The Role of Clinical Pathologists in Nosocomial Infection Control in Korea: Challenge in the New Millennium / 대한임상병리학회지

Systemic nosocomial infection control programs were instituted for the first time in Korea by two university hospitals in Seoul in 1991 when full-time infection control nurses were employed. Since then, infection control programs and activities have been expanded to many university hospitals throughout the country, thanks to an increasing awareness of the importance of preventing nosocomial infections by the government, medical and academic communities and citizens' groups. However, progress has been slow. The tow major problems are: 1) the lack of financial incentives for the hospitals to prevent nosocomial infections ; and 2) a shortage of trained professionals, namely, the infection control nurse and the infection control physician. This review is to summerize the components of cost-effective infection control programs, and the current state of and the problems in the infection control in Korea; and to recommend the clinical pathologist a new role as a infection control physician, which will help not only to activate the infection control programs in the country, but also to reduce the financial loss of the hospital caused by nosocomial infections under the prospective payment system based on diagnosis related groups.

Running A Closed User Group for an Academic Society: Experience with The Korean Society of Clinical Pathologist' Information Network / 대한의료정보학회지

Korean Society of Clinical Pathologists' Information Network(KSCPIN) began its service as a Closed User Group (CUG) In HiTEL. one of the major information providers in Korea, on March 2nd, 1995. The KSCPIN is the first and the only society which has its own information network among the Regular Member Society of Korean Medical Association. As the name CUG implies. this network is opened only for the members of the society. The main concept of KSCPCIN is to offer various informations and opinion exchange sites only to the society members. For providing various laboratory related informations to every one, we accepted non-society members as KSCPIN members to make KSCPIN as an opened CUG. KSCPIN now offers various bulletins and library not only for the society members, except for some limitations. KSCPIN consists of 115 clinical pathologists, 60 clinical pathology residents, 34 business men, 26 physicians, and 15 others making the total members of 262 at present. With new definition of members and new menu, KSCPIN was self-estimated as a successful CUG, and we recommend the utilization of CUG for all academic societies. In near future, we are going to move the CUG on the internet. which is our finalgoal.