• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.94-106
• /
• 2022

Background: The efforts to build more "people centered," "patient centered" health system has been emerging all over the world. Aligning with it, the Korean government is conducing the survey called "Medical Service Experience Survey (MSES)." There are critics, however, that MSES is not scrutinizing the medical experiences of patients in various healthcare settings. For this reason, this study aims to perform an empirical analysis of the differences in answers of patients responding to various healthcare settings. Methods: There are two steps in this study. First, explanatory analysis is conducted to compare the tendency of statistical concentration on questionnaires by divided healthcare settings. Second, confirmative analysis is carried out to evaluate the construct validity, reliability, and discriminant validity of the questionnaire in each healthcare setting. The raw data of MSES, which was conducted in 2020 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Korea and the Korean Institute for Health and Social Affairs is used. Results: As a result of exploratory factor analysis for all outpatients, the items were classified into four factors statistically: "doctor experience," "nurse experience," "outpatient service experience," and "patient satisfaction." It was confirmed that the reliability of all factors extracted was secured. However, for patients who visited hospitals, questionnaires related to personal privacy, such as "experiences on medical staffs considering physical exposure" or "experiences related to personal information exposure," were answered in conjunction with items of "nurse experience." Besides, patients responded that administrative elements of medical services, such as "experiences of comfort in medical institutions" and "experiences of satisfactory administrative services," were related to the items of "nurse experience." The answers of patients who visited traditional medical hospitals and clinics about "doctor experience" and "nurse experience" were not discerned statistically, and the answers to "doctor experience," "nurse experience," and "medical institution experience" were entangled with the responses of patients who visited dental hospitals and clinics. On the other hand, as a result of the confirmatory factor analysis, it was found that the inquiries of MSES generally had intensive validity. Conclusion: The collection of objective and scientific data is the prominent component to enlighten the patient-centered healthcare system alongside with change of the worldwide paradigm of measuring the healthcare system performance as follows the transition of perspective of health care from provider-centered to patient-centered. This study empirically shows that the patient experience can vary as the healthcare settings. Furthermore, to make an advance in measuring the experience of patients with medical services, this article proposes the deliberate consideration of the different kinds of healthcare settings and articulate design of the survey.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.289-295
• /
• 2021

Workplace violence (WPV) is an increasing cause of concern around the globe, and healthcare organizations are no exception. Nurses may be subject to all kinds of workplace violence due to their frontline position in healthcare settings. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify and consider different interventions that aim to decrease the magnitude/prevalence of workplace violence against nurses. The standard method by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA, 2009) has been used to collect data and assess methodological quality. Altogether, twenty-six studies are included in the review. The intervention procedures they report on can be grouped into three categories: stand-alone trainings designed to educate nurses; more structured education programs, which are broader in scope and often include opportunities to practice skills learned during the program; multicomponent interventions, which often include organizational changes, such as the introduction of workplace violence reporting systems, in addition to workplace violence training for nurses. By comparing the findings, a clear picture emerges; while standalone training and structured education programs can have a positive impact, the impact is unfortunately limited. In order to effectively combat workplace violence against nurses, healthcare organizations must implement multicomponent interventions, ideally involving all stakeholders.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.140-144
• /
• 2023

Many terminally ill cancer patients grapple with a range of physical, psychological, and social challenges. Therefore, it is critical to offer effective psychological interventions to assist them in managing these issues and enhancing their quality of life. This brief communication provides a concise overview of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), along with empirical evidence of its application for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals in hospice and palliative care settings and an overview of future directions of ACT interventions in South Korea. ACT, a third-wave type of cognitive behavioral therapy, is a model of psychological flexibility that promotes personal growth and empowerment across all life areas. Currently, there is substantial evidence from overseas supporting the effectiveness of ACT on health-related outcomes among patients with various diseases, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. The necessity and significance of conducting ACT-based empirical research in hospice and palliative care settings in South Korea are discussed.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.45-52
• /
• 2011

The visual sensory information in physical environments can induce or reduce occupants' stress. In healthcare settings, positive environmental stimulations can promote patient well-being by reducing their stress: poor health environments work against a patient's health. Changing the color in a patient room is an inexpensive process and thus finding better colors for healthcare settings is a cost effective method of improving healing environments. Color may have important implications for pediatric patients, but the investigation of Korean populations has been non-existent. The purpose of this study was to investigate Korean pediatric patients' color preferences for patient room design. The color preferences from 50 Korean pediatric patients were recorded and investigated for gender effects. A simulation method was used because of its reliability and feasibility, allowing for investigating the value of color in real contexts and controlling confounding variables. The overall color preferences from Korean pediatric patients showed that they preferred blue the most and white the least. Gender differences were found in red and purple. Girls preferred red and purple more than boys. The results from this study can help healthcare providers and designers better understand appropriate colors for Korean pediatric patient populations.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• no.spc
• /
• pp.14-24
• /
• 2016

This study is to present current research state of the art in serviscape and performance in healthcare system. Previous studies related to serviscape in healthcare sector are explored with limitations. This study conducts a content analysis with literature reviews in order to synthesize previous studies into three branch constitution dimension of the serviscape presenting the service environment. This study provides a current research state of the art and a future direction in serviscape in healthcare sector. Study results provide serviscape, customer response, satisfaction, and behavior intention in terms of healthcare settings. The patients and hospital customers as well as hospital employees should share the service experiences of the good quality in a proper service environment so that the patients and customer can satisfy and revisit the hospital.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.50-54
• /
• 2022

Antibiotics are commonly prescribed medications in the hospice and palliative care setting, as well as in many other healthcare settings. The overuse or negligent use of antibiotics is associated with the harmful consequence of fostering the development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Thus, there is an urgent need to critically examine and audit antibiotic use in all aspects of healthcare. In the status quo, there is a lack of consistent standards and guidelines surrounding the use of antibiotics in hospice and palliative care settings, leading to significant variations in how antibiotics are prescribed and administered in end-of-life care. It is apparent that greater thought needs to go into antibiotic decisions for patients receiving hospice or palliative care, especially considering the harmful consequences of the overprescription of antibiotics. The literature suggests that many clinicians prescribe antibiotics inappropriately for patients who would not benefit from their use or prescribe them without adequate documentation. Clinicians should be deliberate about when they prescribe antibiotics and adhere to the appropriate documentation standards and procedures within their institution or community. Future research should seek to generate generalizable knowledge about which patients will benefit most from antibiotic therapy during end-of-life care.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.78-99
• /
• 2010

In this study, we examined the effects of healthcare staffs' perceived service quality(E-PSQ) on patients' perceived service quality(P-PSQ) leading to patients' satisfaction(P-CS) and the effects on guardians' perceived service quality(G-PSQ) also leading to guardians' satisfaction(G-CS). To investigate the causalities of the factors, we collected national wide samples of 144 hospitals, 721 healthcare staffs, 1456 patients, and 1455 guardians of the patients. Followed were contributions of this study. First, healthcare staffs and patients were commonly related by service quality, which meant the increase of healthcare staffs' perceived service quality led to increase of patients' perceived service quality. Second, healthcare staffs and guardians of patients were also related by perceived service quality. Third, patients' perceived service quality would lead to service satisfaction of patients, Fourth, guardians' perceived service quality would also lead to service satisfaction of guardians. The findings implied service managers of hospital settings should pay attention to healthcare staffs' perception of service quality as well as those of patients and guardians. With such strategy, hospitals could survive the drastically changing environments of current healthcare service area.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.79 no.3
• /
• pp.127-133
• /
• 2016

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most important occupational risks for healthcare workers (HCWs) in South Korea. Many policies regarding the control and prevention of TB in healthcare settings recommend that HCWs are tested for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in addition to active TB. Moreover, the Korean Tuberculosis Prevention Act also recommends that HCWs receive regular testing for LTBI. However, there are no specific or detailed guidelines for dealing with LTBI in HCWs. Herein, we discuss the diagnosis and treatment of LTBI in HCWs and focus particularly on the baseline screening of hired HCWs, routine follow-up, and contact investigation.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.65-72
• /
• 2016

A mobile healthcare application is a healthcare software application designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphone and tablet computers. Mobile healthcare applications have enormous potential for monitoring and care everyday living of patient with chronic disease. In fact, mobile healthcare applications are found to be active in various fields. However, the development is rarely done in Korean medicine field. The aim of this study was to develop the healthcare application based on the tongue diagnosis. The process included planning, designing, programming, and revising. Through a pilot study, the application was found the improvement requirement, and to be usable in the real-life settings.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.245-253
• /
• 2015

Objectives: One aim of the study is to compare filtering facepiece masks for healthcare workers between Korea and other countries. The other is to emphasize the importance of fit testing for these masks using an analysis of previous research. Materials: An extensive literature review was performed by searching a number of websites and existing studies. Results: KF94 and KF99 masks certified by the Korean CDC are suitable for healthcare workers as filtering facepiece masks. The standards for these respirators are similar to FFP2 and FFP3 of EN 143 and 149. The performance, such as filtering efficiency, is almost the same between KP94 and N95. It was found that fit testing of respirators for healthcare workers was important to reduce infection risk. Conclusions: KF94 should be emphasized as filtering facepiece masks for healthcare workers rather than N95. Even though Korea has no fit testing regulations, implementing fit testing in healthcare settings is strongly recommended to decrease infection risk.