Modeling Healthcare Costs Attributable to Secondhand Smoke Exposure at Home among South Korean Children.

Children exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) are at increased risk for disease. We sought to estimate the medical costs among Korean children who were exposed to SHS at home. A Markov model was developed, including five diseases (asthma, acute otitis media, acute bronchitis, pneumonia and sudden infant death syndrome) that were significantly associated with SHS in children based on a systematic review. The time horizon of the analysis was 20 years (from birth to adulthood), and the cycle length was 1 week. The direct healthcare costs were discounted annually at 5%. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. The Markov model estimated the healthcare costs for 20 years as 659.61 USD per exposed child, an increase of approximately 30% compared to the cost per unexposed child (507.32 USD). Sensitivity analysis suggested that the younger the age of the exposure, the greater the incremental healthcare costs incurred, implying that infants and young children were especially vulnerable to the SHS exposure. Findings of this study could provide key baseline data for future economic evaluations on SHS control policies in South Korea.

Marketing and Pricing Strategies of Blockbuster Drugs in the South Korean Market: A 15-Year Retrospective Cohort Study for Choline Alfoscerate.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding marketing strategies and price competition among manufacturers is essential to manage health care expenditures, particularly those related to blockbuster drugs. OBJECTIVES: To assess marketing and pricing strategies of blockbuster drugs in South Korea. METHODS: Baseline information on manufacturers who were granted marketing approval for choline alfoscerate in various forms was retrieved. Accumulation of manufacturers in the market was also identified, and manufacturers were categorized into first movers and latecomers based on their marketing time. Then, an event history analysis and a regression analysis were applied to estimate the duration of marketing and their price competition. RESULTS: Currently, 109, 83, and 26 manufacturers produce choline alfoscerate in capsule, tablet, or syrup form, respectively, indicating that many manufacturers have marketed generics and the majority of the generics are categorized as latecomers. The size of the manufacturer was a significant factor in marketing new medicines, while the variable was not related to the marketing of modified drugs. Furthermore, price competition in the market was rare and only a few major firms initiated price competition. CONCLUSION: The Korean market appears to be an example of perfect competition when we focus on the number of manufacturers. However, the market is near-monopolistic when examining the price of generic drugs. While product competition between different forms of drugs is effective in lowering price, product competition within the same form of a drug does not exist in the market.

Effects of team-based learning on perceived teamwork and academic performance in a health assessment subject.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of team-based learning (a well-recognized learning and teaching strategy), applied in a health assessment subject, on nursing students' perceived teamwork (team-efficacy and team skills) and academic performance (individual and team readiness assurance tests, and examination scores). A prospective, one-group, pre- and post-test design enrolled a convenience sample of 74 second-year nursing students at a university in Suwon, Korea. Team-based learning was applied in a 2-credit health assessment subject over a 16-week semester. All students received written material one week before each class for readiness preparation. After administering individual- and team-readiness assurance tests consecutively, the subject instructor gave immediate feedback and delivered a mini-lecture to the students. Finally, students carried out skill based application exercises. The findings showed significant improvements in the mean scores of students' perceived teamwork after the introduction of team-based learning. In addition, team-efficacy was associated with team-adaptability skills and team-interpersonal skills. Regarding academic performance, team readiness assurance tests were significantly higher than individual readiness assurance tests over time. Individual readiness assurance tests were significantly related with examination scores, while team readiness assurance tests were correlated with team-efficacy and team-interpersonal skills. The application of team-based learning in a health assessment subject can enhance students' perceived teamwork and academic performance. This finding suggests that team-based learning may be an effective learning and teaching strategy for improving team-work of nursing students, who need to collaborate and effectively communicate with health care providers to improve patients' health.

Health-promoting lifestyles and cardio-metabolic risk factors among international students in South Korea.

This study examined the health-promoting lifestyles and cardio-metabolic risks among international students in Korea. This descriptive, cross-sectional study design enrolled a convenience sample of 118 international students at a university in Korea. Collected data included items from the Health-promoting Lifestyle Profile (II) scale and cardiovascular risk factors. The participants had a moderately health-promoting lifestyle (2.5 of 4). Men engaged in more physical activity than did women (p = .002). The most prevalent risk factor was elevated blood lipid profiles (26.3%), followed by overweight/obesity (25.4%), elevated blood pressure (17.8%), and elevated fasting glucose levels (5.1%). More than half of the participants (54.2%) had one or more cardiac risk factors, and these participants also scored lower in health-promoting lifestyle factors than other students (p = .034). Regular health check-ups are needed to identify the cardio-metabolic risks of international students. A university-based programme aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles could help prevent cardio-metabolic risks among international students.

A longitudinal study on the development of moral judgement in Korean nursing students.

This longitudinal study examined the development of moral judgement in 37 nursin students attending a university in Suwon, Korea. The participants completed the Korean version of the Defining Issues Test to allow analysis of their level of moral judgement. The development of moral judgement was quantified using 'the moral development score' at each stage (i.e. the six stages detailed by Kohlberg) and the 'P(%) score' (a measure of the overall moral judgement level). The results were as follows: (1) the moral development score for stage 5A was consistently the highest across the four years of the students' course, showing significant differences in some sociodemographic factors including home, birth order and monthly income; and (2) the P(%) score was higher in fourth-year (47.47 +/- 11.21) than in first-year (46.13 +/- 9.73) students. There was no significant difference in the P(%) score according to sociodemographic factors. Further studies will examine in detail the correlation between curriculum and moral judgement development. We suggest that courses in ethics education should be made more relevant.