• 한국중재학회지:중재연구
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.225-237
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• 2019

Recently, it has been argued that it is necessary to attract foreign patients outside domestic insurers and to allow foreign doctors to treat in domestic hospitals in order to develop the insurance industry and revitalize the medical industry. Currently, large medical institutions in Korea are attracting foreign patients in connection with foreign insurance companies. It is desirable to increase the number of overseas patients who want excellent medical services in Korea, and to provide opportunities for domestic insurance companies to attract overseas patients by expanding job creation through a revitalization of the medical industry. Therefore, this study suggests the development direction for insurers who aim to attract foreign patients through the side effects of attracting foreign patients in accordance with the Financial Services Commission's plan to strengthen the competitiveness of the financial industry. In addition, this study intends to contribute to the strengthening of the competitiveness of attracting foreign patients, through domestic insurance business, to the insurance direct payment market for overseas patients using domestic medical institutions that are concentrated in foreign insurance companies and in the blind spot of domestic law application.

• 한국식품영양학회지
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.649-658
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• 2010

This study was performed to develop a nutrition education program model for foreign worker patients. Questionnaire and interview were carried out for collecting quantitative and qualitative information from subjects, respectively. All subjects were foreign worker patients who could speak Korean, composed of 75 Chinese, 4 Mongolians and 1 American, aged from 22 to 73 years old. Among the subjects, 36 subjects had gastrointestinal disease(GD), 16 had coronary heart disease(CHD), 6 had diabetes, 6 had liver disease(LD) and the others had various different diseases. List of recommended and restricted foods for foreign workers to prevent GD and CHD were obtained from interviews with the subjects. A nutrition education program model for foreign worker patients having GD and CHD were developed, and small group education method was recommended. The contents of the program include cause and common symptom and basic nutrition care for the patients, choice of foods and cooking methods, behavioral modification, importance of medication and list of foods recommended and restricted for the patients.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제37권5호
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• pp.561-564
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• 2010

Purpose: According to the data presented by ministry of justice, a number of foreign workers in Korea is approximately 700 thousands and among them 22 thousands are illegal workers. We would like to provide the basic information the foreign workers by analyzing clinical contents. Methods: 1456 patients who visited the hospital were reviewed by nationality, medical department, gender and age. 62 patients have visited plastic surgery department and they were additionally reviewed by diagnosis, chief complant and operation. Results: Mongolians were 388 cases (26.7%), followed by Chineses with 452 cases (31.1%). General surgery had 264 visits (18.1%) followed by internal medicine with 388 visits (26.6%). In gender grouping, 781 patients were males and 675 patients were females. Hand, face and extremity injuries were common in plastic surgery field but many foreign worker patients also wanted to take aesthetic surgery such as scar revision, blepharoplasty and augmentation rhinoplasty. Conclusion: It has been twenty years since foreign workers have come to the Korean society. In the past foreign workers were mostly neglected. However with the vast improvement in labor and welfare related services, demands for plastic surgery, especially aesthetic surgery are increasing among foreign workers. Therefore plastic surgeons' continuous interest in foreign workers is required.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.102-106
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• 2010

Purpose: With the increasing numbers of foreign residents in Korea, the need for an emergency medical care system for foreign patients seems to be growing. Sometimes, a foreigner admitted to an emergency room is not treated sufficiently due to the absence of insurance, facility in the Korean language, and a guardian. The management of a foreigner with trauma in the ER is difficult due to various problems such as social and economic status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current management status of foreigners with penetrating wounds in the emergency room. Methods: This study is an analysis of 580 patients that were diagnosed with penetrating wounds in one teaching Hospital from Jan. 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2008. We analyzed results according to nationality, alcohol ingestion, intentional or accidental trauma, trauma mechanism, injury severity, management time in the ER, and outcome in the ER. Results: Of the total 580 patients, 486 patients (83.8%) were native Koreans and 94 patients (16.2%) were foreigners. According to the Revised Trauma Score, the average score of native Korean patients was 7.808, and the average score of foreign patients was 7.638. Of native Korean patients, 22.6% had knife wounds while 38.3% of foreign patients did. Of native Korean patients, 17.3% experienced intentional trauma while 33.0% of the foreign patients did. Of native Korean patients, 22.5% had ingested alcohol while 49.4% of the foreigners had. Of native Korean patients, 10.5% were admitted while 7.6% of the foreign patients were. Of native Korean patients, 14.2% were discharged against medical advice (DAMA), while 18.5% of foreign patients were. Of native Korean patients, 1.2% ran away while 8.7% of the foreign patients did. Conclusion: Stabbing was the most common cause of penetrating wounds in foreigner patients in this study. Intentional trauma was more common in foreigners with penetrating wounds than in native Koreans. The severity was higher in foreigners with penetrating wounds than it was in native Koreans, and patients who ran away or were discharged against medical advice were more commonly foreigners with penetrating wounds. Social insurance or policy is needed for the management of foreigners with penetrating wounds.

• 의료법학
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.309-334
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• 2012

Although the number of foreign patients visiting Korea for medical treatments or plastic surgery is rapidly increasing, countermeasures against unforeseen medical disputes involving foreign patients are adequate. To date, the record shows that most foreign patients have visited doctors at the departments of family medicine, internal medicine, dermatology (incl. plastic surgery), and healthcare centers, which, fortunately, indicates that there are not many severe, high risk patients. However, if the current growth rate continues to rise and the number of foreign patients visiting each department continues to grow, more diverse medical practices will be likely to take place in the future, and consequently, it is expected that the possibilities of medical malpractice and the costs of dispute resolution will also rise dramatically. When a medical dispute occurs, in general, a lawsuit is ultimately settled by the court. However, since this can damage the creditworthiness of medical institutions and also incur significant litigation costs, which is a typical characteristic of a medical lawsuit, medical professionals or institutions will be heavily burdened. Furthermore, an adequate policy or countermeasure against a medical dispute with a foreign patient has not yet been established, and it would be difficult to resolve a dispute by finding the middle ground, due to relative standards and policies between countries. Now, we need to improve the existing policies and prepare for countermeasures that will allow us to precisely predict the nature of such disputes, which have been increasing, and resolve them peacefully. Based on such knowledge, this study aims to establish countermeasures against medical disputes with foreign patients, and examine ways to promptly and reasonably resolve them at an early stage.

• 임상간호연구
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.53-66
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of organizational nursing service for foreign patients in tertiary hospitals in order to build up a database for nursing care policy development for foreign patients. Methods: The subjects of this study were nursing managers or department managers of international care center in 36 tertiary hospitals nationwide. Questionnaires were consisted of the items measuring the details of and evaluations for nursing care for foreign patients within the given organizations and any organizational support for culturally competent care. The data from 35 hospitals out of 36 were analyzed finally. Results: The organizational nursing service for foreign patients was rated 6.49 points out of 10. Organizational support for culturally competent care was 2.61 points out of 4. Challenges to improving nursing care for foreign patients were listed such as developing interpreter services and international care units without accompanying by a family member, improving nursing staffs' attitudes and behaviors for providing culturally competent care, and preparing various medical documents using multiple languages. Conclusion: In order to improve nursing care for foreign patients in tertiary hospitals, we need to be more aware of cultural knowledge and sensitivity toward the care needs of foreign patients.

• 간호행정학회지
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.281-291
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify employment experiences of nurses caring for hospitalized foreign patients. Methods: For this study, 10 nurses caring for foreign patients for more than 6 months were chosen purposively. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews from July to September 2013 and analyzed in terms of Giorgi's phenomenological methodology. Results: Five themes-clusters were identified from fifteen themes; 1) Awesome challenges; 2) Laborious dealing with barriers; 3) Acceptance of cultural differences; 4) Complete concentration of personal energy; 5) Taking a powerful step towards tomorrow. Conclusion: Results of this study reveal the significance of nurses' experiences in caring for foreign patients for the first time in Korea. The following are suggested: First, facilitation and training is necessary for language proficiency, communication skills and ability to understand cultural traits of foreign patients. Second, manuals and international guidelines for caring for foreign patients should be systematically developed to improve quality of healthcare services.

• 한국중재학회지:중재연구
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.111-128
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• 2016

Trade between nations has been considered as exchange for material things. According to recent changes in the paradigm of global trade, trade is shifting focus on the exchange of an immaterial being. Among them, the service sector is growing fast and the health service has shown exceptional growth as the healthcare market is consistently expanding. It is also part of the global service targeting people all around the world. People visiting other countries for medical service tend to spend more money and stay longer than a traveler. For these reasons, global medical service is in the spotlight as a promising and higher value-added business. The global medical service industry has been developed around Asia, specifically Thailand, Singapore, India, etc. Compared to them, Korea has come late into the market of global healthcare and the Korean government is striving to attract foreign patients. Nevertheless, there is a lack of effort to make foreign patients visiting Korea revisit Korea. Regarding foreign patients' medical disputes, these are not yet a problem officially; however, the government cannot leave the matter as it is. Medical dispute related with foreign patients is a highly complex issue due to different languages, nationalities, cultures, etc. Particularly, Korea's medical tourism is developed with Chinese visiting Korea for plastic surgery and cosmetic procedure. Thus, the Korean medical tourism market can be crowded with a lot of minor medical agencies, so-called brokers, getting foreign patients connected to the medical institutions. Consequently, Korea has received a large number of complaints and dissatisfaction. No one can predict and know what's supposed to happen in the future. Efforts of the Korean government and medical institute attracting foreign patients could be in vain. In order to take a step forward, this paper will do research on present conditions and look for strategies of improving this industry, focusing on the part of medical agency and contributing to the improvement of the Korean medical tourism industry.

• 한국병원경영학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.95-105
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• 2018

Objective: This study conducted an empirical research on foreign patients who had visited the medical institutions of Daegu region in order to identify the effects of the factor satisfaction and experience satisfaction with medical services on their revisit intentions. Methods: This study reviewed the existing studies on medical services to foreign patients with a main focus on medical tourism, and conducted the empirical research through a survey on foreign patients from the Russian, Chinese and English-speaking regions based on the Daegu Medical Tourism Promotion Institute's DB of foreign patients. The empirical research conducted a multiple regression analysis on factor satisfaction and experience satisfaction regarding return visit intentions. Results: The multiple regression analysis results showed that both the factor satisfaction and the experience satisfaction with medical services of foreign patients had positive effects on their return visit intentions, especially, with a relatively greater effect from the factor satisfaction. Specifically, it was found that factor satisfaction elements of 'friendliness of employees', 'good communication', and 'expertise of medical workers'; and experience satisfaction elements of 'reliability of medical information', 'efforts to minimize incompatibility towards foreigners', 'convenient access to medical information' and the like enhanced the return visit intentions. Conclusion: We discovered that, in the context of medical tourism activities, it is important to enhance factor satisfaction and experience satisfaction with medical services in order to promote return visits of the foreign patients who we once attracted. Especially, there are implications that reliability of medical information and efforts to minimize incompatibility towards foreigners enhance return visits of foreign patients.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제25권1호
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• pp.87-91
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• 2022

Ingestion of foreign bodies (FBs) is a common phenomenon among young children. Plain radiography is the first step diagnostic modality to detect the radio-opaque FBs. And computed tomography has been recommended by several guidelines as useful modalities for diagnosing ingested FBs. However, there is a risk of radiation exposure, making it burdensome to use in asymptomatic patients. Ultrasound (US) is not a commonly used technique for diagnosing ingested foreign bodies. However, US can provide real-time imaging with good resolutions without radiation exposure in pediatric patients. Herein, we report two pediatric cases of metallic foreign body ingestion that were successfully diagnosed using US for localizing foreign bodies. This study indicates that US may be used as an alternative method for detecting the localization of metallic foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract without exposure of radiation, particularly in pediatric patients.