scholarly journals Factors associated with the frequency of physician visits among North Korean defectors residing in South Korea: a cross-sectional study

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo-Ram Wang ◽  
Young Dae Kwon ◽  
Wootack Jeon ◽  
Jin-Won Noh
Author(s):  
Chiara Achangwa ◽  
Tae-Jun Lee ◽  
Moo-Sik Lee

Vaccination against COVID-19 is an important strategy for its control. Assessing the willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine in different subgroups is important for an inclusive vaccination program design. Our aim was to determine the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate and associated factors among foreigners in South Korea. An online cross-sectional study was carried out from May to June 2021. In this study, 710 individuals participated and most were aged between 26 and 29 (36.1%) years. Overall, 70.8% were willing to receive the vaccine. Males were less likely to accept the vaccine than females (OR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.4–0.7, p < 0.001). Single people were more likely to receive the vaccine than those who were married (OR:1.4; 95% CI: 0.9–2.0, p = 0.04). Other factors associated with willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccine were; vaccine convenience (OR:1.7; 95% CI:1.2–2.3, p = 0.002), doctors’ recommendation (OR: 2.8; 95% CI: 2.0–3.9, p< 0.001), vaccine price (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.2–2.3, p = 0.003), vaccine effectiveness (OR: 8.3; 95% CI: 5.8–12.1, p< 0.001), vaccine importance (OR: 7.9; 95% CI: 4.6–14.1, p< 0.001), and vaccine safety (OR: 6.9; 95% CI: 4.5–10.8, p < 0.001). Providing more information on vaccine safety and effectiveness is required to increase vaccine acceptance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 465-471

Background: Hyponatremia is associated with unfavorable outcomes in many cases. The mainstay of hyponatremia treatment depends on its symptoms and etiology. However, etiologies, clinical manifestations, and factors associated with severe symptomatic hyponatremia have been rarely reported. Objective: To analyze and report etiologies, clinical manifestations, and factors associated with severe symptomatic hyponatremia. Materials and Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, the authors enrolled hospitalized patients with hyponatremia who had consulted a nephrologist between October 1, 2017, and October 31, 2018. Their baseline characteristics and clinical manifestations were recorded. Etiologies were confirmed by the attending nephrology staff. Factors associated with severe symptomatic hyponatremia were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Results: One hundred patients were included in this study. The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (SIAD), hypovolemia, and hydrochlorothiazide use were the leading hyponatremia etiologies. Hyponatremia etiologies differed between patients with community-acquired hyponatremia (n=50) and those with hospital-associated hyponatremia (n=50). Patients with communityacquired hyponatremia were older, presented with a higher frequency of severe symptomatic hyponatremia, and showed lower SNa-levels. Low SNa-levels were significantly associated with severe symptomatic hyponatremia (p=0.014). Conclusion: Hyponatremia remains an important health problem. SIAD, hypovolemia, and hydrochlorothiazide use are among the leading etiologies of hyponatremia. Low SNa-levels are associated with severe symptomatic hyponatremia; thus, physicians should pay close attention to low SNa-levels in hospitalized patients. Keywords: Hyponatremia, Symptomatic Hyponatremia, Community-acquired hyponatremia, Hospital-associated hyponatremia


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (15) ◽  
pp. 185-192
Author(s):  
Nor Jannah Nasution Raduan ◽  
Mohd Razali Salleh ◽  
Ghazali Ahmad ◽  
Zaleha Ismail

Depression and cognitive impairment are the most common complications of patients on hemodialysis. The objective of this study is to identify contributing factors to depression and cognitive impairment in hemodialysis patients. This is a cross-sectional study involving 110 hemodialysis patients in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. The samples were recruited through universal sampling. Patients were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory and Montreal Cognitive Assessment. This study found that 18.2% of patients had depression, and 48.2% had cognitive impairment. Factors associated with depression were unmarried status, low education level, and cognitive impairment. Factors associated with cognitive impairment were low education level, depression, and unemployment. Keywords: hemodialysis, depression, cognitive, ESRD eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5i15.2468.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 117
Author(s):  
Young Hwa Lee ◽  
Rebecca C. Harris ◽  
Hong Won Oh ◽  
Yongho Oh ◽  
Juan C. Vargas-Zambrano ◽  
...  

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.


Author(s):  
Erman Yıldız

BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have separately revealed that parameters such as anxiety, depression, and secondary traumatic stress (STS) are associated with burnout, there is still a limited understanding of the relationship between anxiety, depression, and STS and burnout in intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. AIMS: To investigate the relationship between levels of burnout, anxiety, depression, and STS in ICU nurses. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted with ICU nurses ( N = 164) from a university hospital in eastern Turkey. The participants completed the anxiety, depression, STS, and burnout scales along with the descriptive characteristics form. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean scores for STS, anxiety, depression, and burnout were 40.60 ± 13.77, 17.14 ± 12.90, 13.28 ± 9.75 and 41.39 ± 14.87, respectively. The results showed that, in the ICU nurses, anxiety, depression, and STS components explained 61% of emotional exhaustion, 38% of depersonalization, and 13% of personal accomplishment. CONCLUSIONS: While the present findings supported the paradigm that burnout in ICU nurses is associated with STS, anxiety, and depression, they also revealed some details about the psychopathological factors associated with burnout. These details were as follows: (1) individuals who resorted to avoidance as a component of STS on a high level were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, (2) individuals with severe depressive symptoms were more likely to experience a decrease in their personal accomplishment, and (3) individuals with anxiety symptoms were more likely to experience both emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Saito ◽  
Hitoshi Sugawara ◽  
Tamami Watanabe ◽  
Akira Ishii ◽  
Takahiko Fukuchi

AbstractRisk factors associated with 72-h mortality in patients with extremely high serum aspartate aminotransferase levels (AST; ≥ 3000 U/L) are unknown. This single-centre, retrospective, case-controlled, cross-sectional study obtained data from medical records of adult patients treated at Saitama Medical Center, Japan, from 2005 to 2019. We conducted a multivariate logistic after adjusting for age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, Brinkman Index, vital signs, biochemical values, updated Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score, CCI components, and underlying causes. A logistic regression model with selected validity risks and higher C-statistic for predicting 72-h mortality was established. During the 15-year period, 428 patients (133 non-survivors and 295 survivors [cases and controls by survival < 72 and ≥ 72 h, respectively]) with AST levels ≥ 3000 U/L were identified. The 72-h mortality rate was 133/428 (31.1%). The model used for predicting 72-h mortality through the assessment of alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase, serum sodium, potassium, and phosphorus levels had a C-statistic value of 0.852 (sensitivity and specificity, 76.6%). The main independent risk factors associated with 72-h mortality among patients with AST levels ≥ 3000 U/L included higher serum values of alkaline phosphatase, creatine kinase, serum sodium, potassium, and phosphorus.


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