A cross-sectional study estimating the burden of illness related to genital warts in South Korea

ObjectivesTo estimate self-reported human papillomavirus (HPV) disease-related psychosocial impact among male and female patients in South Korea.DesignIn this multicentre cross-sectional study, psychosocial impacts were estimated using a one-time survey capturing HPV Impact Profile (HIP) results, CuestionarioEspecifico en Condilomas Acuminados (CECA; in Spanish)—‘Specific questionnaire for Condylomata Acuminata’ and the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) surveys. Student’s t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests were used for continuous comparisons; χ2or Fisher’s exact tests were applied for categorical comparisons.Setting5098 clinics throughout Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Kwangju and Daejeon (South Korea).ParticipantsPatients with and without genital warts (GW) (males) and selected HPV diseases (females) visiting primary care physicians, obstetricians/gynaecologists, urologists and dermatologists with 2–30 years experience.ResultsOf 150 male and 250 female patients, HIP scores showed 85.3% of male patients with GW and 32.0% without reported moderate psychological impact (p<0.0001). In categorised total scores, 88.5% of female patients with and 66.0% without selected HPV-related diseases reported moderate or high psychological impacts (p=0.0004). In the CECA questionnaire, male patients had mean (SD) scores of 10.51 (3.79) in ‘emotional health’ and 15.90 (6.13) in ‘sexual activity’. Female patients with GW reported lower scores in both dimensions with mean scores of 7.18 (4.17) in ‘emotional health’ and 10.97 (5.80) in ‘sexual activity’ (p<0.0001), indicating worse health-related quality of life (HRQoL). For the EQ-5D, male patients with GW reported lower mean Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores than those without (75.1 vs 81.13, p<0.0135). Mean VAS score and utility values were lower for females with HPV-related diseases than those without (72.18 vs 76.86 and 0.90 vs 0.94, respectively).ConclusionIn South Korea, GW in men and HPV-related diseases in women negatively impact patient well-being and HRQoL scores. Among women, those with GW suffered a greater psychosocial impact than those with other selected HPV-related diseases.

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Vaccine-Related Errors in Reconstitution in South Korea: A National Physicians’ and Nurses’ Survey

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9020117 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 117

Author(s):

Young Hwa Lee ◽

Rebecca C. Harris ◽

Hong Won Oh ◽

Yongho Oh ◽

Juan C. Vargas-Zambrano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Korea ◽

High Frequency ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccine Preparation

Vaccine-related errors (VREs) result from mistakes in vaccine preparation, handling, storage, or administration. We aimed to assess physicians’ and nurses’ experiences of VREs in South Korea, focusing on reconstitution issues, and to understand the barriers to and facilitators of preventing them. This was a cross-sectional study using an internet-based survey to examine experiences of reconstitution-related errors, and experience or preference with regard to ready-to-use vaccines (RTU) by physicians and nurses. A total of 700 participants, including 250 physicians and 450 nurses, responded to the questionnaire. In total, 76.4% and 41.5% of the physicians and nurses, respectively, reported an error related to reconstituted vaccines. All errors had been reported as experienced by between 4.9% and 52.0% of physicians or nurses. The errors were reported to occur in more than one in 100 vaccinations for inadequate shaking of vaccines by 28.0% of physicians and 6.9% of nurses, incomplete aspiration of reconstitution vials by 28.0% of physicians and 6.4% of nurses, and spillage or leakage during reconstitution by 20.8% of physicians and 6.9% of nurses. A total of 94.8% of physicians had experience with RTU vaccines, and all preferred RTU formulations. In conclusion, this study highlights the high frequency and types of reconstitution-related errors in South Korea. RTU vaccines could help reduce the time needed for preparation and reduce the risk of errors in South Korea.

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