The Relationship of Nurse and Physician Staffing in Intensive Care Units with Patient Outcomes in Postoperative Patients on Ventilators: An Analysis Using Korean National Health Insurance Data.

This study examined the associations of nurse and physician staffing in intensive care units (ICUs) with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) incidence and in-hospital mortality in postoperative patients on ventilators. National Health Insurance claims data and death statistics were used to investigate the nurse staffing level and the presence or absence of a dedicated resident and specialist in each ICU. The participants were patients aged 20-85 who underwent any of 13 surgical procedures and were placed on a ventilator in the ICU after the procedure.

Estimation of Utility Weights for Prostate-related Health States in Korea.

Objectives: Very limited previous research has investigated the utility weights of prostate-related diseases in the general population in Korea. The purpose of this study was to calculate the utility of prostate-related health states in the Korean general public using the standard gamble (SG) method.

Methods: Seven health states for hypothetical prostate cancers, 1 for benign prostate hyperplasia, and 1 for erectile dysfunction were developed based on patient education material and previous publications.

Cost Utility Analysis of a Pilot Study for the Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost utility of a pilot study of Korean Lung Cancer Screening Project.

Materials And Methods: We constructed a Markov model consisting of 26 states based on the natural history of lung cancer according to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results summary stage (localized, regional, distant). In the base case, people aged 55-74 years were under consideration for annual screening.

The impact of overactive bladder on health-related quality of life in Korea: based on the results of a Korean Community Health Survey.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of overactive bladder on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a community-based sample of Korean population.

Methods: The data of adults aged 19 and over that who participated in the 2012 Korean Community Health Survey were analyzed. Overactive bladder severity was classified as normal, mild, moderate, or severe using the Overactive Bladder Symptom scores, and HRQoL was evaluated using EQ-5D-3L.

Estimation of population-based utility weights for health states of chronic kidney disease, dialysis and kidney transplantation.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the utility of chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related health states in the Korean general population by using the standard gamble (SG) method.

Methods: Seven hypothetical CKD-related health states were developed and revised based on previous publications. Data from 242 individuals from the Korean general population were obtained via computer-assisted personal interviews and used to evaluate the CKD-related health states by using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and SG methods.

Health-related quality of life in adult males with lower urinary tract symptoms.

Purpose: To assess the status and impact of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a community-based sample of Korean adult males.

Methods: We analyzed the data of 101,606 adult males aged ≥ 19 years of age obtained during the 2011 Korean Community Health Survey. Subject data were assessed for LUTS and HRQoL using international prostate symptom scores, and EuroQol-five-dimensions three-level version (EQ-5D-3L) and EuroQol-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) scores.

A cross sectional survey on health-related quality of life among parents of children with allergic symptoms using the EQ-5D-5L.

This study aims to evaluate the HRQOL of parents of children with allergic diseases using the EQ-5D-5L. The subjects of the study were parents of children enrolled in primary schools and daycare centers. The EQ-5D-5L was self-administered in the sample population, and demographic and health information of their children were collected.

Disease severity-based evaluation of utility weights for lung cancer-related health states in Korea.

Background: Utility weight, a measure of health-related quality of life, is used in disease burden measurements and economic evaluations. In this study, we used the visual analogue scale (VAS) and standard gamble (SG) method to determine the utility weights of lung cancer health states in South Korea from a societal perspective.

Methods: Six hypothetical health states for lung cancer or a related health state reflective of disease severity were developed: 1) Stage I, 2) Stage II, 3) Stage IIIa, 4) Stage IIIB, 5) Stage IV, and 6) Pulmonary nodule.

Health-related quality of life by allergy symptoms in elementary school students.

Background: Globally, allergic diseases are very common in childhood and may affect children's quality of life. This study aimed to explore health-related quality of life of elementary school students with allergy symptoms using the EQ-5D-Y and to examine the validity and feasibility of the EQ-5D-Y.

Methods: The study subjects were the students within 50 elementary schools which voluntarily participated in research project.

Exploratory Study of Dimensions of Health-related Quality of Life in the General Population of South Korea.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore dimensions in addition to the 5 dimensions of the 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L) that could satisfactorily explain variation in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the general population of South Korea.

Methods: Domains related to HRQoL were searched through a review of existing HRQoL instruments. Among the 28 potential dimensions, the 5 dimensions of the EQ-5D-5L and 7 additional dimensions (vision, hearing, communication, cognitive function, social relationships, vitality, and sleep) were included.

Cost-utility analysis of the National Health Screening Program for chronic kidney disease in Korea.

Aim: Although a National Health Screening Program (NHSP) for chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been implemented in Korea since 2002, its cost-effectiveness has never been determined. This study aimed to estimate the cost-utility of NHSP for CKD in Korea.

Methods: A Markov decision analytic model was constructed to compare CKD screening strategies of the NHSP with no screening.

Estimation of utility weights for major liver diseases according to disease severity in Korea.

Background: The global burden of liver diseases, such as hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis, is substantial. In this study, we estimated utility weights of liver disease-related health states in the general population using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the standard gamble (SG) method.

Methods: Depictions of standardized health states related to major liver diseases were developed based on patient education materials and previous publications.

Feasibility, comparability, and reliability of the standard gamble compared with the rating scale and time trade-off techniques in Korean population.

Purpose: The standard gamble (SG) method is the gold standard for valuing health states as a utility, although it is accepted that it is difficult to valuate health states. This study was conducted in order to compare the SG with the rating scale (RS) and time trade-off (TTO) techniques in terms of their feasibility, comparability, and reliability in a valuation survey of the general Korean population.

Methods: Five-hundred members of the general Korean population were recruited using a multi-stage quota sampling method in Seoul and its surrounding areas, Korea.

Estimating utility weights and quality-adjusted life year loss for colorectal cancer-related health states in Korea.

We aimed to assess utility weight of health states associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) that reflect the societal preference of the Korean population and to estimate the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) loss with CRC. We recruited 607 individuals from the Korean population; they were surveyed via face-to-face computer-assisted interviews. The participants evaluated each CRC-associated health state using standard gamble.

High-Performance Long-Term-Stable Dopant-Free Perovskite Solar Cells and Additive-Free Organic Solar Cells by Employing Newly Designed Multirole π-Conjugated Polymers.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and organic solar cells (OSCs) are promising renewable light-harvesting technologies with high performance, but the utilization of hazardous dopants and high boiling additives is harmful to all forms of life and the environment. Herein, new multirole π-conjugated polymers (P1-P3) are developed via a rational design approach through theoretical hindsight, further successfully subjecting them into dopant-free PSCs as hole-transporting materials and additive-free OSCs as photoactive donors, respectively. Especially, P3-based PSCs and OSCs not only show high power conversion efficiencies of 17.

Estimation of health state utilities in breast cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine the utility of breast cancer health states using the standard gamble (SG) and visual analog scale (VAS) methods in the Korean general population.

Materials And Methods: Eight hypothetical breast cancer health states were developed based on patient education material and previous publications. Data from 509 individuals from the Korean general population were used to evaluate breast cancer health states using the VAS and the SG methods, which were obtained via computer-assisted personal interviews.

A cross sectional survey on health-related quality of life of elementary school students using the Korean version of the EQ-5D-Y.

Background And Objective: The Korean version of the EQ-5D-Y was launched in 2015 by the EuroQol group. Currently, there is no HRQOL data obtained by using the EQ-5D-Y in Korea. This study aimed to measure health-related quality of life of Korean elementary school students using the EQ-5D-Y.

Economic burden of chronic kidney disease in Korea using national sample cohort.

Background: Determining the cost of a disease is one of the approaches to estimate the burden of the disease. This study was aimed to estimate the socioeconomic burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by CKD stages and treatment strategies in Korea.

Methods: This was a population-based study designed to estimate the cost of CKD according to CKD stages and treatment strategies from a societal perspective in Korea using multiple data sources.

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

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.

Estimation of utility weights for human papilloma virus-related health states according to disease severity.

Background: A cost-utility study of a human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine requires that the utility weights for HPV-related health states (i.e., cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), cervical cancer, and condyloma) be evaluated.

Side-Chain Fluorination: An Effective Approach to Achieving High-Performance All-Polymer Solar Cells with Efficiency Exceeding 7.

Side-chain fluorination of polymers is demonstrated as a highly effective strategy to improve the efficiency of all-polymer solar cells from 2.93% (nonfluorinated P1) to 7.13% (fluorinated P2).

Effect of nurse staffing variation and hospital resource utilization.

In this study, we examined the effect of variations in nurse staffing levels on the length of stay and medical expenses of patients who underwent hip or knee surgeries. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the National Health Insurance database and hospital surveys from 2010. Patient length of stay and medical expenses by nurse staffing level and skill mix were compared after adjusting for hospital and patient characteristics.

The EQ-5D-5L valuation study in Korea.

Purpose: This study aimed to estimate Korean preference weights for EQ-5D-5L based on values elicited from Korean population by applying the EuroQol Valuation Technology (EQ-VT) program and the standard protocol by the EuroQol Group.

Methods: The multistage quota sampling method was used to recruit 1085 subjects from the general population in Korea. Each respondent valuated 10 health states using the composite time trade-off (cTTO) and 7 health states using discrete choice experiment.

Validity and reliability of EQ-5D-3L for breast cancer patients in Korea.

Background: Recently, breast cancer incidence and prevalence has been increasing. Patients' health related quality of life is important considerations in the treatment of breast cancer. The EQ-5D-3L is one of most popular instruments to measure health related quality of life.