Implementation of a Videoconferencing System between Multiple Family Medicine Departments

Attending conferences is important for doctors and residents in family medicine. Nevertheless, departments of family medicine at many hospitals find it difficult to hold regular conferences. Holding joint videoconferences between Family Medicine Departments of several hospitals through a videoconferencing system could solve this problem. Therefore, Family Medicine Departments of Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, and Kangwon National University Hospital decided to hold regular joint videoconferences via a videoconferencing system. Eighty-one joint videoconferences were held from April 1 to October 29, 2010. PowerPoint slideshows were transferred to the other two locations in the same resolution as presenter's monitor. Image and voice of the speaker were transferred in real time and in acceptable quality. Joint videoconferences are feasible, satisfactory and useful for medical education, especially when individual family medicine departments are small and lack resources to hold face-to-face conferences. We expect that more family medicine departments will choose to participate in implementing similar joint videoconferencing systems in the future

Effects of smoking cessation and weight gain on cardiovascular disease risk factors in Asian male population

Objective: Smoking cessation leads to both beneficial and harmful changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The basis of the harmful changes, however, is unknown. Our objective was to determine whether they are associated with the weight gain that accompanies smoking cessation. Methods: Study subjects were male cigarette smokers aged at least 30 years who visited the Health Promotion Center of Seoul National University Hospital between 1995 and 2007 repeatedly with a 1- to 3-year interval between first and second visit. Self-reporting questionnaires gathered clinical and socioeconomic characteristics on the initial visit, and CVD risk factors (blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and serum lipid profile) were measured on both the visits. Results: We compared the CVD risk factors between smoking quitters and smoking continuers. The quitters were more likely than the continuers to have harmful health changes such as increase in body weight (P < 0.01), in systolic blood pressure, and in serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and non-HDL cholesterol (P < 0.05). When stratified by body weight change, quitters who had gained more than the median (1.3 kg) were more likely than those who had not to have increase in blood pressure (P < 0.01) and in serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, and fasting glucose (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Harmful changes in CVD risk factors associated with smoking cessation were mainly secondary to weight gain. To reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in quitters, therefore, more attention should be focused on preventing weight gain. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2010-01/102/0000052039/8SEQ:8PERF_CD:SNU2010-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000052039ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A077862DEPT_CD:801CITE_RATE:4.086FILENAME:24_Effects of smoking cessation and weight gain.pdfDEPT_NM:의학과EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YCONFIRM:

Cost-Effectiveness of Eradication of Helicobacter pylori in Gastric Cancer Survivors After Endoscopic Resection of Early Gastric Cancer

Background: Clinical effectiveness of Helicobacter pylori eradication in gastric cancer survivors after endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer (EGC) was recently established in a randomized controlled trial. We aimed to establish long-term cost-effectiveness in gastric cancer survivors after endoscopic resection of EGC. Materials and Methods: A Markov model was constructed to compare the costs and outcomes of the two intervention strategies: (1) eradicate H. pylori after complete resection of EGC by endoscopy (2) do not eradicate. Estimates for variables in the model were obtained by extensive review of published reports. Analyses were made from the Korean public healthcare provider's perspective. Results: Base-case analysis indicated H. pylori eradication costs less (US$29,780 vs. US$ 30,594# than no eradication, and save more lives #mean life expectancy from eradication: 13.60 years vs. 13.55 years). One-way and three-way sensitivity analyses showed the robustness of the cost-effectiveness results. Conclusion: In this selective population with very high risk of developing gastric cancer, H. pylori eradication should be considered for reimbursement with priority to prevent Subsequent cancer and also reduce health care cost.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2009-01/102/0000052039/6SEQ:6PERF_CD:SNU2009-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000052039ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A077862DEPT_CD:801CITE_RATE:2.851FILENAME:22_Cost-Effectiveness of Eradication of Helicobacter pylori in.pdfDEPT_NM:의학과EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YCONFIRM: