• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.2 s.46
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• pp.186-193
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• 1994

This paper is an attempt to identify major challenges to be faced by the Korean health care delivery system for about 30 years in the future and to deliberate over possible policy responses to them. It is not intended to make a precise prediction of the future profile of the system, but the focus is given to understanding what we have to do from now on in order to develop health care in Korea toward a desirable direction. Although the discussion has been made in a rather fragmented manner, it would hopefully provide stepping stones for a systematic study of the Korean health care system from a long range perspective.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.731-742
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• 2003

Purpose: This ethnography is aimed at describing the health care seeking behavior of elderly details in their socio-cultural context. The research question is 'under what conditions did elderly informants decide to use certain professional health care services and how do they make use of all the available resources?' Method: 10 sessions of fieldwork were conducted in the two agricultural villages between Sep. 1999 and Oct. 2002. The data for this paper came from participant observation with 14 informants. In the process of analysis I used proxemic and taxonomic techniques. Result: Informants decided to use a certain health care system according to their folk definition of illness. They prefer to use the health services where they felt more comfortable and free. They wished to be care from intuitive and holistic healers. Social network and having health resources was also important factor. Conclusion: We need more comprehensive research model to reach a plausible explanation. Combined qualitative-quantitative research is needed to get practical data to develop effective health care systems for the elderly.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.85-102
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• 2018

Objectives: In order to cope with the quality and the substantiality issues in long-term care for the elderly, we should have a wider view of long-term system components based on the understanding of health care organizations, management services, support for care providers and beneficiaries, education of the workforce, and management of finance and resources. Methods: For resolving the issues raised and offering guidance in the area of long-term care, we reviewed 20 reports and documents of the government and government-related institutions using the Internet home pages of the Australian government and the related organizations in the health care sector. These organizations are undergoing a huge system reform to implement consumer-directed care since 2015, in the areas of service, resources, finances, organization, and management. Results and conclusions: The study outcomes can have some implications for the long-term care system in Korea based on the differences in the service components. The results can provide basic information for improving the long-term care service, and can have several other implications for long-term care in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.11-21
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• 1993

Recently the structure of disease is changing its form into chronic disease. Taking into consideration this, the health care system doesn't cope with this tendency. With the health care system for acute disease, it is difficult to decrease medical care cost. At this point, Health education like primary health care can reduce risk factors and possibilities of occurrence of disease. This can cut off the medical insurance finance further more cuts off the rates of insurance cost. This is why health education is the principle part of medical insurance service. Though the law shows health education must be executed in the field of Medical insurance, still it is not enough. In order to carry out health education in the medical insurance organization, the efforts we should make are as follows: 1. Recognize the importance of health education. 2. Set the clear goals in health education. 3. Organize health education system. 4. Train health workers. 5. Systematize health education service. 6. Reform the medical insurance system. 7. Evaluate the effect of health education and practice the model.

• International Journal of Contents
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2013

This research explores the convergence of health care expenditure in Korea with different income groups and the world level by applying different concepts of convergence, including growth rates, trends, differences as well as rationality and statistical variation of health care expenditure. The empirical evidence shows that, in general, the health care expenditure in Korea seems to be on the right track in terms of both level and difference, given the fact that convergence exists with the expenditures of the high income group and the world level. It is also worth mentioning that the Korean public health care system has been performing much better than its private health care counterpart. Such a result suggests that the private health care system has to be more elaborately and systematically managed through the establishment of an operational policy to stimulate an increase in private health care expenditure.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.396-412
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• 2014

Background: As a reform plan of health care system, Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has became an object of attention in the United States after Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted. ACO is a group of various health care providers and provide coordinated care to its assigned beneficiaries. If ACOs improve the quality level and reduce the cost of care, they can get financial incentives. Under the discussion for a quite long time and demonstration projects, ACO has been established. We aimed to analysis and discuss the history, policy mechanism, contents, status and outcomes of ACO. Also, we intended to suggest political implication Korean health care system with regard to ACO. Methods: We searched the articles related ACO in PubMed and selected several available papers about ACO. Total 56 studies were reviewed and categorized three parts; demonstration projects for formation of ACO, policy mechanism and agenda, empirical results of ACO performance. Results: As a result, establishment of ACO was successful partly in the US. It seems to be due to various project and pilot test for verification in the long time. The empirical effect of ACO was also identified in a few study but it needs more evidences to judge its positive effect. Conclusion: In Korea, there are arguments for the application of ACO. However it is difficult to implement a ACO by different political conditions between Korean and US. Nevertheless ACO proposed us the necessity of paradigm shift in our health policy and could be significant to national policy orientation in the future.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.58-66
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• 2007

Purpose: A national long-term care system for elderly and the disabled has its unique evolution in each country. Japan, Germany and the United States may be the typical examples of respective social insurance system. This paper reviews the counterpart examples of Japan, Germany and the United States and looks at their accumulated long-term care system experiences and personal care system under workers' compensation. Methods: Literature review and website searching were conducted. Key words as 'workers' compensation insurance', 'personal care benefit' and 'long term care' were used in searching the related literatures. Results: Though the personal care benefit under current Workers'Compensation in Korea is very similar to Japan's, the long-term care system of Korea is not as well established. Germany and the United States have the provision of personal care benefit for injured workers within long term care system. Conclusions: We recommend some key issues to take into account for improving personal care benefit system in workers' compensation in Korea as follows: providing a comprehensive coverage through the linkage of long term care, introducing an assessment & evaluation system for the appropriate benefits, establishing insurer's role for quality management of personal care service, and developing a policy for family caregivers.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.301-310
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• 2020

Background: In this study, we aimed to investigate the recent trends for health care indicators including maternal mortality ratio, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate, life expectancy, years of life lost, and healthcare resources in South Korea, North Korea, Germany, Russian Federation, Mongolia, Vietnam, China, Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. Methods: We used data from five sources: World Health Organization, Federal Institute for Population Research, World Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development health statistics, and national statistics. Results: In the early 1990s, health indicators continued to improve in countries that switched to the health insurance system, but the gap widened in North Korea as health indicators worsened. Conclusion: The establishment of a sustainable health care system after unification of the Korean peninsula requires substantial changes in the health care system and efforts to improve the health of North Koreans.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.27-38
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of tooth-brushing oral care on oral health and ventilator-associated pneumonia of patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Methods: A total of 74 participants were recruited from a medical, surgical, or neurosurgical ICU at S Hospital in Seoul, Korea, from September of 2010 to January of 2011. An experimental group (n= 36) received oral care with tooth-brushing while a control group (n=38) received oral care with cotton ball and gauze. In both group, the oral care was done three times a day at least one minute for 7 days. Oral health was examined by the Modified Oral Assessment Guide before the intervention and each night. Results: There is no difference between the groups in aspect of passage of time (p = .603), interaction between time and intervention (p =.300), the performance intervention (p = .766), and the incidence of VAP (p = .486). Conclusion: The effect of oral care with tooth-brushing on oral health and VAP was not different from that of usual oral care in ICU. However, further study is necessary due to high attrition in this study.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.43-57
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• 1999

One of the most fundamental and the oldest issues in the provision of health care throughout the world has been the issue of the role of the public and private sector of health care, and the relationship between them. This paper describes issues associated with the concept of health oriented partnerships in the United Kingdom and seeks to contrast public and private partnerships both in health and in health care. In the United Kingdom it is suggested that health care is conceived by the population to equate to the National Health Service(NHS) with "add on" private health care for certain sectors of the community and within certain well defined clinical parameters. This paper can provide us with valuable information on the characteristics of UK health care systems, current health policies as well as issues relating to the public and private partnerships in health/ health care in the UK, thus offer important policy implications for the improvement of Korean health care system which lacks health-oriented coordinations and partnership between public and private sector very considerably.