• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.29-94
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• 1974

Today most developed countries provide modern medical care for most of the population. The rural area is the more neglected area in the medical and health field. In public health, the philosophy is that medical care for in maintenance of health is a basic right of man; it should not be discriminated against racial, environmental or financial situations. The deficiency of the medical care system, cultural bias, economic development, and ignorance of the residents about health care brought about the shortage of medical personnel and facilities on the rural areas. Moreover, medical students and physicians have been taught less about rural health care than about urban health care. Medical care, therefore, is insufficient in terms of health care personnel/and facilities in rural areas. Under such a situation, there is growing concern about the health problems among the rural population. The findings presented in this report are useful measures of the major health problems and even more important, as a guide to planning for improved medical care systems. It is hoped that findings from this study will be useful to those responsible for improving the delivery of health service for the rural population. Objectives: -to determine the health status of the residents in the rural areas. -to assess the rural population's needs in terms of health and medical care. -to make recommendations concerning improvement in the delivery of health and medical care for the rural population. Procedures: For the sampling design, the ideal would be to sample according to the proportion of the composition age-groups. As the health problems would be different by group, the sample was divided into 10 different age-groups. If the sample were allocated by proportion of composition of each age group, some age groups would be too small to estimate the health problem. The sample size of each age-group population was 100 people/age-groups. Personal interviews were conducted by specially trained medical students. The interviews dealt at length with current health status, medical care problems, utilization of medical services, medical cost paid for medical care and attitudes toward health. In addition, more information was gained from the public health field, including environmental sanitation, maternal and child health, family planning, tuberculosis control, and dental health. The sample Sample size was one fourth of total population: 1,438 The aged 10-14 years showed the largest number of 254 and the aged under one year was the smallest number of 81. Participation in examination Examination sessions usually were held in the morning every Tuesday, Wenesday, and Thursday for 3 hours at each session at the Namchun Health station. In general, the rate of participation in medical examination was low especially in ages between 10-19 years old. The highest rate of participation among are groups was the under one year age-group by 100 percent. The lowest use rate as low as 3% of those in the age-groups 10-19 years who are attending junior and senior high school in Taegu city so the time was not convenient for them to recieve examinations. Among the over 20 years old group, the rate of participation of female was higher than that of males. The results are as follows: A. Publie health problems Population: The number of pre-school age group who required child health was 724, among them infants numbered 96. Number of eligible women aged 15-44 years was 1,279, and women with husband who need maternal health numbered 700. The age-group of 65 years or older was 201 needed more health care and 65 of them had disabilities. (Table 2). Environmental sanitation: Seventy-nine percent of the residents relied upon well water as a primary source of dringking water. Ninety-three percent of the drinking water supply was rated as unfited quality for drinking. More than 90% of latrines were unhygienic, in structure design and sanitation (Table 15). Maternal and child health: Maternal health Average number of pregnancies of eligible women was 4 times. There was almost no pre- and post-natal care. Pregnancy wastage Still births was 33 per 1,000 live births. Spontaneous abortion was 156 per 1,000 live births. Induced abortion was 137 per 1,000 live births. Delivery condition More than 90 percent of deliveries were conducted at home. Attendants at last delivery were laymen by 76% and delivery without attendants was 14%. The rate of non-sterilized scissors as an instrument used to cut the umbilical cord was as high as 54% and of sickles was 14%. The rate of difficult delivery counted for 3%. Maternal death rate estimates about 35 per 10,000 live births. Child health Consultation rate for child health was almost non existant. In general, vaccination rate of children was low; vaccination rates for children aged 0-5 years with BCG and small pox were 34 and 28 percent respectively. The rate of vaccination with DPT and Polio were 23 and 25% respectively but the rate of the complete three injections were as low as 5 and 3% respectively. The number of dead children was 280 per 1,000 living children. Infants death rate was 45 per 1,000 live births (Table 16), Family planning: Approval rate of married women for family planning was as high as 86%. The rate of experiences of contraception in the past was 51%. The current rate of contraception was 37%. Willingness to use contraception in the future was as high as 86% (Table 17). Tuberculosis control: Number of registration patients at the health center currently was 25. The number indicates one eighth of estimate number of tuberculosis in the area. Number of discharged cases in the past accounted for 79 which showed 50% of active cases when discharged time. Rate of complete treatment among reasons of discharge in the past as low as 28%. There needs to be a follow up observation of the discharged cases (Table 18). Dental problems: More than 50% of the total population have at least one or more dental problems. (Table 19) B. Medical care problems Incidence rate: 1. In one month Incidence rate of medical care problems during one month was 19.6 percent. Among these health problems which required rest at home were 11.8 percent. The estimated number of patients in the total population is 1,206. The health problems reported most frequently in interviews during one month are: GI trouble, respiratory disease, neuralgia, skin disease, and communicable disease-in that order, The rate of health problems by age groups was highest in the 1-4 age group and in the 60 years or over age group, the lowest rate was the 10-14 year age group. In general, 0-29 year age group except the 1-4 year age group was low incidence rate. After 30 years old the rate of health problems increases gradually with aging. Eighty-three percent of health problems that occured during one month were solved by primary medical care procedures. Seventeen percent of health problems needed secondary care. Days rested at home because of illness during one month were 0.7 days per interviewee and 8days per patient and it accounts for 2,161 days for the total productive population in the area. (Table 20) 2. In a year The incidence rate of medical care problems during a year was 74.8%, among them health problems which required rest at home was 37 percent. Estimated number of patients in the total population during a year was 4,600. The health problems that occured most frequently among the interviewees during a year were: Cold (30%), GI trouble (18), respiratory disease (11), anemia (10), diarrhea (10), neuralgia (10), parasite disease (9), ENT (7), skin (7), headache (7), trauma (4), communicable disease (3), and circulatory disease (3) -in that order. The rate of health problems by age groups was highest in the infants group, thereafter the rate decreased gradually until the age 15-19 year age group which showed the lowest, and then the rate increased gradually with aging. Eighty-seven percent of health problems during a year were solved by primary medical care. Thirteen percent of them needed secondary medical care procedures. Days rested at home because of illness during a year were 16 days per interviewee and 44 days per patient and it accounted for 57,335 days lost among productive age group in the area (Table 21). Among those given medical examination, the conditions observed most frequently were respiratory disease, GI trouble, parasite disease, neuralgia, skin disease, trauma, tuberculosis, anemia, chronic obstructive lung disease, eye disorders-in that order (Table 22). The main health problems required secondary medical care are as fellows: (previous page). Utilization of medical care (treatment) The rate of treatment by various medical facilities for all health problems during one month was 73 percent. The rate of receiving of medical care of those who have health problems which required rest at home was 52% while the rate of those who have health problems which did not required rest was 61 percent (Table 23). The rate of receiving of medical care for all health problems during a year was 67 percent. The rate of receiving of medical care of those who have health problems which required rest at home was 82 percent while the rate of those who have health problems which did not required rest was as low as 53 percent (Table 24). Types of medical facilitied used were as follows: Hospital and clinics: 32-35% Herb clinics: 9-10% Drugstore: 53-58% Hospitalization Rate of hospitalization was 1.7% and the estimate number of hospitalizations among the total population during a year will be 107 persons (Table 25). Medical cost: Average medical cost per person during one month and a year were 171 and 2,800 won respectively. Average medical cost per patient during one month and a year were 1,109 and 3,740 won respectively. Average cost per household during a year was 15,800 won (Table 26, 27). Solution measures for health and medical care problems in rural area: A. Health problems which could be solved by paramedical workers such as nurses, midwives and aid nurses etc. are as follows: 1. Improvement of environmental sanitation 2. MCH except medical care problems 3. Family planning except surgical intervention 4. Tuberculosis control except diagnosis and prescription 5. Dental care except operational intervention 6. Health education for residents for improvement of utilization of medical facilities and early diagnosis etc. B. Medical care problems 1. Eighty-five percent of health problems could be solved by primary care procedures by general practitioners. 2. Fifteen percent of health problems need secondary medical procedures by a specialist. C. Medical cost Concidering the economic situation in rural area the amount of 2,062 won per residents during a year will be burdensome, so financial assistance is needed gorvernment to solve health and medical care problems for rural people.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.757-766
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• 2002

Purpose: Recently there have been many changes in health care environments in Korea. To perform public health programs effectively and efficiently, it is necessary to analyze and identify the demand and supply for the public health nurses. Method: The study analyzed experts' opinions regarding the supply of public health nurses, as well as national and foreign statistical data on workforce supply of public health nurses. Two methods for estimating the amount of demand for public health nurses were used: one was applying the indicators of developed countries for public health nurses based on population: the other was to refer to regulations and/or recommended guidelines in Korea. Result: 1) The number of public health centers, public health sub-centers, and primary health care posts have decreased between 1990 and 2001, from 260 to 242, 1318 to 1270, 2038 to 1907, respectively. 2) Between 1997 and 2002, the number of public health nurses has also decreased from 5572 to 5112. 3) In the case of applying regulations, the number (5112) of existing public health nurses falls shortly by 942. 4) In 2001, the Korean population per one public health nurse was 9262. 5) In the case of applying regulations, the number of public health nurses required to meet the demand for health services in 2001 and 2020 is estimated at 5932 and 6347, respectively. 6) In the case of applying the indicators of developed countries, the number of public health nurses required to meet the demand for health service in 2001 and 2020 is estimated at 9.469 and 10.310, respectively. Conclusion and suggestions: Because of the importance of public health industry, public health nurses have been approved as a field specialist and specialized nurse practitioner by the newly revised legal regulation, there have been absence of approval of their role differentiation and capability. In addition, organizational activity and insufficient number of the public health nurses have contributed to the inactive utilization of them. As community public health is focused on caring individuals as well as organizations, it requires more autonomy and special skills than other fields. Therefore, public health nurses need to enhance the capability as health educator, consultant, and information management persons through advanced education course for public health nurses. Public health nurses need to be prepared as advanced nurse practitioners by receiving advanced education courses and field experiences.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 1990

1. Background Women's health and their involvement in health care are essential to health for everyone. If they are ignorant, malnourished or over-worked, the health &-their families as well as their own health will suffer. Women's health depends on broad considerations beyond medicine. Among other things, it depends upon their work in farming. their subordination to their families, their accepted roles, and poor hygiene with poorly equipped housing and environmental sanitation. 2. Objectives and Contents a. The health status of rural women : physical and mental complaints, experience of pesticides intoxication, Farmer's syndrome, experiences of reproductive health problems. b. participation in and attitudes towards housework and farming c. accessibility of medical care d. status of maternal health : fertility, family planning practice. induced abortion, and maternal care 3. Research method A nationwide field survey, based on stratified random sampling, was conducted during July, 1986. Revised Cornell Medical index(68 out of 195 items). Kawagai's Farmers Syndrome Scale, and self-developed structured questionnaires were used to rural farming wives(n=2.028). aged between 26-55. 4. Characteristics of the respondents mean age : 40.2 marital status : 90.8% married mean no. of household : 4.9 average years of education : 4.7 yrs. average income of household : \235,000 average years of residence in rural area : 36.4 yrs average Working hours(household and farming) : 11 hrs. 23 min 5. Health Status of rural women a. The average number of physical and mental symptoms were 12.4, 4.7, and the rate of complaints were 22.1%, 38.8% each. revealing complaints of mental symptomes higher than physical ones. b. 65.4% of rural women complained of more than 4 symptoms out of 9, indicating farmer's syndrome. 11.9 % experienced pesticide overdue syndrome c. 57.6% of respondents experienced women-specific health problems. d. Age and education of respondents were the variables which affect on the level of their health 6. Utilization of medical services a. The number of symptoms and complaints of respondents were dependent on the distance to where the health-care service is given b. Drug store was the most commonly utilized due to low price and the distance to reach. while nurse practitioners were well utilized when there were nurse practitioner's office in their villages. c. Rural women were internalized their subordination to husbands and children, revealing they are positive(93%) in health-care demand for-them but negative(30%) for themselves d. 33.0% of respondents were habitual drug users, 4.5% were smokers and 32.3% were alcohol drinkers. and 86.3% experienced induced-abortion. But most of them(77.6%) knew that those had negative effects on health. 7. Maternal Health Care a. Practice rate of contraception was 48.1% : female users were 90.9% in permanent and 89.6% in temporary contraception b. Induced abortions were taken mostly at hospital(86.3%), while health centers(4.7%), midwiferies(4.3%). and others(4.5%) including drug stores were listed a few. The repeated numbers of induced abortion seemed affected on the increasing numbers of symptoms and complaints. c. The first pre-natal check-up during first trimester was 41.8%, safe delivery rate was 15.6%, post-natal check-up during two months after delivery. Rural women had no enough rest after delivery revealing average days of rest from home work and farming 8.3 and 17.2. d. 86.6% practised breast feeding, showing younger and more educated mothers depending on artificial milk 8. Recommendations a. To lessen the multiple role over burden housing and sanitary conditions should be improved, and are needed farming machiner es for women and training on the use of them b. Health education should begin at primary school including health behavior and living environment. c. Women should be encouraged to become policy-makers as well as administrators in the field of women specific health affairs. d. Women's health indicators should be developed and women's health surveillance system too.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of an aquatic exercise program on physical fitness, body composition, and gait characteristics using trunk and pelvic angle in women living in urban fringe area. Methods: An aquatic exercise program consists of exercise in a swimming pool and self-help group activity with 16 women living in urban fringe (mean age: 63 years) for 8 weeks (twice a week for 2 hours). Physical fitness, body composition, trunk and pelvic angle using 2D video motion analyzer, and a questionnaire including socio-demographic variables were measured from July to August, 2013. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. Results: At the end of 8 weeks intervention, there were significant decreases on body weight (p=.025), body fat (p=.030) and BMI (p=.011). There were significant increases on muscle strength (p=.001) and flexibility (p=.015). Trunk angle was significantly improved, which means participants less moved their body from side to side when they walked (p=.001). Conclusion: From this results, the aquatic exercise program could be an effective nursing intervention to improve physical fitness, body composition, and gait ability for women living in urban fringe area.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.41-50
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• 2010

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate effectiveness of hypertension prevention and management programs (HPMPs) in rural Korea. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted with 700 community health practitioners working at primary health care posts (PHCPs). The questionnaire had four domains, which were hypertension management, hypertension prevention, the PHCP environment, and evaluation system, each with different maximum weighted values (WVs). Weighted values of 100 indicate the best effectiveness for the HPMP in all four domains. Results: The average WVs and percent effectiveness of all four domains combined was 61.65 (62%); the hypertension management domain was 28.81 (72%); the hypertension prevention domain was 23.44 (67%); the PHCP environment was4.29(43%); and the evaluation system was5.10(34%). Conclusion: The HPMPs were generally effective, and hypertension management was the most effective. The environment of PHCPs and the evaluation system of HPMPs should be improved to increase the effectiveness of the HPMPs.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.57-90
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• 2021

Telehealth has been a hotly debated health policy issue in South Korea, mostly because the medical community - especially primary care practitioners - have strongly opposed it. As a result, telehealth has remained forbidden under law. However, the temporary permission of telehealth in Korea, as well as its exploding use in other countries, all in response to COVID-19, is re-igniting the discussion on telehealth in Korea. This article explores general legal issues that may arise if and when telehealth is fully implemented in Korea. The article's analysis shows that legislative changes are necessary to allow reimbursement of telehealth as well as remote purchase of medicine. The article also advocates introducing new evidentiary rules to curtail covert recording of telehealth sessions. On the other hand, additional legislation is probably not necessary to address the medical liability of physicians practicing telehealth or to adress much-discussed privacy issues. The existing laws in those domains are already robust enough to operate without much difficulty in the context of telehealth too.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.207-226
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• 1992

This study was designed to develop a conceptual framework for the curriculum and develop the details of the learning content for the education of Community Health Practitioners (CHPs). Since education programs for CHPs started 10 years ago, concepts related to CHP services have changed because of changes in society. The objectives of the study were as follows : 1) to analyse the usefulness of the present education program for CHPs, 2) to analyse the Job performance and self -confidence of the CHPs, 3) to identify the health needs of the clients served by the CHPs and the community problems related to health. 4) to develop a conceptual framework for the curriculum, for the education of CHPs, 5) to develops details for the learning content of the education program for CHPs. Phase I of the study was conducted by questionnaires to 150 CHPs who have worked in remote rural areas for more than 2 years. Among them, 147 responded. Data was collected from August 16, to August 25, 1990. In order to identify the health needs of the community people, research within the last five years was reviewed and analyzed. The data on 1, 842 communities gathered by the WHO Nursing Collaborations Center of the College of Nursing, Yonsei University was utilized to identify community problems related to health and the self - confidence in job performance of the CHPs. Psase II of the study consisted of a workshop with 13 professionals including Community Health Practitioners to evaluate the existing education program and a conceptual framework of the curriculum for the job education of CHPs. The results of the study are Summariged below : 1. The only 26 among 45 content items of the education program related to job skills was used by 80% of the responding CHPs. The knowledge of $\ulcorner$Networking community organization$\lrcorner$ was used by only 53.7% of the respondents. Educational content about $\ulcorner$Mental disease$\lrcorner$ was used by less than 50% of CHPs because of a knowledge deficit. 2. The CHPs reported that their activities concentrated on clinical services during the last six months. The survey showed that they seemed to neglect the activities for health promotion and disease prevention. Thus, $\ulcorner$Education for community loaders$\lrcorner$(15.9%), $\ulcorner$Activity for eavironmental health$\lrcorner$(16.3%) and $\ulcorner$Social work for needey people$\lrcorner$(23.3%) were done by less than 30% of CHPs. 3. More than 90% of CHPs reported being self - confident for the activities of $\ulcorner$Health education and counselling$\lrcorner$, $\ulcorner$Medicine prescription$\lrcorner$ and $\ulcorner$Immunization$\lrcorner$. But 50% of CHPs reported that they were not have self - confident in $\ulcorner$Management of water and environmental health$\lrcorner$ and only 25.6% of CHPs could insert an IUD independently. 4. It was identified that respiratory diseases and the gastrointestinal diseases were most common problems for the community people, followed by musculoskeletal and skin problems. 5. The community problems were classified into eight categories : physical environmental problems, environmental hygiene, health problems, health behavior, social problem, lack of resources, financial problem and the problems of the cultural and value system. 6. The conceptual framework consisted of the target population and their health status, nursing process working site and primary health care services such as health promotion, disease prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. 7. The contents of curriculum of education program for CHPs were formulated from the results of this study.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.185-195
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• 2024

Background: Disabled people have particularly restricted access to health care. In response to this, the pilot project for the general physician (GP) system for disabled people was implemented in 2018, based on the rights of people with disability to the Health Act in South Korea. However, its participants were 0.2% among the total of those with severe disabilities in 2021. Therefore, this study examined the factors related to registering with a GP and the access level to its services to suggest implications for activating the participation of disabled people. Methods: We analyzed factors affecting the registration with a GP and the number of using the services among the participants of the GP system during May 2018 and December 2021 by conducting hierarchical logistic regression and hierarchical regression. The data were linked with the national health insurance data to examine various predictors, including disability types, socioeconomic status, health status, and GP registration. Results: As a result of analyzing the factors affecting whether or not to register for the pilot project, those with disabilities (physical disabilities, brain lesions, visual, intellectual, mental, and autistic disability) eligible for disability care (odds ratio [OR], 4.157) than other disability, and those living in metropolitan (OR, 4.330) or cities (OR, 3.332) than rural residences were highly likely to enroll the pilot study. Health-related variables also predicted the registration status of the pilot project. The predictors related to GP enrollment types (membership type: general health or disability care, GP's affiliation: clinics or hospitals) significantly influenced levels of access to services. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop the GP project for disabled people by considering the variation in types of disability, residences, and health. Further study will be needed to investigate the impact of GPs on the level of participation among disabled people.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.29-38
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• 2019

[Purpose] Effective nutritional intervention can help reduce the risk of nutritional problems and improve athletic performance in adolescents. The five A's (assess, advise, agree, assist, and arrange) model is widely used as the theoretical framework for advice on nutrition, smoking, drinking, and physical activity and it recommends that practitioners in primary health care promote behavior change to facilitate positive outcomes. This model has also been useful in understanding the underlying processes of behavior change. This study aimed to develop both a novel evidence-based nutritional intervention protocol, rooted in sound nutritional theory, and a customizable nutritional intervention program to support sustainable healthy eating, enhance nutrient intake, and improve athletic performance in adolescent athletes. [Methods] In this study, we adapted the 5 A's behavioral change model and motivational interview to develop a theoretical framework to help adolescent athletes change their behavior and achieve their goals. [Results] During each step of the 5 A's protocol, a customized nutritional intervention protocol was developed by nutrition experts for each of adolescent athletes. Each plan was developed to improve the eating habits of adolescent athletes through group education and counseling. All nutritional counseling sessions were designed to enable participants to apply nutritional knowledge and practical action plans to their training and competition conditions to enable each of them to achieve individual athletic goals and facilitate self-management. [Conclusion] A theoretical and evidence-based nutritional intervention protocol was developed to identify and address obstacles to healthy dietary habits in adolescent athletes. This could be used as the basis for further studies aimed at improving nutrient intake and athletic performance in adolescent athletes.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.261-269
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• 2023

Background: Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is a common condition encountered in ambulatory practice and is one of the most common reasons for antibiotic prescriptions. This study aimed to evaluate the potentially inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for ARS in South Korea and identify influencing factors. Methods: We analyzed Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service-National Patient Samples data. We selected outpatients aged 20 to 64 with ARS, prescribed antibiotics between February and November 2020. Potentially inappropriate antibiotic prescribing was categorized as: 1) inappropriate antibiotic selection and 2) inappropriate antibiotic dosage or duration. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to estimate the impact of various factors on inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. Results: Of 1,210 patients, 80.83% received potentially inappropriate ARS antibiotic prescriptions. Inappropriate antibiotic selection accounted for 43.55%, and inappropriate antibiotic dosage and duration contributed to 37.28%. Otolaryngologists had higher odds ratio (OR) of potentially inappropriate antibiotic prescribing compared to internal medicine practitioners, while dentists had lower OR. Patients aged 20 to 29 years had a higher OR than other age groups, and those who visited primary care clinics had a higher OR than those who visited hospitals. Conclusion: Potentially inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for ARS is prevalent in South Korea. This study identified physician specialty, patient age group, and the level of healthcare facility as factors influencing potentially inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions. Addressing this issue through targeted interventions, such as improved guidelines adherence and patient education, is imperative to mitigate the risks associated with antibiotic misuse and antibiotic resistance.