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Objective: The purpose of this study is to design the web-based dialogue expert system for preventing and managing of habitual substance disorders in adolescents. Methods: Research process includes the requirement analysis, making of questionnaires, actual survey, and its analysis. Based on the analysis, we designed the web-based dialogue expert system. Results: The habitual substance disorders in adolescents are variable. Our system for managing habitual substance disorders contains the diagnosis of alcoholism, nicotinism, and narcotism. And it analyzes the facts of them based the questionnaires and answer. As the results of the analysis, main reasons in order of the power of influence are belief, will of refusal, personal characteristics, family environment, and psychological personality. Our system suggests the customized solution to conquer that for each adolescent. Moreover, our system also includes the history tracking mechanism to manage the status of each teenager constantly and to make the survey and analysis information. Available at http://www.baejy.com/yebang/ Conclusion: With our system, young boys and girls can know their seriousness of alcoholism, nicotinism, and narcotism. And they can get all possible helps through our system. This system will be the interactive and familiar way that anyone all over the world can use for overcoming problems.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based intervention program for depressive symptoms management among Korean adults. Methods: After the first author developed a user-centered design website intended to manage the depressive symptoms of the general public, two hundred and seventy two participants were screened and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. These subjects underwent a 12-week nonequivalent pretest and post-test evaluation program to determine changes in their depression scores, which were measured using the Korean Depression Scale. Subjects’ unique IP addresses were used for monitoring their access periods on the website. Results: There were no significant differences in the baseline and outcome characteristics of both experimental and control groups. Moreover, findings revealed that the total depression score of the experimental group (who accessed the developed web-site three times a week with at least an hour per session) showed to have decreased immensely with a mean of 5.57. On the contrary, only a 0.09 point difference resulted between the pre and post tests of the control group (who accessed other depression management websites generally available). Conclusions: Web-based interventions could be an effective and inexpensive means of managing depressive symptoms of Koreans. Findings from this effectiveness study of an internet-based program could also be used by a variety of audiences including government agencies, educators, and health care professionals concerned with mental health promotion and prevention.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a web-based multimedia heath information system for maternal health care using principles of user-centered design. Methods: Research process includes needs assessment, needs analysis, design, development/testing, and application release. Research methods for needs assessment included literature review, interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Results: Based on the user’s needs studies, this information service system contains an introduction, pregnancy test, fetal assessment, maternal and fetal development during pregnancy, maternal self-care methods, complications of pregnancy, complications of postpartum period, information for parenting, father’s page, self-help group, FAQ, counseling and hyperlinked on Internet sites of resources pages. The web site was released using the URL: http://www.baejy.com/im. Conclusion: Through this health information system, clients can obtain information on maternal and baby care such as maternity care guidelines, daily instructions for families. This system will be a new way of nursing intervention and contribute to the maternal health promotion. (Journal of Korean Society of Medical Informatics 13-3, 285-297, 2007)