagnosis, and treatment. Using the answers to this survey, current trends in the diagnosis and treatment of PE were investigated using weighted averages. RESULTS: The median number per month of patients who were diagnosed with PE was 14 patients (interquartile range, 7~24). The time to ejaculation necessary for a diagnosis of PE was considered to be <1 minute by 12% of respondents, <2 minutes by 27%, <3 minutes by 28%, <5 minutes by 13%, and 20% stated that diagnosis was based on a patient's subjective complaint. The treatment methods preferred by PE patients were reported to be pharmacological treatment (87%), surgical treatment (9.5%), and behavioral management (3.5%). The treatment methods used by respondents were pharmacological treatment (77%), surgical treatment (15%), and behavioral management (14%). The most commonly used pharmacological treatment was the oral administration of dapoxetine (97%). CONCLUSIONS: In 2014 in South Korea, various methods were used to diagnose and treat PE. The most commonly used treatment for PE was the oral administration of dapoxetine. It was also found that surgical treatment was applied in some cases.
Administration, Oral ; Comorbidity ; Diagnosis* ; Ejaculation ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Premature Ejaculation* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The transtheoretical model (TTM) was used to provide tailored nursing for lifestyle management such as diet, physical activity, and smoking cessation. The present study aims to assess the provision of intervention delivery methods, intervention elements, and stage-matched interventions, in order to identify ways in which information technology is used in the TTM-based research. METHODS: The relevant literature was selected by two researchers using inclusion criteria after searching for "TTM (transtheoretical or stage of change)" and "nursing" from the databases PubMed and CINAHL. The selected studies were categorized in terms of study characteristics, intervention delivery method, intervention element, and use and level of stage-matched intervention. RESULTS: A total of 35 studies were selected including eight studies that used information communication technology (ICT). Nine different intervention delivery methods were used, of which "face-to-face" was the most common at 24 times. Of the 35 studies, 26 provided stage-matched interventions. Seven different intervention elements were used, of which "counseling" was the most common at 27 times. Of all the intervention elements, tailored feedback used ICT the most at seven instances out of nine, and there was a significant difference in the rate of ICT usage among intervention elements. CONCLUSIONS: ICT is not yet actively used in the TTM-based nursing interventions. Stage-matched interventions and TTM concepts were shown to be in partial use also in the TTM-based interventions. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a variety of ways to use ICT in tailored nursing interventions and to use TTM frameworks and concepts.
Communication ; Diet ; *Health Behavior ; Health Promotion/*methods ; Humans ; *Life Style ; *Models, Theoretical ; Motor Activity ; Nursing Research/*methods ; Smoking