Trend in the Incidence of Severe Partial Edentulism among Adults Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service Claim Data, 2014–2018

Purpose@#Missing teeth is one of the most important indicators of oral health behavior and the result of dental caries, periodontal disease, and injuries. This study examined a trend in the incidence of severe partial edentulism (SPE) using the Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) data. @*Materials and Methods@#Data of adults aged ≥20 years were obtained from the KNHIS for the 2014–2018 period. SPE was defined in dental information within a population with a treatment history of dental scaling as having 1 to 8 natural teeth. Crude incidence rates (CIRs) and age-standardized incidence rates (AIRs) with 95% confidence interval were calculated per 100000 persons. The Cochran Armitage trend (CAT) test and average annual percentage change were used to analyze SPE trends. @*Results@#The CIRs among Korean adults were from 346.29 to 391.11 in 2014–2016 and from 391.11 to 354.09 in 2016–2018. The AIRs trend statistically increased by 4.31% from 346.29 to 376.80 and decreased by 4.72% from 376.80 to 342.10. The AIRs in men increased by 4.00% and decreased by 3.01%. The AIRs in women decreased by 2.18% and increased by 2.11% (CAT; p<0.01). The AIRs by region and income also showed trends of increase and decrease. @*Conclusion@#The study showed that the incidence trend of SPE increased and decreased from 2014 to 2018. This result would be able to aid in the planning of public oral health, and may also serve as fundamental data for verifying the impact of the public oral health policies implemented.

Comparison between the International Classification of Primary Care and the International Classification of Diseases Classifications in Primary Care in Korea / 가정의학회지

Background@#The International Classification of Primary Care-2 (ICPC-2) is a classification method designed for primary care. Although previous studies have found that ICPC-2 is a useful tool for demonstrating the relationship between patients’ expectations and health providers’ diagnoses, its utility of ICPC-2 has yet to be fully studied in Korea. This study aimed to evaluate the practicality of ICPC-2 in Korean primary care. @*Methods@#The study was conducted at primary care clinics in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas from October to November 2015. Third-year family medicine residents examined and analyzed the medical records of patients who visited primary care physicians using ICPC-2, and the results were compared with those obtained using the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) (Korean version: Korean Standard Classification of Diseases-7). @*Results@#A total of 26 primary care physicians from 23 primary care clinics participated in the study. Furthermore, 2,458 ICD-10 codes and 6,091 ICPC-2 codes were recorded from the data of 1,099 patients. The common disease codes were vasomotor and allergic rhinitis (J30), according to ICD-10, and acute upper respiratory infection (R74) in ICPC-2. Comparing disease status by body systems, the proportion of gastrointestinal disease with ICD-10 codes was significantly higher than that with ICPC-2 codes (P4 diagnoses accounted for 36% of the ICD-10 classifications, whereas those with >4 diagnoses accounted for 4% of the ICPC-2 classifications. @*Conclusion@#Introducing ICPC as a complementary means for diagnosing common diseases could be a practical approach in Korean primary care.

Association of mortality with drug-coated devices in femoropopliteal artery based on the nationwide data

Purpose@#Drug-coated devices have been widely accepted as one of the most promising therapies for femoropopliteal artery revascularization. A recent meta-analysis showed increased mortality in patients treated with drug-coated devices. We sought to examine the association between mortality and drug-coated devices after the treatment of the femoropopliteal artery based on the Korea national administrative claims data. @*Methods@#In the National Health Insurance Service database from August 2015 to December 2017, we identified patients with femoropopliteal artery revascularization using percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), bare metal stents (BMS), drug-coated balloon (DCB), or drug-eluting stents (DES). Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate the survival among devices, and log-rank tests were used to evaluate differences between groups. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were computed using the inverse probability of treatment weightings (IPTW). @*Results@#There were 1,724 patients (mean age, 70.9 ± 10.7 years; male, 1,350 [78.3%]) included in the analysis. The median follow-up period was 552 days (interquartile range, 404–688 days). There was a difference in IPTW-adjusted mortality risk among device types (26.3% in PTA, 22.1% in BMS, 17.7% in DCB, and 17.8% in DES; P = 0.004). IPTW-adjusted Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that drug-coated devices were associated with decreased all-cause mortality risk (aHR, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.58–0.86). @*Conclusion@#Our real-world analysis showed that there was no evidence of increased all-cause mortality after femoropopliteal artery revascularization with drug-coated devices compared with non-drug-coated devices.

Association of mortality with drug-coated devices in femoropopliteal artery based on the nationwide data

Purpose@#Drug-coated devices have been widely accepted as one of the most promising therapies for femoropopliteal artery revascularization. A recent meta-analysis showed increased mortality in patients treated with drug-coated devices. We sought to examine the association between mortality and drug-coated devices after the treatment of the femoropopliteal artery based on the Korea national administrative claims data. @*Methods@#In the National Health Insurance Service database from August 2015 to December 2017, we identified patients with femoropopliteal artery revascularization using percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), bare metal stents (BMS), drug-coated balloon (DCB), or drug-eluting stents (DES). Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate the survival among devices, and log-rank tests were used to evaluate differences between groups. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were computed using the inverse probability of treatment weightings (IPTW). @*Results@#There were 1,724 patients (mean age, 70.9 ± 10.7 years; male, 1,350 [78.3%]) included in the analysis. The median follow-up period was 552 days (interquartile range, 404–688 days). There was a difference in IPTW-adjusted mortality risk among device types (26.3% in PTA, 22.1% in BMS, 17.7% in DCB, and 17.8% in DES; P = 0.004). IPTW-adjusted Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that drug-coated devices were associated with decreased all-cause mortality risk (aHR, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.58–0.86). @*Conclusion@#Our real-world analysis showed that there was no evidence of increased all-cause mortality after femoropopliteal artery revascularization with drug-coated devices compared with non-drug-coated devices.

Factors Associated with Changes in Functional Independence after Six Months of Ischemic Stroke

The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in functional independence and their associated factors during the first 6 months to 1 year after stroke onset. This study is the interim results of the Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation. A total of 1,011 participants were included and classified into 3 subgroups according to changes in the Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) scores that occurred between 6 months to 1 year after stroke onset: the improved group (IG), with scores that increased 5 points or more; the stationary group (SG), with the K-MBI score changes ranging from −4 to +4 points; and the declined group (DG), with the K-MBI scores that decreased 5 points or more. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were used to assess the factors influencing changes in the K-MBI score. Among 1,011 patient, 436 patients (43.1%), 398 patients (39.4%) and 117 patients (17.5%) were classified into the IG, SG, and DG, respectively. Obesity and Geriatric Depression Scale score were significant influencing factors for changes in the K-MBI scores. Obesity showed a positive influence on the K-MBI score, while depression showed a negative influence.

Factors Associated with Changes in Functional Independence after Six Months of Ischemic Stroke

The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in functional independence and their associated factors during the first 6 months to 1 year after stroke onset. This study is the interim results of the Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation. A total of 1,011 participants were included and classified into 3 subgroups according to changes in the Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) scores that occurred between 6 months to 1 year after stroke onset: the improved group (IG), with scores that increased 5 points or more; the stationary group (SG), with the K-MBI score changes ranging from −4 to +4 points; and the declined group (DG), with the K-MBI scores that decreased 5 points or more. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were used to assess the factors influencing changes in the K-MBI score. Among 1,011 patient, 436 patients (43.1%), 398 patients (39.4%) and 117 patients (17.5%) were classified into the IG, SG, and DG, respectively. Obesity and Geriatric Depression Scale score were significant influencing factors for changes in the K-MBI scores. Obesity showed a positive influence on the K-MBI score, while depression showed a negative influence.

Impact of Functional Status on Noncardioembolic Ischemic Stroke Recurrence Within 1 Year: The Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Few studies have investigated the relationship between the specific functional factors potentially associated with functional level and stroke recurrence. We conducted a study of patients with noncardioembolic ischemic stroke (NCIS) to determine the functional factors affecting recurrence within the first year. METHODS: In total, 568 first-ever NCIS patients (age=65.1±17.4 years, mean±SD) were analyzed in a multicenter, prospective cohort study registered from August 2012. Demographic characteristics, past medical history, comorbidities, laboratory data, stroke features in neuroimaging, acute treatments, and medications at discharge were assessed. Functional factors reflecting gross functional impairment, ambulatory function, motor function, activities of daily living, cognition, language ability, swallowing function, mood, and quality of life were comprehensively evaluated in face-to-face assessments using standardized tools at the time of discharge. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of stroke recurrence in NCIS was 6.0% (n=34) at 1 year. The period from admission to discharge was 34.4±7.0 days. The independent predictors of stroke recurrence within 1 year in multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression analyses were 1) age [per-year hazard ratio (HR)=1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.97–1.06, p=0.048], 2) Charlson Comorbidity Index higher than 2 (HR=1.72, 95% CI=1.26–2.22, p=0.016), 3) modified Rankin Scale score of 3 or more at discharge (HR=1.56, 95% CI=1.22–1.94, p=0.032), and 4) Functional Ambulation Category of 3 or less at discharge (HR=2.56, 95% CI=1.84–3.31, p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to patient age, moderate-to-severe functional impairment requiring the help of others (especially for ambulation) at the time of discharge and the severity of comorbidity were independent predictors of stroke recurrence within 1 year of the first NCIS.

Erratum to: Impact of Functional Status on Noncardioembolic Ischemic Stroke Recurrence Within 1 Year: The Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation Study

At the request of the author, the author's alphabetical affiliation and address should be as follow.

Development and Validation of a Novel Generic Health-related Quality of Life Instrument With 20 Items (HINT-20) / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: Few attempts have been made to develop a generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument and to examine its validity and reliability in Korea. We aimed to do this in our present study. METHODS: After a literature review of existing generic HRQoL instruments, a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews, and expert consultations, we selected 30 tentative items for a new HRQoL measure. These items were evaluated by assessing their ceiling effects, difficulty, and redundancy in the first survey. To validate the HRQoL instrument that was developed, known-groups validity and convergent/discriminant validity were evaluated and its test-retest reliability was examined in the second survey. RESULTS: Of the 30 items originally assessed for the HRQoL instrument, four were excluded due to high ceiling effects and six were removed due to redundancy. We ultimately developed a HRQoL instrument with a reduced number of 20 items, known as the Health-related Quality of Life Instrument with 20 items (HINT-20), incorporating physical, mental, social, and positive health dimensions. The results of the HINT-20 for known-groups validity were poorer in women, the elderly, and those with a low income. For convergent/discriminant validity, the correlation coefficients of items (except vitality) in the physical health dimension with the physical component summary of the Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2) were generally higher than the correlations of those items with the mental component summary of the SF-36v2, and vice versa. Regarding test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient of the total HINT-20 score was 0.813 (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A novel generic HRQoL instrument, the HINT-20, was developed for the Korean general population and showed acceptable validity and reliability.

Venous Thromboembolism Following Hip and Knee Replacement Arthroplasty in Korea: A Nationwide Study Based on Claims Registry

The aim of this study was to examine the incidence and trends of clinically relevant venous thromboembolism (VTE) including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) after hip and knee replacement arthroplasty (HKRA) in Korea. Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, 22,127 hip replacement arthroplasty (HRA) patients and 52,882 knee replacement arthroplasty (KRA) patients were enrolled in the analysis using the administrative claims database of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). All available parameters including procedure history and clinically relevant VTE during the 90 days after HKRA were identified based on diagnostic and electronic data interchange (EDI) codes. The overall incidence of VTE, DVT, and PE during the 90 days was 3.9% (n=853), 2.7% (n=597), and 1.5% (n=327) after HRA, while the incidence was 3.8% (n=1,990), 3.2% (n=1,699), and 0.7% (n=355) after KRA. The incidence of VTE after HKRA was significantly higher in patients who had previous VTE history (odds ratio [OR], 10.8 after HRA, OR, 8.5 after KRA), chronic heart failure (2.1, 1.3), arrhythmia (1.8, 1.7), and atrial fibrillation (3.4, 2.1) than in patients who did not. The VTE incidence in patients with chemoprophylaxis was higher than that in patients without chemoprophylaxis. The incidence of VTEs revealed in this retrospective review was not low compared with the results of the studies targeting other Asian or Caucasian populations. It may warrant routine prevention including employment of chemoprophylaxis. However, the limitation of the reviewed data mandates large scale prospective investigation to affirm this observation.

Review of Suicide Prevention Programs: Massachusetts, United States, in Comparison with Seoul

Suicide is a tragedy that has massive impact on society. In order to prevent suicide, active government intervention is necessary. The suicide rate in Seoul is rapidly increasing and is more than five times higher than that in the state of Massachusetts (MA) during the last decade, especially in the elderly. The suicide prevention program of MA is one of the most effective suicide prevention programs in the United States. The program views suicide as a preventable public health problem, and emphasizes treatment of depression and de-stigmatization of mental health illnesses to prevent suicide. Also, through active collaboration with mental health professionals, they try to identify at-risk populations and help them to get medical interventions. The program also actively collaborates with the regional coalition program and the Samaritans in taking care of the elderly, and supports the elderly in feeling worthwhile after retirement by helping them to work for communities as volunteers. For its part, the Seoul suicide prevention program puts more emphasis on "life respect culture" and "emotional support to high risk individuals by regular visiting". The annual budget of the Seoul suicide prevention program is one-quarter and that for mental health is about one-twentieth that of MA. Considering the high suicide rate and lower mental health service usage in Seoul, it is crucial to raise awareness of depression and decrease the stigma on mental illnesses. Furthermore, educational efforts with long-term investment in research on suicide are necessary.

Teamwork and Clinical Error Reporting among Nurses in Korean Hospitals

PURPOSE: To examine levels of teamwork and its relationships with clinical error reporting among Korean hospital nurses. METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional survey design. We distributed a questionnaire to 674 nurses in two teaching hospitals in Korea. The questionnaire included items on teamwork and the reporting of clinical errors. We measured teamwork using the Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire, which has five subscales including team structure, leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication. Using logistic regression analysis, we determined the relationships between teamwork and error reporting. RESULTS: The response rate was 85.5%. The mean score of teamwork was 3.5 out of 5. At the subscale level, mutual support was rated highest, while leadership was rated lowest. Of the participating nurses, 522 responded that they had experienced at least one clinical error in the last 6 months. Among those, only 53.0% responded that they always or usually reported clinical errors to their managers and/or the patient safety department. Teamwork was significantly associated with better error reporting. Specifically, nurses with a higher team communication score were more likely to report clinical errors to their managers and the patient safety department (odds ratio = 1.82, 95% confidence intervals [1.05, 3.14]). CONCLUSIONS: Teamwork was rated as moderate and was positively associated with nurses' error reporting performance. Hospital executives and nurse managers should make substantial efforts to enhance teamwork, which will contribute to encouraging the reporting of errors and improving patient safety.

The current status and future direction of Korean health technology assessment system

Health technology assessment was first introduced to the Republic of Korea in 2006 by amending the Medical Services Act. The Committee of New Health Technology Assessment (CNHTA) is the ministerial committee that has the responsibility of reviewing the safety and effectiveness of new health technology. CNHTA review plays a gatekeeping role for new health technology in Korea, which can increase the burden on patients in Korea, either by out-of pocket payments or co-pays for National Health Insurance covered service. This kind of gatekeeping is a function of the healthcare system in many countries where no financial cap such as a fixed budget or diagnosis-related group payment is applied. However, it has been argued that gatekeeping works against industrial promotion policy. The one-stop service introduced in 2014 is a system similar to US parallel review between the US Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This service provides a simultaneous process of regulatory review by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, identification of existing technology by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Services, and new health technology assessment by the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This service is expected to reduce the total review process by 3 to12 months. A limited health technology appointment service was introduced in April 2014. This service designates orphan health technologies and health technologies for rare and incurable diseases and supports evidence development at designated hospitals. Several countries have similar systems: US Coverage with Evidence Development, Canadian Conditionally Funded Field Evaluation, UK Only in Research, and many others. The future direction of Health technology assessment should focus on the life cycle management of health technology. A consistent, continuous, and transformative mechanism to manage from the research and development of health technology to delisting obsolete technology to make room for new innovative technology is warranted.

Epidemiology of Hip Replacements in Korea from 2007 to 2011

We analyzed national data collected by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Korea from 2007 to 2011; 1) to document procedural numbers and procedural rate of bipolar hemiarthroplasty (BH), primary and revision total hip arthroplasties (THAs), 2) to stratify the prevalence of each procedure by age, gender, and hospital type, and quantified, 3) to estimate the revision burden and evaluate whether the burden is changed over time. Our final study population included 60,230 BHs, 40,760 primary THAs, and 10,341 revision THAs. From 2007 to 2011, both the number and the rate of BHs, primary THAs increased steadily, whereas there was no significant change in revision THAs. Over the 5 yr, the rate of BHs and primary THAs per 100,000 persons significantly increased by 33.2% and 21.4%, respectively. The number of revision THAs was consistent over time. The overall annual revision burden for THA decreased from 22.1% in 2007 to 18.9% in 2011. In contrast to western data, there were no changes in the number and rate of revision THAs, and the rates of primary and revision THAs were higher for men than those for women. Although 5 yr is a short time to determine a change in the revision burden, there have been significant decreases in some age groups.

National Evidence-based Collaborating Agency (NECA) Round-table Conference Consensus Statement: multidisciplinary responses to suicide, the first ranked cause of death in adolescents

The National Evidence-based Collaborating Agency (NECA) holds the NECA Round-table Conference that not only disseminates objective and systematic information on topics of social concern in public health care but also organizes discussions on core issues under dispute in the literature through panels composed of multidisciplinary experts. Accordingly, the Round-table Conference was composed of multidisciplinary experts including medical specialists in the areas of psychiatry and preventive medicine, psychiatric and mental health nursing, psychologists, social welfare experts, consultation experts, religious leaders, and government officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Round-table Conference, tasked with analysis of the actual status and causes of, and search for solutions for suicide in adolescents, has reached consensus on the current status, trend, risk factors and prevention factors, problems and issues in prevention and coping strategies, effective prevention and coping strategies and areas of research needed for the future. The Round-table Conference commented on the actual status and gravity of suicides in adolescents, and came to the agreement that mental health issues including stress from interpersonal relationships and depression are the key risk factors of suicide. It was further agreed that problems in the measures being implemented for each of the areas include lack of manpower and funding, and inadequate organic association and cooperation among relevant institutions. They also agreed that development of a government-initiated suicide prevention program for adolescents, association among relevant experts, and development, and management of practical guidelines that are of broad and practical use are important. Furthermore, the panels were in agreement that the mass media must comply with the recommended level of coverage in reporting of suicide as adolescents are greatly influenced by provocative mass media reports due to their strong impulsive dispositions.

Depression, suicide, and Korean society

No abstract available.

A study on the relationship between non-pharmacological treatments and adherence to antidepressant pharmacotherapies in Korea

Non-pharmacological treatments (NPTs) including psychotherapies and behavioral therapies have proven to be an effective treatment tool for patients with depression. More importantly, NPTs reduce drop-out rates for pharmacotherapy when combined with it. Given that one of the major obstacles to effective treatment of depression is low adherence to antidepressant therapies, NPTs deserve more attention in treating patients with depression. This study aims to analyze the current status of NPTs for patients with depression and the relationship with adherence to antidepressant therapies in Korea. The Health Insurance Review Agency (HIRA)'s claims database from 2006 to 2008 was used in the analysis and those patients with at least one inpatient diagnosis with depression or twice diagnosed in outpatient services were included in the analysis (n=290,188). NPTs were identified by HIRA treatment codes in each claim except a routine care treatment (HIRA treatment code, NN011). Adherence to antidepressant therapies was defined as 180-day medication possession ratio. The claims for NPTs decreased almost 25% in 2008 while the number of patients with depression and the claims for antide-pressants were consistently increasing during the same period. Those patients with claims for 4 or more NPTs showed a higher adherence rate than those without. The downward trend of NPT use deserves more attention since it may reduce adherence to pharmacotherapies and increase future medical costs through more relapses from the lowered adherence rates.