• Health Policy and Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.147-166
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• 1992

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of the health center hospital on the health service utilization pattern of the rural population in a county. Two field studies had been conducted in Yonchon County, Kyunggi Province, on February 1989 and on August 1991 before and after the establishment of the Yonchon health center hospital. This study revealed that Yonchon health center hospital occupied 7.3% of total outpatient visits and 16.8% of hospitalization of the county population and the self-sufficient rate of the outpatient visit and hospitalization of Yonchon County between two field studies increased by 1.7% and 20.9% each. Yonchon health center hospital contributed to the growth of the public health sector but it weakened the role of health sub-centers. For the efficient health service utilization of the population in that County, more investment to health center hospital would be needed and the primary health activities of the health subcenter should be enforced.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.355-362
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• 2005

Constipation is very common phenomenon during childhood that accounts approximately 3% of general pediatric outpatient visits and up to 25% of visit to the pediatric gastroenterologist. The diagnosis of functional constipation is based on the historical features and absence of physical abnormalities. Most infants and children with chronic constipation require no diagnostic tests. Constipation and subsequent fecal retention behavior often begins soon after experience of painful defecation. The effective management of childhood chronic constipation consist of education, prolonged support by physicians and parents, medications, and long term follow up.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.37-48
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• 2010

This study analyzes the present condition of the elements of a healing environment of the waiting rooms in outpatient clinics of children' hospitals (3 hospitals in Seoul) so as to propose a design to build a healing environment within the children' hospital. And analyzing the importance, satisfaction and preference of the healing environment in the waiting rooms, this paper has come to the following conclusions: 1)The study shows that the space structure of outpatient clinics in children' hospitals are composed of 1 story or 2 stories and designed in a duplication design or a dispersed alcove design. 2)The waiting room of the SC Hospital, with an area of 66.56$m^2$, and the waiting room of the SU Hospital, with an area of 38.78$m^2$ received the highest score for its space. 3)As most patients visit the hospital with their guardian, the waiting room should also be someplace families can rest and share information with others. 4)It is essential to build an environment that eliminates stress elements that patients may come to face by minimizing noise and elements that obstruct the view for mental stability. 5)The results show that those who took part in the survey preferred the following, respectively, healing environment design for the waiting room in the outpatient clinic at children' hospital: Pleasantness>Easiness in finding one' destination>Artificial materials>Natural materials>Environment like that at home>Co-promotion spaces>Space that supports the patients'activities>Openness>Sociality>Safety/Security>Approachability and Privacy. The results also show that healing conditions respect these preferences.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.23-36
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• 2012

Objectives : The coverage of Korean National Health Insurance is limited to basic level. Korean government encourages private health insurance for covering medical securities. So, many studies examined the determinants of purchasing private health insurance. However, 11% of Korean population is older than 65 in 2011. Considering the elderly is important to establish a health policy. The aim of this study is to examine factors determining the purchase of private health insurance among middle-aged and elderly Korean adults. Methods : We used the second Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA), selected 8,688 sample of the aged 47 or older for the analysis. KLoSA collected information on demographic characteristics, income, health- related factors. KLoSA data include in the number of outpatient, inpatient, oriental hospital visit, dental clinic visit for two years. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between the determinants of purchasing private health insurance and the factors which include age, gender, education, residential district, marital status, smoking, drinking, physical exercise, economic activity status, national health insurance type, income, the number of chronic disease, and the number of outpatient, inpatient, oriental hospital visit, dental clinic visit for two years. Results : People who were older, did not live in a city, had higher IADL, currently drunk alcohol, did exercise regularly and had chronic diseases more than three were inclined not to purchase private health insurance. Females, the married, well-educated, past & currently smokers, the employed, high income earners, national health insurers, metropolitan citizens and someone who got high MMSE were more likely to purchase private health insurance. The more people experienced outpatients, inpatients, dental clinics and Chinese medicine clinics, the more private health insurance was purchased. The elderly people over 75 had more private health insurance than the aged 65-74. The strongest factors for private health insurance is gender, and economic status such as income. Conclusion : In this study, we found healthy-high income people were more likely to purchase private health insurance. In contrast, unhealthy-low income and older people did not. The economic factors were strongly related with private health insurance in aged over 75. These mean inequality exists in the using private health insurance. Therefore, the government should consider vulnerable social group before expanding private health insurance.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.57-68
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• 2014

Since the introduction of National Health Insurance(NHI) in 1977, it has grown rapidly and contributed to extend patient's access to the health care services. However, limited coverage for health care services of NHI has been ongoing challenge and private health insurance(PHI) has been rising as an alternative source of enhancing coverage and saving out-of-pocket(OOP) expenditure for patients. In this study, after controlling for socio-demographic, economic, health related variables, we identified the patients' healthcare utilization and subsequent OOP expenditure depending on their PHI enrollment and their enrollment types(fixed benefit, indemnity, fixed benefit plus indemnity). Data were collected from the 2010 Korean Health Panel. The unit of analysis was a member of household(n=13,324). Of the 13,324 cases, 70.7% of patients held PHI, in detail, fixed benefit(47.0%), indemnity(3.6%), fixed benefit plus indemnity(20.1%). Major findings showd that patients who enrolled in PHI used more outpatient services(outpatient visit, number of physician visit, number of examination) and spent more OOP expenditure than non-PHI patients. There were also differences of healthcare utilization and OOP expenditure among the types of PHI. In addition, PHI patients used more inpatient services(inpatient use, number of hospitalization, LOS), but there was no significant difference between PHI and non-PHI patients with regard to the OOP expenditure. Thus, we could not find any distinct relationship between the types of PHI and patients' tertiary hospital use. Policy-makers should need careful political deliberation for monitoring the effect of PHI on health care utilization and subsequent expenditure not only to improve patients' coverage but also to save their OOP expenditures.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.123-131
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• 2003

This study was to compare the functional status. complication and readmission rates. and client satisfaction with nursing care of home-based care and hospital-based care for clients with Coronary Artery Bypass Graft. Raw data were collected by interviewing and reviewing charts of 41 clients with Coronary Artery Bypass Graft between June 2001 and July 2002 at an university hospital located in Seoul. Korea. Out of 41 clients. 15 were in home care group and 26 were in hospitalization group. The baseline characteristics of the groups were almost identical. Mean age was 61.7 and 75.6% of clients being male. For home care group. the data collection was made at discharge and at termination of home care. and for hospitalization group. at discharge and at the first visit of outpatient department. Complication and readmission rates were investigated at one month after operation. Collected data were then analysed by conducting Chi-square test. Wilcoxon rank sum test. and Wilcoxon signed ranks test with SPSS program. The level of significance was .05. The results of the study are summarized as follows: 1. Postoperative length of stay of the home care group was shorter than that of hospitalization group by 1. 14 days(8.45 days vs. 9.59 days). On average. 1.8 home visits per client were observed. 2. The functional status (Barthel Index) at the termination of home care was significantly increased from that at discharge. For hospitalization group. a significant increase was observed between the functional status at the discharge and that at the first visit of outpatient department. The differencies in incremental of the scores. between the groups. were however not significant. 3. Complication and readmission rates; no statistically significant difference between the groups was observed. 4. The client satisfaction with nursing care (CSS) at termination of home care was significantly higher than that at hospital discharge. In conclusion. the outcomes of the analysis suggest that the home care benefits clients with Coronary Artery Bypass Graft. Client satisfaction with nursing care rises at termination of home care as compare to that measured at hospital discharge. Meanwhile. there was no significant differences in functional status. and complication and readmission rates. Further. home care reduced the length of stay in hospital.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.90-109
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• 2008

Government has extended the benefit coverage and reduced out-of-pocket (OOP) payment for cancer patients in 2005. This paper intends to examine the impact of the above policy on the equity in health care utilization. This paper analyzed the national health insurance data and compared the health care utilization of cancer patients before and after the policy change for people with 10 different income levels. For the equity in health care utilization, we examined the change in concentration index (CI) for visit days, inpatient days, and health expenditure. In the case of outpatient care, CI of visit days and health expenditure were positive(favoring the rich) in both regional and employee health insurance members and both 'before' and 'after' the policy change. CI values rarely changed after the policy change, and the policy change seems to have little impact on the equity of outpatient care utilization except expenditure of regional subscriber. In the case of inpatient care, CI of inpatient days was negative and CI of health expenditure was positive in both regional and work subscriber and both 'before' and 'after' the policy change. After the policy change, CI of inpatient expenditure in both groups of members decreased. CI of inpatient days changed in the direction favoring the poor in regional insurance members, but it rarely changed in employee insurance members. These results suggest that the policy of reducing OOP payment has a positive impact and reduced the inequity particularly in the utilization of inpatient care of cancer patients.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.72-82
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• 1983

The purpose of this study is to provide the basic data necessary for the effective performance of administrative readjustment and demend and suppley medical care service by of analysing the extent of satisfaction of outpatient toward hospital. The subjects of this study are the 832 outpatients (398 male and 434 female) visit to 2 different university hospital in Seoul. The data were collected through self-administered techniques with a structured questionnaire from Oct.21 to Nov. 9, 1982. All the collected data were analyzed by means of percentage, mean and standard deviation. The results were as follows: 1. Those who are between :30 and 39 of age constitute the largest part of them as being 31.7 percent of the whole body. 40.0 percent of them graduated from the college and they take the lergest part of those who answered the questionnaire. 43.3 percent of the patients visit to the hospital by the reason for the reputation of a doctor and they take the largest part of the subjects. 2. The extent of satisfaction for hospital system. The mean extent of satisfaction for hospital system was revealed 2.50 scores, which is evaluated to neutral. The mean extent of satisfaction for waiting time of prescribed medicine presented 1.51 scores, the lowest among the component of hospital system, which is evaluated to high dissatisfaction. 3. The extent of satisfaction for the environment and facilities of hospital. The mean extent of satisfaction for the environment and facilities of hospital was revealed 3.08 scores, which is evaluated to moderate satisfaction. 4. The extent of satisfaction for doctor and other hospital employees. The mean extent of satisfaction for doctor and other hospital employees was revealed 3.05 scores which is evaluated to moderate satisfaction. The mean extent of satisfaction for doctor presented 3.39 scores, the highest among the components of doctor and other hospital employees. 5. The extent of satisfaction for charge of hospital. The mean extent of satisfaction for charge of hospital was revealed 2.74 scores, which is evaluated to neutral. 6. The extent of whole satisfaction for hospital. The mean extent of whole satisfaction for hospital was revealed 2.84 scores which is evaluated to neutral.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.185-192
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• 2020

Objectives: Our study aimed to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of children and adolescents during their first visit to psychiatric outpatient departments for the management of suicidal ideation and behavior, and to compare the changes before and in 2012 or later. Methods: This multicenter study was conducted at five university hospitals in a metropolitan area in South Korea. Medical records of patients aged 6-18 years were retrospectively reviewed from January 2009 to December 2016. Patients were analyzed by classifying them into suicidal and non-suicidal groups based on their visit to the hospital for management of suicidal ideation or suicide attempt and other mental problems, respectively. Results: There were differences in the year of visit, diagnosis, education level, and referral sources between patients in the suicidal and non-suicidal groups. Multiple regression analysis was conducted based on the sex, education level, referral by school, and diagnosis of depression in patients in the suicidal group, which revealed significant association. Conclusion: Suicide-related problems were significantly associated with the sex, education level, referral by school, and a diagnosis of depression in the patients. A well-connected referral system would be necessary for professional mental health management of high-risk children and adolescents.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.126-130
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• 2013

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of emergency single-dose levonorgestrel contraception in preventing unintended pregnancies among woman who visited the emergency department (ED) due to sexual assault (SA). Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review in a university hospital in South Korea. Cases from November 10, 2006 to November 9, 2009 were enrolled. Information from the initial visit to the ED and subsequent follow-up visits to the gynecology outpatient clinic was collected. Results: In total, 1,179 women visited the ED due to SA. Among them, 416 patients had a gynecological examination and 302 patients who received emergency contraception (EC) (1.5 mg single-dose levonorgestrel) at the ED due to SA were enrolled. Ten patients did not return for follow-up examinations. In follow-up visits at the outpatient clinic, two pregnancies were confirmed, which showed the failure rate of the EC to be 0.68%. Conclusion: Single-dose levonorgestrel EC is extremely effective at preventing pregnancy among victims of SA.