• Health Policy and Management
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.31-58
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• 1995

The Korean government achieved the universal coverage of health insurance in July 1989, and concomitantly introduced a new measure of regulated health care delivery system in using medical care. There are three reasons why the government took the new health care delivery system. Firstly, there was ample room for improving the allocative efficiency in the use of medical facilities. And the second one was to constrain the dramatic increase of medical demand under health insurance. Thirdly, and the most important reason was to alleviate the patient crowdedness in big general hospitals, particularly tertiary hospitals. There are essentially two different ways to control the use of health care : one is to cut the demand for health care, and the other to regulate behaviors of providers through the use of incentives/disincentives, demand-side approach or supply-side approach. The objective of this study is to examine whether or not medical care utilization behaviors under health insurance scheme have been changed among medical facilities such as clinic, hospital, general hospital and tertiary hospital in comparison with those before and after the introduction, particularly whether the patient crowdedness in tertiary hospitals has been alleviated or not. In order to conduct this study, the insurance claim data during the period of January 1989 and July 1992 were analyzed by focusing on diagnosis of both inpatients and outpatients, and especially the fifteen most frequent diseases in ambulatory care and the seven most frequent diseases in hospitalizatio. In addition, the same analyses were made on the changes in medical care utilization by specialty department. This was because the five departments, such as family medicine, ENT, eye, dermatology and rehabilitation, were exempted from applying the regulated health care delivery system in tertiary hospitals. The study revealed that a remarkable alleviation effect in the crowdness was noted for tertiary hospitals. This effect was most conspicuous for the most frequent mild diseases of both inpatient and outpatient care. For example, the fifteen most frequent OPD care at tertiary facilities have decreased as much as by 40%, of which 34% belonged to the cut in initial visits. Meanwhile, the proportion of those who used general hospitals and private practitioner's clinics have increased due to the shift of patients. The cases from the five special departments were also decreased, but not so much as other departments. A problem was noted that, as time passed by, the decreasing tendencies of crowdness at tertiary hospitals due to the regulated system became slightly smaller. Therefore, through complementary remedies are needed for the future implementation.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2014

Objectives The aim of this study was to offer the fundamental data for the physical therapies of Korean medicine through analyse the database of one university hospital. Methods As this study was retrospective analysis, following items were selected and analysed in the electronic medical record (EMR) database. (1) sex, (2) inpatient or outpatient, (3) medical department, (4) diagnosis, (5) kind of insurance. Results Although all kind of physical therapies were used, interferential current therapy (ICT) was the most used physical therapy. And department of rehabilitation medicine of Korean medicine prescribed physical therapies most among the 8 specialty departments. As physical therapies were used in various kinds of diseases, they were especially used in musculoskeletal diseases and nervous system diseases. Conclusions The analysis of actual condition of using physical therapies in a real clinical setting of Korean medicine could be a useful fundamental data for the application of modernized physical therapies.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.184-195
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• 1997

Background : The purpose of this research was to evaluate the appropriateness of preoperative hospital days in a tertiary care hospital and to examine the reasons of the inappropriateness, so as to provide basic information and policy for enhancing appropriateness of preoperative hospitalization and benefit of patients and hospital. Methods : The subjects of the research were the 344 patients who received operation among discharged patients during January, 1996 in surgical departments including general surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery and ophthalmology. Their medical records were reviewed and appropriateness of hospital days was evaluated by the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol. Result : The results of evaluating the appropriateness of preoperative hospitalization showed that inappropriate hospital days were 80.8%. The reasons of inappropriate hospital stays were the tests or preparation which could be done in outpatient basis' followed by 'possible tests or preparation on the operation day' and 'cancelation of operation'. Conclusion : In order to shorten the inappropriate preoperative length of stay, it is recommended that lengthening of laboratory running time and doing most of tests necessary for operations on the outpatient basis prior to admission should be considered. In addition, the operation at the same day of hospitalization and usage of day surgery should be encouraged. Finally there should be changes in the inpatient management system and attitudes and behaviors of surgeons to shorten unnecessary preoperative and maximize the benefit for patients and hospital.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.6 no.1_2
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• pp.80-91
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• 1999

Background : With the CQI concepts, which emphasize doing the right things right the first time, we tried to enhance the timely completion of medical records by changing the review process from retrospective method to concurrent one. Methods : Against the current retrospective QA activity, Medical record administrator did the concurrent QA of the inpatient medical records with the deficiency sheets. One general surgery ward was chosen as a trial one. The deficiency rate of the medical records of the discharged patients was compared before and after the enforcement of the system. Job analysis of the medical record departments was done about four tertiary care hospitals located in Seoul to estimate the cost and the time consumed by current system. Results : There was a little improvement in the completion rate of the medical records after the trial. The new system was effective. And job analysis showed that much money and time were wasted by current retrospective feedback system. Conclusion : Though the result was not so satisfactory, it should be considered that this test was a voluntary one and the interns and residents were not forced to complete the medical records during this trial period. If there be any strong motivation to complete the medical record in time, this system is sure to be succeed. As the DRG system requires the concurrent review of the medical records to confirm severity of the patient's illness and to assure the timely discharge, it is desirable to enforce this method with the DRG system together. DRG coding and reducing deficiency rate of the medical records can be accomplished simultaneously.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.622-628
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• 2007

Purpose : While pediatric observation units (POU) have become a common practice in hospitals throughout developed countries, there has been no report about POUs in Korea so far. The aims of this study were to analyze our one-year's experience of the POU and to decide which disease entities are suitable for the POU. Methods : All children admitted from March 2006 to February 2007 to the POU at the Department of Pediatrics in Our Lady of Mercy Hospital were included in this study. Data were collected from retrospective reviews of their medical records. Results : There were a total of 1,076 POU admissions. Median age of patients was 2.4 years and median length of hospital stay 14.0 hours. The most common diagnoses were gastroenteritis (42.7%), pharyngotonsillitis (19.1%), bronchiolitis (7.8%), pneumonia (5.5%) and febrile seizure (5.2%). Overall, 7.5% of the POU patients required subsequent inpatient admissions due to hospital stays of longer than 48 hours. The disease entities that were most likely to require inpatient admission were pneumonia (17.0%), febrile seizure (12.5%) and asthma (11.5%). Diseases that allowed successful discharge from the POU were gastroenteritis (4.6%), upper respiratory tract infection (5.8%), such as otitis media and pharygnotonsillitis and seizure disorder (6.4%). Compared with the previous year when the POU was not in operation, there was a statistically significant reduction in the average length of hospital stays (from 4.69 to 3.75 days), as well as a rise in the bed turnover rate (from 78.8 to 98.2 patients/bed). Conclusion : Our study shows that the POU is efficient for the management of children with certain acute illnesses. Based on this study, we suggest that the POU be used as a new modality which links between the outpatient, inpatient, and emergency departments in the field of pediatrics in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.63-76
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• 1999

The main objective of this study was to develop a concept of service marketing promotion in nursing that is derived from the concepts of service marketing theory. This research was a descriptive study, at the factor isolation level. The principle of concept derivation suggested by Walker and Avant (1988) and the Hybrid model suggested by Schwarz-Barcott and Kim (1993) were employed as the research method. The data were collected from December, 1997 to April. 1998 at a large general hospital located in Seoul. The procedures of this study were as follows: First. at the theoretical phase: the meaning, attributes, and definition of service marketing promotion were identified through an extensive review of the literature. Second, at the empirical phase: fieldwork was done to identify the promotional activities and events in nursing. Top nurse managers from 4 units (Director of Nursing, Head nurses of inpatient nursing unit, outpatient nursing unit. and home care nursing unit) were interviewed and the content of the interview was analyzed to identify the meaning and attributes of promotion in nursing. Other methods such as brochures and other audio-visual materials which were relevant to nursing promotion were used to supplement the interviews. Finally, the results of the theoretical and empirical analyses were intergrated to develop a concept of service marketing in nursing practice. A final definition of service marketing promotion in nursing was identified as follows. 1. Promotion as a marketing function in nursing service is concerned with communication to target markets on all information related to nursing service in order to satisfy the objectives of both a nursing service organization and the target markets. 2. The goals of nursing service promotion include: 1) increasing visibility of nursing services and delivering the information on nursing services, 2) affirming the value of nursing services, so it can contribute to formulation of reimbursement policy for nursing services. 3) advancing the general image of the nursing profession and nursing services. 4) achieving and attaining a desirable positioning for nurses among health care professionals. and 5) creating and stimulating the demand for nursing services. 3. In order to obtain these goals it is necessary to provide information on nursing services, to persuade target markets. to remind them about nursing services. and to establish a collaborative relationship with related departments. 4. The tools used to carry out the above functions of promotion in nursing are the providing nursing services, public relations and publicity. QA of nursing, advertising, and sales promotion. 5. The target markets of nursing service include the nursing customer markets. the internal markets, the influence markets. the recruitment markets. the supplier markets. and the nursing referral markets. In conclusion, the concept of promotion in other service marketing areas can be applied to the promotion of nursing service marketing. The promotion of nursing service is more than just effective communication in nursing service. it is the effective use of the concepts of service marketing promotion. Promotion of nursing service will contribute to create and expand nursing services.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.213-223
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• 2013

Objectives Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common reason for people in Korea to visit Korean medical institutions. To assess actual amounts of use in the treatment of LBP in Korean medicine and to provide objective base line data for policy decision making, research regarding the current state of LBP patients' treatment in Korean medical institutions are in need. Methods The current study was designed as a retrospective chart review to investigate descriptive characteristics of LBP patients. The clinical records of 304 patients who were hospitalized for the treatment of LBP in Korean rehabilitation medicine inpatient clinics of five different Korean medicine hospitals were analyzed. The percentage of patient characteristics such as sex, age, average duration of admission, insurance type, diagnosed LBP related disease code, and rates of interventions applied were assessed. Results 1. The female sex was significantly predominant among patients with LBP : 105 patients (34.5%) were male and 199 patients (65.5%) were female. Percentage of the patients' age appeared as followed : 76 people (25.0%) were in their 50s, 64 people (21.1%) were in their 40s, 51 people (16.8%) were in their 30s, 37 people (12.2%) were in their 60s, and 33 people (10.9%) were in their 70s. Approximately half of the total LBP patients investigated were older than 50. 2. The average duration of admission was 16.2 days. Approximately one third (30.3%) of the patients were hospitalized for 8 to 14 days. 3. Female patients tended to stay admitted in hospitals slightly longer than male patients. Elderly (age 60~79) patients stayed in hospitals longer (17.8 days) compared to younger (age 20~39) patients (13.5 days). 4. More than half of the patients (171 cases, 56.3%) had their hospital bills covered with automobile insurance. 40.1% (122 cases) of the patients had medical insurance to cover their hospital bills. The average duration of admission of patients who had automobile insurance was 14.2 days, while that of the patients who had medical insurance was 18.4 days. 5. "Sprain and strain of the lumbar spine and pelvis" was the most commonly used (195 cases, 64.1%) disease code in patients with LBP. Patients diagnosed as "lumbar and other intervertebral disc disorders with radiculopathy" required the longest admission duration (22.1 days). 6. Herbal medication was applied to all of the patients during admission. Acupuncture was applied to all of the patients except one case diagnosed as spinal stenosis. Physical therapy, cupping therapy, moxibustion therapy, chuna therapy, and pharmacopuncture therapy were applied to 94.7, 92.8, 85.2, 83.9, and 49.7% of the patients, respectively. 7. There were certain differences among Korean medicine hospitals in terms of the LBP patients' duration of admission, type of insurance, frequency of the disease code use, type of intervention applied. Conclusions It is thought that the current study can be used as reference data in assessing the current state of LBP treatment in Korean rehabilitation medicine and a basis for future research. Provided improvements of certain limitations of the current study in future researches, such data would act as better base line data in policy decision making.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.16-31
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• 2019

Objective : The purpose of this study is to analyze the charcateristics of inpatients in Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology & Dermatology Clinic by gender, age, season, and department of medical care after hospitalization from March, 2012 to February, 2018. Method : From March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2018, patients who were admitted to the Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology & Dermatology Clinic of Korean Medical Hospital were classified by gender, age, department, and season, and their relationship, hospitalization period, number of outpatient visits Differences were analyzed objectively using various statistical methods using IBM SPSS 18.0. Results : 1. The number of inpatients was 432, including duplication. Of these, 317 were female and 115 were male. The number of female patients was 2.8 times higher. 2. The average age of the inpatients was 43.9 years and the number of middle-aged 40-50 patients was 48.6%. 3. The number of inpatients in the departments was in the order of dermatology, otology, laryngology, rhinology, and ophthalmology. The most hospitalized diseases were eczema in the dermatology department, sudden hearing loss in the otology department, tonsillitis/peritonsillar abscess, rhinitis in the rhinology department, and dry eye syndrome in ophthalmology. 1) The effect of gender on the difference in the number of inpatients by subdivision was statistically significant. 2) The effect of age on the difference in the number of inpatients by subdivision was statistically significant. 3) The effect of seasons on the difference in the number of inpatients was not statistically significant. 4. The number of inpatients by season was in the order of winter, spring, summer, autumn, and the number of inpatients decreased significantly in autumn. 1) The effect of gender on the difference in the number of hospitalized patients by season was not statistically significant. 2) The effect of age on the difference in the number of hospitalized patients by season was not statistically significant. 5. The average length of hospital stay for inpatients was 10.7 days. 1) The effect of gender on length of hospital stay was not statistically significant. 2) The effect of age on hospital stay was not statistically significant. 3) The effect of the subdivision on hospital stay was statistically significant. 4) The effect of the season on hospital stay was not statistically significant. Conclusion : As a result of this study, the most distinctive feature of the present study was the high rate of inpatients with otic disease like idiopathic hearing loss and Meniere 's syndrome and the high rate of female patients. This may be related to the increased prevalence of the disease and the severity of the disease. In addition, the high rate of female patients suggests that women are more likely to be affected by illnesses, as well as to have more medical use and severe symptoms requiring hospitalization. In the future, it would be better to provide various treatment plans and policies for patients with otic diseases and female patients. Also it would be good if studies on these fields are made in the future.