Analysis of Information Security Management Systems at 5 Domestic Hospitals with More than 500 Beds / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVES: The information security management systems (ISMS) of 5 hospitals with more than 500 beds were evaluated with regards to the level of information security, management, and physical and technical aspects so that we might make recommendations on information security and security countermeasures which meet both international standards and the needs of individual hospitals. METHODS: The ISMS check-list derived from international/domestic standards was distributed to each hospital to complete and the staff of each hospital was interviewed. Information Security Indicator and Information Security Values were used to estimate the present security levels and evaluate the application of each hospital's current system. RESULTS: With regard to the moderate clause of the ISMS, the hospitals were determined to be in compliance. The most vulnerable clause was asset management, in particular, information asset classification guidelines. The clauses of information security incident management and business continuity management were deemed necessary for the establishment of successful ISMS. CONCLUSIONS: The level of current ISMS in the hospitals evaluated was determined to be insufficient. Establishment of adequate ISMS is necessary to ensure patient privacy and the safe use of medical records for various purposes. Implementation of ISMS which meet international standards with a long-term and comprehensive perspective is of prime importance. To reflect the requirements of the varied interests of medical staff, consumers, and institutions, the establishment of political support is essential to create suitable hospital ISMS.

An Awareness Survey on the Protection and Use of Personal Health Information Focused on Applicants for Copies of the Medical Record / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVE: To supplement a previous study on the management of medical records with a view to preparing a system capable of ensuring basic patient rights regarding the protection of confidential medical information. The study objectives are to provide detailed guidelines to regulate the access and protection of medical information by analyzing patients' understanding and views regarding the dissemination of medical records. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was administered to 781 patients who visited five University hospitals located in Seoul, Busan, Gyeonggi, Chungnam and Jeonnam from July to September, 2008 and asked for copies of medical records to be issued. Data were analyzed by using the statistical program SPSS 13.0. RESULTS: More than 70% of respondents wanted to access their medical records after confirming the required documents. The highest distribution in the range of persons able to receive copies of medical records without the individual patient's consent or required documents was 'only personally' in each variable. Copies of medical records were issued mostly within 1 hour, while the appropriate time of issuing the copies was within one day. Half of respondents approved of a subscription system that did not require a doctor consultation. The results regarding changes in the ways to request/issue copies of medical records to improve the convenience for applicants differed significantly according to age. CONCLUSION: Considering the sensitivity of personal health information, medical records should only be issued with the patient's consent and by confirming the identity of the designated person with required documents. Furthermore, people should be aware of the importance of protecting personal health information, and medical institutes should inform the requirements for bringing the relevant documents. Medical institutes play an important role in protecting personal records, which necessitates generalized guidelines.

Nationwide Cancer Incidence in Korea, 2003-2005 / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: To estimate the current cancer burden in Korea, newly diagnosed cancer cases and cancer incidence rates were calculated for the years 2003~2005. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cancer incidence cases and rates were calculated from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database. Crude and age-standardized incidence rates were calculated by gender for specified cancer sites in 5-year age groups. RESULTS: From 2003 to 2005, 398,824 cases of cancer were newly diagnosed in Korea (218,856 in men and 179,968 in women). For all sites combined, the crude incidence rate (CR) was 300.0 and 248.2 for men and women and the age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) was 297.0 and 191.2 per 100,000, respectively. Among men, five leading cancers were stomach (CR 66.0, ASR 64.2), lung (CR 48.5, ASR 50.3), liver (CR 44.9, ASR 42.1), colon and rectum (CR 37.9, ASR 37.2), and prostate cancer (CR 12.7, ASR 13.8). Among women, five leading cancers were breast (CR 37.3, ASR 29.0), thyroid (CR 36.2, ASR 28.8), stomach (CR 34.1, ASR 25.4), colon and rectum (CR 28.0, ASR 21.1), and lung cancer (CR 17.9, ASR 12.8). In the 0~14-year-old group, leukemia was the most common in both sexes; in the 15~34 group, the most common cancer was stomach cancer for men and thyroid cancer for women; in the 35~64 group, stomach cancer for men and breast cancer for women; among those 65 and over, lung cancer for men and stomach cancer, for women, respectively. CONCLUSION: The cancer incidence rates have increased in recent years, and more cancers are expected to develop as Korea is quickly becoming an aged society. The cancer incidence statistics in this report can be used as an important source to effectively plan and evaluate the cancer control program in Korea.

A Study on Effects of Critical Pathway Practices by Using BSC and Datamining Method / 대한의료정보학회지

Emphasis on healthcare during the 1990s has been to provide both optimal wellness and function with quality in a cost-effective manner. Critical Pathway was developed to meet the need to guide clients along the continuum of care and to achieve continuity of care. The purpose of this study was to develop on evaluating model of Critical Pathway practices. The topics which developed into Critical Pathway were normal delivery, repairment of cataract, cesarean section delivery, pediatric tonsillectomy and hemorrhoidectomy. The main goals set by teams were educations, improvement of process and quality of care, customer satisfaction and financial achievements. To evaluate the performace of Critical Pathway in clinical process, 13 kinds of perspective key performance indicators were selected by using Balanced Scorecard(BSC) method. The analysis method was Data Mining. Cesarean section discharge abstract data were reviewed for guidelines of model development and classification of control groups. Five kinds of Critical Pathway were developed by multidisciplinary participation by personnels of related departments, and pilot-test was performed. All the Critical Pathway was applied as standard protocols in patient s care since November, 1999. Length of stay was significantly shortened and increased patient s satisfaction in 4 case groups except pediatric tonsillectomy group. Hospital and medication cost of each patient remarkably decreased in all 5 case groups. And the improvement of process and quality of care was appeared during the Critical Pathway implementation period. These results show that new evaluation model of Critical Pathway in medical practice was an effective.

A Study for the Quality Measurement Method of Medical Record Delivery Process by Using Statistical Process Control Technique / 대한의료정보학회지

This study was performed to find a more efficient analytic method for medical record delivery process between using data collected from HIS and using data collected manually. And how to apply the Statistical Process Control technique to the quality measurement of work process. The results were as follows: 1. The method of using data collected from Hospital Information System was more efficient ( 99.2% ) than using data collected manually in time consumption. 2. The amount of analyzed data collected from HIS was amount about 3 times (279%) of those collected manually. 3. The application of Statistical Process Control technique for evaluating medical record delivery process was very effective to identify the problems in delivery process We identified the possibility that this statistical analytic technique of using data collected from HIS could be adopted to evaluate other process of healthcare management.

The Strategic Planning of Hospital Management using Information Technology / 대한의료정보학회지

In the health-care market, the shift from a fee-for-service to a DRG environment has dramatically altered the landscape. To survive in this situation, hospital have to change. Information technology is one of change means. In this study, the means on information technology are presented Data warehouse, Data Mart, OLAP, Forecasting Tool, Statistic Package, Data mining.