Background
: The harmfulness of smoking is well known, but the smoking rate of adult males in Korea is still high. Therefore, we wanted to find out the factors related to smoking cessation among patients who had been admitted to hospital and to make an effective smoking cessation program.

Methods : We reviewed the medical records of patients who had been admitted to the department of internal medicine or orthopedic surgery of an hospital from January 25, 2005 to June 15, 2005. We enrolled 104 male patients who were smokers and gave them telephone interviews. Among them, 74 patients answered (71.2%).

Results : Among the subjects, 10 patients quit smoking and 64 smoked continuously. Age, duration and amount of smoking, past experiences of smoking cessation were not significantly different between the two groups. The patients who were admitted to the department of internal medicine (P=0.047) and advised from doctors to quit smoking (P=0.010) showed a high smoking cessation rate. The patients who were advised by doctors showed a higher rate of planning for smoking cessation, even though they were still smoking (P=0.001).

Conclusion : For smoking cessation in admission patient's, doctor's advice to quit smoking was important.

Background
: The management of problem drinking is very important in family practice and primary care. This research was designed to evaluate the effect of brief intervention on heavy drinking patients in family practice.

Methods : The subjects were composed of 34 Korean males who had findings of alcoholic liver disease in the general health examination. About 5 to 10 minute outpatient interventions consisting of brief advice on drinking problems were delivered in the mean (±SD) frequency of 3.5 (±1.4) times during the 12 weeks. The effect of brief intervention was evaluated by the number of drinking days per week and drinks per drinking day during the 4 weeks before brief intervention and 12 weeks later. The result was compared with the control group (24 males) who had the same condition but did not receive the brief intervention.

Results : The mean (±SD) drinking days per week were significantly (P＜0.001) decreased from 3.5 (±1.7) to 2.0 (±2.1) days and the mean (±SD) drinks per drinking day were significantly (P＜0.001) decreased from 9.5 (±3.5) to 5.1 (±4.3) drinks. The degree of decrease in the subjects was significantly higher than the control group in both drinking days per week (P=0.001) and drinks per drinking day (P＜0.005).

Conclusion : The brief intervention by family physicians is an effective clinical method in the management of heavy drinking patients.

Background
: We assessed the suitability of patients' education materials made by KAFM (Korean Academy of Family Medicine) to suggest guidelines for making more efficient education materials.

Methods : The Korean version of SAM (Suitability Assessment of Materials) was used to evaluate patients' education materials of KAFM. The Korean version was modified within the centext of Korean language and culture by 3 family medicine specialists. We evaluated all materials which had been made up to October, 2003. Each item of evaluation criteria was assessed and agreed by 3 family medicine specialists.

Results : The total number of evaluated materials as 51. The average SAM score was 40.2% and its range was 22∼78%. The materials on 'Early detection and self examination of breast cancer', 'Back muscle exercise for back pain patients', and 'Treatment and management of hypertension' received high scores. The materials on 'TIA', 'Alcohol and liver', and 'Children's constipation' received low scores. Two materials (3.9%) were judged excellent, 18 (35.3%) adequate, and 31 (60.8%) not adequate. The criteria for each item such as learning aids via road signs, layout factors, and typography received high scores. The criteria for each item such as summary or review included, 'context is given first', 'cover graphic shows purpose', relevance of illustrations, and 'caption used for graphics' received low scores.

Conclusion : The items such as 'learning aids via road signs', 'layout factors', and 'typography' received high scores in the evaluation of patients' education materials by SAM criteria. There were also weak points noted about unclear purpose, less description about behavior change, irrelevance of illustrations, and lack of learning stimulation and motivation.

Background
: The aim of this study was to investigate the health problems which women feel important and what they want to know from their doctors in the family practice clinics.
Methods
: The subjects were all female patients who visited the family practice clinics at the four hospitals in which some members of the Study Group for Women's Health in Korean Academy of Family Medicine worked from December 10 to 15, 2001. We surveyed by self-administered questionnaire on important health topic, health care services they woud like to receive, what they expected from their doctors, what topics they have difficulty in discussing with, the doctors preference of physician's gender. We analyzed the results by age groups; 19∼44, 45∼64, and 65 years old and over.
Results
: A total of 437 women answered the questionnaires, whose mean age was 49.4 year. Health topics that women felt important were osteoporosis, stress, cervical cancer, arthritis, and stroke, which varied with the age groups and recent health perception. The provision of health care services which they desired were in the order of treatment, prevention and health promotion, and diagnosis, which varied with the age groups and recent health perception. What they expected from their doctors were in the order of giving accurate diagnosis, explaining the treatment plan, and answering their questions. They had difficulty undergoing physical exam undressed, gynecological exam, and discussing on their sexual problems.
Conclusion
: Women who visited the family practice clinics felt differently on important health problems according to the age groups. Overall, they wanted to receive health services on the treatment, prevention and health promotion of osteoporosis, stress, cervical cancer, and arthritis.

Background
: Compliance, defined as the extent to how a person's behavior concedes with medical prescription or advice, has great influence on the treatment. Compliance can be a problem when dealing with chronic medical disorder requiring lifestyle changes and long term treatment. Elderly patients are thought to have more difficulty following prescription because they are generally prescribed more medication, and have more chronic disease. Thus we conducted this study to exam the medication compliance, and the factors associated with compliance in elderly patients.

Methods : The study population consisted of 60 patients (men 31,women 29), older than 60years, who visited a geriatric center geriatric center in a university hospital in September 1, 1998 for one week. We used morisky's self-reported questionnaire which consisted of 4 questions by telephone interview to figure out compliance, and asked 11 questions that may influence compliance, and then collected data - sex, age, number of medication, complexity of prescription, physician number, follow-up days etc. by medical records. We defined compliance as given positing answers to all of the four questions. We analyzed the correlation between compliance and associated factors with x2- test.

Results : Twenty one patients(35%) of the 60 patients were non-compliant. The factors associated with medication compliance were knowledgement of the disease (p=0.020), satisfaction with physician(p=0.012),explanation from physician (p=0
050), number of physician (p=0.024), number of dedication (p=0007), complexity of prescription (p=0.002). But there was no relationship between medication compliance and sea, age, education, perceived seriousness of illness, perceived efficacy of treatment, family support, physical disability, treatment duration, adverse effect, and follow-up days.

Conclusion : Thirty five percent of the subjects were non-compliant. In the factors associated with compliance, the doctor/patient factors as satisfaction with physician, number of physician, number of medication, complexity of prescription have more correlation than patient/disease factor Therefore, we emphasize the role of doctor for improving medical compliance.

Background
: It is important for the health care provider, particularly primary care physicians as gatekeepers of health care, to understand the social interests and needs toward health care. This study was done to find ways to deal with public opinion by analyzing the contributions of health care in the newspapers.

Methods : Two hundred twenty four contributions about health care were sorted out in the three national newspapers during one calendar year from January to December, 1996. These contributions were coded by themes and subjects according the content analysis and qualitative text interpretation.

Results : The contributions were classified into three categories; medical insurance, and hospital ser-vices, and health care policies. Forty four contributions of medical insurance category were coded into 5 themes and 18 subjects. Fifty eight contributions of hospital services category were coded into 3 themes and 31 subjects. One hundred twenty two contributions of medical insurance category were coded into 8 themes and 32 subjects. The themes and subjects were listed and major findings were described qualitatively. The characteristics of public opinions about health care were diversity, conflicting interests, plentifulness of complaints and discontent, and finally, infrequency of alternative proposals for problem solving. How to deal with public opinions were discussed.

Conclusion : We can recognize the public attitude of health care and complaints of patients and consumers of health care by analyzing the contributions in the newspapers. These data can be used to develop ways of primary care physicians to deal with patients' needs.

Background
: Breast cancer is increasing cause of cancer-related mortality among Korean women. Early detection and treatment are the most important strategy for reducing breast cancer mortality. Despite of its importance as an early detection method, a low percentage of women practice breast self-examination(BSE) regularly. The aim of this study was to describe the effectiveness of patient education on performing BSE regularly and to identify predisposing factors associated with these activities.

Methods : Sixty-six women who did not have experience in BSE in the past were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. We taught BSE knowledge and skill about BSE using breast models and audiovisual equipment for experimental group in patient education class. Women in control group, however, were simply educated by their physician about BSE knowledge and skill with only educational booklet during their outpatient visits. We observed the difference in regular BSE performance proportion between two groups 6, 12 months later and analyzed the predisposing factors affecting on the education effect. Direct and telephone interview methods were used to gather the information. Data were analyzed with t-test, x²-analysis and logistic regression using SAS 6.10, EGRET program.

Results : There were no differences in sociodemographic characteristics between study groups. They were followed for 12 months. At follow-up after 6 months 44.1% of women performed BSE regularly among experimental group and 18.8% of women did it among control group(OR= 3.4, 95% CI 1.1-10.4, p<0.05). At follow-up after 12 months proportion of women performed BSE regularly in experimental group(28.6%) was slightly higher than that of control group(22.2%), but that difference was not statistically significant. The prevalence of performing BSE regularly was higher among women who had experience in periodic health examination(OR=6.0, 95% CI 1.9-18.8, p<0.01), who had experience in mammography(OR=4.0, 95% CI 1.0-15.6, p<0.05). And the prevalence of performing BSE regularly also was higher among women who were older than 40 years old, married, had experience in cervical Pap smear, had knowledge about BSE before education, have done exercise regularly, had less number of health risk factors, but without statistical significance.

Conclusion : These results showed that effectiveness of patient education on BSE, if we determine the effectiveness of BSE education with regular performance of BSE, is relatively low among Korean women. We could see, however, that if we use breast models for demonstration in addition to usual educational material, the effectiveness of BSE education can be more effective. We also recognized that effectiveness of BSE education will not be continued for long time without any maintenance strategy. There were lots of predisposing factors which could affect the effectiveness of BSE education positively or negatively. So, family physicians who plan BSE patient education at their clinics must consider these factors.