Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of empowering leadership at the team level on employees’ subjective well-being (SWB) and work performance through perceived social support. Based on social exchange theory (Blau, 1964), the study identifies the mediating effects of perceived social support in the relationship between empowering leadership and both employees’ well-being and work performance. Design/methodology/approach The study utilized a survey of 1,225 employees working for an organization in South Korea and archival data of the organization. It employed hierarchical linear modeling analyses and the CWC(M) procedure for the tests of multilevel mediation. Findings It was observed that perceived organizational support (POS) and co-worker support (PCS) mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and SWB, but not the relationship between empowering leadership and performance. There was a significant direct effect of empowering leadership on both POS and PCS, which subsequently led to improved work performance. Originality/value Taking a multilevel approach to leadership and relying on both self-reported and organizational archival data, this study contributes to the literature on leadership and well-being by examining the relationships between empowering leadership toward a team and team members’ well-being and performance, and by revealing the crucial mechanisms that underlie them. The study helps to elucidate the impact of empowering leadership on employee SWB, which has largely been neglected in prior management research.

Background/AimsAs bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents has grown due to the increasing use of antimicrobial agents, we sought to evaluate the suitability of ceftriaxone usage (representative of third generation cephalosporins) at 10 university hospitals in Korea.MethodsWe prospectively evaluated the appropriateness of antibiotic usage in 400 adult patients who received ceftriaxone between February 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006. Drug utilization evaluation (DUE) methods were based on standards set forth by the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists. The DUE criteria used in this study were modified to be more suitable in our hospital setting: justification of drug use, critical and process indications, complications, and outcome measures.ResultsThe average patient age was 64.4 years. The utilization of ceftriaxone was appropriate in 262 cases (65.5%) for the justification of use, while inappropriate use was observed in 138 cases (34.5%). Common reasons for inappropriate use of ceftriaxone included continued empiric use for presumed infections, prophylactic perioperative injection, and empiric therapy for fever. Most of the critical indications showed a high rate of suitability (66.5-98.5%). Complications occurred in 37 cases (9.3%). With respect to outcome measures, clinical responses were observed in 60.7% of cases, while only 15.7% of cases showed evidence of infection eradication via negative cultures.ConclusionsAppropriate use (65.5%) of ceftriaxone was higher than inappropriate use (34.5%) at university hospitals in Korea. Inappropriate utilization, however, including continued empiric use for presumed infections and prophylactic perioperative injection remained high. Intensification of educational programs and antibiotic control systems for ceftriaxone is needed to improve the suitability of antimicrobial use.

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Although a decrease in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related mortality has been documented in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era, there are no published data comparing specific causes of death between pre-HAART and HAART era in Korea. Mortality and cause of death were analyzed in three treatment periods; pre-HAART (1990-1997), early-HAART (1998-2001), and late-HAART period (2002-2011). The patients were retrospectively classified according to the treatment period in which they were recruited. Although mortality rate per 100 person-year declined from 8.7 in pre-HAART to 4.9 in late-HAART period, the proportion of deaths within 3 months of initial visit to study hospital significantly increased from 15.9% in pre-HAART to 55.1% in late-HAART period (P < 0.001). Overall, 59% of deaths were attributable to AIDS-related conditions, and Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) was the most common cause of death (20.3%). The proportion of PCP as cause of death significantly increased from 8.7% in pre-HAART to 31.8% in late-HAART period (P < 0.001). Despite of significant improvement of survival, there was still a high risk of early death in patients presenting in HAART era, mainly due to late human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis and late presentation to care.