Instructor factors associated with medical students’ lecture evaluation: a longitudinal analysis / 한국의학교육

Purpose@#This study identified factors that affect lecture evaluation by analyzing sophomores from Dankook University, examining each cluster’s characteristics, and comparing differences among trajectories. @*Methods@#This study identified factors that affect lecture evaluation by analyzing sophomores from Dankook University, examining each cluster’s characteristics, and comparing differences among trajectories. @*Results@#The lecture evaluation score decreased as the teaching hours per instructor in a year increased by an hour, and the number of instructors per lecture increased by one individual. During trajectory analysis, the first trajectory had lower lecture evaluation scores overall but relatively high appropriateness of the textbook and punctuality of class, whereas the second trajectory had higher lecture evaluation scores overall for all four items. @*Conclusion@#The two trajectories showed differences in teaching methods (understanding of lecture content and usefulness of the lecture) rather than in external factors (appropriateness of the textbook and punctuality of class). Therefore, to improve lecture satisfaction, enhancing instructors’ instructional competencies through lectures and adjusting the teaching hours by assigning an adequate number of instructors per lecture are recommended.

Effect of night shift work on the control of hypertension and diabetes in workers taking medication

BACKGROUND: Night shift work induces physiological and psychological stress by altering sleep and biological rhythms and is associated with hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. Few studies have been conducted on the control of hypertension and diabetes. This study aimed to examine the effect of night shift work on the control rate of hypertension and diabetes. METHODS: Subjects comprised workers aged 20–65 years who underwent specific health examination at a single facility in seven different affiliated examination centers from 1 January to 31 December 2016. Workers were categorised into day workers and night shift workers. Demographic and medical history were taken, and physical examination was done. Blood pressure (BP) and fasting glucose were measured. The control rate of each disease was evaluated based on treatment goals presented in the treatment guidelines of the Korean Society of Hypertension and the Korean Diabetes Association (systolic BP < 140 mmHg and diastolic BP < 90 mmHg; fasting glucose ≤ 130 mg/dL). RESULTS: Among 631,418 subjects, 11.2% (70,450) were night shift workers. Of whom 6.1% (4,319) were taking antihypertensive medication and 2.5% (1,775) were taking diabetes medication. Among patients taking antihypertensive medications, the proportion of those whose BP was controlled to suit treatment goals was 81.7% (26,635) of day workers and 77.4% (3,343) of night shift workers, which was significantly different (p < 0.001). Among patients taking diabetes medications, the proportion of those whose blood glucose was controlled to suit treatment goals was 37.4% (4,489) of day workers and 36.5% (647) of night shift workers, but the difference was not significant. The control rates for patients taking antihypertensive medications (odds ratio [OR]: 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.68–0.80) were lower among night shift workers than day workers with adjustment for age, sex, smoking history, alcohol consumption, exercise, and obesity. However, there were no differences in control rates for patients taking diabetes medications (OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.87–1.10) between day workers and night shift workers. CONCLUSIONS: Night shift work can have an effect on the uncontrolled BP in workers taking antihypertensive medications. Therefore, additional efforts for disease control are necessary for night shift workers with hypertension.

The relationship between emotional labor status and workplace violence among toll collectors

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify the emotional labor and workplace violence status among toll collectors by assessing and comparing the same with that in workers in other service occupation. It also aimed to analyze the relationship between emotional labor and workplace violence. METHODS: This study examined emotional labor and workplace violence status in 264 female toll collectors from August 20 to September 4, 2015. The emotional labor was assessed using the Korean Emotional Labor Scale (K-ELS), and a questionnaire was used to examine the presence or absence, and type and frequency of workplace violence experienced by the subjects. A linear regression analysis was also performed to analyze the relationship between workplace violence and emotional labor. RESULTS: The scores on “emotional demanding and regulation (p < 0.001),”“overload and conflict in customer service (p = 0.005),”“emotional disharmony and hurt (p < 0.001),” and “organizational surveillance and monitoring (p < 0.001)” among the sub-categories of emotional labor were significantly high and indicated “at-risk” levels of emotional labor in those who experienced workplace violence, whereas they were “normal” of emotional labor in those who did not. Even after being adjusted in the linear regression analysis, the emotional labor scores for the above 4 sub-categories were still significantly high in those who experienced workplace violence. On comparing the present scores with 13 other service occupations, it was found that toll collectors had the highest level in “emotional disharmony and hurt,”“organizational surveillance and monitoring,” and “organizational supportive and protective system”. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the toll collectors engaged in a high level of emotional labor. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between emotional labor and the experience of workplace violence among the toll collectors.

The relationship between spontaneous abortion and female workers in the semiconductor industry

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the relationship between job type and the risk for spontaneous abortion to assess the reproductive toxicity of female workers in the semiconductor industry. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was administered to current female workers of two semiconductor manufacturing plants in Korea. We included female workers who became pregnant at least 6 months after the start of their employment with the company. The pregnancy outcomes of 2,242 female workers who experienced 4,037 pregnancies were investigated. Personnel records were used to assign the subjects to one of three groups: fabrication process workers, packaging process workers, and clerical workers. To adjust for within-person correlations between pregnancies, a generalized estimating equation was used. The logistic regression analysis was limited to the first pregnancy after joining the company to satisfy the assumption of independence among pregnancies. Moreover, we stratified the analysis by time period (pregnancy in the years prior to 2008 vs. after 2009) to reflect differences in occupational exposure based on semiconductor production periods. RESULTS: The risk for spontaneous abortion in female semiconductor workers was not significantly higher for fabrication and packaging process workers than for clerical workers. However, when we stratified by time period, the odds ratio for spontaneous abortion was significantly higher for packaging process workers who became pregnant prior to 2008 when compared with clerical workers (odds ratio: 2.21; 95% confidence interval: 1.01–4.81). CONCLUSIONS: When examining the pregnancies of female semiconductor workers that occurred prior to 2008, packaging process workers showed a significantly higher risk for spontaneous abortions than did clerical workers. The two semiconductor production periods in our study (prior to 2008 vs. after 2009) had different automated processes, chemical exposure levels, and working environments. Thus, the conditions prior to 2008 may have increased the risk for spontaneous abortions in packaging process workers in the semiconductor industry. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40557-017-0204-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Dermal and neural toxicity caused by acrylamide exposure in two Korean grouting workers: a case report

BACKGROUND: Peripheral neuritis caused by acrylamide is well-known, and many Korean grouting workers are frequently exposed to acrylamide in grouting agents that are injected into cracked concrete. We recently encountered two cases of dermal and neural toxicity in Korean grouting workers with exposure to grouting agents that contained a high concentration of acrylamide. CASE PRESENTATION: The first case involved a 44-year-old man with 8 years of waterproofing experience. The patient developed peeling skin on both hands while grouting, which progressed to systemic neurological symptoms, such as reduced sensory function and strength. The patient was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy caused by acrylamide exposure, and fully recovered after conservative treatment and withdrawal of exposure to the grouting agent. The second case involved a 34-year-old man with 10 years of grouting experience. The patient initially experienced weakness in both legs, which progressed to weakness in his arms and uncontrolled phonation. After being hospitalized, he was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia and peripheral neuropathy caused by acrylamide exposure, and was discharged after conservative treatment. Our follow-up investigation revealed that both workers were recently exposed to grouting agents that contained higher concentrations of acrylamide, compared to the agents that they had previously been using. CONCLUSIONS: Both workers had workplace acrylamide exposure through dermal contact plus inhalation of dust and vapor, which led to the neural toxicity and dermatitis. Therefore, government studies are needed to investigate the current status of workplace acrylamide use, and to protect workers from the hazardous effects of using acrylamide-containing grouting agents.

Hospital Qualities Related to Return to Work from Occupational Injury after Controlling for Injury Severity as Well as Occupational Characteristics

We examined associations between hospital quality in the workers' compensation system and injured patients' return to work after controlling for injury severity, occupational factors, and demographic factors. Return to work data of injured workers were constructed from 2 datasets: 23,392 patients injured in 2009-2011 from the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service and return to work data from Korea Employment Information Services. After de-identifying the data, quality scores were matched for each hospital that cared for injured patients. Injury severity was measured by Abbreviated Injury Scales. Relative risk and 95% confidence interval were calculated using log binomial regression models. After adjusting for age, sex, injury severity, occupation, factory size, city, and hospital type, the relative risk (95% confidence interval) for the total score was 1.04 (1.02-1.06), 1.06 (1.04-1.09), and 1.07 (1.05-1.10) in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles, respectively, compared to the 1st quartile. The RR (95% CI) in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles was 1.05 (1.02-1.07), 1.05 (1.02-1.08), and 1.06 (1.04-1.09) for the process score; and 1.02 (1.01-1.04), 1.05 (1.03-1.07), and 1.06 (1.04-1.09) for the outcome score compared to the 1st quartile score, respectively. In conclusion, our study design with blinded merge methods shows that total, process, and outcome qualities are related to the return to work of injured workers after controlling for other factors.

Physical Activity and Blood Lead Concentration in Korea: Study Using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2013)

Physical activity normally has a positive influence on health, however it can be detrimental in the presence of air pollution. Lead, a heavy metal with established adverse health effects, is a major air pollutant. We evaluated the correlation between blood lead concentration and physical activity using data collected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed after dividing participants according to whether they were in the top 25% in the distribution of blood lead concentration (i.e., ≥ 2.76 µg/dL), with physical activity level as an independent variable and adjusting for factors such as age, sex, drinking, smoking, body mass index, region, and occupation. The high physical activity group had greater odds of having a blood lead concentration higher than 2.76 µg/dL (odds ratio 1.29, 95% CI 1.11-1.51) compared to the low physical activity group. Furthermore, blood lead concentration is correlated with increasing physical activity.

Return-to-Work According to Impairment Type Among Occupationally Injured Workers in Korea

This study examined the association between return-to-work and impairment type. Database of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service was used to identify disabled persons; and return-to-work information was obtained from the Korea Employment Information Services database. The study participants were 79,328 persons who received Workers' compensation and who were confirmed as disabled during 2009-2011. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between return-to-work and impairment type, adjusted by age, sex, impairment severity, pre-injury businesses size, and pre-injury occupational category. Compared to injuries of the upper limbs, the odds ratio of return-to-work was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.60-0.65) for injuries involving the lower limbs, 0.62 (95% CI, 0.59-0.66) for the spine, 0.75 (95% CI, 0.66-0.86) for the eyes, 0.98 (95% CI, 0.77-1.25) for the oral cavity, 0.44 (95% CI, 0.37-0.53) for the ears, 1.02 (95% CI, 0.83-1.25) for the figure, 0.75 (95% CI, 0.72-0.79) for pain, and 0.36 (95% CI, 0.32-0.41) for neuropsychiatric impairment. These findings indicate that impairment type influences return-to-work rates.

Current Situation and Issue of Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance

Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) has a history of about 50 yr, and is the oldest social insurance system in Korea. After more than 20 times of revision improvements in benefits, its contents and claim systems have been upgraded. It became the protector of injured workers and their families, and at the same time became the system which could cope with both financial burden of employers and their responsibilities. However, there are some issues to be reformed to upgrade the IACI: 1) the problems in the approval system of occupational diseases, 2) quality improvement of workers' compensation medical care, 3) vocational rehabilitation and return to work, 4) workers' compensation premiums and out-of-pocket money of injured workers, 5) issues in application of IACI. Growth of IACI cannot be achieved by an effort of an individual. Efforts by workers, owners, and government, in addition to physicians and welfare professionals toward the same goal are required for the next level improvement of IACI.

Radiotechnologists and Radiation Exposure from PET and PET/CT Systems / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: In this study, radiotechnologists who work performing PET and PET/CT methodologies were analyzed in order to find the cause for the differences in radiation exposure as they applied to general characteristics, work characteristics, knowledge, and exposure recognition or conduct. METHODS: From April 15th, 2010 to May 14th, 2010, we conducted a retrospective analysis on 80 radiotechnologists using data garnered from their individual general characteristics, work characteristics, knowledge, and exposure recognition or conduct. Their average annual radiation exposure dosages were measured using a thermoluminescence dosimeter. A multiple regression analysis was performed as a statistical tool. RESULTS: Regarding the general PET and PET/CT characteristics, when the work experience was short, the exposure dose was higher. The factors of age, marriage, work experience in nuclear medicine, PET, PET/CT, and sex were found to have statistically significant effects. The knowledge, recognition, and conduct factors for the radiotechnologists were affected by unsecure radiation exposure at the moment of carrying, unsecure radiation exposure at the moment of injection, the application of protection at the moment of injection, and the use of auto distributor. It was found that, the use of an auto distributor, efforts in reducing the radiation exposure, unsecure exposure when with a patient, and the application of protective procedures at the moment of injection affected the overall factor of radiotechnologists radiation exposure dose. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that if radiotechnologists would reduce their radiation exposure by using auto distributors, make efforts to reduce the chance of exposure, and be conscious of radiation, they would be able to reduce the radiation exposure dose even during unavoidable circumstances.

Area-Based Occupational Disease Surveillance in Incheon, Korea: Results of an 11-year Data Survey / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: Between Jan 1998 and Dec 2008, area-based occupational disease surveillance in Incheon was used to collect data on occupational diseases. The long-term data was used to estimate the scale of disease, to analyze disease characteristics, and to achieve surveillance in order to determine development tasks. METHODS: For a period of 11 years, occupation-related disease surveillance was performed on an annual basis for employees of Incheon industries. All cases of occupational disease were reported by means of the Incheon Occupational Disease Information Network (IODIN) web site, downloaded, and analyzed, subsequently. RESULTS: Between Jan 1998 and Dec 2008, 1577 cases of occupational disease were reported. Of these, there were 1043(66.1%) cases of occupational musculoskeletal disorders, 172(10.9%) cases of occupational asthma, 162(10.3%) cases of occupational dermatoses, 135(8.6%) cases of occupationally-related cancers, 30(1.9%) cases of pneumoconiosis, 27(1.7%) cases of toxic hepatitis, and 8(0.5%) cases of occupational neuronal disease. CONCLUSION: In the Incheon area, small and medium industries comprise 99% of business. The composition of the industry by category, in Incheon, is similar to the country on the whole. In actually, the data on occupational diseases in Korea are almost workers' compensation data. Thus, the survey of occupational disease based in Incheon, Korea, can serve as an estimate of the trends and size of the occupational disease throughout the entire country.

A Workplace Cardiovascular Health Promotion Program and its Short-term Health Effects / 대한산업의학회지

OBJECTIVES: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and a major source of workers' compensation claims in Korea. Since 2000 the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), working through local occupational health institutions, has supported cardiovascular disease prevention programs at a number of companies in Korea. The purpose of this study was to assess the short-term effects of this effort. METHODS: A total of 11,077 workers at risk were enrolled in the workplace cardiovascular disease prevention program and 5,902 workers (53.3%) completed the 1-year course during 2007. The program consisted of a medical checkup and health counseling for the workers by occupational health nurses. The guidelines for this prevention program were adopted from KOSHA Code H-11-2004. To determine the program's effectiveness, the workers' risks for cardiovascular disease were assessed before and one year after completion of the program. RESULTS: The intervention led to significant reductions in the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures of 4.9 mmHg and 3.1 mmHg, respectively. Mean total cholesterol and BMI were also reduced significantly by 8.4 g/dl and 0.1 kg/m2. The rate of smoking was decreased by 6.0% and the percentage of workers engaging in regular exercise was increased by 23.1%. Of the 3,530 workers with the low risk and above, the overall cardiovascular risk was improved in 1,734 (49.1%) of them. CONCLUSIONS: The cardiovascular disease prevention program supported by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency reduces cardiovascular diseases risks among workers and may improve the health status of workers in Korea.