Epidemiologic Investigation of an Outbreak of Shigellosis in Kyongju, Korea / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to investigate the sources of infection and modes of transmission of an outbreak of shigellosis that occurred among pupils of "M" primary school and residents near the school in Kyongju from Sept. 24 to Oct. 24, 1998. METHODS: The subjects who completed a questionnaire and a rectal swab for microbiologic examinations were 1,534 persons (781 males, 753 females), including 469 pupils of "M" primary school (268 males, 201 females). Bacteriological examinations of underground water and simple piped water were done. RESULTS: The attack rate of diarrhea was 28.7% in the subjects from Sept. 24 to Oct. 24, 1998. There was no difference in attack rate of diarrhea by gender, but it was significantly higher in the pupils of "M" primary school than others (p<0.01). The attack rate of diarrhea by resident areas was no different to the pupils of "M" primary school, but was significantly higher in the residents of Mohwa 2 Ri except pupils that "M" primary school is located in (p<0.01). The distribution of date of onset revealed the exposure date to be Sept, 22 and 23 in consideration of incubation periods and common source outbreak followed propagative spread in the epidemic curve. The major characteristics of diarrhea were watery (89.1%) in nature, 1~3 days (72.5%) in duration, 2~3 times (63.9%) in frequency. The clinical symptoms among the diarrheal cases included abdominal pain (74.1%), fever (56.4%), headache (55.9%), chill (40.4%) and tenesmus (31.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The source of infection was estimated to be contaminated underground water and simple piped water caused by leakage from the cess pool. It is highly necessary that the management of drinking water and cess pools should be done thoroughly.

Cross-specialty linkage and extrapolation of resource-based relative value scales

This article describes methods used to produce a RBRVS (resource-based relative value scales), a common scale from two specialties (internal medicine and general surgery) and explains the newly developed extrapolation process within each specialty. To produce a common scale, we selected six 'same' services as linking services common to both specialties. Then we used the bi-weighted least squares method to locate all the same services on a single, common scale. By using the same method, we tried to extrapolate all the services within each specialty, not by the method of Kelly et al, dividing all the services within the specialty into families (small homogeneous groups of services) to apply charge-based ratios. To compare both methods, we extrapolated all the services of general surgery according to each method. With the correlation analysis to compare both results to American RVUs, we found that general surgery's RVUs from our own extrapolation method turned out to be more highly correlated with American RVUs than from Kelly's extrapolation method. Consequently, extrapolation with bi-weighted least squares method gave reasonable results.

Comparison of work measures for some physician services in Obstetrics & Gynecology / 예방의학회지

We have never seen any method to cope basically with complicated situation and problems around medical reimbursement rates here in Korea since 1977 witnessed by the beginning of medical insurance. By the way researchers concerned are beginning to propose some kinds of innovative and detailed ideas to government these days. They are Diagnosis-related group(DRG)and Resource-based relative value scale(RBRVS). In the light of this situation it is so encouraging that our government can come up with that and move. In case of RBRVS research we have already been reaching even to the level of reviewing and revising methodology for its further development after naive pilot study on internal medicine and general surgery last year. However there might be something different conditions between USA and Korea to apply the same Dr. Hsiao's method and it must be vital to check so called 'total work approach' compared with 'intra-service work approach' before expanding to the whole medical fields. According to the 'Intra-service approach', the physician's work is supposed to be divided into three sub-works by the name of intraservice work, pre, and post service work. These sub-works, again should be merged together to be the pre-postwork subset through some statistical methods of the estimation process applied by Dr. Hsiao's methodology in RBRVS development later on. But in this paper that estimation process was not taken because we could have real values for all of those surveyed items related to just one specialty, OB & GY. Instead, we used some statistical comparison procedures relevant to demographic characteristics, reliability & validity and correlation analysis with American RVU(Relative value unit) between the total work and merged total work from intraservice work approach. The unit of analysis was individual physicians of OB & GY and 300 physicians were selected for each approach through statistical sampling method based on national population of OB & GY physicians in korea. And also with the thankful help of Advisory committee under Korean Association of OB & GY, questionnaires were made and mailed to the subjects, two times. As a result there were not any statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics between the two approaches except for the variable 'Response time for the questionnaire', but in other sections of comparisons, response rate, representative values, reliability & validity test, correlation analysis with American RVU, all showed 'Total approach' was not only more rational and statistically meaningful than ,'Intra-service approach' but also had considerable merits. But we are not absolutely sure about this paper's robustness. Because of some limitations, we'd rather like to suggest further researches should be followed. In that sense the first thing would be a research for the influence of doctor's haracteristics, especially 'frequency' on the rating of work and the way to define total work more clearly.