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This study explored the experiences of pregnant women with depressed mood participating ina group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program using video communication, based on Beck’s cognitive theory.Methods: The participants were six pregnant women out of 13 women who had participated in an 8-session group CBT program using video communication for women with depressed mood (EdinburghPostnatal Depression score of ≥9). Data were collected from February 20 through March 25, 2021. Indepth individual interviews were conducted through a video conferencing platform at 1 month post-baseline. Thematic analysis was done.Results: Three themes, 10 subthemes, and 38 concepts were derived from experiences of participating inthe 4-week group CBT program (twice a week). The first theme, entitled “continuing realization” hadsubthemes of “a negative and instable self,” “a selfish judgment that excludes others,” and “a strong beliefin self-control.” The second theme, entitled “attempt to change for restoration” had subthemes of “shift torational thinking,” “freedom from suppressed beliefs,” “tolerance of other people,” and “courage for self-expression.” The third theme, entitled “departure for a positive life,” had subthemes of “emotional healing,”“faith in oneself,” and “reestablishing the criteria for happiness.”Conclusion: Pregnant women with depressed mood expressed that continuing realizations and attemptsto change supported their transition toward a positive direction of healing. Thus, they were able to changetheir distorted thinking into rational thinking through CBT using video communication. These findingssupport the use of group CBT using video communication with pregnant women who have depressedmood.
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Background and Objectives@#Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging as a treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that affects a large number of people across the world. Treatment of AD using human umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (hUCB-MSCs) has recently been studied. However, the mechanism underlying their effect needs to be studied continuously. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the immunomodulatory effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) secreted by hUCB-MSCs on AD. @*Methods@#and Results: To explore the mechanism involved in the therapeutic effect of MSCs for AD, a secretome array was performed using culture medium of hUCB-MSCs. Among the list of genes common for epithelium development and skin diseases, we focused on the function of EGF. To elucidate the effect of EGF secreted by hUCB-MSCs, EGF was downregulated in hUCB-MSCs using EGF-targeting small interfering RNA. These cells were then co-cultured with keratinocytes, Th2 cells, and mast cells. Depletion of EGF disrupted immunomodulatory effects of hUCB-MSCs on these AD-related inflammatory cells. In a Dermatophagoides farinae-induced AD mouse model, subcutaneous injection of hUCB-MSCs ameliorated gross scoring, histopathologic damage, and mast cell infiltration. It also significantly reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-4, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), and IL-22, as well as IgE levels. These therapeutic effects were significantly attenuated at all evaluation points in mice injected with EGF-depleted hUCB-MSCs. @*Conclusions@#EGF secreted by hUCB-MSCs can improve AD by regulating inflammatory responses of keratinocytes, Th2 cells, and mast cells.
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Objectives@#This paper aimed to use machine learning to identify a new group of factors predicting frailty in the elderly population by utilizing the existing frailty criteria as a basis, as well as to validate the obtained results. @*Methods@#This study was conducted using data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS). The KFACS participants were classified as robust or frail based on Fried’s frailty phenotype and excluded if they did not properly answer the questions, resulting in 1,066 robust and 165 frail participants. We then selected influential features through feature selection and trained the model using support vector machine, random forest, and gradient boosting algorithms with the prepared dataset. Due to the imbalanced distribution in the dataset with a low sample size, holdout was applied with stratified 10-fold and cross-validation for estimating the model performance. The reliability of the constructed model was validated using an unseen test set. The model was then trained with hyperparameter optimization. @*Results@#During the feature selection process, 27 features were identified as meaningful factors for frailty. The model was trained based on the selected features, and the weighted average F1-score reached 95.30% with the random forest algorithm. @*Conclusions@#The results of the study demonstrated the possibility of adopting machine learning to strengthen existing frailty criteria. As the method analyzes questionnaire responses in a short time, it can support higher volumes of data on participants’ health conditions and alert them regarding potential risks in advance.
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Purpose@#Perilla seed (PS) is the most common cause of seed-induced anaphylaxis in Korean children, but the reports on PS allergy, including phenotype and cross-reactivity, are rare. The aim of this study is to assess the clinical characteristics of PS allergy and investigate cross-reactivity with sesame seed (SS). @*Methods@#Through a retrospective medical record review, patients with clinical PS allergy were identified in a single tertiary hospital. Clinical characteristics of allergic reaction upon exposure to PS and SS, results of skin prick test (SPT) to PS and SS, and the levels of serum SS-specific immunoglobulin E (SS-sIgE) were investigated. Cross-reactivity between PS and SS was studied using IgE enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) inhibition. @*Results@#The median age of 34 PS-allergic children was 41.5 months (range, 10 months to 12 years), and the proportion of anaphylaxis upon exposure to PS was 29.4% (n = 10). The PS SPT was positive in 94.1% (n = 32) with the median wheal size of 6.25 mm. Among PS-allergic children, the percentages of patients with positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and indeterminate symptoms upon exposure to SS were 8.8%, 41.2%, and 50%, respectively. Out of 14 PS-allergic children who were tolerant to SS, positive sensitization to SS was noticed in 78.6% by serum SS-sIgE, and 57.1% by SS SPT. Partial cross-reactivity between PS and SS was identified in IgE ELISA inhibition. @*Conclusion@#This study reported the clinical profiles and SPT results in a relatively large number of PS-allergic children and identified the partial cross-reactivity between PS and SS for the first time.
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Background@#The diagnosis of food allergies needs to be confirmed through an oral food challenge (OFC). However, specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) concentrations analyzed by serological tests are also helpful in determining OFC items and predicting the presence of allergic reactions. Unfortunately, there is a limit to the number of antigens that can be simultaneously evaluated at one time. The purpose of this study was to analyze the possibility of detecting sIgE antibodies against food using clues in self-reported food allergy symptoms. @*Methods@#Medical records of 377 patients aged 3 years or younger were collected for egg white-, cow’s milk-, walnut- and soybean-sIgE sensitization, and related clinical history. Each clinical history was classified into class 1: direct- isolated intake resulting in anaphylaxis or hives with consistent clincical history; class 2a: class 1 with inconsistency; class 2b: indirect-mixed intake resulting in anaphylaxis or hives regardless of consistency; class 2c: direct/indirect- isolated/mixed intake resulting in itching without hives, vomiting, or diarrhea with consistent clincical history; or class 3: class 2c with inconsistency or asymptomatic to direct, isolated exposure. @*Results@#The area under the curve (AUC) of class 1 for cow’s milk was 0.790, and the accuracy was 78.0%. The AUC of class 1 and 2 for egg white was better than that of class 1 (0.750), and the accuracy rate was 77.6%. The AUCs of class 1 for walnut and soybean were 0.775 and 0.662, respectively. @*Conclusion@#In conclusion, sIgE sensitization to foods could be predicted by the combination of exposure and selfreported symptoms in children under 3 years of age.
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Background@#The diagnosis of food allergies needs to be confirmed through an oral food challenge (OFC). However, specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) concentrations analyzed by serological tests are also helpful in determining OFC items and predicting the presence of allergic reactions. Unfortunately, there is a limit to the number of antigens that can be simultaneously evaluated at one time. The purpose of this study was to analyze the possibility of detecting sIgE antibodies against food using clues in self-reported food allergy symptoms. @*Methods@#Medical records of 377 patients aged 3 years or younger were collected for egg white-, cow’s milk-, walnut- and soybean-sIgE sensitization, and related clinical history. Each clinical history was classified into class 1: direct- isolated intake resulting in anaphylaxis or hives with consistent clincical history; class 2a: class 1 with inconsistency; class 2b: indirect-mixed intake resulting in anaphylaxis or hives regardless of consistency; class 2c: direct/indirect- isolated/mixed intake resulting in itching without hives, vomiting, or diarrhea with consistent clincical history; or class 3: class 2c with inconsistency or asymptomatic to direct, isolated exposure. @*Results@#The area under the curve (AUC) of class 1 for cow’s milk was 0.790, and the accuracy was 78.0%. The AUC of class 1 and 2 for egg white was better than that of class 1 (0.750), and the accuracy rate was 77.6%. The AUCs of class 1 for walnut and soybean were 0.775 and 0.662, respectively. @*Conclusion@#In conclusion, sIgE sensitization to foods could be predicted by the combination of exposure and selfreported symptoms in children under 3 years of age.
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Objectives@#This study aimed to determine whether self-educational intervention on patient safety via a smartphone application could improve the level of self-efficacy and safety behaviors of patients. In addition the effect of change in self-efficacy on the improvement of safety behaviors after self-educational intervention was investigated. @*Methods@#A one-group pre- and post-test design and convenience sampling were implemented. Self-educational intervention via smartphone application was provided to 94 participants in a tertiary university hospital in South Korea. The smartphone application included learning contents on why the participation of patients is critical in preventing hospital-acquired infections and surgery-related adverse events during hospitalization. Paired t-tests and hierarchical regression analysis were conducted to assess the effect of selfeducational intervention and self-efficacy on the improvement of safety behaviors of patients. @*Results@#After the intervention, the level of self-efficacy and safety behaviors significantly increased from 2.53 to 2.95 and from 2.00 to 2.62, respectively. In the hierarchical regression analysis, the change in self-efficacy accounted for 35.4% of the variance in the improvement of safety behaviors. @*Conclusions@#The results of this study demonstrated that self-education on patient safety via a smartphone application was an effective strategy to enhance patients’ self-efficacy and safety behaviors. This process could ultimately enhance patient safety by promoting patient involvement during hospitalization and preventing the occurrence of medical errors.
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Purpose@#This study aims to investigate factors associated with depression during Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine. @*Methods@#An online survey was done to assess depression of the individuals living in Seoul, who were under quarantine due to COVID-19 between October and December 2020. A total of 1,139 individuals were included in our analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate factors contributing to depression during COVID-19 quarantine. @*Results@#The prevalence of depression among the participants was 8.5% (women 11.1%, men 5.8%). Our regression analyses showed that pre-existing depression, women, perceived support, correct understanding of the rationale for quarantine, and understanding of quarantine instructions were significantly associated with the likelihood of depression during quarantine due to COVID-19. @*Conclusion@#The findings suggest that it is necessary to develop and implement a preemptive measure focusing on vulnerable groups such as women or people with pre-existing depression to prevent depression during quarantine. In addition, this study confirmed that active and efficient communication by the health authorities is essential to better understand the purpose and instructions of quarantine, which is also effective in preventing depressive symptoms during quarantine.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to identify factors influencing quality of life in post-menopausal women. @*Methods@#The participants were 194 post-menopausal women who visited a women’s clinic in Changwon, Korea from July 1 to August 31, 2018, and completed questionnaires containing items on menopausal symptoms, marital intimacy, current menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), and quality of life. Collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression using SPSS for Windows version 23.0. @*Results@#Quality of life had a significant negative correlation with menopausal symptoms (r=–.40, p<.001), and a significant positive correlation with marital intimacy (r=.54, p<.001). The factors influencing the quality of life of post-menopausal women were current MHT (t=6.32, p<.001), marital intimacy (t=4.94, p<.001), monthly family income (t=4.78, p<.001), menopausal symptoms (t=–4.37, p<.001), and education level (t=3.66, p<.001). These variables had an explanatory power of 59.2% for quality of life in post-menopausal women. @*Conclusion@#In order to improve the quality of life of post-menopausal women, nursing interventions are needed to help menopausal women choose appropriate MHT, alleviate menopausal symptoms, and increase marital intimacy. Interventions should also be prioritized for women of a low educational level and with a low income in consideration of their health problems.
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BACKGROUND@#Barley is a grain that is consumed in various forms in Asia. Studies on barley allergy are limited to a few case reports about hypersensitivity reactions to beer, but there is no barley allergy study in children. This study aimed to identify the phenotype and immunologic findings in Korean children with barley allergy.@*METHODS@#Forty-two participants with a history of ingesting barley who underwent serum specific immunoglobulin E to barley (barley-sIgE) assay at the Department of Pediatrics in Ajou Medical Center were enrolled through a retrospective analysis of medical records from March 2008 to February 2018. The demographic characteristics, symptoms, and immunologic parameters of the patients were assessed.@*RESULTS@#Twenty subjects presented with clinical barley allergy (B-allergic group), and 22 were atopic controls without allergic reactions after the ingestion of barley (B-tolerant group). The median ages of the B-allergic and B-tolerant groups were 1 and 3 years, respectively. In the B-allergic group, the cutaneous system (90.0%) was most frequently affected, followed by the respiratory system (40.0%). Anaphylaxis was observed in 35.0% of the B-allergic group. The median level of barley-sIgE was 13.90 kU(A)/L (range, 0.14–101.00 kU(A)/L) in the B-allergic group, and this value was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that of the B-tolerant group (0.30 kU(A)/L; range, 0.01–24.40 kU(A)/L), with an optimal cutoff level of 1.24 kU(A)/L (sensitivity, 85.0%; specificity, 86.4%). A positive correlation was found between the serum levels of barley-sIgE and wheat-sIgE in the B-allergic group with clinical wheat allergy.@*CONCLUSION@#Barley is an important allergen for children in Korea. This study showed the clinical characteristics of barley allergy and suggested optimal cut-off levels of barley-sIgE for clinical barley allergy. Clinically, cross-reactivity or co-sensitization is often observed between barley and wheat.
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The purposes of this study were to determine the effects of a disaster training education for hospital nurses in terms of attitudes, preparedness, and competence of disaster nursing. Methods: One group pretest and posttest design was adopted. Data were collected from April 20th to May 20th, 2017 using 80 hospital nurses enrolled at a tertiary hospital located in D city. Results: The levels of attitudes (t=-2.31, p=.024), preparedness (t=-7.67, p<.001), and competencies (t=-16.82, p<.001) of disaster nursing at the posttest were significantly higher than those of the pretest. There were statistically significant relationships among nurses' attitudes, preparedness, and competencies of disaster nursing. The attitudes and preparedness of disaster nursing had significant effects on the competencies of disaster nursing. Conclusion: Disaster training education improved attitudes, preparedness, and competencies of disaster nursing in hospital nurses. Therefore, it is recommended to develop more practical disaster training education programs toward hospital nurses as well as nursing students as a way to enhance the competence of disaster nursing.
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Background@#This study aims to analyze the effects of air pollutants, such as particular matter, to the number of outpatient visits for allergic rhinitis in eup, myeon, and dong administrative boundaries. @*Methods@#Dependent variable was the number of outpatient visits for allergic rhinitis per 10,000 people by region. Independent variables were air pollutants such as PM10 , PM2.5, SO2 , O3 , CO2 , NO2 , and temperature that estimated by using Kriging analysis in all eup, myeon, and dong boundaries. Panel analysis was applied for the analysis to prove the relation between outpatient visits and the concentration of air pollutants. @*Results@#Analysis results showed that particular matter concentration varied by regions and season. Panel analysis showed that outpatient visits for allergic rhinitis had positive relationships with PM10 , PM2.5 , SO2 , O3 , and CO2 in all panel models. @*Conclusion@#Regional variation of particular matter concentration should be considered in establishing regional policies for allergic rhinitis.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to identify factors influencing quality of life in post-menopausal women. @*Methods@#The participants were 194 post-menopausal women who visited a women’s clinic in Changwon, Korea from July 1 to August 31, 2018, and completed questionnaires containing items on menopausal symptoms, marital intimacy, current menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), and quality of life. Collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression using SPSS for Windows version 23.0. @*Results@#Quality of life had a significant negative correlation with menopausal symptoms (r=–.40, p<.001), and a significant positive correlation with marital intimacy (r=.54, p<.001). The factors influencing the quality of life of post-menopausal women were current MHT (t=6.32, p<.001), marital intimacy (t=4.94, p<.001), monthly family income (t=4.78, p<.001), menopausal symptoms (t=–4.37, p<.001), and education level (t=3.66, p<.001). These variables had an explanatory power of 59.2% for quality of life in post-menopausal women. @*Conclusion@#In order to improve the quality of life of post-menopausal women, nursing interventions are needed to help menopausal women choose appropriate MHT, alleviate menopausal symptoms, and increase marital intimacy. Interventions should also be prioritized for women of a low educational level and with a low income in consideration of their health problems.
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BACKGROUND@#Barley is a grain that is consumed in various forms in Asia. Studies on barley allergy are limited to a few case reports about hypersensitivity reactions to beer, but there is no barley allergy study in children. This study aimed to identify the phenotype and immunologic findings in Korean children with barley allergy.@*METHODS@#Forty-two participants with a history of ingesting barley who underwent serum specific immunoglobulin E to barley (barley-sIgE) assay at the Department of Pediatrics in Ajou Medical Center were enrolled through a retrospective analysis of medical records from March 2008 to February 2018. The demographic characteristics, symptoms, and immunologic parameters of the patients were assessed.@*RESULTS@#Twenty subjects presented with clinical barley allergy (B-allergic group), and 22 were atopic controls without allergic reactions after the ingestion of barley (B-tolerant group). The median ages of the B-allergic and B-tolerant groups were 1 and 3 years, respectively. In the B-allergic group, the cutaneous system (90.0%) was most frequently affected, followed by the respiratory system (40.0%). Anaphylaxis was observed in 35.0% of the B-allergic group. The median level of barley-sIgE was 13.90 kU(A)/L (range, 0.14–101.00 kU(A)/L) in the B-allergic group, and this value was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that of the B-tolerant group (0.30 kU(A)/L; range, 0.01–24.40 kU(A)/L), with an optimal cutoff level of 1.24 kU(A)/L (sensitivity, 85.0%; specificity, 86.4%). A positive correlation was found between the serum levels of barley-sIgE and wheat-sIgE in the B-allergic group with clinical wheat allergy.@*CONCLUSION@#Barley is an important allergen for children in Korea. This study showed the clinical characteristics of barley allergy and suggested optimal cut-off levels of barley-sIgE for clinical barley allergy. Clinically, cross-reactivity or co-sensitization is often observed between barley and wheat.
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The purposes of this study were to determine the effects of a disaster training education for hospital nurses in terms of attitudes, preparedness, and competence of disaster nursing. Methods: One group pretest and posttest design was adopted. Data were collected from April 20th to May 20th, 2017 using 80 hospital nurses enrolled at a tertiary hospital located in D city. Results: The levels of attitudes (t=-2.31, p=.024), preparedness (t=-7.67, p<.001), and competencies (t=-16.82, p<.001) of disaster nursing at the posttest were significantly higher than those of the pretest. There were statistically significant relationships among nurses' attitudes, preparedness, and competencies of disaster nursing. The attitudes and preparedness of disaster nursing had significant effects on the competencies of disaster nursing. Conclusion: Disaster training education improved attitudes, preparedness, and competencies of disaster nursing in hospital nurses. Therefore, it is recommended to develop more practical disaster training education programs toward hospital nurses as well as nursing students as a way to enhance the competence of disaster nursing.
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Subject(s)
Child , Humans , Anaphylaxis , Asia , Beer , Eating , Food Hypersensitivity , Hordeum , Hypersensitivity , Immunoglobulin E , Immunoglobulins , Korea , Medical Records , Pediatrics , Phenotype , Respiratory System , Retrospective Studies , Sensitivity and Specificity , Triticum , Wheat HypersensitivityABSTRACT
Purpose@#As industries develop rapidly, the risk of heavy metals pollution and exposure in the environmentand food is increasing. Even the slightest amount of heavy metals can be harmful to the human body, especiallyin newborn babies. This study aimed to estimate the heavy metals content in breast milk and identifyrelated factors. @*Methods@#Thirty-nine lactating mothers admitted to the postpartum care center in Changwon city betweenJuly 15 and September 20, 2019 were recruited. Barium, cadmium, cobalt, nickel, and lead concentrationsin breast milk were measured using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. Collecteddata were analyzed using independent t-test, 1-way analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U-test,Kruskal-Wallis test, and Pearson correlation coefficients. @*Results@#The average concentration of heavy metals in breast milk (mg/kg) were as fellow: barium, 3.68±1.29; cadmium, 0.03±0.06; cobalt, 0.10±0.19; nickel, 0.22±0.27; and lead, 0.13±0.26. There was a significantdifference between lead concentration and monthly household income (t=2.46, p=0.019). Therewas a difference between a family history of diabetes and hypertension and barium concentration (t=1.97,p=0.056) and between smoking history and nickel concentration (t=-1.95, p=0.058), but they were notstatistically significant. A significantly positive correlation was observed between cobalt and cadmiumconcentrations (r=0.93, p<0.001), and a significant negative correlation was observed between nickel andcadmium concentrations (r=-0.40, p=0.010) and cobalt concentration (r=-0.46, p=0.003). In addition,lead concentration showed a significant negative correlation with age (r=-0.39, p=0.013). @*Conclusions@#Guidelines for safe levels of heavy metals concentrations in breast milk need to be establishedand lactating mothers should consider the risk factors related to heavy metals poisoning such as dietaryintake, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
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Purpose@#Recent studies of food allergy (FA) at all ages are scanty in Korea. We performed this study to better understand severity-related and age-stratified causes of FA from infants to older adults in a single tertiary hospital in Korea. @*Methods@#A retrospective medical record review was performed on patients of all ages diagnosed with immediate-type FA between March 2008 and February 2018 in Ajou University Hospital. @*Results@#A total of 4,680 cases of FA among 2,733 patients were reported. The distribution of onset ages of the first FA symptom was as follows: 45.3% below 2 years, 16.2% at 2–6 years, 5.5% at 7–12 years, 4.0% at 13–18 years, 16.9% at 19–40 years, 10.4% at 41–65 years, and 1.8% above 65 years of age. The major 10 causative foods were hen’s eggs (17.2%), cow’s milk (16.7%), wheat (8.6%), crustaceans (8.5%), fish (4.6%), walnuts (4.4%), pork (3.2%), peanuts (3.2%), shellfish (3.0%), and peach (2.2%). The culprits ranked from the 11th to the 20th were as follows: soybean, apple, chicken, buckwheat, beef, kiwi, almonds, perilla seeds, tomato, and squid. The top 3 causative foods in children were hen’s eggs, cow’s milk, and wheat, while those in adults were crustaceans, wheat, and fish. Food-induced anaphylaxis was reported in 29.2% of all cases, with cow’s milk, hen’s eggs, wheat, crustaceans, fish, walnuts, pork, shellfish, buckwheat, and peanuts being the major 10 causes. @*Conclusion@#This study could provide a better understanding of the detailed ranks of the causes of FA according to severity and age in Korea.
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OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of mobile health applications in changing health-related behaviors and clinical health outcomes. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in this study. We conducted a comprehensive bibliographic search of articles on health behavior changes related to the use of mobile health applications in peer-reviewed journals published between January 1, 2000 and May 31, 2017. We used databases including CHINAHL, Ovid-Medline, EMBASE, and PubMed. The risk of bias assessment of the retrieved articles was examined using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. RESULTS: A total of 20 articles met the inclusion criteria. Sixteen among 20 studies reported that applications have a positive impact on the targeted health behaviors or clinical health outcomes. In addition, most of the studies, which examined the satisfaction of participants, showed health app users have a statistically significant higher satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the high risk of bias, such as selection, performance, and detection, this systematic review found that the use of mobile health applications has a positive impact on health-related behaviors and clinical health outcomes. Application users were more satisfied with using mobile health applications to manage their health in comparison to users of conventional care.
Subject(s)
Bias , Health Behavior , Mobile Applications , Smartphone , TelemedicineABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contributions and limitations of the cervical cancer screening test with accuracy in Korea. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study. The study population consisted of all participants who underwent cervical cancer screening test from 2009 to 2014. The data were obtained from National Health Information Database (NHID) which represents medical use records of most Koreans. As the indices for contributions and limitations of the screening test, crude detection rate, incidence rate of interval cancer, sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value were used. RESULTS: The crude detection rate of screening test per 100,000 participants increased from 100.7 in 2009 to 102.1 in 2014. The incidence rate of interval cancer per 100,000 negatives decreased from 13.0 in 2009 to 10.2 in 2014. The sensitivities of screening test were 88.7% in 2009 and 91.2% in 2014, and the specificities were 98.5% in 2009 and 97.7% in 2014. The positive predictive value of screening decreased from 6.2% in 2009 to 4.3% in 2014. CONCLUSIONS: The Korean national cervical cancer screening program has improved in accuracy and has contributed to detection of early stage of cervical cancer over the years. Along with efforts to promote participation in cancer screening programs, quality control over the screening program should be enhanced.