Future Blood Debt: Projecting Blood Supply and Demand of Korea Based on Subnational Population Projections (2021-2050).

Background: South Korea faces a critical challenge with its rapidly declining fertility rates and an increasingly aging population, which significantly impacts the country's blood supply and demand. Despite these nationwide trends, regional disparities in blood supply and demand have not been thoroughly studied.

Methods: This research utilized blood donation data from the Korean Red Cross and blood transfusion data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.

Nationwide survey of internal medicine hospitalists in Korea: motivation and sustainability of a hospitalist career.

Background/aims: Although a management fee for hospitalist service was established in Korea, the number of hospitalists required for the system to run remains outmatched.

Methods: In January 2020 and February 2022, before and after the establishment of the hospitalist fee system respectively, cross-sectional online surveys were conducted among internal medicine board-certified hospitalists.

Results: There were 59 and 64 respondents in the 2020 and 2022 surveys, respectively.

Staphylococcal Enterotoxin-Specific IgE Sensitization: A Potential Predictor of Fixed Airflow Obstruction in Elderly Asthma.

Purpose: enterotoxin-specific immunoglobulin E (SE-sIgE) sensitization tends to increase with age and is known to be associated with asthma and severity in older adults. However, the long-term impact of SE-sIgE in the elderly remains unknown. This study aimed to examine the relationships between SE-sIgE and fixed airflow obstruction (FAO) in a cohort of elderly asthmatics.

A focus group interview with health professionals: establishing efficient transition care plan for older adult patients in Korea.

Background: Although transition care planning can affect the functional status and quality of life after acute hospitalization in older adults, little is known on problems associated with discharge planning in acute care hospitals in Korea. We aimed to investigate barriers and possible solutions on transfer planning of complex older patients in this study.

Methods: We used focus group interviews with the application of framework analysis.

A Descriptive Study of Emergency Department Visits Within 30 Days of Discharge.

Background: Unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits are a crucial consideration in discharge planning for acutely admitted patients. This study aimed to identify the reasons for unnecessary visits to the ED within 30 days of discharge from a medical hospitalist unit.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients discharged in 2018 from a medical unit of tertiary teaching hospital in Korea.

Clinical Frailty Scale, K-FRAIL questionnaire, and clinical outcomes in an acute hospitalist unit in Korea.

Background/aims: Frailty increases the risks of in-hospital adverse events such as delirium, falls, and functional decline in older adults. We assessed the feasibility and clinical relevance of frailty status in Korean older inpatients using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and Korean version of the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, & Loss of Weight scale (K-FRAIL) questionnaires.

Methods: Frailty status was measured using the Korean-translated version of the CFS and K-FRAIL questionnaire within 3 days from admission in 144 consecutive patients aged 60 years or older.

Clinical outcomes associated with anticholinergic burden in older hospitalized patients with advanced cancer: a single-center database study.

Purpose: Although anticholinergic burden has been known to be associated with adverse outcomes in older adults, its clinical importance has been less studied in patients with advanced cancer. We aimed to assess clinical impacts of using anticholinergic medications in older patients with cancer.

Methods: This is a single-center retrospective database study.

Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden as a Predictive Factor for In-hospital Mortality in Older Patients in Korea.

Background: With the increasing prevalence of chronic disease due to aging, many older adults experience multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Medications with anticholinergic properties are particularly associated with adverse cognitive outcomes, including functional decline and mortality. We assessed the clinical impact of anticholinergic cognitive burden (ACB) on clinical outcomes of older patients acutely admitted to a single, hospitalist-operated medical unit of a tertiary hospital in Korea.

Comparisons of Clinical Outcomes between Weekday-Only and Full-Time, 24-Hour/7-Day Coverage Hospitalist Systems.

Background: Since the launch of pilot programs in 2016, varying ranges of hospitalist coverage exist in Korea. We evaluated the effects of differing depths of hospitalist coverage on clinical outcomes.

Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed the records of 513 patients admitted to a medical hospitalist unit through emergency department at Seoul National University Hospital.

Correction: Impact of self-reported symptoms of allergic rhinitis and asthma on sleep disordered breathing and sleep disturbances in the elderly with polysomnography study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Impact of self-reported symptoms of allergic rhinitis and asthma on sleep disordered breathing and sleep disturbances in the elderly with polysomnography study.

Background: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and sleep disturbances have been reported to be associated with allergic rhinitis and asthma. However, population-based studies of this issue in the elderly are rare.

Objective: To investigate the impact of self-reported rhinitis and asthma on sleep apnea and sleep quality using polysomnography in an elderly Korean population.

Could Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Test be Useful in Predicting Inhaled Corticosteroid Responsiveness in Chronic Cough? A Systematic Review.

Background: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (Feno) is a safe and convenient test for assessing T2 airway inflammation, which is potentially useful in the management of patients with chronic cough.

Objective: To summarize the current evidence on the diagnostic usefulness of Feno for predicting inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) responsiveness in patients with chronic cough.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify articles published in peer-reviewed journals up to February 2015, without language restriction.