• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.617-637
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• 2011

This study employs qualitative approaches to examining geographical characteristics and patients' determinants of online referrals in terms of regionalization. In this light, I conducted interviews with 20 patients receiving online referrals in Choongbook, Korea, and investigated their behaviors regarding these referrals between July and August 2009. I found that many patients who suffered from various levels of illness preferred tertiary care centers outside of Choongbook and did not enjoy their experience with the local medical institutions as the online referral service sites. This result might be because patients choose online referrals for psychological considerations such as quality and level of health care services, personal stakes in online referral service sites, acceptability and credibility of good tertiary care centers, and easy access to and use of medical institutions. Meanwhile, immediate benefits with regard to the technological value of online referrals, such as convenience, utility, and original purpose associated with regionalization, did not influence patients' decision-making. Therefore, the social and public networks affiliated with online referrals plus the effect of Korean medical laws play hostage to private decisions made by citizens, who prefer high-level medical institutions. Accordingly, the technological contribution of online referrals does not halt the outflow of patients from local, tertiary care centers. Especially, the existing health care system and patients' behaviors are deeply related to referrals in the online system. To protect regionalization, the improvement of health care services from the present state of affairs is required.