• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.49 no.10
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• pp.609-617
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• 2011

The geriatric population is the most rapidly growing part of the general population, which leads to an increase of chronic conditions and illnesses that will influence both oral and systemic health. The most common chronic diseases in elderly population are arthritis, hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, and cognitive impairment. Chronic impairments such as visual, hearing, orthopedic, and speech disorders are also prevalent among older adults. All these chronic conditions have potential oral complications and the treatments of systemic diseases also has implications for the maintenance of oral health. Therefore, oral health care professionals should catch up with increasing knowledge in this field and can modify the treatment strategy for older adults. In addition, oral health care professionals should understand the changing need of oral health problems in this age and prepare the future demand.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.352-359
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• 2018

Background: The purpose of this study is to propose an analysis of trends and characteristics of high-cost patients who take over 40% of total national health insurance medical expenses. Methods: It has been analyzed the tendency of high-cost patients by open data based on the medical history information of 1 million people among national health insurance subscriber from 2002 to 2015. To conduct detailed study of characteristics of high-cost patients, multiple regression has been performed by sex, age, residence, main provider, and admission status based on the top 5% group. Results: The amount of medical expenses and the number of high-cost patients have gradually increased in decades. The number of high-cost patients for Korean won (KRW) 5,000,000 category has increased by 7.6 times, KRW 10,000,000 category has increased by 14.1 times in comparing of year 2002 and 2015. Top 5% medical expenses have increased by 4.6 times. In consideration of the characteristics of patients, the incidence of high medical expenses has been higher in female patients than male ones, the older patients than in the younger. Patients residence in Gyeonsang or Jeonla province have had a high incidence of medical expenses than other area. The disease including dementia, cerebral infarction, and cerebrovascular disease for high-cost patients has been also increased. Conclusion: The major increase factor for high medical expenses is the aging of population. The elderly population receiving inpatient care residing in the province that increases high medical costs have to management. There is an urgent need to develop a mechanism for predicting and managing the cost of high-cost medical expenses for patients who have a heavy financial burden.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.378-391
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• 2018

Background: People who were born in different years, that is, different birth cohorts, grow in varying socio-historical and dynamic contexts, which result in differences in social dispositions and physical abilities. Methods: This study used age-period-cohort analysis method to establish explanatory models on healthcare expenditure in Korea reflecting birth cohort factor using intrinsic estimator. Based on these models, we tried to investigate the effects of ageing population on future healthcare expenditure through simulation by scenarios. Results: Coefficient of cohort effect was not as high as that of age effect, but greater than that of period effect. The cohort effect can be interpreted to show 'healthy ageing' phenomenon. Healthy ageing effect shows annual average decrease of -1.74% to 1.57% in healthcare expenditure. Controlling age, period, and birth cohort effects, pure demographic effect of population ageing due to increase in life expectancy shows annual average increase of 1.61%-1.80% in healthcare expenditure. Conclusion: First, since the influence of population factor itself on healthcare expenditure increase is not as big as expected. Second, 'healthy ageing effect' suggests that there is a need of paradigm shift to prevention centered-healthcare services. Third, forecasting of health expenditure needs to reflect social change factors by considering birth cohort effect.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.84-92
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• 2010

Objectives: To investigate the patterns of unintentional home injuries in Korea. Methods: The study population was 12,382,088 people who utilized National Health Insurance services due to injuries (main diagnosis codes S00 to T28) during 2006. Stratified samples(n=459,501) were randomly selected by sex, age group and severity of injury. A questionnaire was developed based on the International Classification of External Causes of Injury and 18,000 cases surveyed by telephone were analyzed after being projected into population proportionately according to the response rates of their strata. Domestic injury cases were finally included. Results: Domestic injuries (n=3,804) comprised 21.1% of total daily life injuries during 2006. Women were vulnerable to home injuries, with the elderly and those of lower income (medical-aid users) tending to suffer more severe injuries. Injury occurred most often due to a slipping fall (33.9%), overexertion (15.3%), falling (9.5%) and stumbling (9.4%), with severe injury most often resulting from slipping falls, falls and stumbles. Increasing age correlated with domestic injury-related disability. Conclusions: The present findings provide basic information for development of home injury prevention strategies, with focus on the elderly.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.195-198
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• 2006

The identity crisis of preventive medicine appears to have been deepening. As a solution, it is insisted that preventive medicine should focus on clinical preventive medicine. However, in the field of heath policy and management, the better solution should be found in a serious search for visions and perspectives of its study on population and society. In this regard, the specialist who studies the field can be defined as a medical doctor majoring in public health. In this paper, I first forecasted major socioeconomic changes to occur in medical and public health arena and explored the role of those studying health policy and management. Secondly, I summarized their career paths and main activities in order to establish visions. Finally, I proposed curriculums on health policy and management for medical school undergraduates and for specialists majoring in preventive medicine, respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Health Policy and Administration Conference
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• 2005.12a
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• pp.357-357
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• 2005

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 1994

The aim of this study was to assess the people's need for visiting health services in a rural area. In recent years, the great concern for the visiting health services has aroused in Korea. Stratified cluster sample for a household survey was used to select 1,255(8.4%) Households from Yonchon county. This study was undertaken from July 26 to August 7 in 1993. Medically defined need, usually expressed by the prevalencies or rates of specific disease, was evaluated with the use of criteria established by medical and nursing professors and expressed by the percent of specific objects for the visiting health services. Perceived need represented by the acceptability for the visiting services and willingness to paying for it, also, evaluated. The major results were as follows : 1. Of the 348 patients with hypertension, 201 were the non-compliant patients, the rate of the non-compliant hypertension patients in 4,577 study population was 7.4%. 2. Of the 141 diabetic patients, 73 were the non-compliant patients, the rate of the non-compliant hypertension patients in 4,577 sample population was 2.7%. 3. The number of patients with severe musculo-skeletal disease was 24, the rate was 0.9% above the age 30. 4. Of the 514 elderly, 33 were the elderly without any family member, the rate was 8.4%. Those with severely decreased activity of daily living were 13. 5. Infants with high risks were 12, pregnant women and neonates were 5, patients discharged within 1 week and with special equipments such as peritoneal dialysis, stoma, TPN etc. were 17, and patients with cancer were 5. Total number of the objects needed visiting health services was 752(18.43%) of the 4,577 study population. Perceived need evaluated were as follows; The acceptance rate of visiting health services was 74.9%, The kinds of visiting health services such as family health protection and promotion, early detection of hypertension, physiotherapy, health education and counseling were needed in the order of high rate The price willing to pay for visiting health services per visit was about 3,000-5,000Won. In conclusion, Visiting health services programme to be developed should have priority to the prevention of complications of chronic disease such as hypertension, diabetes milletus, elderly disease and health promotion.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2017

Objectives: As in many low-income and middle-income countries, out-of-pocket (OOP) payments by patients or their families are a key healthcare financing mechanism in Bangladesh that leads to economic burdens for households. The objective of this study was to identify whether and to what extent socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral factors of the population had an impact on OOP expenditures in Bangladesh. Methods: A total of 12 400 patients who had paid to receive any type of healthcare services within the previous 30 days were analyzed from the Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey data, 2010. We employed regression analysis for identify factors influencing OOP health expenditures using the ordinary least square method. Results: The mean total OOP healthcare expenditures was US dollar (USD) 27.66; while, the cost of medicines (USD 16.98) was the highest cost driver (61% of total OOP healthcare expenditure). In addition, this study identified age, sex, marital status, place of residence, and family wealth as significant factors associated with higher OOP healthcare expenditures. In contrary, unemployment and not receiving financial social benefits were inversely associated with OOP expenditures. Conclusions: The findings of this study can help decision-makers by clarifying the determinants of OOP, discussing the mechanisms driving these determinants, and there by underscoring the need to develop policy options for building stronger financial protection mechanisms. The government should consider devoting more resources to providing free or subsidized care. In parallel with government action, the development of other prudential and sustainable risk-pooling mechanisms may help attract enthusiastic subscribers to community-based health insurance schemes.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.246-255
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• 2016

The study of public health systems is an important, but very difficult task. The concept and functions of public health systems are influenced by the views, interests, and influence of the various stakeholders belonging to public health systems and broader social, economic, political, and environmental sectors. To define public health system with conceptual clarification, we must take into account the dynamic and complex aspect of the public health system. This paper reviews health systems and public health systems literature to suggest the concept, goals, and functions of public health systems. In addition, this paper recognizes some challenges, such as leadership and management, resource development, economic support, and service delivery to strengthen public health systems for improving health and well-being of population.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.120-125
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• 2020

Unmet healthcare needs lead to increased disease severity, increased likelihood of complications, and worse disease prognosis. To examine the latest status of unmet healthcare needs in South Korea, the four different data configured with nationally representative sample of South Korean population were used: the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNAHANES, 2007-2018), the Community Health Survey (CHS, 2008-2018), the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHP, 2011-2016), and the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS, 2006-2018). The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs were 7.8% (KNHANES, 2018), 8.8% (CHS), and 10.8% (KHP, 2016). Annual percentage change which characterizes trend for the follow-up period was -9.1%, -3.2%, and -6.8%, respectively. The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs due to cost were 1.2% (KNAHANES, 2018), 1.2% (CHS, 2018), 2.5% (KHP, 2016), and 0.5% (KOWEPS, 2018). Annual percentage change which characterizes trend for the follow-up period was -10.3%, -12.0%, -11.3%, and -18.8, respectively. The low-income population and the elderly population were vulnerable groups reporting the highest rate of unmet health care needs. The rate of unmet healthcare needs has been declining since the past decade, still, the disparity between different income groups and age groups suggests that there are many challenges to address.