- Biosafety of Microbiological Laboratories in Korea.
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Jin Yong Lee, Sang Jun Eun, Ki dong Park, Jong Kyun Kim, Jeong Soo Im, Yoo Sung Hwang, Yong Ik Kim
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J Prev Med Public Health. 2005;38(4):449-456.
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The biosafety level (BSL) practiced in microbiology laboratories in Korea according to the laboratory biosafety manual published by the World Health Organization (WHO) was evaluated using the data obtained by a survey. METHODS: Under the advise of Clinical Laboratory Physicians, 144 types of microorganisms were screened based on the guidelines of biosafety in microbiological and biomedical laboratories published by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention and classified into 1-4 risk groups. A questionnaire containing 21 questions in 5 areas was developed using the biosafety manual by published WHO. Of the 1, 876 different organizations sent the survey, 563 responded to the survey (response rate: 30.0%). The species of microoganisms handled by as well as the biosafety level in microbiology laboratories were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 123 species of microorganisms handled in microbiology labs in Korea. The BSL required in 512 microbiology labs was answered by the survey responders as the first grade in 33 labs (6.4%), 2nd in 437 (85.4%), 3rd in 42 (8.2%), and 4th in none. The average number of items satisfied was 12.2, showing only a 57.9% satisfactory rate and normal distribution. CONCLUSIONS: The state of overall observance of BSL in most microbiology labs of Korea was evaluated as lagging compared with the standard set up by WHO. Therefore, the Korean government need to produce and distribute a biosafety manual in microbiology laboratories and make efforts to prevent this threat through measures such as training in biosafety in microbiology labs.
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- The Relation between Type of Insurance and Acute Appendicitis Rupture Rate.
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Baeg Ju Na, Jee Young Hong, Keon Yeop Kim, Moo Sik Lee, Hae Sung Nam, Jeong Soo Im, Jung Ae Rhee
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J Prev Med Public Health. 2004;37(3):267-273.
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This study was aimed at investigating the medical service utilization pattern of patients who use public medical aid compared to those who have health insurance. METHODS: We selected every patient between the age of 18 and 69 who used public medical aid from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2001, in Gwangju metropolitan city, South Korea. For comparison, a list of patients with health insurance was gathered for same period. Then the medical records of those who had been hospitalized for acute appendicitis were selected among both groups. Of those records, we compared the number of cases of ruptured appendicitis to cases of whole acute appendicitis in both groups. Regarding coding for ruptured appendicitis, International Classification of Diseases - 10 (ICD-10) was used. Multiple logistic regression was used as a statistical tool to determine the effectiveness of risk factors. RESULTS: Even after adjusting for risk factors, such as age and sex, the proportion of perforation of acute appendicitis among public medical aid patients was found to be significantly higher than among insured patients. CONCLUSIONS: This comparative study on ruptured appendicitis among public medical aid patients and insured patients, indicates that the proportion of perforation of acute appendicitis could be an index showing that these types of patients utilize medical services differently than insured patients. We know that when abdominal pain is not properly treated at the outset, it easily develops into ruptured appendicitis complicated with peritonitis. Considering this data analysis, we guess the public medical aid system to have significant problem with medical accessibility. So additional and systematic research on the pattern of utilization of medical services of public medical aid patients is needed.
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- Annual Visit Days, Prescription Days and Medical Expenses of Hypertensive Patients.
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Bu Dol Lim, Byung Yeol Chun, Sin Kam, Jeong Soo Im, Soon Woo Park, Jung Han Park
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Korean J Prev Med. 2002;35(4):340-350.
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To evaluate the annual visit days, the annual prescription days and the medical costs of hypertensive patients. METHODS: The medical insurance records of 40,267 incident patients with the diagnostic code of hypertension from September 1998 through August 1999 in Daegu city were reviewed. RESUJLTS: The proportion of the most proper medical care pattern group (Group VIII) who visited for 6-15 days with 240 prescription days or more a year was only 6.2%. The proper care group (Group IX) who visited for more than 16 days with 240 prescription days or more a year was 9.3%. The overall proper care group (Group VIII+IX) was therefore 15.5%. The proportion of the insufficient care group (Group I,IV) in both the number of visiting days and prescription days was 57.4%. The mean prescription day of the most proper group (Group VIII) was 29 days; the mean annual medical expenses, 453,587won; the mean annual amount paid by patients, 218,013won; and mean medical expenses per prescription day, 1,483won. The proportion of the overall proper care group (Group VIII+IX) was significantly higher in adults aged 50-59, those who were enrolled in industrial workers health insurance as well as government employees and private school teachers health insurance, and those who made a higher contribution per month (p<0.01). According to the type of medical facilities, the proportion of the most proper medical care pattern group was highest in the general hospitals (9.3%) but the overall proper care group was higher in the public health centers (22.1%) and private clinics (17.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The management system of hypertension should be reinforced urgently. Therefore, it is necessary to develop guidelines including the number of visiting days per year and prescription days per visit day, and make the system provide medical facilities to more properly care for hypertensive patients.
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- Accuracy of the Registered Cause of Death in a County and its Related Factors.
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Eun Kyung Chung, Hee Young Shin, Jun Ho Shin, Hae Sung Nam, So Yeon Ryu, Jeong Soo Im, Jung Ae Rhee
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Korean J Prev Med. 2002;35(2):153-159.
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To evaluate the accuracy of the registered cause of death in a county and its related factors. METHODS: The data used in this study was based on 504 cases, in a county of Chonnam province, registered between January and December 1998. Study subjects consisted of 388 of the 504 cases, and their causes of death were established by an interview survey of the next of kin or neighbor and medical record surveys. We compared the registered cause of death with the confirmed cause of death, determined by surveys and medical records, and evaluated the factors associated with the accuracy of the registered cause of death. RESULTS: 62.6% of the deaths were concordant with 19 Chapters classification of cause of death. external causes of mortality, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, neoplasms and diseases of the circulatory system showed the good agreement between the registered cause of death and the confirmed cause of death. The factors relating to the accuracy of the registered cause of death were the doctors' diagnosis for the cause of death (adjusted Odds Ratio: 2.67, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.21-5.89) and the grade of the public officials in charge of the death registry (adjusted Odds Ratio: 0.30, 95% CI= 0.12-0.78). CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of the registered cause of death was not high. It could be improved by using the doctors' diagnosis for death and improving the job specification for public officials who deal with death registration.
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- Completeness Estimation of the Population-based Cancer Registration with Capture-Recapture Methods.
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Jeong Soo Im, Sun Seog Kweon, Sang Yong Kim, Kyeong Soo Park, Seok Joon Sohn, Jin Su Choi
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Korean J Prev Med. 2000;33(1):31-35.
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This study aimed to estimate the completeness of cancer registration with Capture-recapture method. METHODS: The study was conducted in the population based cancer registry of Kwangju, Korea, for which there are three main sources of notification: reports by Korean Central Cancer Registry, reports by pathology data, and the others reports by radiology data, death certificates, etc. The defined cases in three sources were matched by 13 digits Resident Register Number. To derive an estimates, log-linear models were applicated. RESULTS: Overall completeness was estimated to be around 93%. There was some variation with age(consistently high levels below age group 60-74 years, a minimum of 88.6% above 75 years). Among the most common cancer sites, estimates of completeness were highest for thyroid cancer(97.1%), while lower estimates of completeness were derived for stomach cancer(92.3%), liver cancer(92.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Careful application of Capture-recapture method may provide an alternative to traditional approaches for estimating the completeness of cancer registration in Kwangju city.
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- Self-Rating Perceived Health: The Influence on Health Care Utilization and Death Risk.
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Sun Seog Kweon, Sang Yong Kim, Jeong Soo Im, Seok Joon Sohn, Jin Su Choi
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Korean J Prev Med. 1999;32(3):355-360.
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This 3-year longitudinal study was conducted to evaluate the influence of self-rating health perception on health care utilization and all cause-death risk. METHODS: The hypothesis was tested using a community-based samples, among which subjects 3,414 were interviewed in 1995. Self-rating health perception was assessed by single-item question. Three components of health care utilization amount(number of visits, number of medications, yearly health care expenses) per year were measured using medical insurance data during 3-year follow-up period among subjects in district health care insurance. There were 123 deaths from all causes among 3,085 subjects interviewed. RESULTS: The results showed that those who had poor health perception revealed more increases in the amount of health care utilization than good health perception group (p<0.05). After adjusting for age and sex, the poor health perception group had higher death risk over 3 years than good health perception group(hazard ratio=1.88). but, after adjusting health care utility, supplementary, was not significant. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that self-rating health percep-tion was associated with difference in health care utilization and all cause-death risk.
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