• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.451-459
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• 2020

Background: Although Korean government have been adopting several policies to expand coverage of National Health Insurance (NHI) program, the coverage rate is still below average across Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. This study was to identify public perception on appropriateness of coinsurance rate and factors associated with coinsurance rate in National Health Insurance. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, 507 participants over aged 20 years were recruited from telephone surveys. Respondents experienced at least one and more visiting medical facilities due to medical problems in last 12 months. Demographic factors, socioeconomic positions, and experiences on medical utilization were measured in order to identify factors associated with perception appropriateness of coinsurance rate. Results: The 49.9% (n=209) of the public responded that the coinsurance rate of NHI program was appropriate. There were no differences in positive perception according to socio-demographic factors and experiences on medical utilization except for gender, residential area, and felt expensive when using medical services. People who felt burden of medical expenditure were more likely to perceive coinsurance rate inappropriate (odds ratio, 2.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.52-3.58) Conclusion: In spite of the relatively low coverage rate of NHI, this study identified that 49.9% of the public perceived the current coinsurance rate was adequate. However, people who felt the burden of medical expenditure were still had a negative perception of the coinsurance rate needed to decrease the coinsurance rate.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.55-71
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• 2023

This paper theoretically explores the calculation of development impact fees focusing on urban growth, new urban development, developer, urban planner, housing, real estate market, community planning, community financing, local government, land use planning, public facilities, and development cost. Many questions related to who bears the burden of paying impact fees beg for answers based on empirical analysis. Those questions involve the extent to which landowners bear the burden, the effect of different levels of impact fees on the socioeconomic mix of communities, the distribution of fiscal benefits within a region where urban communities assess different levels of impact fees, and the preparedness of urban communities to accommodate development displaced by impact fees. Broader questions also relate to how urban and regional form is affected by differential application of impact fees throughout an area and whether money gained from the impact fees makes regional growth more or less efficient. Who ultimately pays development impact fees? There has been little empirical evaluation of how the market responds to development impact fees, but there is considerable information to suggest that, on the whole, the occupants - residents and users - pay the majority of the development impact fees.

• The Journal of Korean society of community based occupational therapy
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.39-49
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• 2020

Objective : The aim of this study was to investigate the care burden and life quality in family caregivers of community-dwelling patients using home mechanical ventilator(HMV) in Yeognam region. Methods : Survey performed to family caregivers of the patients using HMV in Yeognam region, Korea. The questionnaire is composed with patient care and the burden on caring. Korean version of Short Form Zarit Burden Interview(K-ZBI-12) and 3-Level version of EuroQol-5 Dimension applying Korean weight(KEQ-5D-3L) were also investigated. Statistical significance was accepted for p<.05. Results : A total 98 out of 150 questionnaires were analyzed. The K-ZBI-12(33.08±10.34) had a correlation with KEQ-5D-3L(0.71±0.25) negatively(p=.038). Patients' age, duration of HMV, financial burden and professional caregivers' care time had correlations with K-ZBI-12 positively(p<.05). KEQ-5D-3L correlated duration of HMV negatively(p=.017). Invasive ventilator group had lower KEQ-5D-3L than the non-invasive ventilator group(p=.008). K-ZBI-12 was lower in more than one caregiver care of patients than in one(p=.001). Conclusion : This study revealed high care burden and low quality of life in family caregivers of the patients with HMV in Yeongnam region, Korea. Efforts are needed to continually identify the needs of patients and their families, and the socioeconomic support and medical services associated with HMV.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

Objectives: By the end of the 2000s, the economic situation in many European countries started to deteriorate, generating financial uncertainty, social insecurity and worse health status. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the recent financial crisis has affected the lifestyle health determinants and behaviours of older adults living in the Mediterranean islands. Methods: From 2005 to 2015, a population-based, multi-stage convenience sampling method was used to voluntarily enrol 2749 older adults (50% men) from 20 Mediterranean islands and the rural area of the Mani peninsula. Lifestyle status was evaluated as the cumulative score of four components (range, 0 to 6), that is, smoking habits, diet quality (MedDietScore), depression status (Geriatric Depression Scale) and physical activity. Results: Older Mediterranean people enrolled in the study from 2009 onwards showed social isolation and increased smoking, were more prone to depressive symptoms, and adopted less healthy dietary habits, as compared to their counterparts participating earlier in the study (p<0.05), irrespective of age, gender, several clinical characteristics, or socioeconomic status of the participants (an almost 50% adjusted increase in the lifestyle score from before 2009 to after 2009, p<0.001). Conclusions: A shift towards less healthy behaviours was noticeable after the economic crisis had commenced. Public health interventions should focus on older adults, particularly of lower socioeconomic levels, in order to effectively reduce the burden of cardiometabolic disease at the population level.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.69-80
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the factors influencing of HPV vaccination and vaccination intention among Korean adult women through a systematic review. Methods: A systematic review was conducted across international and domestic electronic databases and nine of 193 studies were identified for this review. Results: Meaningful variables influencing HPV vaccination and its intention included socioeconomic status (age, economic level, and education level), knowledge level, health beliefs, attitudes toward HPV vaccination, and previous experiences. Economic level and knowledge influenced HPV vaccination and vaccination intention, which was consistent with the results of previous studies. Eight studies measured knowledge level regarding cervical cancer or HPV vaccination; however some instruments lacked reliability and validity report. Conclusion: There is a need for governmental support to reduce the burden of HPV vaccination cost, to publicize the benefits and to provide general information regarding HPV vaccination. Finally, it is necessary to develop an instrument with confirmed reliability and validity to measure HPV knowledge.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.760-772
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to explore the concept of quality of life for bone marrow transplant (BMT) survivors and to gain understanding of nursing interventions that may improve QOL in this population. The data was gathered from 32 BMT survivors using seven open-ended questions. The items were based on previous research of Ferrell et al., (1992). Content analysis was performed on written responses to seven questions regarding BMT and QOL. The results were as follows : 1. The meaning of QOL for BMT survivors were "being healt", "being able to take a role", "having relationships", "self-accomplishment", "peace of mind", "spiritual well-being", "economic stability" and "being alive". 2. The impact of BMT on physical well-being were "skin impairment", "digestive problems", "infections ", "fatigue/weakness", "arthralgia", "eye dryness". "weight gain", "amenorrhea" and "hand tremor". 3. The impact of BMT on psychological well-being were "fear of recurrence", "sence of peace" and "hope". 4. The impact of BMT on socioeconomic status were "financial burden", "limitation of social activities" and "sence of withdrawal". 5. The impact of BMT on spiritual well-being were "dependency on Supreme Being", "spiritual arousal " and "spiritual maturity". The findings of the study will be useful in constructing a instrument to measure QOL in BMT and in understanding the conceptual basis of QOL for the BMT population.ency on Supreme Being", "spiritual arousal " and "spiritual maturity". The findings of the study will be useful in constructing a instrument to measure QOL in BMT and in understanding the conceptual basis of QOL for the BMT population.L for the BMT population.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.515-526
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the illness experience of patients with pressure ulcer. Methods: A phenomenological methodology was used for the study. The data were collected by individual in-depth interview with seven participants with pressure ulcer during 2013~2014. All interviews were audio-taped and verbatim transcripts were made for the analysis. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. Results: All participants had underlying disease, such as spinal paralysis and diabetes. Average period of having pressure ulcer was 18 months, ranged from 3 to 36 months. A total of seven theme clusters were derived from the analysis; unexpected wound, inherent vulnerability to infection, reversal of the treatment policy, unpleasant and strange feeling of wound, sweeping fear and helplessness, socioeconomic burden, and healing through specific actions and reflection. The participants faced various contradictory and paradoxical situations in managing their pressure ulcers as well as underlying diseases in their everyday life. However, they slowly overcome these situations by strictly practicing concrete action-oriented strategies that they have learned through suffering and appreciating miraculous wound healing. Conclusion: The results of this study can help developing a patient-specific intervention program with sufficient emotional support by providing insights of the paradoxical illness experience of patients with pressure ulcer.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.767-774
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors affecting unmet dental care needs of Korean using 6th Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination survey(KNHANES). Methods: The subjects were 13,718 Koreans from the 6th KNHANES data. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of the subjects, reason for dental care needs by socio-economic status and unmet dental care needs. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 program. Results: The proportion of unmet dental care needs accounted for 27.4% and the main reasons were financial burden and less priority. Male had 0.21 times less unmet dental needs than female. Low, mid low, and mid high economic income groups had 1.27, 1.24, and 1.08 times respectively more unmet dental care needs than high income group. Those having good and average self-perceived oral health status experienced 0.83 and 0.63 times less dental care needs. Conclusions: Socio-economic factors and health status were the important factors of unmet dental care needs and it is necessary to provide a variety of public service of dental care for the low income group.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.169-183
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• 2022

Gastric cancer is prevalent in Korea and ranked as the third most common cancer in 2019, followed by lung and thyroid cancers. The National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) for gastric cancer has been implemented in adults aged ≥ 40 since 1999 and involves endoscopic screening every 2 years. The beneficial effects of the current NCSP on early cancer detection, cost-effectiveness, and mortality reduction are evident. However, the screening program results in a large socioeconomic burden and the consumption of medical resources, as it focuses solely on secondary prevention (early detection) rather than primary prevention of cancer. Helicobacter pylori is defined as a group I carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Hence, its eradication has been suggested as an important primary gastric cancer prevention strategy. Well-designed randomized controlled trials involving high-risk groups (post-endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer and family history of gastric cancer) and long-term follow-up studies in the general population have provided high-quality evidence regarding the effects of H. pylori eradication on gastric cancer prevention. In this review, we discussed the evidences for a possible modification of the current gastric cancer secondary prevention strategy by introducing primary prevention through H. pylori eradication. Areas for future research to optimize primary prevention strategies were also suggested.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.84 no.6
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• pp.1211-1219
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• 2023

Korea is rapidly entering into an aging society, and an increasing socioeconomic burden related to prostate cancer is inevitable. Therefore, the need for early detection and accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer is becoming increasingly critical. Ideally, a biopsy should accurately detect cancers using a minimum number of cores. However, as prostate cancer is often indistinguishable on imaging, image-guided targeted biopsies alone are insufficient for diagnosis. After decades of trial and error, the diagnosis of prostate cancer relies heavily on systematic biopsy, which is characterized by random and repetitive core acquisition throughout the gland. This review will provide an overview of the historical aspects of prostate cancer diagnosis. Moreover, the review will also address the general considerations involved in prostate biopsy, and discuss the periprocedural management of the patients.