• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.5-21
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine perceived needs for exercise programs among adults in the workforce based on sociodemographic characteristics and health-related behaviors. Methods: The sample consisted of 182 office workers, sales workers, and service workers recruited at a worksite in Seoul (97 males and 85 females, Mean age=34.6, SD=7.71). Study participants completed a structured questionnaire on health-related behaviors and areas of needs for exercise programs. Analysis of data was performed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results: Workers with greater interest in exercise reported to engage in exercise. Significant differences were observed in goals of exercise, preferred exercise, preferred methods for delivery of exercise, preferred exercise monitoring, and social support for exercise maintenance according to age, sex, marital status, education, commuting time, occupation, alcohol use, smoking, and current participation in exercise. There were no differences in areas of exercise program needs by consumption of high calorie foods. Conclusion: Public health nurses can use these findings for development and implementation of tailored exercise programs to promote health for workers whose physical activity is insufficient.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.59-70
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to project the workforce of occupational health nurse-specialist(OHN-S) in Korea. Method: Ratio model and expert opinion were used for projecting the number of OHNS. Result: 1) In 2002, there are 1,405 occupational health nurses in Korea. This represents 0.93% of total available nurses and 3 occupational health nurses per 100,000 population. 2) The number of OHN-S needed to meet the demands in 2002, 2005 and 2020 was estimated at 3,318, 3,351 and 3,515 respectively. The projected number of OHN-S of the year 2002 was 2.20% of total available nurses in Korea and 7 OHN-S per 100,000 population. Conclusion: In order to match the supply to the need, the professional organizations should direct their effort toward enacting legislation. Education systems should identify strategies in initialing advanced practice nursing programs in master's level as well as standardizing curriculums across the programs.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.235-256
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• 2024

Background: The adequate provision of medical care relies on the availability of a suitable number of healthcare professionals. To ensure stability in healthcare delivery, it is crucial for a country to accurately estimate and address the supply of doctors. This study aims to contribute to the formulation of effective policies for securing and distributing doctor manpower, with a focus on medically underserved areas at both the national and local government levels. Methods: Employing the system dynamics methodology, this research utilizes stock and flow diagrams, including level and rate diagrams, to quantitatively analyze the cumulative structure of the doctor supply and demand system. Results: The analysis reveals a substantial shortage of clinical doctors in Gyeongsangnam-do, amounting to 15,477 as of 2021. Projections indicate a need for an additional 7,570 doctors by the year 2050 to maintain the current healthcare service level. Examination of medical treatment rights and distribution across cities and counties indicates an insufficiency in doctor supply relative to demand in the majority of regions. Alternative scenarios, such as increasing medical school enrollments and adjusting retirement ages, were explored, yet none provided a sufficient resolution to the shortage. Conclusion: The findings underscore an impending exacerbation of the doctor shortage in Gyeongsangnam-do if the existing system is perpetuated. Addressing this issue necessitates not only augmenting the number of medical school students and adapting retirement age policies but also implementing diverse strategies employed successfully in other countries. This study serves as a foundational step in informing evidence-based policies aimed at securing an ample and appropriately distributed doctor workforce for sustainable healthcare delivery.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2023

Background: We aimed to provide basic data for improving the effectiveness of the invitational training and reflecting it in the program in the following year by identifying the satisfaction level of trainees who participated in the "Dr. LEE Jong-wook Fellowship Program" funded by the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using a questionnaire interview. In the first stage of analysis, only the interview contents related to the research topic were classified by the researcher for the conversations recorded at the interview site, and in the second stage of analysis, the interview contents classified in the first stage were classified into each of those mentioned in this study. Results: The longer the trainees participated in the program and the better the accessibility, the higher the satisfaction with the program. In addition, the level of achievement of the trainees' goals and the level of improvement in their competence affected their satisfaction, and their difficulty in language communication during the training period was identified as a factor affecting the trainees' satisfaction level. In addition, competency improvement and satisfaction were positively correlated (r=0.75, p=0.03). Conclusion: When organizing a rehabilitation workforce capacity training program, it is important to identify trainees' needs, ensure accessibility, organize courses effectively, enhance English proficiency, and expand practical lectures to increase trainees' knowledge and understanding of rehabilitation.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.121-133
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze the roles of workforce required for effective execution of health promotion programs of community health centers in Korea. Methods: Survey was undertaken on 92 people in community health centers and the Analytic Hierarchy Process was employed in order to obtain results regarding the relative importance of role required for health educators. Results: The analysis suggests that of all 5 categories, 'Assess needs for health education' and 'Evaluate health promotion programs and Conduct related research' were relatively more important than the other categories of role. Taking into account the weightings of the main categories and the subcategories, the analysis shows that the order of importance follows, 'Use existing health-related statistical data', 'Collect health-related data', 'Survey method and knowledge and skills related to health statistics', 'Write an evaluation report', 'Understand and apply health education planning theories'. Conclusion: As a health promotion expert of community health center, a health educator is preferentially required to perform 1) the role to analyze the needs of the community and enable the planning for a customized health promotion program, 2) the role to execute evaluation throughout a health promotion programs and disseminate evaluation findings and apply them in following programs, in consideration of higher relative importance of these roles.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.421-431
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• 2023

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to socio-economic issues, highlighting the importance of strengthening health systems for future infectious diseases. This study aims to analyze the relationship between health system preparedness, response levels, and COVID-19 fatality rates across 194 countries. Methods: This study examined various indicators of national health system preparedness and response, including health service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, essential medicines and health products, health financing, and leadership and governance. Results: A correlation was found between the health system and the COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR). Further examination of specific indicators within health service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, health financing, and leadership/governance showed significant correlations with the CFR. Multiple regression analysis, considering aging and urbanization rates, identified reproductive/maternal/newborn and child health, infectious diseases, nursing and midwifery personnel density, birth registration coverage, and out-of-pocket health expenditure as significant factors affecting the CFR. Conclusion: Countries with strong health system indicators experience lower case fatality rate from COVID-19. Strengthening access to essential health services, increasing healthcare personnel and resources, ensuring reliable health information, and bolstering overall health systems are crucial for preparedness against future infectious diseases.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.19-29
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• 2004

Purpose: This study was conducted at small-to-medium-sized manufacture enterprises less than 300 employees. Method: For 167 workers in 12 small-to-medium-sized manufacture, we examined the self-recording questionnaires about general characteristics, health characteristics, occupational characteristics and subjective musculoskeletal symptoms designed by NIOSH. Result: Related factors of upper limb musculoskeletal symptoms were found in using of the PC except work, the speed control at working and inappropriate positions for neck, and that using of the PC except work, the degree of intensity at working and the speed control at working for shoulder, and that the degree of intensity at working, the speed control at working, inappropriate positions and excessive workforce for arm/elbow, and that the degree of intensity at working, the speed control at working, inappropriate positions, excessive strong and vibration for hand/wrist/fingers. Conclusion: As a result of multiple logistic regression analysis, musculoskeletal symptoms of neck were influenced by use of the PC except work, household work, and the speed control at working, symptoms of shoulder by using of the PC of except work and the degree of intensity at working, symptoms of arm/elbow by the speed control at working, and symptoms of hand/wrist/fingers by the degree of intensity at work and excessive workforce.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2006

Objectives: We wanted to estimate the annual socioeconomic costs of alcohol drinking in Korea. Methods: The costs were classified as direct costs, indirect costs and the other costs. The direct costs consisted of direct medical costs, indirect medical costs and subsidiary medical costs. Particularly, the medical costs and population attributable fraction for disease were considered to reflect the calculation of the direct medical costs. The indirect costs were computed by the extent to which the loss of productivity and loss of the workforce might have occurred due to changes in mortality and morbidity according to alcohol drinking. The other costs consisted of property loss, administration costs and costs of alcoholic beverage. Results: The annual costs, which seemed to be attributable to alcohol drinking, were estimated to be 149,352 hundred million won (2.86% of GDP). In case of the latter, the amount includes 9,091 hundred million won for direct costs (6.09%), 62,845 hundred million won for the reduction and loss of productivity (42.08%), 44,691 hundred million won for loss of the workforce (29.92%), and the other costs (21.91%). Conclusions: Our study confirms that compared with the cases of Japan (1.9% of GNP) and the other advanced countries (1.00-1.42% of GDP), alcohol drinking incurs substantial socioeconomic costs to the Korean society. Therefore, this study provides strong support for government interventions to control alcohol drinking in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.103-113
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• 2018

Objectives: The study aimed to compare the indicators of infrastructure of the whole country with those of Busan through National Medical Care Psychiatric (hospital level) Quality Assesment and to provide the basic evidence for presenting vision and strategies of mental health policy. Methods: National Medical Care Psychiatric (hospital level) Quality Assesment Data was used from 2011 to 2015. A total of 8 indicators were analyzed including facility and workforce. Results: The median value of the capacity per ward was decreasing with years both whole country and Busan. The number of beds out of total inpatient occupancy was improved over the years. There was no clear change in the number of inpatients per toilet in the hospitalized ward, but the indicator was decreasing obviously. Therefore, the median value of whole country and Busan was same with 10.2 in 2015. Conclusions: We confirmed that indicators for infrastructure were improving in a generally positive change over the years. The infrastructure is related to the patient-centered treatment environment, and the workforce is related to the quality of care. Therefore, the structural area should be continuously evaluated and improved.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.457-478
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• 2023

Background: This study aims to contribute to the adjustment of the appropriate doctor manpower by analyzing the distribution, supply and demand, and estimation of the doctor manpower. Methods: This study utilized the medical personnel data of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, population trend data of the National Statistical Office, and health insurance benefit performance data of the National Health Insurance Service. Based on 2021, we compared the number of doctors in actual supply and the number of doctors in demand according to the amount of medical use by gender and age for 250 regions. Logistic regression analysis and scenario analysis were performed to estimate the future medical workforce by considering the demand for doctors according to the future demographic structure, the size of the quota in medical schools, and the retirement rate. Results: There were 186 regions in which the supply of doctors was below average, and the average ratio of the number of doctors in supply to demand in the region was 62.1%. Conclusion: In order to increase the number of active doctors nationwide to at least 80%, 7,756 people must be allocated. The number of doctors in demand is estimated to decrease after increasing to 1.492 times in 2059. The future projected number of doctors is expected to increase to 1.349 times in 2050 and then decrease taking into account the doctor quota and the retirement rate.