Development of a senior-specific, citizen-oriented healthcare service system in South Korea based on the Canadian 48/6 model of care.

BACKGROUND: In the age of aging, Korea's current medical delivery system threatens to increase the number of medical and caring refugees. This study attempts to develop an integrated senior citizen-oriented healthcare service system in which daily care, professional care, and rehabilitation are organically organized between medical institutions and local communities, thereby meeting the daily life needs of the elderly and inducing well-being, wellness, and well-dying. METHODS: To develop the integrated healthcare system, data collection and analyses were conducted through a systematic review, literature review, benchmarking, focus group interviews, and expert consultation. RESULTS: The senior-specific, citizen-oriented healthcare service system developed in this study is designed to screen patients aged 65 or older within 24 h of being admitted, using the Geriatric Screening for Care-10. If there is reason for concern as a result of the screening, further evaluation is performed through assessment. Doctors and nurses create a care plan and a discharge plan based on the results from the screening and assessment. The nurse further uses the screening to monitor the patient's condition before discharge. Based on the screening results at the time of discharge, a transitional care plan is prepared and provided to elderly patients and/or their families. This process enables a systematic link between medical institutions and community resources, aiming for the continuous management of health issues. It also establishes a multidisciplinary treatment plan that considers patients and their families so that diseases common to the elderly are diagnosed and treated promptly. CONCLUSIONS: The most important issue for the elderly is to be able to live healthily and independently for the rest of their lives through well-being, wellness, and well-dying. The senior-specific, citizen-oriented healthcare service proposed in this study is an integrated medical treatment system for elderly users the implementation of which requires the daily care, professional care, and rehabilitation of elderly members of society to be organically organized according to the role of the patients, their families, and the caregiver.

Investigation of a nosocomial outbreak of fungemia caused by Candida pelliculosa (Pichia anomala) in a Korean tertiary care center.

BACKGROUND: Candida pelliculosa is a rare pathogen of fungemia. There have been a few nosocomial outbreaks of C. pelliculosa fungemia in nurseries and pediatric intensive care units (ICU), hematologic units, and surgical ICU. We describe an epidemiologic outbreak investigation, including case findings of C. pelliculosa fungemia in South Korea. METHODS: This outbreak investigation conducted in a 940-bed, tertiary referral center, Ulsan, South Korea and included active microbial surveillance and a case-control study. RESULTS: A patient in the trauma intensive care unit (ICU) with multiple trauma developed C. pelliculosa fungemia, and 10 patients in the trauma ICU, medical ICU, and 2 general wards subsequently contracted C. pelliculosa fungemia during the next 24 days (November 16 and December 9, 2015). The 16s rRNA sequencing of 4 isolates showed that C. pelliculosa was verified with 99-100% similarity (GenBank accession number: KF317892.1), and these isolates were identical in the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay. A case-control study showed that medical staff and staying in the interventional radiology procedure room were risk factor for development of C. pelliculosa fungemia. After intervention including strict hand washing, disinfecting medical equipment, and contact precautions, there have been no new C. pelliculosa infections since December 10, 2015. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of a nosocomial outbreak involving 11 patients in 2 ICUs and 2 general wards caused by C. pelliculosa in South Korea. Infection control measures are important for decreasing transmission of C. pelliculosa in the hospital.