• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.77-89
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare maternal perceptions between two groups of postpartum women, women who chose to have their babies room-in and women who did not (non rooming-in group). Methods: Data collection was conducted in 37 hospitals from August 10 to September 20, 2008. The participants were 209 mothers opting for rooming-in and 128 mothers for non rooming-in. The women completed a questionnaire which included the Edinburgh postpartum depression scale, maternal attachment inventory, and postpartum self-evaluation questionnaire. Results: There were significant differences in education level, income and antenatal education between the rooming-in and non rooming-in groups. The rooming-in group also showed higher levels of satisfaction with medical services. More important, the rate of breast feeding for the rooming-in group was higher than for the non rooming-in group. There was no difference between the two groups for postpartum depression, maternal attachment and mothers' confidence with infant care tasks. Conclusion: These findings suggest that rooming-in system has more advantages compared to non rooming-in and that it can help to promote breast feeding. The authors recommend that the rooming-in system be expanded nationwide. The results of this research can be used to assist the development of future rooming-in system expansion strategy.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.10 no.12
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• pp.2349-2354
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• 2006

Due to technological developments and the joint effect of both new social and economic needs and constraints, telemedicine is expanding rapidly through a variety of applications. Especially, owing to the rapid aging of society and increasing the wish for well being life, we take interest in health care services for people with special needs who wish to remain independent and living in their own home. We have focused on tole-monitoring to real-time medical signal and environment factor which is an influence on medical signal. We monitor the six signal(medical signal and environment factor), and transmit that signal to computer on bluetooth network. We get the information after using the some digital signal processing system, and display that information on the real-time monitoring system. We developed the measurer as portable type in older to non-restrained monitor.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 2024

Objective : In order to understand the changes in domestic approval regulations applicable to traditional Korean medical device companies, this article will explain the major amendments 「Regulation on Medical Device Approval Report Review, etc.」 from 2005 to the present on a year-by-year basis, and provide a counter plan to the recent changes in approval regulations. Methods : We analysed the changes in approval regulatory amendments related to the traditional Korean medical devices from 2005 to the present. Results : The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is continuously improving medical device approval regulations to ensure the global competitiveness of domestic medical devices and contribute to the improvement of public health. Recent major approval regulatory amendments include the establishment of a review system for software medical devices and digital therapeutics, the recognition of real world evidence materials, the introduction of a biological evaluation of medical devices within a risk management process and a medical device approval licence renewal system. Conclusions : It is expected that the range of medical devices available to Korean medicine doctors will continue to expand in the future through the provision of non-face-to-face medical services and the development of advanced and new medical devices, as well as wearable medical devices and digital therapeutics. In order to increase the market entry potential of traditional Korean medical devices that incorporate advanced technologies such as digital technology and AI-based diagnosis and prediction technology, it is urgent that the government provide significant support to traditional Korean medical device companies to improve approval regulatory compliance.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.247-255
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• 2017

Background: South Korea has experienced problems with excessive pharmaceutical expenditures. In 2010, the South Korean government introduced an outpatient prescription incentive program to effectively manage pharmaceutical expenditures. Therefore, we examined the relationship between the outpatient prescription incentive program and pharmaceutical expenditures. Methods: We used data from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database, which included medical claims filed for 22,732 clinics from 2011-2014 to evaluate associated pharmaceutical expenditures. We performed multiple regression analysis and Poisson regression analysis using generalized estimating equation models to examine the associations between outpatient prescription incentives and the outcome variables. Results: The data used in this study consisted of 123,392 cases from 22,372 clinics (average 5.4 periods follow-up). Clinics that had received outpatient prescription incentives in the last period had better cost saving and Outpatient Prescribing Costliness Index (OPCI) (received: proportion of cost saving, ${\beta}=6.8179$; p-value < 0.0001; OPCI, ${\beta}=-0.0227$; p-value < 0.0001; reference = non-received). Moreover, these clinics had higher risk in the provision of outpatient prescription incentive (relative risk, 2.772; 95% confidence interval, 2.720 to 2.824). The associations were higher in clinics that had separate prescribing and dispensing programs, or had professional staff. Conclusion: The introduction of an outpatient prescription incentive program for clinics effectively managed problems with rapid increases of pharmaceutical expenditures in South Korea. However, the pharmaceutical expenditures still increased in spite of the positive impact of the outpatient prescription incentive program. Therefore, healthcare professionals and health policy makers should develop more effective alternatives (i.e., for clinics without separate prescribing and dispensing programs) based on our results.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.322-333
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• 2013

This study aimed at analyzing and understanding medical tourism patients' pattern of different countries. For this purpose it followed up the international patients who visited W hospitals for spine treatment for last 3 years. In additon, it proposed key marketing strategies for attraction of more patients in the future. Satisfaction survey for 91 foreigner hospitalized patients were conducted from year 2010 to 2011. Each country of the patients showed slightly different motivations of visiting, consumer pattern and satisfaction of medical and non medical services. The current study analyzed factors, socio-demographic characteristics, purposes of visit, duration of stay in Korea, total number of visits to Korea, companions, plan of care, reasons for choice of W Hospital, expenses for medical care, total cost of staying in Korea. The results of this study showed that patients visited Korea more frequently were more satisfied with the medical care. Patients who planned to use medical care prior to visit Korea were more satisfied. Patients who thought he/she paid reasonable medical cost were more satisfied. Invitation to familiarization tour, clarification of medical cost, and provision of high quality medical care were recommended for the higher satisfaction of foreign patients. Fostering of specialized hospitals were recommended.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Oral Health
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2017

Objectives: In this study, we strived to determine the possibility of socioeconomic welfare in oral healthcare by analyzing the National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage rate. To date, efforts to realize the "social economy" of healthcare are active. While oral disease is common and chronic among Koreans, the rate of NHI coverage of dental clinics is substantially lower than that of the medical clinics. Methods: We defined the NHI coverage of dental clinics as a proxy for "social skills" to improve oral health problems. The data were collected through a comparative analysis of the NHI coverage of dental clinics and that of non-dental clinics, in health welfare social cooperatives. Results: The NHI coverage rate of the dental clinics in health welfare social cooperatives ranged from 0.97 to 2.62 times that of the non-dental clinics in health welfare social cooperatives. Conclusions: In conclusion, responsible management is recommended for making health welfare social cooperatives meaningful as a social economy.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.153-168
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• 2002

Since 1992, conventional fire fighting businesses have been converted into a metropolitan autonomous fire fighting system to be ready for a variety of disasters. However, the corresponding investment has been overlapped due to the non-integration of businesses to prevent any potential disasters, and a series of collaborative systems have been not functioning so well. In the meantime, our fire fighting sector has been trying to set up its own clean and faithful position by abolishing any inconvenient system or outsourcing private sectors, and expanded its work scope from conventional fire fighting even to rescue and emergency works. While focusing on handling disaster, the fire fighting sector has been widely trusted and reliable throughtout our nation. Moreover, our fire fighting sector has secured nation wide mobile organizations, technical personnel by field, special equipments and independent communication network. In addition, the fire fighting sector has knowledges, expertise and capabilities required for managing disasters, while in charge of almost every disaster management works including fire, explosion, collapse, disaster and flood. It becomes an organization for comprehensive disaster management under an absolute national trust, which is based on the system for prevention, preparation and countermeasure against a variety of disasters. Thus, our fire fighting sector must make many efforts and try to modernize conventional education and training. The ways to facilitate rescue and emergency works may include the nurture of technical fire fighting personnel along with modernized equipments, the reinforcement of rescue and emergency education, the facilitation of operating civil defense corps, the facilitation of operating volunteer fire fighting corps, the better arrangement of 119 briefing room for public healthcare in provincial offices, the sterilization of rescue instruments and equipments the better repair education for emergency rescue member, the establishment of regional emergency assistant system and the expansion of fire fighting personnel and equipments. In terms of reinforcing the functions and services of rescue 119 and emergency corps, we must review the following considerations: Building up security system along with operational expansion, building up a system for emergency medical treatment, building up a comprehensive information management system for rescue and emergency, constructing a provincial safety museum and so forth. For the ways to better the works of rescue 119 we can review the following considerations : Improving the education for fire fighting training corps under Jeju Provincial Fire and Disaster Management Department, providing rescue members with more opportunities for clinical practices, enhancing the morale of rescue members, installing a comprehensive briefing room for emergency rescue members, building up medical networks along with reasonable policies for information service, operating the consulting system for rescue 119 and so on. If these requirements are met, it is expected that the fire fighting departments in Jeju province can cope with every accident and disaster a little more rapidly and quickly in compliance with local needs, so that they can keep their own position as a public fire fighting organization which may be trusted by the public.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.3444-3450
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• 2009

Our study was carried out to suggest the way of improving the accessibility of medical service through identifying the factors that make patients be hospitalized in non-residential area not in their residential area. The subjects were 523,782 inpatients of the 2005 Patient Survey data. The 2004 Hospital Evaluation data, the 2005 census data which were obtained from the Korean National Statistics Office, and the 2006 Survey on National Healthcare Resources data were used. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and logistic regression in a SAS program. The most important factor was quality level of care of local hospitals. In the possibility of being hospitalized in non-residential areas, the region with the score of more than 9.5 per 100,000 people in the hospital evaluation was 8.3 times more than the region with the score of less than 9.5. However patients is hospitalized in the area with the hospitals with above 910 beds per 100,000 people more than in the area with the hospitals with less than 910 beds by 2.0 times. For the accessibility of medical services, government policy should focus on improving the quality of care in local hospitals not on increasing and distributing health care resources.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.130-134
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• 2021

In the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), social distancing and strict visitation policies at hospitals have made it difficult for medical staff to provide high-quality end-of-life (EOL) care to dying patients and their families. There are various issues related to EOL care, including psychological problems of patients and their families, difficulties in EOL decision-making, the complicated grief of the bereaved family, moral distress, and exhaustion of medical staff. In relation to these issues, we aimed to discuss practical considerations in providing high-quality EOL care in the COVID-19 pandemic. First, medical staff should discuss advance care planning as early as possible and use the parallel planning strategy. Second, medical staff should play a role in facilitating patient-family communication. Third, medical staff should actively and proactively evaluate and alleviate dying patients' symptoms using non-verbal communication. Lastly, medical staff should provide care for family members of the dying patient, who may be particularly vulnerable to post-bereavement problems in the COVID-19 era. Establishing a system of screening high-risk individuals for complicated grief and connecting them to bereavement support services might be considered. Despite the challenging and limited environment, providing EOL care is essential for patients to die with dignity in peace and for the remaining family to return to life after the loved one's death. Efforts considering the practical issues faced by all medical staff and healthcare institutions caring for dying patients should be made.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.110-127
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• 2008

Expenditures on pharmaceuticals of different concepts were estimated and their functional, financing and providers' breakdowns were examined in line with the OECD's System of Health Accounts (SHA) manual. This study also shows the way such estimates are made. The results are then analyzed particularly from the international perspective. Data from both Household Survey by the National Statistical Office and the National Health and Nutritional Survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea were used to estimate pharmaceutical expenditures that. are financed by out-of-pocket payments of the household, while national health insurance data etc. were used for estimation of pharmaceutical expenditures that are financed by public funding sources. The 'per capita expenditure on pharmaceutical/medical non-durables' in Korea stood at 380 US$ PPPs, less than the OECD average of 443 US$ PPPs in 2006, but its share of the per capita health expenditure of 25.9% noticeably outnumbered the OECD average of 17.1%, due partly to low per capita health expenditure as a denominator of the ratio. This indicates that Koreans tend to spend less on health care than an OECD average, while tending to spend more on pharmaceuticals than on other health care services, much like the pattern found in relatively low income countries. An international pharmaceuticals pricing mechanism is most likely responsible for such a tendency. In addition, it is to be noted that the percentage comes down to 21.0%, when expenditures on both medical non-durables and herbal medicine, which is locally quite popular among the elderly, have been excluded.