• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.31 no.3 s.62
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• pp.471-480
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• 1998

This study was undertaken in order to estimate the accuracy of disease code of the Korean National Medical Insurance Data and disease the characteristics related to the accuracy. To accomplish these objectives, 2,431 cases coded as notifiable acute communicable diseases (NACD) were randomly selected from 1994 National Medical Insurance data file and family medicine specialists reviewed the medical records to confirm the diagnostic accuracy and investigate the related factors. Major findings obtained from this study are as follows : 1. The accuracy rate of disease code of NACD in National Medical Insurance data was very low, 10.1% (95% C.I. : 8.8-11.4). 2. The reasons of inaccuracy in disease code were 1) claiming process related administrative error by physician and non-physician personnel in medical institutions (41.0%), 2) input error of claims data by key punchers of National Medical Insurer (31.3%) and 3) diagnostic error by physicians (21.7%). 3. Characteristics significantly related with lowering the accuracy of disease code were location and level of the medical institutions in multiple logistic regression analysis. Medical institutions in Seoul showed lower accuracy than those in Kyonngi, and so did general hospitals, hospitals and clinics than tertiary hospitals. Physician related characteristics significantly lowering disease code accuracy of insurance data were sex, age group and specialty. Male physicians showed significantly lower accuracy than female physicians; thirties and fortieg age group also showed significantly lower accuracy than twenties, and so did general physicians and other specialists than internal medicine/pediatric specialists. This study strongly suggests that a series of policies like 1) establishment of peer review organization of National Medical Insurance data, 2) prompt nation-wide expansion of computerized claiming network of National Medical Insurance and 3) establishment and distribution of objective diagnostic criteria to physicians are necessary to set up a national disease surveillance system utilizing National Medical Insurance claims data.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.312-321
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• 2013

Objective: In May 2011, an interview with three United States Forces Korea veterans revealed that chemicals believed to be 'Agent Orange' were buried at Camp Carroll (situated in Waegwan, Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea) in 1978. Many hazardous chemicals, such as perchloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), and organochlorines were subsequently found in a joint US-ROK environmental investigation, although dioxins or burial evidence related to 'Agent Orange' have been not uncovered. This study was carried out to investigate the relevance of hazardous chemical exposure and health effects of the residents around Camp Carroll. Methods: The authors conducted a health questionnaire survey among residents around Camp Carroll regarding Waegwan groundwater ingestion, length of residence in Waegwan, and physician-diagnosed disease history (such as cancer, hypertension, diabetes and etc.). Logistic regression was performed to identify the associations between hazardous chemical exposure and physician-diagnosed diseases. Results: Among the 5,320 residents, excluding those living outside the Waegwan area, 3,430 subjects age 30 and over were analyzed. Among females, upon correction of age, smoking history and Camp Carroll working history, a higher distribution in the Waegwan groundwater ingestion group was demonstrated for patients with physician-diagnosed cancer and hypertension. The odds ratios have a tendency to increase with increased length of Waegwan groundwater ingestion. Conclusions: This study may be limited by not adopting a cohort study for the evaluation of factors that may confound environmental exposure. Yet it is meaningful that the correlation between Waegwan groundwater ingestion and chronic diseases were found through regression analysis in female; and further, this outcome may be used as a sampling basis for a secondary epidemiologic study.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 1996

There continues to be increasing the number of patients being treated for renal failure day by day due to lot of causes. It is prerequsite for the physician to have a proper understanding of drug use in patients with renal failure since kidney is the major route of elimination for many kinds of drugs and their metabolites. In order to provide practical guidelines for prescribing antibiotics, the literature has been reviewed, and summarized. The tables presented here are made by Dr. William M Bennett et al. and listed the specific pharmacokinetic information such as drug half life, serum levels, and drug removal during dialysis, plasma protein binding, volume of distribution.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.2 s.62
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• pp.105-125
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• 2005

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify resources put into clinical. activities and identify a new RBRVS for oriental medical services in the Korean National Health Insurance. Methods: Based on a survey of physician's time, physical effort & technical skill, mental effort & judgment, and stress that were used for patient treatments, relative input values for the relevant clinical activities were estimated and rearranged in a way to be compared. with the current values in health insurance. Results: We found the actual resource-based relative values for oriental medical services statistically different from the current values, with a narrower variation in value distribution. Conclusions: The findings suggest the C\lrrent RBRVS should be revised to reflect the actual input resources into physicians activities and to avoid a distortion of physicians behavior.

• The Magazine of the IEIE
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.83-93
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• 1996

Picture archiving and communications systems(PACS) for digital image distribution, archiving and transmission, represent the modern hospital. PACS is the medical image management system within a hospital, whereas teleradiology system is the medical image communication system between remote sites. PACS and teleradiology systems usually consists of mainly four parts such as image acquisition part, image storage and database part, Image communication network part, and image display workstation part. Among these components comprised In the PACS, workstations are the point of contact between a PACS and the radiologist or referring physician. Therefore, the acceptance of PACS is highly dependent on workstation functionality, performance and easy of use compared with the conventional film-based radiology. This paper describes overall configurations and some requirements of PACS and teleradiology.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.146-156
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• 2006

Purpose: 1) to construct cohorts according to risk scores calculated with the Gail Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (Gail et al., 1989) (Gail) and the Breast Cancer Risk Appraisal (Lee et al,. 2003) (Lee) 2) to identify the distribution of risk factors and preventive behavior stages between the cohorts 3) to identify abnormal breast conditions in risk cohort. Method: Using convenience sampling, 775 rural women were selected. Risk appraisal was scored using Gail and Lee. Preventive behavior stages for BSE (Breast self examination) and mammography were measured using 4 stages of the Transtheoretical Model (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983). Results: 1) The risk cohort according to Gail was 12.3% (n=95), and Lee, 3.1% (n=24). 2) There were significant differences in the distribution of risk factors (age, family history, age at 1st live birth, age at menarche, number of breast biopsy, history of breast disease, and breast-feeding) between cohorts. 3) There was a significant difference in the distribution of the stage of BSE according to Lee. 4) Six women in the risk group detected masses or nodules and physician consultation and ultrasonography were recommended. Conclusion: On the basis of the constructed cohorts, further longitudinal studies of cohorts are recommended with interventions according to characteristics of cohorts.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.67-77
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• 2005

Purpose: Needs of health-welfare-medical service for the elderly is rapidly increasing in Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the needs of health-welfare-medical service for the long-term care elderly in the community and to compare differences by their characteristics. Method: Needs assessment was completed in the homes of 598 persons over 65 years by using the tool of needs assessment, between November and December, 2003. We examined all the health-welfare-medical service of elderly in the community. Data were analyzed using SAS program. Result: The needs of the long-term care elderly in community was largest 'home visiting service of visiting nurse(87.5%)', and then 'religious, psychological and emotional support(73.9%)', 'home visiting therapy of physician(58.5%)', 'social support service(55.7%)', 'health improvement program of public health center and social welfare center(51.8%)', 'health examination(48.8%)' followed. The difference of health-welfare-medical service needs among characteristics(age, medical security, caregiver existence, and regions) was statistically significant by service contents(p<0.05 or p<0.01). Conclusion: We can apply it in the distribution of community resource and the development of service providing programs by figure out the needs assessment for the long-term care elderly in the community, and consequently, through this, realizing the health maintenance and promotion of the long-term care elderly.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.237-248
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine and explain the extent of income-related inequity in health care utilization and expenditures to compare the extent in 2005 and 2010 in Korea. Methods: We employed the concentration indices and the horizontal inequity index proposed by Wagstaff and van Doorslaer based on one- and two-part models. This study was conducted using data from the 2005 and 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We examined health care utilization and expenditures for different types of health care providers, including health centers, physician clinics, hospitals, general hospitals, dental care, and licensed traditional medical practitioners. Results: The results show the equitable distribution of overall health care utilization with pro-poor tendencies and modest pro-rich inequity in the amount of medical expenditures in 2010. For the decomposition analysis, non-need variables such as income, education, private insurance, and occupational status have contributed considerably to pro-rich inequality in health care over the period between 2005 and 2010. Conclusions: We found that health care utilization in Korea in 2010 was fairly equitable, but the poor still have some barriers to accessing primary care and continuing to receive medical care.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.86-106
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• 2008

This research analyzed. knowledge structure and its effect factor by analysis of co-author and keyword network in Korea's health policy and administration sector. The data was extracted from 339 articles listed in the Korean Journal of Health Policy and Administration, and was transformed into a co-author and keyword matrix. In this matrix the existence of a link was defined by impact factors which were calculated by the weight value of what the role was and the rate of how many authors contributed. We demonstrated that the research achievement was dependent on the author's status and network index. Analysis methods were neighborhood degree, correspondence analysis, multiple regression and the difference of weight distribution by research fields. Co-author networks were developed as closeness centrality as well as degree centrality by a few high productivity researchers. In particular, power law distribution was discovered in impact factor and research productivity. The effect of the author's role was significant in both the impact factor calculated by the participatory rate and the number of listed articles. Especially, this journal shared its major researchers who had a licensed physician with the Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. Therefore, social scientists were likely to be small co-author network differently from natural scientists. It was so called 'two cultures' phenomenon. This study showed how can we verified academic research structure existed in the unit of journal like as citation networks. The co-author networks in the field of health policy and administration had more differentiated and clustered than preventive medicine and epidemiology fields.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.92-99
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• 2014

Background: Korea's primary care clinics are seeking increase in consultation fees by expanding supply within the frame of the health insurance system, but inequality of physician income between regions and individuals is exacerbating. The purpose of this study lies in analyzing the distribution of patients of primary care clinics, their specialized field, and the degree of inequality between medical fee income according to region. Data was acquired from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on charged bills made by clinic-size medical institutions from 2008 to 2011. Methods: By comparing the outpatient number per clinic according to the clinic's specialized field, results showed that ophthalmology, otolaryngology, dermatology, orthopedics, and internal medicine showed high numbers whereas plastic surgery, neuropsychiatry, cardiothoracic surgery had fewer outpatients. The number of outpatients for clinic according to region showed Chuncheonnam-do, Jeju-do, Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, Ulsan to have higher numbers of outpatients. For those four years, clinics in the Seoul area had a rather lower number. Results: As a result of comparing the decile hierarchy distribution ratio between specialized fields according to primary care clinics income from National Health Insurance, the inequality degree showed that obstetrics and gynecology and general medicine were each 0.130, 0.280 for the decile distribution ratio, which was the highest degree of inequality within the specialized field. Their Gini coefficient were also relatively high at 0.691, 0.528 respectively. On the other hand, the decile distribution ratio for otolaryngology and orthopedics were 0.510, 0.468, respectively, while their Gini coefficient each at 0.318, 0.314 makes their inequality degree relatively lower than other fields. Conclusion: This study is limited in that the data used was the health insurance charges submitted by clinics, which does not provide total information of the doctors' income. However, because most clinics are largely dependant on their income to come from health insurance reimbursements. Therefore, the results of this study can be used effectively. In the future, research that includes data on non-covered service income should be conducted to closely examine policy plans with a new medical fee policy which can resolve the medical fee income inequality issue between clinics as well as revitalize primary medical care.