• Health Policy and Management
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.139-156
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• 1999

Recent changes in the health care environment have directed increasing attention to the number and specialty mix of practicing physicians. A major concern identified in Korean health care system is the serious oversupply of specialists and a relative lack of primary care physicians. Currently only 21% of Korean physicians are primary care physicians(general practitioners and family physicians), and less than 10% of recent medical school graduates are choosing to enter primary care. More primary care physicians are needed to deal with major problems in the current health care system, such as cost and access. The infrastructure that relies on primary care physicians is needed to deliver cost-effective and efficient care. To achieve a better balance of primary care to non-primary care physicians. more medical students need to choose careers in one of the primary care specialties(family medicine. internal medicine and pediatrics). This paper suggests the necessity of reforming the Korean graduate medical education system, that is, establishing the path of training primary care physicians in internal medicine and pediatrics residency training programs.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was done to identify strategies for the reform of the primary health care delivery system in rural areas. Methods: Official documents on changes in the rural health care environment were reviewed along with previous articles on reform of the health care delivery system in rural areas. Results: The primary health care system in rural areas of South Korea has not been well developed by the government. The government has mainly invested in hardware like facilities and equipment but, not in software like the delivery system or personnel. Nowadays every country is confronted with an aging society, which means an increase in the prevalence of chronic disease. Thus they have again become interested in primary health care delivery system. Further, characteristics of the primary health care system have changed to be more comprehensive and to focus on chronic disease. The primary health care system in rural areas should have basic health care functions and a visiting medical officer(doctor) connected with basic health care. Conclusions: The primary health care delivery system is the best strategy when adjusted to the characteristic of the chronic diseases that are prevalent today. Cooperation of the central government and local government is important if these changes are to be realized.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.69-78
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency and duration of primary health practitioners' work, and their job satisfaction, and to confirm differences in work and job satisfaction by type of primary health care post. Methods: Work frequency, duration of work, and job satisfaction were estimated by 371 primary health practitioners. Chi-square test and t-test were used to identify the differences in working patterns and job satisfaction by type of primary health care post. Results: Primary health practitioners were found to spend more time working with the elderly population than with students, pregnant women, children, people with disabilities, and multicultural families. Those in costal areas were more concerned with students than those working inland. In the latter group of practitioners, more time was spent working with patients with chronic diseases, pregnant women, women, children, multicultural families, and mental health clients. Also, the job satisfaction of inland primary health practitioners was significantly higher than that of costal practitioners. Conclusion: It is necessary to identify the characteristics of primary health practitioners' work, focusing on changes in the medical service environment. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide job training according to type of primary health care post, as practitioners' approaches should differ between posts.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.262-276
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• 2019

Background: The most important thing to strengthen primary care is to prove that the continuity of primary care is an essential area for good health outcomes. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of outpatient continuity of primary care on the hospitalization experience of diabetes mellitus in new diabetic patients. Methods: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service national sample cohort (NHIS-NSC 2011-2015) data, 3,391 new diabetic patients in 2012 were selected for the study. Multiple logistic regression was performed to investigate the effect of outpatient continuity of primary care on hospitalization in new diabetic patients. Results: The outpatient continuity of primary care in new diabetic patients was measured by the continuity of care index, which showed that 69.4% (n=2,352) were high level and 30.6% (n=1,039) were low level. Patients who had high continuity of primary care at the early stage of diabetes diagnosis showed 3.49 times more likely to maintain high continuity of primary care in the second year (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.72-4.49). Patients with low continuity of primary care for 2 years from the initial diagnosis of diabetes were 2.56 times more likely to be hospitalized due to diabetes than those who did not (95% CI, 1.55-4.25). Conclusion: This study identified the need for policies to increase the continuity of primary care for new diabetic patients and could contribute to lowering the admission rate of diabetic patients if the policy for this would work effectively.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.96-103
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• 2008

Purpose: The Study of vaccination for infants and children business in Primary Health Care Posts from 1980 to 2009. Method: look for national essential vaccination look for the change of vaccination by the times in Primary Health Care Posts and the rate of vaccination for infants and children by a administrative report statistics survey of a vaccine delivery system of Public health care institutions investigation about assistance details of vaccination cost in order to raise the rate of vaccination for infants and children. Results: In 1980s, there are many infants and children management object, but now there are rapidly decreasing infants and children management subject of a Primary Health Care Post because of rural exodus phenomenon of 1990's and a low birthrate of 2000's. Currently, the infants and children that registed, and managed to a Primary Health Care Post is most multi-cultural families. A multi-cultural family assistance program is provided these infants and children to the objects. Conclusions: Infant vaccination execution in Primary Health Care Posts showed to high vaccination rate because the prevention of vaccination delay or omission of the interior child who raised geographical accessibility to object sons nowadays it difficult to management of transportation of vaccine and storage management for a little shroud objects limited and management of inoculation business in quality. A main problem is as follows. There are a little vaccine transportation, trouble of proper temperature maintenance of a storage process, and having a lot of vaccine abolition as a little objects, educational training shortage of health care practitioner regarding to execute an inoculation. Therefore, vaccination business needs measures for management in quality in Primary Health Care Posts.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.144-155
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• 2010

Purpose: This study investigated the factors affecting the quality of life (QOL) of the primary caregivers of home health care patients. Method: The subjects were 110 primary caregivers of patients who were receiving home health care from two home health care centers affiliated with general hospitals in Seoul. Data collection was conducted using five questionnaires. Results: Positive relationships were evident between QOL and social support and perceived health status of the primary caregiver. Negative relationships were evident between QOL and burden and depression. Multiple linear regression analysis for QOL revealed that the most powerful influencing factor was social support. Social support, burden, and depression explained 34.3% of the variance. Conclusion: Burden, depression, and social support are related with QOL of primary caregivers of home health care patients. Nursing intervention strategies directed at this caregiver population are needed.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.45-58
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• 2014

Purpose: To determine the knowledge and treatment compliance with hypertension, directions for the aspects of implementation, and related factors to patients with hypertension using Primary Health Cares and Private Clinics Hospitals. Method: General characteristics and High blood pressure-related properties(17 questions), Hypertension knowledge measures(20 questions), and Treatment Compliance(22 questions) were used. Result: 1. The patients of Private Clinics Hospitals had statistically significantly higher drinking habits than Primary Health Care centers. The patients of Private Clinics Hospitals had statistically significantly higher rate of no family history of hypertension than Primary Health Care centers. 2. Primary Health Care centers had statistically significantly higher knowledge of hypertension than Private Clinics Hospitals. Primary Health Care centers had statistically significantly higher treatment compliance than Private Clinics Hospitals. Conclusion: Both Primary Health Care centers and Private Clinics Hospitals are high medication compliance but low lifestyle compliance with hypertension. We need to recognize the importance of lifestyle compliance, to apply proper programs and to provide therapists' aggressive intervention.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.16-25
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• 2019

Purpose:The healthcare system of South Korea is at the extreme of the dispersed system. Few regulations limit patients from directly visiting higher-level medical institutions for primary care sensitive conditions. As a result, similar to local clinics, general and tertiary teaching hospitals also provide diverse primary care services. Our study aimed to examine the general public's perceptions of their primary care performance. Methods: Face-to-face surveys were conducted with 1000 adults who were living in South Korea with the aid of a questionnaire that included the Korean Primary Care Assessment Tool (KPCAT). The KPCAT consists of five domains, which are the main indicators of primary care performance: first contact, comprehensiveness, coordination, personalized care, and family/community orientation. One-way analysis of variance and post hoc tests were used to compare the KPCAT scores across the three types of medical institutions. Results: Domain-wise analyses revealed two different patterns. With regard to first contact and its subdomains, the highest and lowest scores emerged for local clinics and tertiary teaching hospitals, respectively. However, the other four domain scores were significantly lower for local clinics than for the other two types of medical institutions. Conclusions: Local clinics were perceived to be medical institutions that are responsible for providing primary care. However, the general public perceived only one domain of their primary care to be superior to that of the other two types of medical institutions: first contact. National efforts should be taken to strengthen their other four domains of primary care by training their workforce and providing appropriate incentives.

• The Journal of Health Technology Assessment
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2018

This review aims to provide implications for relevant domestic policies and researches from Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), a reinforcement model for primary care and its evaluations in the United States. As chronic diseases became dominant, changes in the health care delivery system in which primary care is central was required. The United States initiated primary care-reinforcing policies based on the PCMH following the increased demand for evidence-based health care policies. The current activities of the United States such as sharing research tools used to evaluate primary care interventions and circulating evaluation findings provide examples to Korea. Systematic evaluations for primary care interventions are required and appropriate methods using various types of data to reflect the real-world settings should be prepared. It is necessary to conduct policy assessment studies of public interests considering regional context. Support for the researches to make and advance from the existing environment must be examined.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.106-112
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• 2023

Purpose: This study developed a shelter for dementia programs based on primary health care posts; and examined its effectiveness in rural older adults. Methods: This study used a case report provided by a primary healthcare post in Jeonnam, Korea, in 2023. A single group pre-test post-test design was used; for three months, and 10 older adults participated in the shelter for dementia programs based on the primary health care post. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured immediately after entering the shelter for dementia programs. Results: There were significant differences between the pre-test and post-test on the cognitive impairment screening test (p=.005). Conclusion: The shelter for dementia programs based on primary health care posts was effective in improving cognitive impairments of rural older adults.