Human skeleton data obtained using a depth camera have been used for pathological gait recognition to support doctor or physician diagnosis decisions. Most studies for skeleton-based pathological gait recognition have used either raw skeleton sequences directly or gait features, such as gait parameters and joint angles, extracted from raw skeleton sequences. We hypothesize that using skeleton, joint angles, and gait parameters together can improve recognition performance. This study aims to develop a deep neural network model that effectively combines different types of input data. We propose a hybrid deep neural network framework composed of a graph convolutional network, recurrent neural network, and artificial neural network to effectively encode skeleton sequences, joint angle sequences, and gait parameters, respectively. The features extracted from three different input data types are fused and fed into the final classification layer. We evaluate the proposed model on two different skeleton datasets (a simulated pathological gait dataset and a vestibular disorder gait dataset) that were collected using an Azure Kinect. The proposed model, with multiple types of input, improved the pathological gait recognition performance compared to single input models on both datasets. Furthermore, it achieved the best performance among the state-of-the-art models for skeleton-based action recognition.

Purpose: This study aims to verify whether the Reflective Practice Questionnaire (RPQ) developed by Priddis and Rogers is valid in the Korean context to identify the level of reflection of medical students in clinical practice.Methods: A total of 202 third- and fourth-year medical students from seven universities participated in the study. After receiving approval for use from the authors, a survey was conducted on the students through an adaptation process. The original scale consists of 10 factors with 40 items. The Self-efficacy in Clinical Performance Scale (SECP), Korean Self-reflection and Insight Scale (K-SRIS), and Reflection-in-Learning Scale (RinLS) were used to validate the scale. Exploratory factor, confirmatory factor, correlation, and reliability analyses were used for data analysis.Results: As a result of exploratory factor analysis, 10 subfactors were extracted (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin=0.856, Bartlett’s test: χ 2 =5,044.337, degrees of freedom=780, p<0.001). Among the 40 items, one that showed a high overlapping load for other factors was excluded. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis, the 10-factor structure model was found suitable (χ 2 =1.980, comparative fit index=0.859, Tucker-Lewis index=0.841, root mean square error of approximation=0.070). As a result of the criterion validity test, most of the subfactors of the Korean version of the RPQ (K-RPQ) showed a positive correlation with K-SRIS, RinLS, and SECP. The reliability of 10 subfactors was satisfactory, ranging from 0.666 to 0.919.Conclusion: The K-RPQ was confirmed to be a reliable and valid tool to evaluate the level of reflection among Korean medical students in clinical clerkship. This scale can be used as a tool to provide feedback on each student’s level of reflection in clinical clerkship.

We investigated the work-life balance of clinical professors in charge of patient care, research, and education at medical schools and the demand for work-life balance support according to position (professor, associate professor, or assistant professor). In total, 163 clinical professors completed the consent form and participated in the study. They filled out an online survey consisting of questions about essential characteristics, a work-life balance test, stress, burnout, work-life satisfaction, and work-life balance support needs. We analyzed the results by analysis of variance and cross-tabulation using IBM SPSS ver. 23.0. Differences were found in work-life balance, stress, burnout, and satisfaction with life and work by position. The requirements for support for work-life balance also varied by professional status. Professors had a higher balance between life and work than associate professors or assistant professors. The specific requirements for work-life balance support were also slightly different for each position. Overall, there was a high demand for work process simplification and efficiency for work support, flexible working hours and sabbatical years for family and leisure, and career management consulting and training support for growth. Assistant professors and associate professors had a lower level of work-life balance than professors, as well as higher levels of stress and burnout. Professors' job satisfaction was also higher than that of the other groups. Based on the results of this study, we hope that a healthy work environment can be established through work-life balance support suitable for clinical professors’ positions.

Background & Objective: Aging is a global trend, and Korea is also entering an aging society, which threatens the mental health of the elderly due to isolation, etc. In line with the growing domestic and international interest in elderly issues, this study aimed to identify the effects of depression, stress and self-esteem on the lives of the elderly in South Korea and to provide basic data for welfare measures. Methods: Depression, stress, self-esteem, and quality of life were measured in 104 South Korean seniors (32 men, 72 women, average age 72.94 years old). Differences between groups according to gender and residence type were confirmed. Results: There were no significant differences in stress among the elderly by place of residence, but there were significant differences in quality of life, depression, and self-esteem. Quality of life and self-esteem were higher in private housing than in public housing, and depression was higher in public housing than in private housing. In addition, lower depression and higher self-esteem were correlated with higher quality of life among the elderly. Conclusion: With the global trend of an aging society, it is essential to continue to pay attention to assist the lives of elderly and provide them with practical support and policies. The quality of life of the elderly requires continuous attention and efforts to support and policies for mental health and economic support. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.4.8912 How to cite this: Park HJ, Kim YR, Choi J, Lee SH, Kang HJ, Lee HH. The impact of depression, stress, and self-esteem on quality of life among older adults in South Korea. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(4):601-605. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.4.8912 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Patient-physician interaction (PPI) is an important area in medical education, but in-depth discussions on the content of the outcome of patient-doctor education are rare. Therefore, in this study, we will systematically analyze the research on PPI education in Korea. In this study, papers searched with keywords related to PPI education from Korea’s academic journal service were targeted according to a systematic literature analysis method. The scope of the study was to include papers published in academic journals that are candidates for Korea Citation Index registration, excluding dissertations, research reports, posters, conference presentations, books, and internet materials. The content included papers targeting medical education and medical school students was set as the range. As a result of the analysis, although communication between PPI has many positive effects in the PPI in medical education at medical schools, obstacles do occur, and various ways to overcome them were suggested. Therefore, although medical interview training between patients and doctors in medical schools is necessary, it was analyzed as being based on overseas research or lacking in specific content. The core of PPI education appears to be medical interviews, and it seems necessary to discuss whether empathy or patient-centered medical care are appropriate as the main principles of PPI education in Korea. Therefore, education on the patient-doctor relationship is an important element in medical humanities and medical humanities education, and it is expected that research and education on this will progress more actively.