ABSTRACT
Objectives@#This study is designed to extract a representative variable that distinguishes psychiatric patients of North Korean Defectors and a control group by using machine learning based on measured mental health variables and physical activity variables. @*Methods@#The physical and mental activity variables of 17 North Korean defectors that previously were hospitalized or received psychiatric outpatient treatment and a control group were compared. The survey focused on mental health variables that included contents related to depression, suicidal risks, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, insomnia, physical symptoms, quality of life, coping skills, social support, and drinking. Physical activity variables included the number of steps walked per day, sleep time, and sleep efficiency were measured by Fitbit. @*Results@#The 7th question of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, “Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television over the past two weeks,” showed the highest gain ratio by 84 percent. Based on the result of the decision tree, this single index may distinguish between the clinical and control groups. @*Conclusion@#A clinician may conduct a more effective interview with a North Korean defector by identifying in the early stages whether the patient has been having difficulty concentrating on daily tasks during the past two weeks.
ABSTRACT
Objectives@#This study is designed to extract a representative variable that distinguishes psychiatric patients of North Korean Defectors and a control group by using machine learning based on measured mental health variables and physical activity variables. @*Methods@#The physical and mental activity variables of 17 North Korean defectors that previously were hospitalized or received psychiatric outpatient treatment and a control group were compared. The survey focused on mental health variables that included contents related to depression, suicidal risks, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, insomnia, physical symptoms, quality of life, coping skills, social support, and drinking. Physical activity variables included the number of steps walked per day, sleep time, and sleep efficiency were measured by Fitbit. @*Results@#The 7th question of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, “Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television over the past two weeks,” showed the highest gain ratio by 84 percent. Based on the result of the decision tree, this single index may distinguish between the clinical and control groups. @*Conclusion@#A clinician may conduct a more effective interview with a North Korean defector by identifying in the early stages whether the patient has been having difficulty concentrating on daily tasks during the past two weeks.
ABSTRACT
Objective@#Although healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced significant stress during the 2015 outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the factors associated with this stress remain unknown. Thus, the present study assessed burnout among HCWs during the MERS outbreak to identify the influential factors involved in this process. @*Methods@#This study was a retrospective chart review of the psychological tests and questionnaires completed by 171 hospital employees from two general hospitals that treated MERS patients. The tests included the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Positive Resources Test, the questionnaires assessed exposure to the MERS outbreak event and perceptions about MERS. @*Results@#Of the 171 HCWs, 112 (65.5%) experienced disengagement and 136 (79.5%) suffered from exhaustion. Disengagement was associated with lower levels of purpose and hope, a higher perception of job risk, and exposure to the media. Exhaustion was associated with lower levels of purpose and hope, a higher perception of little control of the infection, a higher perception of job risk, prior experience related to infections, and being female. @*Conclusion@#Our results revealed the risk and protective factors associated with burnout among HCWs during an outbreak of MERS. These findings should be considered when determining interventional strategies aimed at ameliorating burnout among HCWs.