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Background@#Burnout syndrome (BOS) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. This study aims to create the Korean version burnout syndrome scale (KBOSS) that conforms to WHO’s definition of BOS and present the cut-off points for screening. @*Methods@#We developed the KBOSS based on WHO’s definition of BOS. An online survey was conducted through a specialized online research company. We recruited 444 workers for this research. The validity of the KBOSS was assessed using factor analysis and Pearson’s correlation. The KBOSS reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The cut-off points for each of the three dimensions were derived using the upper quartile score. @*Results@#The validity and reliability of the KBOSS were good. Regarding reliability, the scale’s overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.813. Cronbach’s alpha of each three-dimension was as follows: exhaustion, 0.916; cynicism, 0.865; and professional inefficacy, 0.819. The cut-off points of BOS three dimensions are exhaustion ≧ 21; cynicism ≧ 18; and inefficacy ≧ 15. @*Conclusion@#The developed questionnaire (KBOSS) can be a useful tool for screening of BOS.
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Background@#This study aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in employment status and new-onset depressive symptoms through a one-year follow-up of permanent waged workers. @*Methods@#We analyzed the open-source data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study. Using the 2017 data, we selected 2,314 permanent waged workers aged 19 to 59 years without depressive symptoms as a base group. The final analysis targeted 2,073 workers who were followed up in 2018. In 2018, there were five categories of employment status for workers who were followed up: permanent, precarious, unemployed, self-employed, and economically inactive. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the association between employment status change and new-onset depressive symptoms. @*Results@#Adjusted multiple logistic regression analysis showed that among male workers, workers who went from permanent status to being unemployed (odds ratio: 4.50, 95% confidence interval: 1.19 to 17.06) and from permanent status to being precarious workers (odds ratio: 3.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.30 to 7.65) had significantly high levels of new-onset depressive symptoms compared with those who retained their permanent employment status. There were no significant increases in new-onset depressive symptoms of male workers who went from permanent status to being self-employed or economically inactive. On the other hand, no significant differences were found among female workers. @*Conclusion@#Our study suggests that the change of employment status to precarious workers or unemployment can cause new-onset depressive symptoms in male permanent waged workers.
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Background@#This study aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in employment status and new-onset depressive symptoms through a one-year follow-up of permanent waged workers. @*Methods@#We analyzed the open-source data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study. Using the 2017 data, we selected 2,314 permanent waged workers aged 19 to 59 years without depressive symptoms as a base group. The final analysis targeted 2,073 workers who were followed up in 2018. In 2018, there were five categories of employment status for workers who were followed up: permanent, precarious, unemployed, self-employed, and economically inactive. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the association between employment status change and new-onset depressive symptoms. @*Results@#Adjusted multiple logistic regression analysis showed that among male workers, workers who went from permanent status to being unemployed (odds ratio: 4.50, 95% confidence interval: 1.19 to 17.06) and from permanent status to being precarious workers (odds ratio: 3.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.30 to 7.65) had significantly high levels of new-onset depressive symptoms compared with those who retained their permanent employment status. There were no significant increases in new-onset depressive symptoms of male workers who went from permanent status to being self-employed or economically inactive. On the other hand, no significant differences were found among female workers. @*Conclusion@#Our study suggests that the change of employment status to precarious workers or unemployment can cause new-onset depressive symptoms in male permanent waged workers.
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Background@#The global labor market is moving towards increasing job instability. Relatively few studies have examined the relationship between precarious employment and subjective well-being using quantitative scales. We evaluated the association between wage workers' employment status and their subjective well-being through the Cantril ladder scale using Korean Welfare Panel Survey data (KOWEPS). @*Methods@#This study used KOWEPS data. A total of 4,423 wage workers were divided into permanently employed workers, temporarily employed workers and daily employed workers.The relationship between precarious employment and subjective well-being was analyzed by multiple linear regression adjusted for potential confounding factors. @*Results@#The more unstable the employment status, the lower the subjective well-being, which can be expressed by the Cantril ladder scale. The mean score of both temporarily employed and daily employed workers were statistically significantly lower (B = −0.454, p < 0.001; B = −0.994, p < 0.001, respectively) than permanently employed workers. This appeared to be the same when occupational and sociodemographic factors were adjusted (B = −0.153, p = 0.002 for temporarily employed, B = −0.610, p < 0.001 for daily employed). @*Conclusions@#The more unstable the employment status, the lower the subjective well-being score according to the Cantril ladder scale.
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Background@#Most of the studies that have examined the association between the sub-factors of occupational stress and depressive symptoms have used cross-sectional data. However, our study has longitudinally measured the occupational stress and depressive symptoms of Korean workers of a semiconductor manufacturing company across six years to intending to investigate the associations between the sub-factors of occupational stress and depressive symptoms using longitudinal data. @*Methods@#Data collected from the workers of a semiconductor manufacturing company.Out of 1,013 recruited workers, 405 (40.0%) completed the survey questionnaires at 3 and 6-year follow-ups. Occupational stress was measured using a shorter version of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS), whereas depressive symptoms were assessed using the Korean version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depressive Symptoms Scale (CES-D). The data of male and female participants independently analyzed. Longitudinal associations were analyzed using panel data analysis with fixed effects. @*Results@#In panel data analysis with fixed effects, job insecurity (B = 0.048, p-value = 0.004) was associated with depressive symptoms among male workers. In female workers, inadequate social support (B = 0.080, p-value < 0.001), job insecurity (B = 0.039, p-value = 0.004), lack of reward (B = 0.059, p-value = 0.004) and discomfort in occupational climate (B = 0.074, p-value < 0.001) were associated with depressive symptoms among female workers. @*Conclusions@#Temporal changes in the sub-factors of occupational stress were associated with changes in depressive symptoms within the same period. There was a gender difference in occupational stress sub-factors related to depressive symptoms.
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Background@#The global labor market is moving towards increasing job instability. Relatively few studies have examined the relationship between precarious employment and subjective well-being using quantitative scales. We evaluated the association between wage workers' employment status and their subjective well-being through the Cantril ladder scale using Korean Welfare Panel Survey data (KOWEPS). @*Methods@#This study used KOWEPS data. A total of 4,423 wage workers were divided into permanently employed workers, temporarily employed workers and daily employed workers.The relationship between precarious employment and subjective well-being was analyzed by multiple linear regression adjusted for potential confounding factors. @*Results@#The more unstable the employment status, the lower the subjective well-being, which can be expressed by the Cantril ladder scale. The mean score of both temporarily employed and daily employed workers were statistically significantly lower (B = −0.454, p < 0.001; B = −0.994, p < 0.001, respectively) than permanently employed workers. This appeared to be the same when occupational and sociodemographic factors were adjusted (B = −0.153, p = 0.002 for temporarily employed, B = −0.610, p < 0.001 for daily employed). @*Conclusions@#The more unstable the employment status, the lower the subjective well-being score according to the Cantril ladder scale.
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Background@#Most of the studies that have examined the association between the sub-factors of occupational stress and depressive symptoms have used cross-sectional data. However, our study has longitudinally measured the occupational stress and depressive symptoms of Korean workers of a semiconductor manufacturing company across six years to intending to investigate the associations between the sub-factors of occupational stress and depressive symptoms using longitudinal data. @*Methods@#Data collected from the workers of a semiconductor manufacturing company.Out of 1,013 recruited workers, 405 (40.0%) completed the survey questionnaires at 3 and 6-year follow-ups. Occupational stress was measured using a shorter version of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS), whereas depressive symptoms were assessed using the Korean version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depressive Symptoms Scale (CES-D). The data of male and female participants independently analyzed. Longitudinal associations were analyzed using panel data analysis with fixed effects. @*Results@#In panel data analysis with fixed effects, job insecurity (B = 0.048, p-value = 0.004) was associated with depressive symptoms among male workers. In female workers, inadequate social support (B = 0.080, p-value < 0.001), job insecurity (B = 0.039, p-value = 0.004), lack of reward (B = 0.059, p-value = 0.004) and discomfort in occupational climate (B = 0.074, p-value < 0.001) were associated with depressive symptoms among female workers. @*Conclusions@#Temporal changes in the sub-factors of occupational stress were associated with changes in depressive symptoms within the same period. There was a gender difference in occupational stress sub-factors related to depressive symptoms.
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BACKGROUND: The risk factors for renal cancer include smoking, obesity, hypertension, and exposure to trichloroethylene. Recent studies have shown that low sunlight exposure increases the risk of developing a range of cancers, including renal cancer. Given that most of the daytime is spent at work, a lack of occupational sunlight exposure can be a risk factor for renal cancer. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between occupational sunlight exposure and the incidence of renal cancer. METHODS: This was a university hospital-based case-control study on renal cancer. Of the 706 newly diagnosed patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), 633 cases were selected; 73 who had no occupational history were excluded. In addition, 633 controls were selected from the general population after 1:1 matching with respect to sex, age (within 5 years), and residential area (constituency-level). Information on sunlight exposure by the occupational group was referred to data from France. To estimate the association between occupational sunlight exposure and the RCC risk, the odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using conditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Sunlight exposure was divided into quartiles and the risk of RCC was analyzed. The adjusted OR of RCC (OR: 0.664, 95% confidence interval: 0.449–0.983) was significantly lower for the Q4 group than Q1 group but the Q2 and Q3 groups did not show significant results. The risk of RCC tended to decrease with increasing exposure to sunlight (p for trend < 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Higher occupational sunlight exposure reduces the risk of RCC.
Subject(s)
Humans , Carcinoma, Renal Cell , Case-Control Studies , France , Hypertension , Incidence , Kidney Neoplasms , Logistic Models , Obesity , Occupational Groups , Odds Ratio , Risk Factors , Smoke , Smoking , Sunlight , TrichloroethyleneABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Pre-travel medical consultation is essential to reduce health impairment during travel. Yellow fever vaccination (YFV) is mandatory to enter some endemic countries. In this study, we evaluated the factors that affect compliance with appropriate prevention of infectious diseases in travelers who visited clinic for YFV. METHODS: For this retrospective study, chart reviews for 658 patients who visited a travel clinic for YFV before travel were conducted. The period of this study was from January 2016 to September 2018. The associations between appropriate vaccination and factors such as travel duration, destination, time of visiting clinic before departure, and purpose of travel were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 658 patients who got YFV during the study period, 344 patients (52.3%) received additional vaccination or malaria prophylaxis following a physician's recommendation. Travelers who visited the clinic more than 21 days before departure were more compliant than those who visited 14 days or fewer before departure (odds ratio [OR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–2.93; P = 0.004). Travelers visiting Africa were more compliant than were those traveling to South and Central America (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.34–2.90; P = 0.001). Travelers in age groups of 40-49 years and over 70 years were less compliant than the 18–29 years old population (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.28–0.93; P = 0.027 and OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.04–0.84; P = 0.03, respectively). Also, those who traveled for tour or to visit friends or relatives were more compliant than those who departed for business (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 1.03–3.56; P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: For appropriate vaccination, pre-travel consultation at least 3 weeks before departure is crucial. Travelers should be aware of required vaccination and malaria prophylaxis before visiting South and Central America and Asia. Plans to enhance compliance of the elderly and business travelers should be contrived.
Subject(s)
Aged , Humans , Africa , Asia , Central America , Commerce , Communicable Diseases , Compliance , Friends , Malaria , Patient Compliance , Retrospective Studies , Travel Medicine , Vaccination , Yellow Fever , Yellow Fever VaccineABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Occupational injuries increase burden on society as well as personal health. Low satisfaction with life may not only increases the risk of occupational injuries directly, but also influences other factors that increase the risk of occupational injury. Along with previous studies on the risk of occupational injury, we sought to explore the relationship between satisfaction with life and occupational injury. METHODS: The study participants were 6234workers health screened at a university hospital in Incheon. Information on occupational injury and satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) was obtained in a self-report format. Participants were allocated to one of four SWLS groups; the dissatisfied group, the slightly dissatisfied group, the slightly satisfied group, and the satisfied group. The analysis was performed using the chi-square test primarily and by logistic regression adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: In men, the un-adjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of low satisfaction with life (SWLS< 20) were 1.98(CI1.55–2.53) and 1.81(CI 1.41–2.32), respectively. When the SWLS were divided into four groups, the adjusted ORs of the slightly satisfied (20–25), slightly dissatisfied(15–19), and dissatisfied(≤14) groups were 1.21, 1.72, and 2.70, respectively. That is ORs tended to increase linearly with decreasing SWLS score (p for trend < 0.001). In women, this relation was of borderline significance at best. When subjects were dichotomized based on SWLS scores, for males, the cured and adjusted RRs of occupational injury in the low satisfaction with life group were1.91 (95% CI: 1.50–2.42) and 1.66 (95% CI: 1.30–2.13), and for females, the adjusted-RR was marginally significant (1.67; 95% CI: 0.93–2.99). When subjects were divided into four groups by SWLS scores, adjusted RRs tended to increase linearly with decreasing SWLS score for males (slightly satisfied: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.77–1.82; slightly dissatisfied: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.08–2.52; dissatisfied: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.44–3.42; p for trend < 0.001) and for females (slightly satisfied: 1.17, 95% CI: 0.42–3.30; slightly dissatisfied: 1.56, 95% CI: 0.56–4.36; dissatisfied: 2.38, 95% CI: 0.84–6.74; p for trend = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the risk of occupational injury was higher in workers not satisfied with life, and indicates attention to satisfaction with life may promote the health of workers.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Accidents, Occupational , Logistic Models , Occupational Injuries , Odds RatioABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the frequency of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels among Korean adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Factors affecting the SMBG frequency were analyzed in order to improve their glycemic control. METHODS: Sixty-one adolescents aged 13 to 18 years with T1DM were included from one tertiary center. Clinical and biochemical variables were recorded. Factors associated with SMBG frequency were assessed using structured self-reported questionnaires. RESULTS: Average total daily SMBG frequency was 3.8±2.1 and frequency during the school day was 1.3±1.2. The mean HbA1c level was 8.6%±1.4%. As the daily SMBG frequency increased, HbA1c levels declined (P=0.001). The adjusted odds of achieving the target HbA1c in participants who performed daily SMBG ≥5 significantly increased 9.87 folds (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58 to 61.70) compared with those performed SMBG four times a day. In the subjects whose SMBG frequency < 1/day during the school day, an 80% reduction in the adjusted odds ratio 0.2 (95% CI, 0.05 to 0.86) showed compared to the group with performing two SMBG measurements in the school setting. The number of SMBG testing performed at school was significantly high for individuals assisted by their friends (P=0.031) and for those who did SMBG in the classrooms (P=0.039). CONCLUSION: Higher SMBG frequency was significantly associated with lower HbA1c in Korean adolescents with T1DM. It would be necessary to establish the school environments that can facilitate adequate glycemic control, including frequent SMBG.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Humans , Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring , Blood Glucose , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 , Friends , Glycated Hemoglobin , Odds RatioABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to assess the validity and reliability of general job satisfaction (JS) in the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS). METHODS: We used the data from the 17th wave (2014) of the nationwide KLIPS, which selected a representative panel sample of Korean households and individuals aged 15 or older residing in urban areas. We included in this study 7679 employed subjects (4529 males and 3150 females). The general JS instrument consisted of five items rated on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The general JS reliability was assessed using the corrected item-total correlation and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The validity of general JS was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: The corrected item-total correlations ranged from 0.736 to 0.837. Therefore, no items were removed. Cronbach's alpha for general JS was 0.925, indicating excellent internal consistency. The CFA of the general JS model showed a good fit. Pearson's correlation coefficients for convergent validity showed moderate or strong correlations. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in our study confirm the validity and reliability of general JS.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Family Characteristics , Job Satisfaction , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cat-scratch disease (CSD), caused by Bartonella henselae is one of the most common zoonosis. However, only several cases of B. henselae infection have been reported in Korea. This study investigated the seroprevalence of B. henselae in healthy adults and related risk factors. METHODS: Serum samples from 300 healthy participants were analyzed using an immunoglobulin G immunof luorescence assay (IFA) for B. henselae isolated in Korea. Surveys on the risk factors for B. henselae infection were conducted simultaneously. RESULTS: Of the participants, 47.7% and 15.0% raised dogs and cats, respectively. The overall seroprevalence of B. henselae was 15.0% (IFA titer ≥ 1:64). Participants who had raised cats showed 22.2% seropositivity against B. henselae, and those with no experience with cats showed 13.7% seroprevalence (p = 0.17). Participants who had cats as pets or been scratched by cats, showed 9.8% seropositivity against B. henselae (IFA titer ≥ 1:256). However, those who had not raised or been scratched by a cat showed 2.0% seropositivity (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, the seroprevalence of B. henselae is higher than expected, suggesting that Bartonella infection due to B. henselae is not uncommon. Cats are proposed to play a more important role than dogs in transmission of CSD.
Subject(s)
Adult , Animals , Cats , Dogs , Humans , Bartonella henselae , Bartonella Infections , Bartonella , Cat-Scratch Disease , Healthy Volunteers , Immunoglobulin G , Korea , Risk Factors , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cat-scratch disease (CSD), caused by Bartonella henselae is one of the most common zoonosis. However, only several cases of B. henselae infection have been reported in Korea. This study investigated the seroprevalence of B. henselae in healthy adults and related risk factors. METHODS: Serum samples from 300 healthy participants were analyzed using an immunoglobulin G immunof luorescence assay (IFA) for B. henselae isolated in Korea. Surveys on the risk factors for B. henselae infection were conducted simultaneously. RESULTS: Of the participants, 47.7% and 15.0% raised dogs and cats, respectively. The overall seroprevalence of B. henselae was 15.0% (IFA titer ≥ 1:64). Participants who had raised cats showed 22.2% seropositivity against B. henselae, and those with no experience with cats showed 13.7% seroprevalence (p = 0.17). Participants who had cats as pets or been scratched by cats, showed 9.8% seropositivity against B. henselae (IFA titer ≥ 1:256). However, those who had not raised or been scratched by a cat showed 2.0% seropositivity (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, the seroprevalence of B. henselae is higher than expected, suggesting that Bartonella infection due to B. henselae is not uncommon. Cats are proposed to play a more important role than dogs in transmission of CSD.
Subject(s)
Adult , Animals , Cats , Dogs , Humans , Bartonella henselae , Bartonella Infections , Bartonella , Cat-Scratch Disease , Healthy Volunteers , Immunoglobulin G , Korea , Risk Factors , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Osteoporosis occurs more frequently in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients than in healthy individuals. This study investigated the appropriate bone mineral density (BMD) measurement interval and risk factors associated with osteoporosis for RA patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on 511 RA patients aged more than 40 years old who had undergone BMD testing more than once and who had normal BMD or osteopenia at the baseline BMD test and no history of any fracture of the spine or femur. The subjects were categorized into four subgroups: normal BMD (T-score > -1), mild (-1 ≥ T-score > -1.5), moderate (-1.5 ≥ T-score > -2), and advanced (-2 ≥ T-score > -2.5) osteopenia. The BMD testing interval was defined as the estimated time for 10% of the RA patients to make the transition to osteoporosis without osteoporotic fracture or the administration of any osteoporosis drug. RESULTS: The observation period was 2,214 patient-years, with an average of 4.3 years. The estimated BMD testing interval was more than 10 years for normal, 4.3 years for mild, 2.5 years for moderate, and 1.5 years for advanced osteopenia in each of the RA patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that in normal or osteopenic RA groups, a baseline BMD T-score is the most important factor in estimating the interval in which osteoporosis is predicted to occur. In addition, we recommend that the BMD measuring interval should be greater than 10 years in normal BMD RA patients, 4 years in mild, 2 years in moderate, and 1 year in advanced osteopenic RA patients on the basis of L-spine BMD.
Subject(s)
Humans , Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Bone Density , Bone Diseases, Metabolic , Femur , Osteoporosis , Osteoporotic Fractures , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , SpineABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Worldwide, exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) has been responsible for more than 0.6 million deaths and 10.9 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYS) lost in never smokers in 2004. The world health organization (WHO) reported smoking-related death of 58,000 per year in South Korea. There is recent emerging evidence of the associations of SHS exposure with anxiety or depression and poor mental health. Although exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) has been associated with various physical health conditions and mental health, we are unaware of any studies examining its association with psychological well-being as mental factor. This study aimed to investigate the association between self-reported exposure to SHS and well-being among non-smoking wageworkers. METHODS: The Third Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS, 2011) was conducted on a representative sample of economically active population aged 15 years or over, who were either employees or self-employed at the time of interview. In this study, after removing inconsistent data, 19,879 non-smoking wageworkers among 60,054 workers were participated. Psychological well-being was measured through the WHO-Five Well-Being Index (1998 version). Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the association of SHS exposure with psychological well-being. RESULTS: The unadjusted OR of poor psychological well-being (OR: 1.594, 95 % CI: 1.421-1.787) was significantly higher for SHS exposure group compared to non-exposure group. Multiple logistic regression analysis results indicated that these relationships were still significant after adjusting for potential confounders (adjusted OR: 1.330, 95 % CI: 1.178-1.502). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to SHS was associated with poor well-being measured by the WHO-5 well-being index, indicating the importance of reducing SHS exposure at the workplace for psychological well-being amongst non-smoking wageworkers.
Subject(s)
Anxiety , Depression , Korea , Logistic Models , Mental Health , Republic of Korea , Smoke , World Health OrganizationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Flumazenil was administered after the completion of endoscopy under sedation to reduce recovery time and increase patient safety. We evaluated patient satisfaction after endoscopy under sedation according to the timing of a postprocedural flumazenil injection. METHODS: In total, 200 subjects undergoing concurrent colonoscopy and upper endoscopy while sedated with midazolam and meperidine were enrolled in our investigation. We randomly administered 0.3 mg of flumazenil either immediately or 15 minutes after the endoscopic procedure. A postprocedural questionnaire and next day telephone interview were conducted to assess patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Flumazenil injection timing did not affect the time spent in the recovery room when comparing the two groups of patients. However, the subjects in the 15 minutes injection group were more satisfied with undergoing endoscopy under sedation than the patients in the immediate injection group according to the postprocedural survey (p=0.019). However, no difference in overall satisfaction, memory, or willingness to undergo a future endoscopy was observed between the two groups when the telephone survey was conducted on the following day. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that a delayed flumazenil injection after endoscopic sedation increased patient satisfaction without prolonging recovery time, even though the benefit of the delayed flumazenil injection did not persist into the following day.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Anesthesia Recovery Period , Endoscopy/adverse effects , Flumazenil/administration & dosage , GABA Modulators/administration & dosage , Memory/drug effects , Pain/epidemiology , Patient Satisfaction , Prospective Studies , Time Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine whether skin temperature measurement by digital thermography on hands and feet is useful for diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP). Fifty-seven patients with RP (primary RP, n = 33; secondary RP, n = 24) and 146 healthy volunteers were recruited. After acclimation to room temperature for 30 min, thermal imaging of palmar aspect of hands and dorsal aspect of feet were taken. Temperature differences between palm (center) and the coolest finger and temperature differences between foot dorsum (center) and first toe significantly differed between patients and controls. The area under curve analysis showed that temperature difference of the coolest finger (cutoff value: 2.2degrees C) differentiated RP patients from controls (sensitivity/specificity: 67/60%, respectively). Temperature differences of first toe (cutoff value: 3.11degrees C) also discriminated RP patients (sensitivity/specificity: about 73/66%, respectively). A combination of thermographic assessment of the coolest finger and first toe was highly effective in men (sensitivity/specificity : about 88/60%, respectively) while thermographic assessment of first toe was solely sufficient for women (sensitivity/specificity: about 74/68%, respectively). Thermographic assessment of the coolest finger and first toe is useful for diagnosing RP. In women, thermography of first toe is highly recommended.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Fingers/physiology , ROC Curve , Raynaud Disease/diagnosis , Sensitivity and Specificity , Skin Temperature , Thermography , Toes/physiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Working conditions can exert influence on the physical, mental, and even social health of workers. Well-being is an appropriate index for the evaluation of a person's overall health. This paper investigated the association between various working conditions and worker's well-being. METHODS: Data from 10,019 interviews were collected from the second wave of the Korean Working Conditions Survey (2010) conducted by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency between June and October 2010. The data from 5,995 employed workers were examined in this study. Well-being was measured through the WHO Five Well-Being Index (1998 version). Sociodemographic and working conditions were analyzed. Adjusted odds ratios for well-being were calculated with adjusted sociodemographic factors, working condition factors, or both. RESULTS: Workers' well-being was significantly higher when they were satisfied with their working conditions (OR = 1.656, 95% CI = 1.454-1.885), when their actual working hours were the same as their anticipated working hours (OR = 1.366, 95% CI: 1.120-1.666) or exceeding less than 10 hours (OR = 1.245, 95% CI: 1.004-1.543), and when their employment was stable (OR = 1.269, 95% CI: 1.098-1.467). CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the association between working condition factors and well-being in workers.
Subject(s)
Employment , Korea , Occupational Health , Odds RatioABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Our aim was to assess whether short-term treatment with soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor affects circulating markers of bone metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: Thirty-three active RA patients, treated with oral disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and glucocorticoids for > 6 months, were administered etanercept for 12 weeks. Serum levels of bone metabolism markers were compared among patients treated with DMARDs at baseline and after etanercept treatment, normal controls and naive RA patients not previously treated with DMARDs (both age- and gender-matched). RESULTS: Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSALP) and serum c-telopeptide (CTX)-1 levels were lower in RA patients treated with DMARDs than in DMARD-naive RA patients. After 12 weeks of etanercept treatment, serum CTX-1 and sclerostin levels increased. In patients whose DAS28 improved, the sclerostin level increased from 1.67 +/- 2.12 pg/mL at baseline to 2.51 +/- 3.03 pg/mL, which was statistically significant (p = 0.021). Increases in sclerostin levels after etanercept treatment were positively correlated with those of serum CTX-1 (r = 0.775), as were those of BSALP (r = 0.755). CONCLUSIONS: RA patients treated with DMARDs showed depressed bone metabolism compared to naive RA patients. Increases in serum CTX-1 and sclerostin levels after short-term etanercept treatment suggest reconstitution of bone metabolism homeostasis.