• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.309-322
• /
• 2006

During the last decade, Health Impact Assessment (HIA) has been discussed worldwide as being an important tool for the development of healthy public policy. HIA has been advanced as a means of bringing potential health impacts to the attention of policy makers, particularly in sectors where health impacts may not otherwise be considered. HIA, a systematic assessment of potential health impacts of proposed public polices, programs, and projects, offers a means to advance population health by bringing public health research to bear on questions of public policy. In Korea, health-related items under current EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) system can only be found in the categories of hygiene and public health. However, environment and public health are not adequately connected and also health is underestimated even though health is an important objective component for the implementation of Environmental Assessments (EA). As a result, health is not well integrated within criteria for investigating the impacts on environment. This study examines linkages for HIA from the related and relatively well-developed field of Prior Environmental Review System (PERS) which is similar to SEA and EIA in Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.275-289
• /
• 2005

In Korea, health-related items under current EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) system can only be found in the categories of hygiene and public health. However, environment and public health are not adequately connected and also health is underestimated even though health is an important component of environmental assessments. As a result, health is not well integrated within criteria for investigating the impacts on environment. International trends in HIA (Health Impact Assessment) to strengthen the connection between environment and health were investigated in this research. Definitions, functions, circumstances, and merits of HIA in foreign countries were compared. By collecting and analyzing international organizations' and other countries' data related with HIA and EIA, preceding conditions and execution plans were suggested to link EIA and HIA from SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) aspects and to successfully accomplish EIA in Korea. According to this research, EHIA (Environmental Health Impact Assessment) can predict and manage the results of economical development only under the principles of inhabitants' participation, sustainability, and social justice. EHIA should be modified and improved towards increasing regional and national capabilities. For this, preparation of adequate procedure is required to connect EIA and HIA.

• The Journal of Health Technology Assessment
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.95-99
• /
• 2018

As technologies develop, the digital health sector is gradually expanding. Internationally, the global summit for Digital Health named Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) was launched in 2018. Many countries are participating in GDHP and share their policy experiences on digital health and find the ways to cooperate with participating countries (13 countries, including South Korea, and Hong Kong). This article reviewed the international trends in digital health policy environment and evidence assessment focusing on GDHP activities, and derived implications for health technology assessment of digital health. Consequently, to assess the intervention effects of digital health is very complex and the assessment should be considered multidimensional aspects (social, clinical, and technical). In addition the patient experience should be assessed qualitatively. Health technology assessment (HTA) should assess the effect of digital health policies to changes in health care systems resulting from the application of advanced technologies related to the 4th Industrial Revolution. Digital health is also related to new HTA, HTA of existing technologies, and R&D on the promising health technology. Therefore, it is necessary to review the trends of the technology's management policy consistently through the HTA of digital health.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.11-26
• /
• 2016

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which has continuously evaluated the performance of healthcare systems, has recently invested much effort into hospital performance measurement. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the hospital performance measurement programs operated by international organizations or at the national level based on the OECD's hospital performance project. Health Insurance Review & Assessment service (HIRA)'s quality assessment was analyzed based on the analytical framework of the OECD's hospital performance project. The hospital performance measurement programs of WHO, Canada, Australia, United States and United Kingdom are briefly explored, in view of the conceptual framework, key performance dimensions and indicators that are currently in use. The OECD suggested seven key dimensions of hospital performance: timeliness, efficiency, continuity, effectiveness and appropriateness, staff orientation, patient orientation and safety. The analysis of the quality assessment program of HIRA, which operates 36 diseases and procedures and 347 indicators, shows that the numbers of indicators are relatively small in the areas of safety, patient centeredness and efficiency. Continuity of care and staff orientation are not fully developed also, but the situations are similar in other countries. In conclusion, hospital performance measurement using stable and comprehensive data should be developed to improve overall system performance, and discussions on a conceptual framework that can lay out directions and key performance domains need to take into place.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.225-236
• /
• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe perception and performance of health assessment among clinical nurses. Methods: The sample of this study consisted of 177 staff nurses working at university affiliated hospitals and a self-report questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed with SPSS WIN 12.0 program. Results: The overall mean scores of perception and performance of health assessment were 3.67 and 1.71 respectively. There were no significant differences according to educational level, working department, and type of health assessment courses taken for perception of health assessment. The variable significantly affecting health assessment performance was the working department. There was a statistically significant correlation between perception and performance of health assessment. Conclusion: These findings suggest the need to develop a nursing education strategy to increase the performance of health assessment.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.272-279
• /
• 2018

Since the introduction of new health technology assessment in 2007, benefit coverage process of health insurance related to new health technology has become an upgraded system through the evidence-based decisions. As a result of enforcing this system for 10 years, however, there have been several rising concerns. It needs to support the insufficient evidence of medical technologies, introduce reassessment system for post management of market entry technologies, and improve evaluation methods and process. In addition, there is the possibility of emerging an unheard-of medical technology, fused various categories like artificial intelligence, robot, information technology, physics and life science in the fourth industrial revolution. Now, new updated system introduced to improve new technology assessment, such as 'limited health technology assessment system,' 'system for postponement of new health technology assessment,' 'one-stop service system,' and 'integrated operation of approval for medical devices and new health technology assessment.' Therefore it needs to prepare the improvement plan for new health technology assessment to be established more advanced system, and we have to resolve concerns by communication with various healthcare experts and patients now and for ever.

• Korean Medical Education Review
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.152-157
• /
• 2017

Interprofessional education (IPE) fosters effective team-based collaborative practice among members of different health care professions to advance high-quality and safe patient care. Although the importance of IPE has been recognized and IPE initiatives have expanded rapidly in the past decades, substantial difficulties in IPE assessment still exist. At present, a lack of consensus on the optimal approach to IPE assessment contributes to uncertainty about the level of attainment of collaborative team performance. This paper aims to provide an overview of the benefits and current challenges associated with IPE assessment. Furthermore, a multifactor model with an assessment matrix and assessment blueprints from a recent study is briefly discussed. We also provide examples of assessment blueprints for the team management of stroke patient discharge covering a competency examination at the levels of individuals, the team, and the task.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.211-221
• /
• 2001

Recognizing interaction between the environment and humans, the EIA(environmental impact assessment) movement has sought to promote more environmentally sound and informed decisions for the sake of human welfare. Therefore, most EIA programs require the consideration of human health impacts. Yet relatively few EIA documents adequately address those impacts. This study was carried out to investigate the role of EIA for reuniting the environment and human health, for preventing and reducing significant health risks, and for improving human health impact assessment by means of risk assessment. Risk assessment consists of 4 components; hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment and risk characterization. Since most people spent their times in indoor, indoor air quality modelling can be used in exposure assessment and risk assessment. In this study, indoor $NO_2$ concentration and personal $NO_2$ exposure were estimated by Box Model using mass balance equation and time weighted average, respectively. The estimated indoor $NO_2$ concentration and the personal $NO_2$ exposure were compared by those measured, respectively. Subsequntly, health effect was assessed with these results. Consequently, exposure assessment and risk assessment using indoor air quality model may be considered to be applicable to EIA.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.54 no.1
• /
• pp.8-16
• /
• 2021

This article aims to introduce the inception and operation of the COVID-19 International Collaborative Research Project, the world's first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) open data project for research, along with its dataset and research method, and to discuss relevant considerations for collaborative research using nationwide real-world data (RWD). COVID-19 has spread across the world since early 2020, becoming a serious global health threat to life, safety, and social and economic activities. However, insufficient RWD from patients was available to help clinicians efficiently diagnose and treat patients with COVID-19, or to provide necessary information to the government for policy-making. Countries that saw a rapid surge of infections had to focus on leveraging medical professionals to treat patients, and the circumstances made it even more difficult to promptly use COVID-19 RWD. Against this backdrop, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) of Korea decided to open its COVID-19 RWD collected through Korea's universal health insurance program, under the title of the COVID-19 International Collaborative Research Project. The dataset, consisting of 476 508 claim statements from 234 427 patients (7590 confirmed cases) and 18 691 318 claim statements of the same patients for the previous 3 years, was established and hosted on HIRA's in-house server. Researchers who applied to participate in the project uploaded analysis code on the platform prepared by HIRA, and HIRA conducted the analysis and provided outcome values. As of November 2020, analyses have been completed for 129 research projects, which have been published or are in the process of being published in prestigious journals.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.49 no.sup1
• /
• pp.14-19
• /
• 2016

Background: This study uses the relevance index to understand the condition of regional medical service use for cardiovascular surgery and to identify the medical service use imbalance between regions. Methods: This study calculated the relevance index of 16 metropolitan cities and provinces using resident registration address data from the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs and the 2010-2014 health insurance, medical care assistance, and medical benefits claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. We identified developments over the 5-year time period and analyzed the level of regional imbalance regarding cardiovascular surgery through the relative comparison of relevance indexes between cardiovascular and other types of surgery. Results: The relevance index was high in large cities such as Seoul, Daegu, and Gwangju, but low in regions that were geographically far from the capital area, such as the Gangwon and Jeju areas. Relevance indexes also fell as the years passed. Cardiovascular surgery has a relatively low relevance index compared to key types of surgery of other fields, such as neurosurgery and colorectal surgery. Conclusion: This study identified medical service use imbalance between regions for cardiovascular surgery. Results of this study demonstrate the need for political intervention to enhance the accessibility of necessary special treatment, such as cardiovascular surgery.