Traditional Korean Medicine Home Care for the Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the status of community care services regarding traditional Korean medicine (TKM) for older adults and raise awareness on current opinions and services of TKM institutions. METHODS: The National Development Institute of Korean Medicine conducted a survey of 16 local governments by sending official letters through an electronic document system from October 2020 to November 2020. The survey items included basic demographic information and information about TKM service. RESULTS: Eleven (68.8%) of the 16 local governments provided TKM home care services. A total of 136 TKM clinics provided home care services for 598 older adults with musculoskeletal disorders. The number of TKM services provided in five or more local governments were cupping 11 (100.0%), acupuncture 11 (100.0%), education and consulting 10 (90.9%), and moxibustion 9 (81.8%). Moreover, pain (recorded on visual analogue scale) and quality of life significantly improved following TKM services (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Covered under medical policy, TKM homecare services could function as a viable alternative for continued medical care disrupted during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic. In addition, standardisation and legalisation of these services could ensure and improve their efficiency.

Utilization of Traditional Korean Medicine Services by the Older Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Korean healthcare service is divided into conventional medicine and traditional Korean medicine (TKM). This cross-sectional study compared the older population (65 years and older) with two groups of the general population (19-50 years and 51-64 years) to understand the current patterns in the use of TKM services by the older population. Using data from the 2017 National Survey of TKM Usage, we analyzed the main purpose and diseases or symptoms for TKM use, the reason for choosing TKM over other types of medicine, and the treatments provided. Both age groups sought TKM services to "[treat] a disease". The top five diseases and symptoms in the older adult (65 and older) group were musculoskeletal and are as follows: arthritis and joint diseases (37.8%, n = 166), disc-related diseases (25.5%, n = 112), back pain (8.4%, n = 37), frozen shoulder and shoulder pain (7.7%, n = 34), and sprain (5.9%, n = 26). The most frequently used treatments for these diseases were acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and physiotherapy. The present study suggests that older adults primarily used TKM clinics for the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. Further studies are necessary to assess the clinical effectiveness of conventional medicine versus TKM versus a combination of both in treating musculoskeletal disorders.

Autonomic function, voice, and mood states.

PURPOSE: The present study examined the relationships among cardiovascular autonomic, acoustic, and mood states in resting young subjects. METHODS: A total of 75 college students (men:women = 53:22), aged 19-24 years, were enrolled in this study. Each subject was asked to complete the profile of mood states and to produce a sustained vowel sound (/a/) for 3 s to calculate acoustic parameters. We calculated pulse rate variability (PRV) parameters such as low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), total power (TP) and the ratio of low frequency to high frequency power (LF/HF) by analyzing peak-to-peak intervals detected by photoplethysmography. RESULTS: Sympathovagal balance-related parameters such as LF/HF were dominant indicators of fatigue in men and women, whereas LF and HF were indicative of depression and anger in women. In terms of acoustic parameters, shimmer and standard deviation of the fundamental frequency (SD F (0)), which were related to roughness and instability in voice quality, were indicative of tension and depression in men and women. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that mood states in resting young subjects can be estimated from PRV and acoustic parameters.

Analysis of diagnostic decision in acupuncture from the actual functional dyspepsia patient's clinical information.

BACKGROUND: Clinical research in acupuncture has been criticized for not reflecting real-world practice in terms of diagnosis and intervention. This study aimed to collect data on the principles of diagnosis and selection of acupoints from Korean medicine doctors (KMDs) and analyze the patterns and priorities in decision-making. METHODS: The study design was based on the data of an actual patient with functional dyspepsia (FD) (according to Rome III criteria) to create simulated patients, and a KMD specialized in gastrointestinal disorders was allocated to collect the clinical information as objectively as possible. Sixty-nine KMDs were recruited to diagnose a simulated patient based on the actual patient's clinical information, in a manner similar to that performed in their clinics. RESULTS: After the diagnostic procedures were completed, the pattern identification, selected acupoints, reasons for choosing them, and importance of symptoms for deciding their diagnoses were documented. The information needed was clearly distinguishable from those routinely asked in western medicine, and information regarding fecal status, abdominal examination, appetite status, pulse diagnosis, and tongue diagnosis were listed as vital. The doctors identified the patient's pattern as "spleen-stomach weakness", "liver qi depression", or "food accumulation or phlegm-fluid retention". The most frequently selected acupoints were CV12, LI4, LR3, ST36, and PC6. CONCLUSION: There are common acupoints across different patterns, but pattern-specific acupoints were also recommended. These results can provide useful information to design clinical research and education for better clinical performance in acupuncture that reflects real-world practice.