• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.30-44
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• 2021

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in perception of the New Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG)-based payment system, make overall evaluation after participation, and examine opinions on further policy improvement among employees of a public hospital participating in the pilot project in Korea. Methods: We investigated changes in perception of the New DRG-based payment system before and after participation in the pilot project using a qualitative research method. We conducted individual in-depth interviews with the management and healthcare professionals and Focus Group Interviews (FGIs) with the staff in the nursing and administrative departments. Results: Before implementing the pilot project of the New DRG-based payment system, the management was in favor of participating in the pilot project, whereas the healthcare professionals were strongly opposed to participation in the pilot project, and the staff in the nursing and administrative departments were slightly opposed to participation. After implementing the pilot project, there were remarkable changes in the perception of the New DRG-based payment system among healthcare professionals and the administrative staff. Healthcare professionals' perception was altered in a positive way, while the administrative staff's perception of the system became negative. Conclusion: There were no restrictions on clinical practice or deterioration of quality of care observed in association with the participation in the New DRG-based payment system. However, certain unintended consequences of the New DRG-based payment system may arise as well. Therefore, the government needs to examine the problems identified in this study to reflect on and improve the New DRG-based payment system for stable expansion.

• Healthcare Informatics Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.387-393
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• 2018

Objectives: This paper describes an experience of implementing seamless service trials online and offline by adopting Internet of Things (IoT) technology based on near-field communication (NFC) tags and Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) beacons. The services were provided for both patients and health professionals. Methods: The pilot services were implemented to enhance healthcare service quality, improve patient safety, and provide an effective business process to health professionals in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea. The services to enhance healthcare service quality include healing tours, cancer information/education, psychological assessments, indoor navigation, and exercise volume checking. The services to improve patient safety are monitoring of high-risk inpatients and delivery of real-time health information in emergency situations. In addition, the services to provide an effective business process to health professionals include surveys and web services for patient management. Results: Considering the sustainability of the pilot services, we decided to pause navigation and patient monitoring services until the interference problem could be completely resolved because beacon signal interference significantly influences the quality of services. On the other hand, we had to continue to provide new wearable beacons to high-risk patients because of hygiene issues, so the cost increased over time and was much higher than expected. Conclusions: To make the smart connected hospital services sustainable, technical feasibility (e.g., beacon signal interference), economic feasibility (e.g., continuous provision of new necklace beacons), and organizational commitment and support (e.g., renewal of new alternative medical devices and infrastructure) are required.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 2010

Objective: This study aimed to develop information materials on vaccine's safety and adverse events which can be utilized by healthcare professionals when prescribing, dispensing and administering vaccines and also by non-healthcare professionals such as pharmaceutical distributors of vaccine. Methods: Information materials regarding vaccines from domestic and foreign governmental organizations, academies, medical organizations and pharmaceutical companies were reviewed. Advisory Committee which consisted of experts in the areas of the vaccine's safety verified the contents and the final information material. Results: Based on the collected data, we developed general guidelines including vaccine constituents, safety information and adverse events of each vaccines, storage and handling, and labeling information. The information materials were developed for both healthcare professionals and non-healthcare professionals such as vaccine distributors. Conclusion: Information materials on vaccine's safety and adverse events developed from this study could be utilized to provide useful information on the vaccine to the medical institutions and distributors.

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.146-150
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• 2005

The purpose of the present study is to analyze curriculums in colleges operating a department related to medical information in Korea and to propose the roles of medical information professionals, medical information professionals qualifying examination and a plan to raise medical information specialists demanded in the field. In addition, this study purposed to suggest establishing programs for job training and supplementary education of medical information professionals through sharing contents among colleges. For these purposes, this study proposed a plan to construct the infrastructure of Internet-based domestic medical information and education network for the service of integrated medical information system standardized centering on the Healthcare Information Center.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.41-57
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• 2016

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate how many healthcare professionals experienced near misses, what types of near misses occurred most often, and healthcare professionals' opinions about near misses at one university hospital in Korea. Methods: The authors developed a questionnaire including 26 core types of near misses and 4 questions about preventability and reporting barriers. The survey was conducted from Oct. 31st to Nov. 18th 2011, about 3 weeks, using a self-administrated questionnaire that was administered to 697 healthcare professionals (registered nurses, pharmacists, technicians, and nurses aides) who worked at a university hospital. Medical doctors and employees working in the department of administration were excluded. Results: About half of hospital workers experienced at least one or more near misses during the past one year. The drug dispensing process was the most common subcategory of near misses. Among the 26 items, patient falls was highest. Over 95% of respondents reported that the near miss they experienced was preventable. Also, more than half of respondents did not report the near miss and the main reason for omission was fear of blame. Conclusion: Regarding patient safety issues, a near miss is a very significant factor because it can be a potential adverse event. Therefore, we should grasp the size of the problem through tracking and analyzing near misses and should make an effort to reduce them. To do so, we should check whether our reporting system is well designed and functioning.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.104-114
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• 2021

Objective: To explore the perception of drug utilization review (DUR) system and DUR modernization pilot project among healthcare professionals and patients. Methods: We conducted 8 times of focus group interviews (FGI) between August 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019. The healthcare professionals and patients who participated in the DUR modernization pilot project were included in the present study. Based on the type of project participation or medical institution, the participants were divided into the following four groups: group 1, hospital; group 2, clinic; group 3, pharmacy; and group 4, patient. Within each group, interviews were conducted under a pre-defined agenda to identify the implicit perceptions of the participants; the contents of the interviews were, then, categorized. Results: Healthcare professionals established a consensus on the positive aspects of the DUR system and DUR modernization pilot project. However, substantial concerns remain, such as additional workload associated with monitoring adverse events or acquiring consents from patients. Furthermore, a difference of opinion over the DUR convenience system was observed. Among 3 DUR convenience system, the personal medication history review service was highly utilized, but pop-up hold function and communication system was rarely used. Conclusion: We observed that systematic intervention using the DUR system is effective for both healthcare providers and consumers. Adverse events caused by inappropriate drug use can be prevented by continuous patient monitoring. Therefore, the role of DUR system needs to be expanded to establish a safe drug management system.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2012

In this study, the status of healthcare infrastructure in foreign countries was investigated for a Korean healthcare business planning to expand its business to these countries. Countries selected and surveyed are China, India, Indonesia, and the Middle East. When the surveyors visited the hospitals, the hospital facilities were investigated and medical professionals were interviewed to scrutinize the healthcare conditions in the hospitals. Also studied are healthcare related laws, trend of healthcare policies, hospital operations, medical staffing, and global healthcare service providers. Korea has expanded their overseas healthcare market only to small-sized hospitals and clinics. In order to keep up with global market expansion in the healthcare domain, strategic marketing is required. Especially, the most important key for overseas marketing is to make a synergizing system among hospitals, construction companies, medical equipment providers and IT solution providers. For the next step, the in-depth study will be conducted through real projects in the target countries per type of business.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2020

Because the psychophysical symptoms of hearing loss and dementia in the elderly are very similar, untrained healthcare professionals in dementia facilities can easily overlook a severity of hearing loss in their patients. The present study identifies their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on hearing loss using a survey whether they may help hearing problem of the patients with dementia. A total of 29 health-care professionals responded to the KAP survey. Also, 2 family members participated. The results showed that most of the nurses and caregivers in elderly medical welfare facilities who worked with dementia patients did not have knowledge of their hearing loss. Even the facility managers did not know how to conduct hearing tests for their patients although they did recognize that some of their patients had a hearing loss. Eventually, actual practice was not possible at this moment by the professionals. However, our respondents did have a positive attitude toward screening for hearing loss and help their patients with dementia wear hearing aids if a clinical guideline was provided. We suggest to develop clear and precise clinical guidelines of the hearing screening test for the dementia patients due to the interrelationship between dementia and hearing loss. When these guidelines apply to elderly residents in a medical welfare facility, early diagnosis and treatment of their sensory loss will help alleviate their dementia as well.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2020

Because the psychophysical symptoms of hearing loss and dementia in the elderly are very similar, untrained healthcare professionals in dementia facilities can easily overlook a severity of hearing loss in their patients. The present study identifies their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on hearing loss using a survey whether they may help hearing problem of the patients with dementia. A total of 29 health-care professionals responded to the KAP survey. Also, 2 family members participated. The results showed that most of the nurses and caregivers in elderly medical welfare facilities who worked with dementia patients did not have knowledge of their hearing loss. Even the facility managers did not know how to conduct hearing tests for their patients although they did recognize that some of their patients had a hearing loss. Eventually, actual practice was not possible at this moment by the professionals. However, our respondents did have a positive attitude toward screening for hearing loss and help their patients with dementia wear hearing aids if a clinical guideline was provided. We suggest to develop clear and precise clinical guidelines of the hearing screening test for the dementia patients due to the interrelationship between dementia and hearing loss. When these guidelines apply to elderly residents in a medical welfare facility, early diagnosis and treatment of their sensory loss will help alleviate their dementia as well.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 2022

Needs for public healthcare have recently increased. This paper proposes education topics for competency development in public healthcare in line with the needs of the times. In Korea, various lifelong education providers have already provided public health-related education. For example, the Research Institute for Health Policy (RIHP) under the Korean Medical Association provided an "executive course for physicians' public health care competencies" in 2019 and 2020. At the end of the course, the RIHP published a comprehensive report, entitled "Curricular development and evaluation for doctors' public healthcare competencies." This article is based on a summary of that report. To develop a curriculum for public healthcare, the RIHP adopted the following methodologies for a needs analysis; reviewing already-existing education subjects, evaluating end-of-course reports, and conducting in-depth focused group interviews and questionnaire surveys with doctors at public healthcare-related institutions. The results from the needs analysis can be categorized into two domains of education topics for public healthcare. The first domain includes education subjects related to the theory and practice of public healthcare, as follows: a general overview, community or population health, organizational administration, planning and evaluation, budget and finance, responses to disasters such as infectious diseases, health policy, and the legal system. The second domain contained education topics related to general professional competencies: leadership, communication, cooperation, teamwork, and professionalism. In conclusion, the curricular content for public healthcare will be an appropriate combination of competencies specific to public healthcare and core competencies for health professionals.