• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• 제61권4호
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• pp.355-380
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experience of aging of the poor elderly and to identify suitable welfare policies on their behalf. For this purpose, I selected 16 participants from the criterion sampling of the impoverished elderly and conducted in-depth interviews, after which the collected data was analyzed using the phenomenological approach of Cloaizzi(1978). As a result, 27 themes, 10 clusters of themes, and 4 categories were pinpointed. The 4 categories are 'Facing death,' 'Becoming despondent in heart and mind,' 'Living a hard life,' and 'Going with the flow of life.' By integrating the meanings of these findings, the essence of the lived experience of aging of the poor elderly was to be, 'Self-sufficiency despite receiving welfare benefits from the government.' The lived experience of aging of the poor elderly was revealed as not being entirely based around dependency but rather around strongly independent and positive life attitudes. But also found were difficulties due to lack of living expenses required for survival, deep death anxieties, and life attitudes in the context of Confucian culture. Based on the study results above, I presented welfare policies for the poor elderly as outlined: implementation of social activities in order to encourage independence and positivity among the poor elderly, actualization of payment that meets at least the minimum costs of living, consolidation of psychological-emotional assistance, implementation of death-related education programs, and the compilation of a welfare policy manual for the impoverished elderly.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• 제35권3호
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• pp.455-463
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• 2015

Korea received foreign aid for science education in 1960-70, now, Korea is one of the most advanced countries in the world and provides not only official development assistance through government grants or ODA but also private aids through voluntary services to less developed countries. Korean science teachers have been offering voluntary services in Timor-Leste since 2004, starting on personal level and now by through the Korean Science Teachers Association. This study aims to describe the voluntary activity by Korean science teachers in Timor-Leste, to analyze the conflict points revealed in the activity, and to search the meaning of the activity in respect of science education. This study used methods like document analysis, interview of the participants, participants' observation, a case study, and member check. This activity has involved various conflicts in finance, curriculum, pedagogy, educational instrument, environment, language, chronological issues, and perceptions. This activity was not a one-sided offer of aid, but an opportunity for personal development and self-reflection, and a basis for discussion on science education. There are many difficulties in this work, which is carried out at the teachers' own expense. More concern should be paid on this volunteer service from educational institutions and academic world.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.308-317
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• 2012

In this study, we searched for ways of the demand, the building up of strategic, collaborative networks plan activation of the local area network status by the current social enterprise and the direction of the future resources rinks, conducted by a case study of the (preliminary) social enterprise network-building activities based in Gwangju Metropolitan City and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. By the study findings, local resources that the two regions social enterprise wants to connect are the most numerous in enterprise, public agencies and local media, followed by professionals' pro bo no, private organizations, volunteer groups. Hope for Information in conjunction is revealed in order by purchasing items, labor and financial support, public relations, purchasing service, marketing and a joint venture. For the conjunction, participating related events, the assistance of government agencies and related organizations joined, the role of chief engineer are emerged in order while they are performing work. By the findings, for the activation of local resources links of the social enterprises, it is necessary to impelled cooperation system between activating local profit companies, universities and one company ; a social enterprise and to uncovered volunteer activities of the community. Also, sparking, solidarity and building trust for social enterprises are derived as a ethical and alternative consumer movement.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• 제16권7호
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• pp.73-90
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to contribute to developing psychological support system in disaster response of South Korea by examining that of Japan. Psychosocial support from the Red Cross with the psychiatric support by the DPAT from local government were achieved in the early stage of disaster psychology support system in Japan. In the long term intervention after disaster, psychiatric support from Kokoro-no care center has been established. In other words, not only traditional mental health approach but also disaster psychology support activities including psychosocial support are deployed. National Information Center of Disaster Mental Health, which is control tower of disaster psychology support, understand the disaster in the level of nationwide through collecting and analyzing the data related to disaster, and manage disaster psychological support activities. Disaster psychology support system in Japan modified problems immediately during large scale disaster that they are equipped with state of the current. Implications for disaster psychological support system and crisis counseling program in South Korea are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• 제97권3호
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• pp.348-356
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• 2008

There is the need of regulating chestnut production because of being expected with chestnut trees cultivation farmhouses to be in a difficult situation by means of FTA negotiation promotion hereafter in Korea. And this study is aim to establish compensation criteria and plan for depreciation of income of farmers who take part in chestnut production regulation. We surveyed one hundred and thirty three among chestnut trees cultivation farmhouses in chief producing districts Kyung-nam, Jeon-nam and Chung-nam in Korea. As the result of this study, this study showed compensation criteria and plans for depreciation of income for farmers's participate in chestnut production regulation and showed criteria for closing chestnut old tree orchard and working process of cutting chestnut old tree. Procedures in closing chestnut old tree orchard in a day per hecta were felling operation and crude manufacture of thirty trees per one man, five forklains in loading and unloading chestnut log from a truck and building of workroad, the two number of assistance persons in loading and unloading chestnut log from a truck, the 6.94 trucks in carrying chestnut log. After farmers close chestnut trees orchard, government cost of old trees cuts and net income decrease for 3 years in case of planting trees for landscape and environment preservation.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• 제11권5호
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• pp.671-683
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine the oral health knowledge and actual oral health care of the selected subjects, their decision making about prosthetic treatment, the state and characteristics of their prosthetic treatment and their satisfaction with prosthetic treatment in an attempt to provide some information on the improvement of the quality of life related to oral health and the promotion of oral health. Methods : The subjects in this study were 250 people who received education in two different lifelong education institutions in the city of Busan. After a survey was conducted from May 23 to June 15, 2011, the answer sheets from 217 respondents were analyzed. Results : 1. As for the general characteristics of the respondents, the men(52.1%) outnumbered the women. Those who were in their 60 and up(47.5%) made up the largest age group, and the married people(65.4%) outnumbered the unmarried ones. By occupation, the company employees(20.3%) made up the biggest group. By education, the greatest group was high-school graduates(36.1%). By monthly mean income, the biggest group gained an income of 2.01 million won or more(36.9%). As to medical security, community-based insurance was most prevailing (36.9%). In terms of health promotion, the largest group worked out to stay fit(52.4%). 2. Regarding oral health knowledge, they had a good knowledge about the cause of dental caries(56.7%), but they weren't well aware of the right time for regular dental checkup(47.9%). In relation to oral health care, regular scaling wasn't prevailing(16.9%). 3. Regarding connections between the general characteristics and satisfaction with prosthesis, the less-educated respondents expressed significantly more dissatisfaction(p=0.015). By monthly mean income, those who had a smaller income were dissatisfied in general(p=0.028). Conclusions : The findings of the study illustrated that it's required to spread awareness of the importance of oral health among people in general, and that differentiated incremental oral health care should be provided for different age groups. In order to raise the satisfaction of patients with prosthesis, how to relieve their pain and anxiety and how to adjust prosthetic treatment cost properly should carefully be considered. In addition, the government should take measures to offer assistance for the low-income classes in preparation for an increase in the elderly population.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.33-67
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• 2020

The hospitals that are owned by non-medical personnel result when non-medical personnel with resources conspire with newly graduated medical doctors who cannot afford the enormous amount of capital required at the beginning of the establishment of a medical institution. Such hospitals, though they may have met the external requirements as medical institutions, disrupt the medical market as it should be centered by medical personnels, In addition, such hospitals are causing a huge social problem as it is illegally receiving and reducing various benefits such as medical care benefits and subsidies from the government, resulting in a significant financial leak in the national health insurance. The illegality of the opening of a non-medical personnel hospital is so high that it nullifies the contractual arrangement for the establishment, imposes criminal penalties on all persons involved in the establishment under the Korean Medical Law, and imposes administrative sanctions on medical personnel. In case the hospital was aware of the illegality of its opening, but had applied to receive medical care benefits from the National Health Insurance Act and the Medical Care Act, such actions will result in the return of the benefits under the National Health Insurance Act and the Medical Care Assistance Act, subject to the penalty for the crime of fraud, and aggravated punishment for specific economic crimes based on the amount of gain, as well as civil liability for torts. In this study, we will examine the current status of the regulations on the non-medical personnel hospital and present the basis for future legislative directions by looking at the legal regulations and the attitude of the precedents.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.485-495
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• 1991

This study examined the effects of referral requirements for insurance patients which have been enforced since July 1, 1989 when medical insurance coverage was extended to the whole population except beneficiaries of medical assistance program. The requirements are mainly aimed at discouraging the use of tertiary care hospitals by imposing restrictions on the patient's choice of a medical service facility. The expectation is that such change in the pattern of medical care utilization would produce several desirable effects including increased efficiency in patient care and balanced development of various types of medical service facilities. In this study, these effects were assessed by the change in the number of out-patient visits and bed-days per illness episode and the share of each type of facility in the volume of services and the amount of expenditures after the implementation of the new referral system. The data for analysis were obtained from the claims to the insurance for government and school employees. The sample was drawn from the claims for the patients treated during the first six months of 1989, prior to the enforcement of referral requirements, and those of the patients treated during the first six months of 1990, after the enforcement. The 1989 sample included 299,824 claims (3.6% of total) and the 1990 sample included 332,131 (3.7% of total). The data were processed to make the unit of analysis an illness episode instead of an insurance claim. The facilities and types of care utilized for a given illness episode are defined to make up the pathway of medical care utilization. This pathway was conceived of as a Markov Chain process for further analysis. The conclusion emerged from the analysis is that the enforcement of referral requirements resulted in less use of tertiary care hospitals, and thereby decreased the volume of services and the amount of insurance expenses per illness episode. However, there are a few points that have to be taken into account in relation to the conclusion. The new referral system is likely to increase the use of medical services not covered by insurance, so that its impact on national health expenditures would be different from that on insurance expenditures. The extension of insurance coverage must have inereased patient load for all types of medical service organizations, and this increase may be partly responsible for producing the effects attributed to the new referral system. For example, excessive patient load for tertiary care hospitals may lead to the transfer of their patients to other types of facilities. Another point is that the data for this study correspond to very early phase of the new system. But both patients and medical care providers would adapt themselves to the new system to avoid or overcome its disadvantages for them, so as that its effects could change over time. Therefore, it is still necessary to closely monitor the impact of the referral requirements.

• Health Policy and Management
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.382-393
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• 2019

The right to petition is a classical right of the people in constitutional states, and in Korea, it is a statutory right in the Constitution, the National Assembly Law, the Petition Law, and the Local Autonomy Act. The healthcare community first made a successful petition to the National Assembly when it achieved the amendment of the Government Organization Act through a petition to the National Assembly for the independence of the Ministry of Health, and this achievement served as the basis for further petitions. Since then, the healthcare community has successfully achieved the enactment and amendment of related occupational laws through National Assembly petitions, such as the amendment of Article 41, Paragraph 7 of the former Medical Insurance Act (Korean Medical Association, 14th Assembly), enactment of the Dental Health Act (Korean Dental Association, 15th Assembly), and amendment of the Health Functional Foods Act (Korea Pharmaceutical Association, 16th Assembly). Its petition accomplishment rate is higher than the total petition accomplishment rate of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly. However, along with the overall decrease in the number of National Assembly petitions, the Korean Medical Association and Korea Pharmaceutical Association have not achieved any results through petitioning since the 16th Assembly (June 2000), and the Korean Hospital Association and Korean Nurses Association have not achieved any results through petitioning since the 17th Assembly (April 2004). Furthermore, no National Assembly petitions have been made at all for 5 years (2014-2018). The Korean Medical Association and Korea Pharmaceutical Association previously showed a high petition accomplishment rate through their accumulated experience with National Assembly petitions and vigorous policy assistance from doctors/pharmacists/nurses turned lawmakers. More specifically, healthcare organizations have achieved results by actively conducting organized activities with the National Assembly, as implemented by a national assembly director and employees, and in case of petitions for legislation, each group has established infrastructure for reviewing the relevant laws by appointing a legislative director, as well as a legal advisor and advisory counsel. Although the organization that has submitted the most petitions to the National Assembly is the Korean Hospital Association, the group with the highest petition success rate is the Korean Medical Association, which may be linked to the relatively high proportion of doctors who have become lawmakers. Furthermore, the fact that other healthcare organizations were highly interested in petitioning the National Assembly has had major implications for the petition activities of healthcare organizations.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.329-334
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was aimed at analyzing the characteristics and symptoms in home-based hospice-palliative care (HBHPC) patients registered at local public health centers. Methods: A retrospective study was performed; Data of 144 HBHPC patients registered at six public health centers in Pusan City were analyzed, including their initial visit records (registration cards, initial pain evaluation and symptom evaluation). Results: The average age of the patients was 67.7 years old. Among all, 46.2% of the patient lived alone, and 65% had middle school education or lower. The most popular (36.3%) religion was Buddhism, and 47.5% received medical assistance from the government. The most frequent diagnosis was lung cancer followed by stomach cancer and liver cancer in that order. Of all, 48.9% were functionally too weak to lead a daily life, 39.6% were under cancer treatment when registered at the public health center, and 84.5% were aware of the fact that they have reached the terminal phase. Moreover, 83.6% complained about pain, and the pain level was moderate or severe in 36.5% of them. Besides pain, fatigue was the most complained symptom (84.7%), and 49.3% of them rated their fatigue as moderate or severe. Conclusion: Most of the HBHPC patients were socio-economically underprivileged and complained about moderate or worse pain and symptoms. Therefore, it appears necessary to develop an integrated strategy that is tailored for each patient reflecting their characteristics.