• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.159-173
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• 1994

Since the establishment of health centers in the 1960s, the centers have been played an important role in providing basic health care for the people. Although the health centers made a great effect to prevent diseases and promote the health status of the people for the last three decades, the function of health centers should be strengthened to meet the health care need of individual, family and community. Over the last ten years, there have been great changes and developments in health related environments, such as population size and age, rapid urbanization, up-grading of the educational level, increase of income, health care demand for promotive health care measures and practical measures for chronic diseases and also practicing healthy life. According to the great changes in health related environments, the health centers should be reformed. The following policy options are recommended as a summary; First, the function of health centers should be converted from providing basic health services into promotive and preventive health care services, to meet changing needs of people. Second, the health center personnel should be reinforced for their competency to provide a qualitative services to people and also the operation of health center should be reactivated. Third, a close linkage of health centers with the private sector is an essential requirement for the operation of the health care delivery system within a health district in order to improve the health status of people. Fourth, type of manpower mix, scope of organization and health care program should be varied, based on the health care needs of people, geographical characteristics and size of population etc. Fifth, a comprehensive health care delivery system should be developed, for maintaining healthy life style of people and also the health and welfare services should be integrated in order n ensure an effective service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.266-280
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• 2013

Background: Information asymmetry between physicians and patients is one of the most unique characteristics of health care. But as consumerism spreads in health care sector, health care consumers are searching comparative information about quality and cost of providers from many information sources. Providing comparative information to health care consumers not only makes consumers choose hospital rationally, but also invigorates the health care market by providers' competition. However there are few studies regarding information searching behavior of health care consumers, then this study is carried out. Methods: The purpose of this study is to understand the information searching behavior of health care consumers based on their characteristics and the types of medical institutions. For this purpose, 313 spinal patients' data of 11 medical institutions (university hospital, spine specialized hospital, clinic) located in Seoul were collected by self-administered surveys. Results: The results of this study are as follows: 1) t-test/analysis of variance analysis showed that according to various characteristics of health care consumers and the types of medical institutions, the level of information searching of each source and the amount of information searching and searching outcomes are statistically different. 2) Regression analysis showed that influence on searching outcomes are statistically different according to the level of information searching of each source and searching content and the amount of information searching has positive effects on searching outcomes. Conclusion: The significance of this study is to provide empirical basis for establishment of health care policy reflecting information needs and preference of health care consumers.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.82-103
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• 2023

The Zimbabwean healthcare sector faces huge challenges due to increased demands for improved services for a growing number of patients with fewer resources. The use of information and communications technologies, prevalent in many industries, but lacking in Zimbabwean healthcare, could increase productivity and innovation. The adoption of health management information systems (HMISs) can lead to improved patient safety and high-level patient care. These technologies can change delivery methods to be more patient focused by utilising integrated models and allowing for a continuum of care across healthcare providers. However, implementation of these technologies in the health care sector remains low. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the advantages to be attained by using HMISs in healthcare delivery and to ascertain the factors that influence the uptake of such systems in the public healthcare sector. A conceptual model, extending the technology, organization, and environment framework by means of other adoption models, underpins the study of adoption behavior. A mixed method methodology was used to conduct the study. For the quantitative approach, questionnaires were used to allow for regression analysis. For the qualitative approach, thematic analysis was used to analyse interview data. The results showed that the critical success factors (namely, relative advantage, availability, complexity, compatibility, trialability, observability, management support, information and communication technology expertise, communication processes, government regulation, infrastructure support, organizational readiness, industry and competitive support, external support, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, and intention to use) influenced adoption of HMISs in public hospitals in Zimbabwe.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.378-389
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• 2013

Health care expenditure might be understood as a core source of social welfare. It is mainly due to the fact that the health care expenditure is closely related to the level of social welfare. And, therefore, the paper is basically designed to investigate the effect of social welfare improvement resulted from an increasing in per capita, private, public, and total health care expenditures during 1995-2009 periods. Empirical evidence reveals that the improvement of social welfare in middle income group reveals the highest improvement in social welfare, and the other income groups maintain a quite similar pattern in improvement of social welfare. As far as category of health care expenditure concerns, the effect of social welfare improvement by per capita health care expenditure is in general lower in all case. And, private sector achieves the highest improvement of social welfare in comparing with public and total health care expenditures. To this end, it could be tentatively concluded that the private health care expenditure has to be substituted for the public sector to induce market-oriented operational system. Accordingly, it would be better to build an institutional basis more elaborately in setting up the market system.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.115-130
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• 2011

Objective: This study aimed to introduce Health Impact Assessment using the case of a HIA on 2008 Dream Start Project in Cheongju. Methods: We followed the typical procedure of HIA recommended by the Merseyside Guidelines on HIA. In scoping, the steering committee decided 5 key domains of child health to be assessed: prenatal care, vaccination, nutrition, access to health care, and child abuse and also the methods of collecting the evidence. The HIA appraisal team collected information from various sources including literature, community survey, and focus group interviews. The HIA appraisal team also synthesized the collected information in terms of the nature of health impacts and equity and made recommendations accordingly. Results: Positive impacts were expected in prenatal care, vaccination, and nutrition, while negative impacts were expected in access to health care. The impact of Dream Start on child abuse was uncertain. Several recommendations were made and submitted to the Dream Start team for their consideration. About 2 years later, we found many of them were implemented in 2009 Dream Start project. Conclusion: HIA was found to be applicable and effective to make decision makers in the welfare sector consider health in their work.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.457-492
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• 2011

The primary goal of our study was to investigate the vast transformations of the healthcare sector in Korea during the past half century. Official data reported in the Korean statistical yearbooks and secondary data suggested by previous studies were used for institutional analysis of healthcare environment. Information on hospital released by the Korean Hospital Association was also used for ecological analysis. Institutional analysis: We identified three distinctive eras based primarily on changes in institutional logics, institutional actors, and governance structures : 'professional dominance (1952-1976)', 'government involvement (1977-1999)', and 'coexistence of competing institutional logics (2000-present)'. During the first era, physician association supported by Korean government comprised the primary governance regime. During the second era, the government became a major actor as a regulator and purchaser in health care sector, introducing of the 'mandatory national health insurance'. During the third era, making healthcare system sustainable and providing health care efficiently was overarching goals although it was hard to find a single central logic dominating this period. Ecological analysis: Evidence from the analysis of hospital population suggested that the expansion of the bed capacity was made from different processes, shifting from the ecological process in 1980s to the adaptive process in 1990s. And Korean hospitals had changed following both 'directional process' and 'stabilizing process' over time. Based on our results, we concluded that more studies to compare more organizational populations other than hospitals and to empirically test the effects of institutional changes on organizational changes and vice-versa, need to be conducted.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.1-25
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• 2003

The wave of globalisation initiated by marketisation has increasingly penetrated into all sectors across the world, accordingly, the health & hospital service sector could not be made no escapes, and it currently faces the order of more marketised competition more than ever. Traditionally, the characteristic of the hospital services in the UK has considered as a model of social provision by government. However, contrary to our knowledge, the sphere of the hospital service in the UK has already been immersed in by the marketisation, in which the private actors have been embedded in order to tweak the activities of the hospital service with in the European Union. As the methodology of this research, the qualitative analysis, namely the interview with some doctors in Surgery, NHS Trusts staffs and relevant specialists in has been performed on April to May, 2003. And on the other hand, the various documents related to its service have been analysed. Thus, this paper will review the characteristics of the health service sector in the UK. In doing so, it will illuminate what would be the structural factors derived from its existing system, as a result, it will shed light on how the UK government makes an effort to resolve the problematic situation by reviewing the policy direction of Foundation Hospital proposed recently. In the next stage, it will analyse how all elements consist of the hospital management in the UK has been adjusted and be likely to be changed within Europe. More specifically focuses on how the private hospital service has been managed and related with the activities of its public hospital service-NHS Trusts. Also, under the circumstance, what private health insurance companies function will be studied. In conclusion, it will be concluded that what will be the implication of Korean hospital service market so as to correspond to globally open market by WTO. Now the UK health service system has faced a turning point of becoming more health care market internally and externally pressed by global and regional factors. Thus it is meaningful to scrutinize how a key part of social provision in the health care market system tends to adjust to globally marketised regulation.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2022

Objectives: This study aims to develop a community care model in traditional Korean medicine (TKM) by developing a community care participation model for the health of the elderly and deriving tasks to implement it. Methods: This study implemented a group interview with experts. A fact-finding survey was conducted targeting 16 local governments that are implementing a leading project to identify the status of TKM service provision and welfare service linkage in all regions. An expert group interview (FGI) targeted public and private sector experts for each job role, the former represented by those in charge of the central government's health care policy and administrative delivery system, and the latter by professors majoring in social welfare, professors majoring in health, and local TKM societies. After forming the expert groups, three expert group interviews were conducted. Results: Through collective interviews with experts, a model for providing TKM and welfare services in community integrated care was derived by dividing it into local and central government levels. The strategies and tasks for promoting TKM-oriented health welfare services were derived from 3 strategies, 8 tasks, and 20 detailed tasks. Conclusion: The core direction of the TKM health care model is the region-centered provision of TKM and welfare services. To this end, policy support for the use and linkage of health care service resources is required at the central government level, and linkage and provision of health welfare services centered on TKM are necessary through linkage and convergence between service subjects and between government health care projects.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.87-94
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• 2019

IoT-based services are being released in accordance with the aging population and the demand for well-being pursuit needs. In addition to medical device companies, companies with ideas ranging from global ICT companies to startup companies are accelerating their market entry. The areas where these services are most commonly applied are health/medical, life/safety, city/energy, automotive and transportation. Furthermore, by expanding IoT technology convergence into the area of life care services, it contributes greatly to the development of service models in the public sector. It also provides an important opportunity for IoT-related companies to open up new markets. By addressing the problems of life care services that are still insufficient. We are providing opportunities to pursue the common interests of both users and workers and improve the quality of life. In order to establish IoT-based digital life care services, it is necessary to develop convergence technologies using cloud computing systems, big data analytics, medical information, and smart healthcare infrastructure.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.149-158
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• 2010

Background & Objectives: Rising concerns about patient safety and looming health provider shortages were generating new recognition for an old idea. Interprofessional education means that two or more professions learn with, from and about other to improve collaboration and the quality of healthcare. The University of British Columbia established the College of Health Disciplines in 2001 to examine the merits of interprofessional health education. The objective of this study was to review UBC's interprofessional health education and to introduce the theoretical framework of interprofessional education for collaborative patient-centered practice. Methods: This study was conducted with the materials relevant to the interprofessional education. We reviewed the journals and Web site for this subject and we obtained interview data from administrators in the University of British Columbia, College of Health Disciplines. Results: We introduced interdisciplinary education for collaborative patient-centered practice model. It is assumed valuable model in preparing the interprofessional education as well as theoretical framework for implementation. We preseuted the example for interprofessional education of the College of Health Disciplines, University of British Columbia. Conclusion: We need to introduce the interprofessional education at the health care departments of University or College in Korea.