• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2017

In the United States, California is well known for its rigorous education and licensing system regarding East Asian Medicine and acupuncture. As in most other states in America, the State government controls the practice of acupuncture, massage, acupressure therapy, food therapy, and natural therapy using a board established to set, maintain, and uphold licensing credentials for acupuncturists and practitioners of East Asian medicine. In California the system started in the 1970s when the State Legislature passed a bill to measure competency, and license acupuncturists. This study briefly describes the California Acupuncture Board (CAB), which is authorized to control the related education, examination, continuing education, and management of licenses already awarded. This study addresses the essential and minimum educational requirement established by the CAB for licensure, that is mandate classroom lecture with additional 950 hours clinic training, and the 50 hours of continuing education credits earned every two years, for maintaining the license.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.57-70
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to assess Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) doctors' awareness and utilization of the case report, based on the opinion that careful observation on the case sometimes provides us with the important information as clinical trial especially in the traditional medicine research field. Methods : A questionnaire study was conducted among TKM doctors who participated in the annual continuous maintenance education (CME) held at 5 regions of the Republic of Korea. Results : Almost 60% of the respondents had read case reports published in medical journals and 67% had openly shared their clinical cases with their colleagues. Of the respondents, 18.6% had been educated on reporting cases, and only 16% had the experience of reporting cases on one's own. However, 32.6% of the respondents had the intention to report cases in the future. These results show significant differences between general physicians who holds a license but no hospital training experience and board certified TKM doctors who have training experience. Conclusions : A majority of TKM doctors have read case reports but holds little experience of having been properly trained. Through this research, it has been found that awareness of case reports is rising in hospital training. Thus, the objective of case report education for TKM doctors who have hospital training experience should be set on encouraging them to do more whereas for doctors without hospital training experience, the objective should be set on making them more exposed to case reports to heighten one's awareness.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.172-182
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• 2020

Objectives : In this study, we conducted a focus group interview among expatriates living in Korea, to investigate their experiences and perceptions of acupuncture and Korean Medicine in order to improve the usage of Korean Medicine in the medical tourism market. Methods : The inclusion criteria for the focus group interview was: (1) participants between the age of 20 to 75 years old; (2) those who had lived in Korea for more than 90 days, and (3) those who were able to express their thoughts freely in English. The participants were informed that the interviews will be recorded and transcribed. We ended recruitment once saturation of materials was met. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data was analyzed after each interview. Results : The interviews were held between June to December 2016. Twenty-four participants were recruited but four dropped out and a total of twenty participants successfully finished the interviews. Six focus group interviews were conducted. Analysis revealed that Korean Medicine was relatively less known compared to Traditional Chinese Medicine or Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Participants automatically associated acupuncture with the management of pain or stress and replied that these were the areas that they thought acupuncture would be most effective. Positive experiences with acupuncture and with the acupuncture practitioners were factors that promoted the use of acupuncture whereas lack of awareness, accessibility and accreditation were factors that hindered its use. Other factors that hindered the use of acupuncture was needle phobia and the perception that acupuncture lacks scientific evidence. Conclusions : Awareness on Korean Medicine and acupuncture is low. Participants lack awareness on what diseases acupuncture can treat, the scientific evidence behind the mechanism of action, and the rigorous education system that Korean Medicine doctors must go through to get their license. Rigorous marketing should be encouraged, which includes greater exposure in the media, more honest reviews from patients, and promotion of the scientific evidence base.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 2015

Objective : This study aims to investigate legal and regulatory status of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) focusing on regulation on health practitioners and health practice in 33 countries. Method : 33 countries were selected based on several factors such as interest of Korean medical doctors, strategic importance, and distribution over the world. The questionnaire was distributed to Korean embassies in 33 countries in March 2014 through Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the answers from those countries were collected from April to September. 24 countries that provided sufficient information were included in the analysis. Results : 18 countries have law or regulation on T&CM. Only five countries regulate T&CM practitioners as medical personnel or health practitioner by law, and 12 countries have regulation on license or certificate. Half of 24 countries recognize license of T&CM practitioners issued abroad. There are nine countries that recognize T&CM practice as medical practice, and four of them regulate acupuncture as medical practice by western medical doctors or a few health practitioners recognized by the government. There are six countries that do not recognize T&CM practice as medical practice by law, but regulate it as practice that affect public health, and these countries have law or regulation on T&CM. Conclusion : As T&CM have great impact on public health, many countries have recently legislated law or regulation on T&CM. Rapid change in regulatory status of T&CM affects globalization of Korean medicine. Thus, development of timely strategies will be essential for it.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.131-147
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• 2006

Purpose : This study was carried out to analyze the cognition and realities of postpartum care and to aid the spread of oriental medicine in postpartum care and to get a basic guideline of postpartum care home and Korean Medicine Doctor(K.M.D.)'s role model of postpartum care. Methods : We has made questions about the cognition and realities of postpartum care to 2 groups they are workers with postpartum care Home at Gangdong-gu or Songpa-gu puerperants and K.M. doctors working at Gangdong-gu from December 2005 to April 2006. And then we analyzed collected data by using statistics analysis program, SPSS. Results : Almost of 2 group felt sympathy for importance of postpartum care. 5.9% of workers with postpartum care home had maternity nurse licence, 67.6% of them had nurse license and 26.5% of them had nurse's aide qualification. 97.1% of them had experience at medical institution. Most of K.M.D. used Herb-medication for postpartum care with acupuncture and Moxibustion additionally. Conclusion : Workers with postpartum care home had a comparatively good record of medical care or postpartum care. There was difference between 2 groups about proper management model of postpartum care home.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.35-47
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• 2016

"JeSeBoGam (濟世寶鑑)" was a medical document authored by Moon Gi-hong during the Japanese colonial rule in 1933, and the author acted as a Korean medicine doctor, an acupuncturist, a medicine practitioner and an apothecary. Since its first publication in 1933, it has been published three times in 1966 and 1975, from the Japanese colonial period to the liberation period. "JeSeBoGam" is largely divided into Preface part, "List of drugs according to symptoms [隨症用藥目錄]", "JeSeBoGam-Gap (濟世寶鑑甲)", and the Appendix includes "Key points for diagnosing the disease [察病要訣]" "Key points of acupuncture and pulse [脈訣]" "Key points of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment [針灸訣]" in the back of the book. In 1933, there are attached exam books and license application forms related to Korean medicine doctor and pharmacist, so strict regulations on them during the Japanese occupation period can be confirmed. "JeSeBoGam-Gap" contains 208 prescriptions from 143 prescriptions taken from "BangYakHapPyeon" and 65 prescriptions from other books. It divided into Gap (甲) Eul (乙) Byung (丙) Jung (丁). These prescriptions were placed in "List of drugs according to symptoms [隨症用藥目錄]" according to a symptom 1,286 times. Considerable parts of organization and prescription drug composition of "JeSeBoGam" are closely related with "BangYakHapPyeon", but there were adjustments in all medicinal ingredients and capacity for the rest of them except 23 prescription drugs. Compared to "BangYakHapPyeon", there was a tendency to substitute the basic prescription in "JeSeBoGam" for prescriptions used for the same disease. Though only 65 prescriptions were taken from books other than "BangYakHapPyeon", 575 times were reflected in "List of drugs according to symptoms [隨症用藥目錄]", and the rate of utilization is high compared with the number of prescriptions of "BangYakHapPyeon". It is thought that the circumstances of the Japanese occupation period, limits in medicinal ingredients composition due to regional characteristics, and changes in a patient's condition and the treatment method might have an influence on the author's drug use tendency. "JeSeBoGam" is similar to "BangYakHapPyeon" in composition, but it is a new practical medical book in which the author's clinical records are concentrated.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.89-105
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• 2012

Objectives : This study was carried out to know the status of clinical utilization of Korean medical knowledge and the Korean medical knowledge system which Korean medical doctors want. Methods : Questionnaires were distributed to Korean medical doctors registered for the Association of Korean medicine via the email and 249 answered questionnaires were analyzed. Results : 50.6 % of Korean medical doctors utilized the textbooks for Korean medicine when they treated their patients. The reason why they did not utilize the textbooks for Korean medicine was mostly that 'it could not be applied directly into clinical application with only contents of textbook because clinical approach (diagnosis and treatment methods) was not clearly described in the textbook'. 48.6 % of Korean medical doctors utilized the EBM materials when they treated their patients. EBM materials that they referred included domestic articles, other EBM materials excluding papers and international academic papers based on PubMed in order. The reasons why they did not utilize the EBM materials were mostly that 'it was difficult to find the evidence' and 'EBM materials were not actually helpful for the clinical practice.' It was found that Korean medical doctors approached the disease in aspects of Korean and Western Medicine concurrently upon the diagnosis of patients and performed the diagnosis and treatment of Korean medicine on the diseases which seemed to be effective with Korean medicine. It was also found that they thought that they needed to know the Western medical knowledge as much as general doctors who have a doctor's license or family medicine specialists who comprehensively treat the general diseases know. Korean medical doctors wanted to have the systematic summary of modern research performance in fields of acupoint, acupuncture, herbal drugs and formula. They thought that constitutional medicine and Sa-am acupuncture therapy were representative characteristics in Korean medicine differentiated from Traditional Chinese medicine and Kampo medicine. Conclusions : Korean medical doctors wanted to establish the Korean medical knowledge system based on evidence focusing on clinical and practical contents. New Korean medical knowledge system should be established based on these requirements in the future.