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BACKGROUND: Disclosure of patient safety incidents (DPSIs) is a strategic measure to reduce the problems of patient safety incidents (PSIs). However, there are currently limited studies on the effects of DPSIs on resolving diagnosis-related PSIs. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the effects of DPSIs using hypothetical cases, particularly in diagnosis-related PSIs. METHODS: A survey using 2 hypothetical cases of diagnosis-related PSIs was conducted in 5 districts of Ulsan Metropolitan City, Korea, from March 18 to 21, 2021. The survey used a multistage stratified quota sampling method to recruit participants. Multiple logistic regression and linear regression analyses were performed to determine the effectiveness of DPSIs in hypothetical cases. The outcomes were the judgment of a situation as a medical error, willingness to revisit and recommend the hypothetical physician, intention to file a medical lawsuit and commence criminal proceedings against the physicians, trust score of the involved physicians, and expected amount of compensation. RESULTS: In total, 620 respondents, recruited based on age, sex, and region, completed the survey. The mean age was 47.6 (standard deviation, ±15.1) years. Multiple logistic regression showed that DPSIs significantly decreased the judgment of a situation as a medical error (odds ratio [OR], 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24-0.79), intention to file a lawsuit (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.42-0.66), and commence criminal proceedings (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.34-0.55). It also increased the willingness to revisit (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 2.37-4.55) and recommend the physician (OR, 8.21; 95% CI, 4.05-16.66). Meanwhile, the multiple linear regression demonstrated that DPSIs had a significantly positive association with the trust score of the physician (unstandardized coefficient, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.03-1.41) and a significantly negative association with the expected amount of compensation (unstandardized coefficient, -0.18; 95% CI, -0.29 to -0.06). CONCLUSIONS: DPSIs reduces the possibility of judging the hypothetical case as a medical error, increases the willingness to revisit and recommend the physician involved in the case, and decreases the intent to file a lawsuit and commence a criminal proceeding. Although this study implemented hypothetical cases, the results are expected to serve as empirical evidence to apply DPSIs extensively in the clinical field.
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Diagnosing the current health status and disease burden in a population is crucial for public health interventions. The ability to compare the burden of different diseases through a single measure, such as disability-adjusted life years has become feasible and continues to be produced and updated through the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) study. However, the disease burden values of the GBD study do not accurately reflect the unique situation in a specific country with various circumstances. In response, the Korean National Burden of Disease (KNBD) study was conducted to estimate the disease burden in Koreans by considering Korea's cultural context and utilizing the available data sources at the national level. Both studies identified non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes mellitus (DM), as the primary cause of disease burden among Koreans. However, the extent of public health interventions currently being conducted by the central and local governments does not align with the severity of the disease burden. This review suggests that despite the high burden of DM in South Korea, the current policies may not fully address its impact, underscoring the need for expanded chronic disease management programs and a shift towards prevention-focused healthcare paradigms.
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Efeitos Psicossociais da Doença , Diabetes Mellitus , Carga Global da Doença , Humanos , República da Coreia/epidemiologia , Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiologia , Diabetes Mellitus/terapia , Anos de Vida Ajustados por Qualidade de Vida , Gerenciamento Clínico , Saúde Pública , FemininoRESUMO
Purpose: Patient engagement in ensuring patient safety is widely acknowledged, there is still a need to explore how perceptions of patient engagement vary among different stakeholders within the healthcare system. We aimed to compare the perceptions regarding patient engagement for patient safety among physicians, nurses, and patients by exploring the perspectives. Patients and Methods: A qualitative study, comprising three focus group discussions (six to eight people each), was conducted in South Korea. Physicians and nurses who worked at the general hospital level or higher, and patients who had been hospitalized for more than 24 hours, were included. Researchers analyzed the transcripts, and a content analysis was performed to describe influencing elements of patient engagement for patient safety. A word cloud was created through keyword analysis of the transcripts. Results: Based on 479 coded data, three categories and eight sub-categories were derived. The first moment of patient engagement was viewed as the choice of medical institutions. Reputation occupied a large part in the hospital selection for all participants, but they did not know about or use the national hospital evaluation data. Participants said that continuous patient engagement, such as the patient's active questioning attitude, guardian's cooperation, sufficient medical personnel, and patient safety education was required during treatment. However, it was said that patient engagement was ignored after patient safety incidents occurred. They mentioned that they were emotional and busy arguing for their own positions, and that it was difficult to use a medical dispute resolution method in practice. In the word cloud by group, fall, explanation, hospital, and patient were common words. Conclusion: All three groups agreed on the importance of patient engagement for patient safety but differed in its influencing factors. Efforts should be made to reduce the difference between the three groups on how to involve patients for patient safety.
To what extent can patient engagement for patient safety be expanded? In this study, we confirmed the diverse perceptions of patients and medical personnel regarding patient engagement for patient safety. Physicians, nurses, and patients all answered that they did not generally know about the objective medical institutions evaluation data provided by the national, and said that when choosing a medical institution, patients depended on information from their reputation, social media, and web site search. During treatment, both patients and medical personnel expressed their hopes for active and independent engagement from patients, but also expressed the difficulty of requesting cooperation in engagement and difficulties in education. After the patient safety incident, both patients and medical personnel were emotional and occupied in asserting their respective positions, and they complained about difficulties in resolving medical disputes that are difficult to use in practice.
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BACKGROUND: Among the various methods used, administrative data collected for claims and billing purposes, such as diagnosis codes and present-on-admission (POA) indicators, can easily be employed to assess patient safety status. However, it is crucial that administrative data be accurate to generate valid estimates of adverse event (AE) occurrence. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the accuracy of diagnosis codes and POA indicators in patients with confirmed AEs in the hospital admission setting. METHODS: We analysed the diagnosis codes of 1,032 confirmed AE cases and 6,754 non-AE cases from the 2019 Patient Safety Incidents Inquiry, which was designed as a cross-sectional study, to determine their alignment with the Korean Patient Safety Incidents (PSIs) Code Classification System. The unit of analysis was the individual case rather than the patient, because two or more AEs may occur in one patient. We examined whether the primary and secondary diagnostic codes had PSIs codes matching the AE type and checked each PSI code for whether the POA indicator had an 'N' tag. We reviewed the presence of PSI codes in patients without identified AEs and calculated the correlation between the AE incidence rate and PSI code and POA indicator accuracy across 15 hospitals. RESULTS: Ninety (8.7%) of the AE cases had PSI codes with an 'N' tag on the POA indicator compared to 294 (4.4%) of the non-AE cases. Infection- (20.4%) and surgery/procedure-related AEs (13.6%) had relatively higher instances of correctly tagged PSI codes. We did not identify any PSI codes for diagnosis-related incidents. While we noted significant differences in AE incidence rates, PSI code accuracy, and POA indicator accuracy among the hospitals, the correlations between these variables were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Currently, PSI codes and POA indicators in South Korea appear to have low validity. To use administrative data in medical quality improvement activities such as monitoring patient safety levels, improving the accuracy of administrative data should be a priority. Possible strategies include targeted education on PSI codes and POA indicators and introduction of new evaluation indicators regarding the accuracy of administrative data.
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Erros Médicos , Segurança do Paciente , Humanos , Estudos Transversais , República da Coreia , Segurança do Paciente/normas , Segurança do Paciente/estatística & dados numéricos , Erros Médicos/estatística & dados numéricos , Erros Médicos/classificação , Indicadores de Qualidade em Assistência à Saúde , Masculino , FemininoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) is an indicator of the average lifespan in good health. Through this study, we aimed to identify regional disparities in the gap between HALE and life expectancy, considering the trends that have changed over time in Korea. METHODS: We employed a group-based multi-trajectory modeling approach to capture trends in the gap between HALE and life expectancy at the regional level from 2008 to 2019. HALE was calculated using incidence-based "years lived with disability." This methodology was also employed in the Korean National Burden of Disease Study. RESULTS: Based on five different information criteria, the most fitted number of trajectory groups was seven, with at least 11 regions in each group. Among the seven groups, one had an exceptionally large gap between HALE and life expectancy compared to that of the others. This group was assigned to 17 regions, of which six were metropolitan cities. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, we identified regions in which health levels have deteriorated over time, particularly within specific areas of metropolitan cities. These findings can be used to design comprehensive policy interventions for community health promotion and urban regeneration projects in the future.
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Expectativa de Vida , Humanos , Expectativa de Vida/tendências , República da Coreia/epidemiologia , Masculino , Feminino , Anos de Vida Ajustados por Qualidade de VidaRESUMO
PURPOSE: This study comprehensively examines the disability acceptance experience of individuals who become disabled following accidents in the military after enlistment. METHODS: In-depth interviews and participative observation of two soldiers with disabilities are conducted. Data sources encompass the transcripts from these interviews, relevant news videos, and articles on the participants. A qualitative case study approach is applied to conduct both "within-case" and "cross-case" analyses. RESULTS: Although the two participants survived a crippling accidents, their military units did not actively attempt to resolve the accident. They grappled with despair and found it challenging to accept their new status as individuals with disability. Over time, they noticed changes in their personal relationships and started considering themselves burdens on their caregivers. However, despite encountering psychological challenges, which were marked by repeated setbacks and disappointments, the soldiers consistently made determined efforts to realize their objectives. Moreover, they strove to lead purposeful lives despite suffering the adversities caused by their disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first in-depth examination of the disability acceptance experiences of soldiers with disability. The insights gleaned from our in-depth interviews will help formulate psychological and physical support systems for such individuals.
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Pessoas com Deficiência , Militares , Pesquisa Qualitativa , Humanos , Pessoas com Deficiência/psicologia , Militares/psicologia , Masculino , Adulto , Adaptação Psicológica , Adulto Jovem , Entrevistas como Assunto , Cuidadores/psicologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: To ensure effective patient engagement, patients' efforts, partnerships with healthcare professionals, and the organisation's role in providing safe healthcare settings must be emphasised. Perception gaps regarding patient engagement between the public and healthcare professionals could prevent healthy partnerships from forming and hinder patient engagement activities. This study examined healthcare professionals' perception of patient engagement and compared the findings with that determined for the public in a previous study. METHODS: An anonymous online survey was conducted in February 2020 among 1,007 healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses). The questionnaire comprised five parts regarding the perception of patient engagement. Descriptive analysis and Chi-squared/Fisher's exact tests determined the frequency and significant differences among the public from previous study and healthcare professionals in this study. RESULTS: The perception of the importance of patient safety was high among healthcare professionals and the public. However, statistically significant differences in perceptions were observed among the public and healthcare professionals in all categories. The perception gaps were substantial between the groups in sub-categories of engagement for patient safety during medical treatment; 86% of physicians and 90% of nurses agreed that patients participate in the decision-making for the treatment process. Conversely, 58% of the public agreed. Only 22% of the public agreed with confirming healthcare professionals' hand washing to prevent infection, versus 57% of physicians and 65% of nurses. More than 89% of healthcare professionals positively perceived medical dispute mediation versus only half of the public. In certain areas such as "medical dispute mediation and arbitration programs", "fall prevention", and "infection prevention", there was a statistically significant difference in the perception of patient involvement among healthcare professionals, with nurses' perception being particularly more positive than that of physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The healthcare professionals' perception of patient engagement was more positive than that of the public. To narrow the perception gaps and enhance the public's perception, strategies involving changes in healthcare systems, promotional efforts, and educational initiatives should be developed. Additionally, strategies should be formulated for healthcare professionals to better engage as partners in patient care.
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Purpose: A "Smart Cancer Care" platform that integrates patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with management has been established in Korea. This study focused on improving health behaviors and connecting patients to welfare services by introducing and assessing the feasibility of "Smart Cancer Care 2.0," an enhanced version designed for monitoring complications post-cancer treatment. Materials and Methods: Smart Cancer Care 2.0 was developed by conducting a literature review and consulting with expert panels to identify symptoms or variables requiring monitoring and management guidelines based on the treatment type. Qualitative and quantitative surveys were conducted to assess the feasibility of the app and web system based on the experiences of patients with cancer and healthcare workers. Results: A total of 81 symptoms or variables (chemotherapy-, surgery-, radiotherapy-, rehabilitation-, and health management-related) were selected for management in Smart Cancer Care 2.0. PROs for these symptoms were basically categorized into three severity grades: (1) preventive management, (2) self-treatment, and (3) consultation with a healthcare worker or visit to a healthcare institution. The overall mean scores in the feasibility evaluation by patients and healthcare workers were 3.83 and 3.90 points, respectively, indicating high usefulness. Conclusion: Smart Cancer Care 2.0 leverages the existing ICT-based platform, Smart Cancer Care, and further includes health behaviors and welfare services. Smart Cancer Care 2.0 may play a crucial role in establishing a comprehensive post-discharge management system for patients with cancer as it provides suitable interventions based on patients' responses and allows the regularly collected PROs to be easily viewed for streamlined care.
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BACKGROUND: Medical record review is the gold standard method of identifying adverse events. However, the quality of medical records is a critical factor that can affect the accuracy of adverse event detection. Few studies have examined the impact of medical record quality on the identification of adverse events. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we analyze whether there were differences in screening criteria and characteristics of adverse events according to the quality of medical records evaluated in the patient safety incident inquiry in Korea. METHODS: Patient safety incident inquiry was conducted in 2019 on 7500 patients in Korea to evaluate their screening criteria, adverse events, and preventability. Furthermore, medical records quality judged by reviewers was evaluated on a 4-point scale. The χ 2 test was used to examine differences in patient safety incident inquiry results according to medical record quality. RESULTS: Cases with inadequate medical records had higher rates of identified screening criteria than those with adequate records (88.8% versus 55.7%). Medical records judged inadequate had a higher rate of confirmed adverse events than those judged adequate. "Drugs, fluids, and blood-related events," "diagnosis-related events," and "patient care-related events" were more frequently identified in cases with inadequate medical records. There was no statistically significant difference in the preventability of adverse events according to the medical record quality. CONCLUSIONS: Lower medical record quality was associated with higher rates of identified screening criteria and confirmed adverse events. Patient safety incident inquiry should specify medical record quality evaluation questions more accurately to more clearly estimate the impact of medical record quality.
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Erros Médicos , Prontuários Médicos , Segurança do Paciente , Humanos , Segurança do Paciente/normas , Segurança do Paciente/estatística & dados numéricos , República da Coreia , Erros Médicos/estatística & dados numéricos , Erros Médicos/prevenção & controle , Prontuários Médicos/normas , Gestão de Riscos/métodos , Gestão de Riscos/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Healthy life expectancy is a well-recognized indicator for establishing health policy goals used in Korea's Health Plan. This study aimed to explore Koreans' healthy life expectancy and its gender, income, and regional disparities from 2008 to 2020. METHODS: This study was conducted on the entire population covered by health insurance and medical aid program in Korea. The incidence-based "years lived with disability" for 260 disease groups by gender, income level, and region was calculated employing the methodology developed in the Korean National Burden of Disease Study, and it was used as the number of healthy years lost to calculate health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE). RESULTS: Koreans' HALE increased from 68.89 years in 2008 to 71.82 years in 2020. Although the gender disparity in HALE had been decreasing, it increased to 4.55 years in 2020. As of 2020, 5.90 years out of 8.67 years of the income disparity (Q5-Q1) in HALE were due to the disparity between Q1 and Q2, the low-income groups. Income and regional disparities in HALE exhibited an increasing trend, and these disparities were higher in men than in women. CONCLUSION: A subgroup with a low health level was identified through the HALE results, and it was confirmed that improving the health level of this population can reduce health inequalities and improve health at the national level. Further exploration of the HALE calculation methodology may help in the development of effective policies such as prioritizing interventions for health risk factors.
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Pessoas com Deficiência , Expectativa de Vida , Masculino , Humanos , Feminino , Expectativa de Vida Saudável , Nível de Saúde , República da Coreia/epidemiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The measurement of health levels and monitoring of characteristics and trends among populations and subgroups are essential for informing evidence-based policy decisions. This study aimed to examine the burden of disease in Korea for both the total population and subgroups in 2020, as well as analyze changes in disease burden from 2008 to 2020. METHODS: We employed the methodology developed in the Korean National Burden of Disease and Injuries Study to calculate disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) by sex, causes, region, and income level from 2008 to 2020. DALYs were derived by combining years of life lost and years lived with disability. RESULTS: In 2020, the burden of disease for the Korean population was estimated to be 25,439 DALYs per 100,000 population, reflecting a 13.8% increase since 2008. The leading causes of DALYs were diabetes mellitus, followed by low back pain and ischemic stroke. A sex-specific gap reversal was observed, with the disease burden for men surpassing that of women starting in 2017. Furthermore, variations in disease burden were identified across 250 regions and income quintiles. CONCLUSION: It is imperative to establish appropriate health policies that prioritize the diseases with significantly increasing burdens and subgroups experiencing high disease burdens. The findings of this study are expected to serve as a foundation for developing healthcare policies aimed at improving the health levels of Koreans and achieving health equity.
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Anos de Vida Ajustados por Deficiência , Expectativa de Vida , Masculino , Humanos , Feminino , Anos de Vida Ajustados por Qualidade de Vida , Efeitos Psicossociais da Doença , Política de Saúde , República da Coreia/epidemiologia , Carga Global da Doença , Saúde GlobalRESUMO
We prioritized injury prevention and management programs, and research and development (R&D) projects using the Delphi method and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for national plan. We summarized 21 programs and 31 R&D projects based on opinions collected in the opinion survey and brainstorming. Expert panel evaluated program and project relevance in the two Delphi rounds to make consensus. Total scores were calculated by adding criterion weights calculated through the AHP multiplied by the average of scores for each program and project. The top three programs were "Integrated Management System for Injury Data," "Comprehensive Injury Surveillance System," and "Transport System Improvement Program for Major Trauma." The top three R&D projects were researches on "Identification of Vulnerable Workers Injuries to Strengthen Protections," "Data Integration on Injury and Disability," and "Using Public Health Big Data to Identify Injury Status and Risk Factors." Experts highly rated the programs to improve injury surveillance system.
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Processo de Hierarquia Analítica , Saúde Pública , Humanos , Técnica Delphi , Pesquisa , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The recent rising health spending intrigued efficiency and cost-based performance measures. However, mortality risk adjustment methods are still under consideration in cost estimation, though methods specific to cost estimate have been developed. Therefore, we aimed to compare the performance of diagnosis-based risk adjustment methods based on the episode-based cost to utilize in efficiency measurement. METHODS: We used the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Sample as the data source. A separate linear regression model was constructed within each Major Diagnostic Category (MDC). Individual models included explanatory (demographics, insurance type, institutional type, Adjacent Diagnosis Related Group [ADRG], diagnosis-based risk adjustment methods) and response variables (episode-based costs). The following risk adjustment methods were used: Refined Diagnosis Related Group (RDRG), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), National Health Insurance Service Hierarchical Condition Categories (NHIS-HCC), and Department of Health and Human Service-HCC (HHS-HCC). The model accuracy was compared using R-squared (R2), mean absolute error, and predictive ratio. For external validity, we used the 2017 dataset. RESULTS: The model including RDRG improved the mean adjusted R2 from 40.8% to 45.8% compared to the adjacent DRG. RDRG was inferior to both HCCs (RDRG adjusted R2 45.8%, NHIS-HCC adjusted R2 46.3%, HHS-HCC adjusted R2 45.9%) but superior to CCI (adjusted R2 42.7%). Model performance varied depending on the MDC groups. While both HCCs had the highest explanatory power in 12 MDCs, including MDC P (Newborns), RDRG showed the highest adjusted R2 in 6 MDCs, such as MDC O (pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium). The overall mean absolute errors were the lowest in the model with RDRG ($1,099). The predictive ratios showed similar patterns among the models regardless of the subgroups according to age, sex, insurance type, institutional type, and the upper and lower 10th percentiles of actual costs. External validity also showed a similar pattern in the model performance. CONCLUSIONS: Our research showed that either NHIS-HCC or HHS-HCC can be useful in adjusting comorbidities for episode-based costs in the process of efficiency measurement.
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Seguro Saúde , Risco Ajustado , Feminino , Humanos , Recém-Nascido , Risco Ajustado/métodos , Comorbidade , Grupos Diagnósticos Relacionados , Modelos LinearesRESUMO
Background: This study was conducted to identify the success rate for smoking cessation over time after participation in a therapeutic smoking cessation camp, and to identify how participant characteristics, including a supportive workplace environment for smoking cessation (SWESC), affect the success rate for smoking cessation. Methods: In all, 296 participants at smoking cessation camps in Ulsan between 2015 and 2020 were investigated. The success rates of smoking cessation after weeks 4, 6, 12, and 24 at camp were investigated. The participants were grouped as workers with an SWESC, and workers without an SWESC, and variables (age, education, household income, marital status, drinking, exercise, body mass index, morbidity, job, number of counseling sessions, cigarettes smoked per day and smoking initiation age) were investigated. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted at each time point. In addition, Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the variables affecting the success rate for smoking cessation over time. Results: The smoking cessation success rate of workers with an SWESC at week 24 (90.7%) was higher than that for workers without an SWESC (60.5%). Multiple logistic regression was performed to determine the relationship between each variable and the success rates for smoking cessation at week 6, 12, and 24. SWESC was confirmed as significant (p < 0.05) variables for increased success rate for smoking cessation at all 3 time points. After adjusting for all variables, the Cox proportional hazards survival analysis showed a hazard ratio of 6.17 for SWESC (p < 0.001,; 95% confidence interval: 3.08-12.38). Conclusions: At a professional treatment smoking cessation camp, participants with an SWESC showed a significantly higher success rate for smoking cessation. Supportive workplace environment for workers' health is expected to be an important factor for smoking cessation projects as well as other health promotion projects at workplace.
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BACKGROUND: A methodology for comprehensively and reasonably measuring the burden of disease due to adverse events has yet to be clearly established. In this study, a new and systematic method for measuring the burden of disease due to adverse events was tested by utilizing the results of a medical record review, which is commonly used as a gold standard. METHODS: Using the characteristics of preventable adverse events identified in the 2019 Patient Safety Incidents Inquiry (PSII), conducted to monitor the level of patient safety in Korea accurately, the resulting disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and economic costs were estimated. DALYs were calculated as the sum of the years lived with a disability for patients who suffered permanent disability, or more, due to preventable adverse events, and the years of life lost due to premature mortality was calculated for patients who died due to preventable adverse events. The economic cost was calculated using the main diagnostic codes of patients who suffered preventable adverse events, identified as prolonged hospitalization in PSII, and the average medical cost by disease category and age group. RESULTS: Estimates of DALYs due to preventable adverse events were 1,114.4 DALYs per 100,000 population for the minimum standard and 1,658.5 DALYs per 100,000 population for the maximum standard. Compared to the 2015 Korea Burden of Disease results, the ranking of DALYs due to preventable adverse events was sixth for the minimum standard and third for the maximum standard. The annual medical cost of adverse events in 2016 was estimated to be approximately Korean Republic Won (KRW) 870 billion (700 million US dollars). Medical expenses due to preventable adverse events were calculated to be approximately KRW 150 billion (120 million US dollars) as a minimum standard and approximately KRW 300 billion (240 million US dollars) as a maximum standard. CONCLUSION: If this more standard method of systematically calculating the disease burden due to adverse events is used, it will be possible to compare the size of the patient safety problem with that of other diseases. The results of this study indicate that we still need to pay more attention to the issue of patient safety.
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Pessoas com Deficiência , Segurança do Paciente , Humanos , Anos de Vida Ajustados por Qualidade de Vida , Estudos Transversais , Efeitos Psicossociais da DoençaRESUMO
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a rapid worldwide increase in the utilization of delivery services. This study delves into the experiences of delivery workers as one of the activley developed industries during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea and sheds light on the effects of the pandemic on their working conditions. Through in-depth interviews with 10 Korean delivery workers, data analysis employed the hermeneutic phenomenology research method developed by Van Manen. The findings indicate a substantial rise in income levels and a positive societal perception of delivery labor post-COVID-19. The pandemic also attracted many new workers to the industry due to low entry barriers and work flexibility. However, challenges persisted as delivery workers grappled with an uncertain legal status and sometimes jeopardized their safety to boost earnings in shorter time frames. The pivotal role played by delivery workers in enhancing communal quality of life and connectivity during the pandemic cannot be overlooked. As we step into a post-COVID-19 era, comprehensive efforts are needed to enhance the working environment for delivery workers globally. Notably, clarifying the relationship between delivery workers and companies within the novel digital labor landscape is essential, alongside establishing institutional frameworks to safeguard workers' basic rights, including health and safety provisions.
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COVID-19 , Condições de Trabalho , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Pandemias , Qualidade de VidaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: As outpatient chemotherapy treatment increases, cancer patients receiving chemotherapy spend more time at home. In addition, since the types of chemotherapy are gradually expanding, it will be essential to prepare patient self-management strategies for various chemotherapy-related side effects. This study aimed to develop a platform (called Smart Cancer Care) to implement a chemotherapy side effect management program and to evaluate its feasibility. METHODS: Smart Cancer Care comprises an application for patients and a dashboard for medical staff. Thirty-two symptoms to be managed using Smart Cancer Care were summarized through a literature review and Delphi. Management guidelines were developed based on the severity of each symptom (3 stages), and installed in Smart Cancer Care according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0 guidelines. To evaluate the feasibility of the developed application and medical dashboard, cancer patients and cancer treatment medical staff used Smart Cancer Care for 2 to 3 weeks and subsequently reported the experience of using them. RESULTS: The patient application provided a list of symptoms according to the cancer type and anticancer drug enabling presence and severity of each symptom to be evaluated. Patients received management guidelines for symptoms based on the symptom evaluation results. On the medical staff dashboard, administrators and authorized medical personnel could access and assess information regarding side effects and symptom severity submitted by the patient. The feasibility and usefulness of Smart Cancer Care were confirmed through a pilot test targeting 30 patients and 24 chemotherapy-related medical staff. For patients, the evaluation score for the "The program will be helpful when seeing medical staff" item was the highest. For medical staff, the score for the "By checking the patient's symptoms using the program, it helps to take appropriate measures for the patient" item was the highest. Although minor corrections were raised, most patients and medical staff expected that Smart Cancer Care would help their treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The configuration of the application and dashboard of Smart Cancer Care detailed in this study could be used for the development of a widely accepted platform to implement a chemotherapy side effect management program.
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Efeitos Colaterais e Reações Adversas Relacionados a Medicamentos , Neoplasias , Autogestão , Humanos , Projetos Piloto , Pacientes Ambulatoriais , Pessoal Administrativo , Neoplasias/tratamento farmacológicoRESUMO
Barcodes and radio frequency identification (RFID) are increasingly used in health care to improve patient safety. However, studies on their utilization in clinical settings are limited. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the utilization status of barcodes and RFID in Korean hospitals, recognize the effects and obstacles associated with utilization, and explore the measures to expand the applications of barcodes and RFID. A self-reported online survey was conducted in tertiary hospitals, general hospitals, hospitals, and nursing hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The survey questionnaire comprised questions on barcodes and RFID utilization status, the effect of barcodes and RFID utilization, measures to expand the utilization of barcodes and RFID, and information on respondents' demographics and hospitals. A representative from each of 23 tertiary hospitals, 101 general hospitals, 232 hospitals, and 214 nursing hospitals completed the survey (total response rate 17%). The data were analysed using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test to determine the differences in responses based on the type and characteristics of hospitals. The tertiary hospitals had the highest utilizations of both RFID and barcodes (n = 10, 43.5%), whereas the nursing hospitals had the lowest (n = 96, 55.1%). Barcodes and RFID were most commonly used in the visits and security management domains. However, the use of barcodes and RFID in medication dispensing and administration safety was low, despite its value in improving patient safety. The hospitals recognized the positive effect of utilization of barcodes and RFID, reporting the highest frequency for the prevention of patient safety incidents (n = 79, 85.9%). Nevertheless, the cost of barcodes and RFID facility investments (n = 128, 90.3%) appeared to be the greatest obstacle to the introduction of barcodes and RFID. Hence, barcodes and RFID facility investment support (n = 133, 95.5%) were given the highest priority among the measures to expand barcode and RFID utilization in health care. The utilization of barcodes and RFID varied across the type and domain of hospitals in the Republic of Korea. Hospitals recognized the positive effects of barcode and RFID utilization. Nonetheless, all hospitals were concerned about the cost of investment and maintenance of barcode and RFID facilities as the main obstacles to utilization. Therefore, a support plan must be developed for the cost of barcodes and RFID facility investments to expand barcode and RFID utilization in health care.
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Dispositivo de Identificação por Radiofrequência , Humanos , Instalações de Saúde , Hospitais Gerais , Centros de Atenção Terciária , República da CoreiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: In this study, with the aim of improving the quality of transitional care service for discharged patients, the Health Care Quality and Outcomes Indicators of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and National Health Service Outcomes Framework of the UK were applied to derive service items for provision and develop evaluation indicators under categories of effectiveness, safety, and patient-centeredness. METHOD: A scoping review was conducted to derive core concepts and evidence materials/data for transitional care service. For the derived items of transitional care service and evaluation indicators, a three-round Delphi study was conducted with experts in the fields of healthcare/medicine/nursing/social welfare. RESULTS: First, as a result of the scoping review, components of transitional care service (assessment of need by period of transitional care service, multi-professional team, connection to community resources, etc.) and themes for outcome indicators (effectiveness, patient safety, patient-centeredness) were derived. Second, by classifying the items for assessment according to the hospitalization and transition period and conducting a Delphi study to derive service items for transitional care service, during the hospitalization period, presence/absence of a caregiver and need for a caregiver, activities of daily living, and necessity for home-based care services were identified as items of high priority. Regarding patient safety, risk of falls and fractures during hospitalization, and necessity for medication reconciliation were identified as the items of high importance. For the transition period, provision of education regarding adequate responses and handling of emergencies, provision of information and guidance on application of services for basic livelihood security program beneficiaries, and education for patient skills in self-management of health were derived as items of high priority. Third, for the derivation of outcome indicators for transitional care service, in the "effectiveness" category, the experts rated a reduction in the 30-day readmission rate as an item of high importance along with a decrease in emergency department visits, reduction in preventable admissions as indicators of high relevance. In terms of "patient safety," a decrease in drug adverse reactions, and reduction in the incidence of falls and pressure ulcers were identified as indicators of high priority. Finally, for the category of "patient-centeredness," patient experience assessment, level of service satisfaction reported by patients and their caregivers, and reducing burden on caregivers were identified as indicators of high priority. CONCLUSION: This study suggest practical implications for the service with high relevance and necessity for transitional period. It also presented outcome indicators of transitional care service to contribute toward an improvement in the quality of care.
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Alta do Paciente , Cuidado Transicional , Humanos , Atividades Cotidianas , Medicina Estatal , Qualidade da Assistência à SaúdeRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Disability weights require regular updates, as they are influenced by both diseases and societal perceptions. Consequently, it is necessary to develop an up-to-date list of the causes of diseases and establish a survey panel for estimating disability weights. Accordingly, this study was conducted to calculate, assess, modify, and validate disability weights suitable for Korea, accounting for its cultural and social characteristics. METHODS: The 380 causes of disease used in the survey were derived from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network and from 2019 and 2020 Korean studies on disability weights for causes of disease. Disability weights were reanalyzed by integrating the findings of an earlier survey on disability weights in Korea with those of the additional survey conducted in this study. The responses were transformed into paired comparisons and analyzed using probit regression analysis. Coefficients for the causes of disease were converted into predicted probabilities, and disability weights in 2 models (model 1 and 2) were rescaled using a normal distribution and the natural logarithm, respectively. RESULTS: The mean values for the 380 causes of disease in models 1 and 2 were 0.488 and 0.369, respectively. Both models exhibited the same order of disability weights. The disability weights for the 300 causes of disease present in both the current and 2019 studies demonstrated a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.994 (p=0.001 for both models). This study presents a detailed add-on approach for calculating disability weights. CONCLUSIONS: This method can be employed in other countries to obtain timely disability weight estimations.