Changing in awareness of anaphylaxis through online and offline education programs among community child health workers in Korea

In this mixed-methods study, we identified anaphylaxis awareness among nursing students through a survey, and the needs for anaphylaxis education through focus group interviews (FGIs). Anaphylaxis awareness was surveyed from 10 June–30 July 2018 using a structured questionnaire with 221 junior or senior nursing students. To assess the needs for anaphylaxis education, 14 senior nursing students were interviewed using FGIs from 10–22 June 2018. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using SPSS, and qualitative data were assessed using thematic analysis. Nursing students’ awareness of anaphylaxis was identified by correct answers to items concerning symptoms (33.0%), causes (64.6%), and treatments (55.8%), with an overall average of 51.5%. The thematic analysis identified four themes reflecting students’ educational needs: the need for anaphylaxis education, various education methods, field training-based study of educational content, and repeated education. Nursing students’ anaphylaxis awareness is low. Their specific needs derived in this study for anaphylaxis education should draw special attention when planning nursing curriculum. Incorporating these findings in future education programs may promote students’ confidence in treating anaphylaxis.

This study aimed to identify factors affecting the financial behavior of overseas Filipino workers. Responses from a survey of 116 Filipino workers in Korea were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression. The results revealed that some Filipino workers showed sound financial behavior only for simple financial activities; many were not equipped with complex financial management skills. Migrant workers with high financial self-efficacy in the Philippines were likely to have more positive financial behavior. However, this was not significantly associated with financial literacy or attendance in financial education programs. Implications for the development of financial education for migrant workers are discussed.

BackgroundProviding good quality care at the end of life is important not only for cognitively‐intact patients but also for people who have dementia. In order to respect the patients’ preferences for end‐of‐life care (EOLC) among persons with dementia (PwD), it is critical to engage in advance care planning before PwDs lose cognitive functioning. However, even if health practitioners perceive such needs, they may be constrained by social and cultural factors in initiating conversations about EOLC. This study examined cultural differences in EOLC planning for PwDs using the case study method. We conducted in‐depth interviews with 7 social workers who work in South Korea, 2 Korean American social workers working with Korean‐American older adults in the US, and 3 American social workers who work in the community and hospice settings serving diverse populations. We asked about participants’ opinion about advance care planning(or EOLC) for PwDs, whether and how they engage in discussions on EOLC, obstacles in their efforts to engage in these discussions, suggestions for improving EOLC and decision making for PwDs. We conducted content analysis and extracted themes relevant to our research questions. Results show that social workers in Korea feel reluctant to engage in advance care planning for PwDs because older adults as well as their caregivers do not want to talk about death. Compared to social workers in Korea, social workers working in the Korean American communities in the US engage in EOLC planning with their clients more frequently, but they wait until they find opportunities to talk about EOLC, such as death of their client’s family of friends. On the other hand, social workers working in the non‐immigrant communities in the US perceived advance care planning as a way to ensure self‐determination and autonomy in EOLC decision making and offered opportunities to prepare for EOLC even when their clients did not bring up the issues. Implications for culturally sensitive practice and ways to improve awareness on the importance of EOLC planning in death‐avoiding cultures are discussed.

Factors Influencing Learning Satisfaction of Migrant Workers in Korea with E-learning-Based Occupational Safety and Health Education

During the measles epidemic in 2019, in-hospital transmission of measles contributed to more than two-thirds of measles cases in South Korea, where measles is declared eliminated. This study aimed to examine measles seropositivity among healthcare workers (HCWs) in South Korea to help develop an effective measles prevention strategy for hospital settings. Measles IgG titer was tested in 1,579 HCWs working in a university-affiliated hospital and the measles-containing vaccine (MCV) immunization records of 870 HCWs were identified. The overall seropositivity was 92.0%, but the seropositivity and antibody titers were significantly low among HCWs aged 20–25 years (78.6%) and among one-dose vaccine recipients (86.7%). Among two-dose recipients, seropositivity was lower among young HCWs who received two doses during their childhood than among those who received the catch-up vaccination as part of job requirements (70.3% vs. 98.0%). Among 87 seronegative HCWs who received two-dose MMR vaccination, the seroconversion rate was 98.9%. A considerable proportion of young HCWs were potentially susceptible to measles despite receiving the two-dose vaccination during childhood because of the waning immunity against measles in a country with measles-eliminated status. Serological screening for measles of newly employed HCWs and MCV immunization of seronegative HCWs appears to be an effective prevention strategy.

The purpose of this study was to explore violent experiences of home visiting health care workers in Korea. This study was a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires from 1,640 health care workers. Data collection was done between September 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. Of the respondents, 70.6% had experienced work-related violence. Shouting (51.9%) was the most common verbal violence, followed by verbalizing sexual remarks to the health care workers (19.0%) and touching the hands (16.5%), the most common acts relating to sexual harassment. Of the respondents who had experienced violence, 50.9% told their peers about the incidents. However, the major reasons why they did not report these incidents was due to the fact that they felt it was useless to file reports and that they expected such incidents to occur as part of their job. The majority of the respondents (86.4%) wanted education on how to deal with such violence at work. The results of this study indicate that efforts should be made to increase awareness and to minimize violence in the workplace. Also, educational programs should be designed to improve knowledge and to prevent workplace violence.

Background Due to the prolonged period of COVID-19, the uncertainty related to COVID-19 is bound to increase for healthcare workers (HCWs) in tertiary medical institutions as much as for the HCWs in dedicated hospitals. Purpose To assess anxiety, depression, and uncertainty appraisal, and to determine the factors affecting uncertainty risk and opportunity appraisal experienced by HCWs at the forefront of COVID-19 treatment. Method This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The participants were HCWs at a tertiary medical center in Seoul. HCWs included medical (doctors, nurses) and non-medical (nutritionists, pathologists, radiologists, office workers, etc.) personnel. Self-reported structured questionnaires (patient health questionnaire, generalized anxiety disorder scale, and uncertainty appraisal) were obtained. Finally, responses from 1337 people were used to evaluate factors affecting uncertainty risk and opportunity appraisal using a quantile regression analysis. Results The average ages of medical and non-medical HCWs were 31.69 ± 7.87 and 38.66 ± 11.42 years, and the proportion of females was high. The rates of moderate to severe depression (23.23%) and anxiety (6.83%) were higher in medical HCWs. The uncertainty risk score was higher than the uncertainty opportunity score for all the HCWs. Factors that increased uncertainty opportunity were a decrease in depression in medical HCWs and a decrease in anxiety in non-medical HCWs. Increase in age was directly proportional to uncertainty opportunity in both groups. Conclusion There is a need to devise a strategy to reduce uncertainty among HCWs who inevitably face various infectious diseases that appear in the near future. In particular, since there are various types of non-medical as well as medical HCWs in medical institutions who can prepare an intervention plan that comprehensively considers the characteristics of each occupation and the distribution of risks and opportunities of uncertainty will be able to improve the quality of life of HCWs and further promote the health of the people.

Objective: Anaphylaxis is life-threatening and guidelines recommend adrenaline as a first-line treatment. However, previous studies have shown significant shortcomings in the appropriate management of anaphylaxis. Our study aimed to measure healthcare professionals’ current knowledge and experience with anaphylaxis and to raise awareness of anaphylaxis management and adrenaline use practices. Methods: The study included healthcare professionals working at Kayseri City Training and Research Hospital. A 19-question multiple-choice written questionnaire was performed face-to-face by an allergist. Inclusion criteria for the study were healthcare professionals (physician, nurse, paramedic) working in an inpatient or emergency department. Results: In the study of 260 participants, only 15% preferred “Inject adrenaline 0.5 mg (adult) or 0.3 mg (child) intramuscularly” as the correct first line step in the treatment algorithm and only 5% knew the correct sequence, and 88% had never used an adrenaline auto-injector. When comparing professions, physicians were found to have more accurate answers than nurses and paramedics for questions about diagnostic criteria, symptom recognition (p=0.007), the correct dose of adrenaline (p=0.001), and the correct route of administration (p=0.001). Both physicians and nurses preferred adrenaline as the first treatment drug (79.67%, n=192), followed by pheniramine (14.94%, n=36) and glucocorticoids (4.56%, n=11). Furthermore, 69.8% (n=167) of participants correctly answered the question about the adult adrenaline dose. Conclusion: Healthcare personnel, including physicians, lack sufficient knowledge of anaphylaxis diagnosis and treatment. Since anaphylaxis is a condition requiring urgent intervention and can be fatal if left untreated, the knowledge and skills of all personnel should be improved to minimize the risk of delayed treatment and serious complications.

We studied the seroprevalence of HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc and the vaccination histories among health care workers (HCWs) at a large suburban referral hospital in Korea. The purpose of this study was to determine the immune status of HCWs against hepatitis B virus and we also wanted to prepare a practical guideline to protect HCWs from occupational exposure. During December, 2003, 571 HCWs (56 physicians, 289 nurses, 113 technicians and 113 aid-nurses) aged between 21 and 74 yr were included in the surveillance. The positive rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs were 2.4% (14/571) and 76.9% (439/571), respectively. The positive rate of anti-HBs was lower in the physician group, and this was associated with the male gender and older age. Of the 439 anti-HBs positive cases, 320 cases (73.1%) were anti-HBc negative and this was significantly associated with a past history of HBV vaccination. The distribution of the anti-HBs levels was not associated with age (except for HCWs in their sixties), gender or occupation. Our study revealed that the seroprevalence rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs in HCWs in Korea were not different from those of the general population. Based on this surveillance, we can make reasonable decisions in case of occupational exposure to hepatitis B virus.

The purpose of this study1 was to measure the effect of the demonstration health promotion projects on whether knowledge, perceptions, and competencies of health care workers in health centers improved as a result of participating in the health promotion projects. A total of 1,955 community health care workers were recruited for the study. Health care workers from 18 demonstration health centers (n = 728) were assigned to the study group. The remaining 1,227 health care workers from 36 health centers, who have not participated in the demonstration projects, were assigned to the control group. Mailed-out questionnaires were used to measure knowledge and perceptions related to health promotion programs, and competencies in carrying out health promotion programs of health care workers for both groups. The results indicated that knowledge, perception, and competency of health care workers who participated in the demonstration projects were significantly higher than those who had not; but at the same time, those participants of demonstration projects might be under stress due to the extra assignments required by the projects. For effective health promotion programs, there is a need to supplement the staff in the health centers to take charge of health promotion programs.

Trend of immunity against measles and varicella zoster virus in healthcare workers in Korea

PurposeLike other countries, Korea has a high incidence of hand injuries due to industrial accidents. In this study, the social demographic characteristics of hand injuries treated with industrial insurance in Korea and some related occupational factors were analyzed. The evaluation of the dynamics and trends of hand injuries including the association with related factors were conducted.MethodsBased on the 2018 Industrial Accident Insurance Panel Survey data provided by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, a retrospective review was conducted on all hand injuries cases treated with industrial insurance between January 2018 and December 2018.ResultsThis review identified a total of 983 cases of hand trauma. The most common age group is 51 to 60 years (36.1%). 61.1% of those surveyed had a length of employment of less than 1 year, and fractures were the most common types of injuries. Amputations were the more frequent injury in the longer working group.ConclusionIn this study, the number of patients treated using industrial accident insurance was the highest among those with less than six months of work experience In addition, in patients with long working periods, more severe injuries such as severe amputation were observed. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a precise education program to prevent severe injuries suitable for skilled workers. The findings in this study are significant in providing insight into the current state of Korea's industrial accidents and enabling appropriate preventive measures to be taken.

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to analyze the characteristics of occupational diseases among health care workers in Korea.METHODS: Using the database of the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation (KLWC), 5, 460 approved occupational disease cases, between Jan 1, 1999 and Dec 31, 2000, and approved by the Jun 30, 2001, were collected. Of these, the 142 health care worker cases were investigated.RESULTS: The proportion of health care workers among the total cases reported in 1999 and 2000 was 2.6%, respectively. The diseases were infectious in 61 (43.0%), cerebro-cardiovascular in 60 (42.3%) and musculoskeletal in 18 cases (12.6%). The distributions of the occupational diseases by sex were 59 (41.5%) and 83 cases (58.5%), in males and females, respectively. The distributions of the occupational diseases by age were 64 (45.1%), 30 (21.1%), 25 (17.6%) and 17 cases (12.0%), in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, respectively. For the cases of infectious diseases by age there were 48 (78.7%) in their 20s and 12 (19.7%) in their 30s, for the cases of cerebro-cardiovascular diseases by age there were 17 (28.3%) in their 40s, 16 (26.7%) in their 50s and 12 (20.0%) in their 20s, and for the cases of musculoskeletal diseases there were 7 (38.9%) in their 30s and 4 (22.2%) in their 20s. The distributions of the cases of occupational diseases by department were 64 (45.1%), 19 (13.4%), 18 (12.7%), and 10 (7.0%) in the nursing, doctors, officers, and food services departments, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: The major occupational diseases of health care workers, as approved by the KLWC, were the infectious, cerebro-cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases. A special management policy must be considered to prevent occupational diseases of health care workers in Korea.

BackgroundThis study explores whether the intolerance of uncertainty among healthcare workers prompts viral anxiety, and whether this association is mediated by their reassurance-seeking behavior and preoccupation with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Korea.MethodsAn online survey was conducted among healthcare workers in Asan Medical Center, on November 29, 2021. Demographic characteristics and responses to items from rating scales were collected, including Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-9, Coronavirus Reassurance-Seeking Behaviors Scale (CRBS), Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Insomnia Severity Scale, and Intolerance of Uncertainty-12 (IUS-12).ResultsAmong the 329 participants, viral anxiety of healthcare workers was predicted by being female (β = 0.14, P = 0.002), CRBS (β = 0.30, P < 0.001), OCS (β = 0.32, P < 0.001), and IUS-12 (β = 0.15, P = 0.002) scores (adjusted R2 = 0.43, F = 31.1, P < 0.001). Mediation analysis showed that the intolerance of uncertainty directly influenced viral anxiety, and reassurance-seeking behavior and obsession with COVID-19 partially mediated the association.ConclusionThe intolerance of uncertainty among healthcare workers directly influenced their viral anxiety, and reassurance-seeking behavior and obsession with COVID-19 mediated this association in this era of “living with coronavirus” in Korea.

Varicella seroprevalence among health care workers in Korea: Validity of self-reported history and cost-effectiveness of prevaccination screening