Biomedical subjects

F Funatani

Publications and source records attributed to F Funatani.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

[An investigation on ethylene oxide sterilization management in medical institutions].

The present study describes an investigation on the use and management of ethylene oxide (EO) which is used mainly as a sterilant in medical institutions in a Cabinet-order designated city. Information was obtained from a self-administered questionnaire on safety and health matters related to sterilization with EO gas. The questionnaire was sent to 189 medical institutions including major hospitals and randomly selected clinics. 127 questionnaire were returned and the analysis was carried out for 120 respondents, excluding seven respondents whose answers were found to be inappropriate. The proportion of medical institutions, employing more than 50 workers, in which an occupational health physician and/or health supervisor was appointed was 70% and was lower than for other industries. 1.6% of the employees engaged in EO sterilization activities in the hospitals, whereas in clinics the percentage was as high as 20%. Several problems were found both in the management and work methods with EO: operations were not isolated in 46%; gas leaks and back-streaming of exhaust gas were found in 59% and 41%, respectively; and personal protective clothing was not used in 69%. Improvement was found only for three items among the institutions where an occupational health physician was appointed. These results suggest that good workplace controls and practices are essential for medical institutions using hazardous materials including EO for sterilization.

Disinfectants↗

PubMed1998

[A plan of the life-long learning support system of UOEH--possibility for the introduction of distance learning system by the Internet].

In order to keep up with the rapid advance in knowledge and skills in various industrial sectors, the needs for the life-long learning has increased recently. This is also the case for the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, which has as its aim the education of occupational health specialists. In fact, there are many universities and colleges which have organized some post-graduate courses for the workers. However, most of these courses are for workers who can come to classes in the daytime or evening. In the case of UOEH, it is not enough to organize such type of classes in order to respond to the social needs, because it has to offer an opportunity of life-long learning for all occupational health specialists in all parts of Japan. In order to solve this problem, it is recommended that a distance learning system based on modern information technology such as the internet be organized. In this report, the authors present the distance learning system of Wisconsin University in the USA, and that of Tamagawa Gakuen University of Japan. After evaluating these two systems, a plan for a life-long learning support system of UOEH is suggested, which consists of a distance learning system based on the internet.

Education, Continuing↗

PubMed1997

[Computer-aided occupational health education for post-graduates].

Nowadays, it's inevitable that occupational physicians enhance the activities in the field of occupational health through the use of the computer. Moreover, computer-aided self-education programs are one of the most useful tools for occupational physicians because they must learn a large volume of multidiscipline expertise for occupational health. Thus, we tried to apply a practical training program using the software of our own making in the post-graduate training course of fundamental occupational health. One is a self-education software for the study of electrocardiograms, and the other is a simple system to manage the serial data of a medical checkup and the reports of an inspection tour in the workplace. By this system one is also able to receive information such as a chest X-ray via the internet. Twenty-three students appraised our programs as for the contents (easily understandable, adequate volume); teacher's attitudes (enthusiastic approach to the training, enough time for questions, attention to the reaction of the class) and free comments. Because 4.3 points (at most 5.0) on an average was obtained, we are encouraged to make multimedia instructional materials on occupational health.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed1997

[An analysis of factors associated with the increase of in-patient medical expenditures for the elderly in Fukuoka Prefecture].

In order to evaluate factors associated with the increase in the in-patient medical expenditures for the elderly in Fukuoka prefecture during the period from 1987 to 1991, an analysis was conducted based on the data of 10 Health Care Regions. According to the results, there were two patterns in the increase. The first was the pattern observed in the southern part of the prefecture, where most of the increase in the in-patient medical expenditures for the elderly was explained by the increase of medical expenditures per capita. Furthermore, this increase per capita was due to the increase in utilization rate. This pattern is considered to be associated with the increase of general hospital beds as well as with the increase of the dependent elderly in the regions. The second pattern was observed in urban regions, such as Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, where the increase of in-patient medical expenditures for the elderly was mainly due to the increase in the number of elderly in the regions. This pattern is considered to be associated with the increase in the population categorized as the aged household. The present result suggests that in order to control the medical expenditures for the elderly, different service-mix strategies will be necessary, respecting the socio-economic characteristics of each region.

Demography↗

PubMed1990

[Quantitative evaluation of screening programs for chronic diseases].

This paper addresses an epidemiologic approach to the quantitative evaluation of screening programs for chronic diseases. A new formula is advanced for the quantitative relationship between the yield of a screening program and the natural history of chronic disease, based on the two stage model of disease progression. The formula was applied to follow-up data of the participants and the proportions of cases detected by the screening were estimated as 15.3% for all diseases and 43.8% for hypertensive disorders. The formula is useful for continuous monitoring of ongoing screening programs as well as for potential impact evaluation of hypothetical programs.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

[A prospective study of access to medical services following a community-based screening program].

Participants in a multiphasic screening program, 454 men and 767 women, were followed up for a period of several months (117 days on the average) in order to evaluate their needs for medical services after screening. Five hundred sixty-two (47.1%) visited outpatient clinics in the study area; 185 as continuing visits for existing diseases (prevalent), 167 because of symptoms which developed after the screening (clinical), and 65 for further investigations of abnormal findings from the screening (screened). The ratio of prevalent to incident (= clinical + screened) cases, which is related to the duration of clinical phase, was the highest in hypertensive, thyroid, ophthalmologic disorders. This indicates that health services for prevalent cases of those diseases are needed in addition to primary and secondary preventive efforts. The proportion of screened cases in the incident cases, which reflects the ability of the screening program to detect diseases in the preclinical phase, was the highest for anemia, disorders of lipid metabolism, and hypertensive disorders. The smaller proportions in dermatologic, urologic and orthopedic disorders indicate that preventive methods for these disorders should be considered in the future. In conclusion, monitoring of screening participants by prospective follow-up and analysis by two measures proposed in this study seem promising for continuing evaluation of the effectiveness of an on-going screening program. A network system of hospitals and physicians' offices should be developed, by which the information on the visits to outpatient clinics after screening is collected and analyzed periodically for monitoring.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

[Relationships between characteristics of community and health service and activity states of medical care facilities in four regions of Fukuoka Prefecture].

In the present study, we assigned a geographical range to promote community health service planning according to the life-behavior spaces of inhabitants in Fukuoka prefecture and regarded the country-life zone, defined by the Ministry of Construction, as a region in which health services should be investigated. The social and economic characteristics of each individual region were then analyzed. As a result, four factors related to "Industrialization" and "Urbanization" were detected. Further, the states of space distribution of medical care facilities and medical care-related facilities were clarified, and relationships between the states and the above socio-economic characteristics were investigated. The states of space distribution in both facilities in Fukuoka prefecture were proved to be remarkably similar on an axis of the "Accumulation of Urbanism" factor. Moreover, Path Analysis was performed in order to clarify the patterns of treatment received by the inhabitants, and a model of these trends in relation to health care received was constructed, highlighting problems in the necessary planning of health service provision. It was specifically indicated that the problem of aging in Chikuho region would be an important factor affecting such planning in the future. We also analyzed the present state of emergency medical services in Fukuoka prefecture and the activities of health nurses in each individual region.

Catchment Area, Health↗

PubMed1978