• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.99-111
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• 2024

Objectives : Anxiety is an important mental health symptom associated with healthcare utilization. This research aims to identify the demographic, socio-economic, and health-related factors associated with the use of Korean medicine (KM) treatments in adults experiencing anxiety. Methods : We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the Korea Health Panel Annual Data 2019. Logistic regression models were employed to examine the relationships between KM utilization and various factors such as economic activity, perceived stress levels, and presence of physical discomfort. The study sample included 552 adults experiencing anxiety. Results : Among the subjects, 19.20% were using both conventional treatment and KM treatment. The analysis revealed that individuals engaged in economic activities were more likely to use KM treatments compared to those who were not (odds ratio [OR] = 2.207, 95% confidential interval [CI] = 1.316 to 3.699). Additionally, individuals reporting high levels of pain or discomfort showed a significantly higher likelihood of using both KM and conventional medical services (OR = 2.933, 95% CI = 1.645 to 5.231). Musculoskeletal conditions were the most common reason for KM utilization among the study participants. Conclusion : The findings suggest that economic activity and the severity of physical discomfort significantly influence the use of KM treatments among adults with anxiety. These insights could inform healthcare policy and the integration of KM services into broader health management strategies for anxiety.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.23-31
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• 2010

This study analyzed whether the patients' visits to oriental medicine hospitals were influenced by the Euclidean distance from patients' residence to oriental medicine hospitals. Patient who visited two oriental medicine hospitals in a metropolitan area were selected for study sample. The number of patient from each Dong (which is the smallest administrative district) to two hospitals was calculated based on claims data in 2008. ArcGIS was used to calculate the distance. Distance variable was not statistically significant in regression analysis after controlling the difference of socio-economic status of people in each Dong. It seems that distance factor did not play an important role in deciding whether to use the services of oriental medicine hospitals in a metropolitan area.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.115-120
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to develop an apparatus which can take a facial image by self-operated capturing technique. The user can obtain one's facial image immediately after adjusting facial tilt and focusing distance. The system has been designed for classifying Sasang typology based on facial image. Methods : The system is composed of a Webcam, one-way glass mirror and mini LCD. The Webcam takes a facial image which is displayed on the mini LCD. Then the user can see and adjust to the right position in the real time through the image mirror-reflected from the mini LCD. The optical sensor is used to estimate the proper focusing distance. To verify the performance of the system, 11 characteristic points on the facial image are used and compared with high performance DSLR camera(D700) by applying the coefficient of variance and Bland-Altman Plot. Results : The developed system and D700 show enough agreement with the small coefficient of variance to analyse constitutional types with a facial im mage. However, the result of Bland-Altman plot shows that the width parameters have distortions owing to short focusing distance. Conclusions : The system is expected to be utilized on u-healthcare services for home environment after improving the distortion in the width parameters.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.205-209
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• 2007

Today, there are research trends about the wearable sensor device that measures various bio-signals and provides healthcare services to user using e-Health technology. This study describes the wearable sensor glove using pulse-wave sensor, conducting fabric and embedded system. This wearable sensor glove is based on the pulse-wave measurement system which is able to measure the pulse wave signal in much use of oriental medicine on the basis of a research trend of e-Health system.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.41-53
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• 2024

Objectives: We used the Korea Health Panel Annual Data 2019 to analyze factors related to visits to both Korean medicine and Western medicine (WM) outpatient clinics among patients with overweight and obesity. Methods: The inclusion criteria for this study are as follows: 1) adults over 18 years of age, 2) overweight or obese with a body mass index of 25.0 or more, 3) visited WM outpatient clinics at least once during 2019. Total 2,963 individuals were included in WM group or integrative medicine (IM) group. Using the Andersen healthcare utilization model, factors related to healthcare utilization of the participants were classified. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to analyze factors associated with IM use. Results: Among the participants, 80.49% (n=2,385) were assigned to WM group and 19.51% (n=578) to IM group. As a result of the regression analysis, factors significantly related to the use of IM included the elderly over 65 years of age, sex (men), college or higher education level, residential area (Gwangju/Jeolla/Jeju), presence of cancer, and presence of musculoskeletal disease. The main diagnosis associated with both WM and IM use was most frequently musculoskeletal conditions. Also, IM group received WM treatment for musculoskeletal conditions more frequently compared to WM group. Conclusions: This study is the first to analyze healthcare utilization patterns among overweight or obese patients in Korea. The current findings suggest that the presence of musculoskeletal conditions, especially in this population, may be strongly associated with concurrent use of IM services.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.115-122
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• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to propose the utilization plan of Ryodoraku in the U-health care systems. Methods : Computerized literature searches were performed for Ryodoraku related articles using the following databases: KISS, RISS, DBPIA, NDSL from 1990 to Oct 2010. Search terms were '양도락' or 'Ryodoraku' or 'U-health'. Due to Ryodoraku coming from Japan, additional literature review(articles published by 2008) on Japanese journal of Ryodoraku medicine was done for compensation. Results : 1. Introduction of U-health : As rapid progress of population aging and strong interest in health, the demand for the traditional Korean medical service is increasing. Until now healthcare service has provided post treatment by face-to-face manner. But according to related researches, proactive treatment is resulted to be more effective for preventing diseases. Particularly, the existing healthcare services have limitations in preventing and managing chronic geriatric degenrative diseases such as metabolic syndrome, CVA, coronary heart diseases, parkinson's diseases, degenerative joint disease, spondylosis, etc., because the cause of the above is complex and even related to life habit. As the advent of ubiquitous technology, patients with the chronic geriatric degenrative diseases can improve life habit such as poor eating habits and physical inactivity without the constraints of time and space through u-healthcare service. Therefor, lots of researches for u-healthcare service focus on providing the personalized healthcare service for preventing and managing that. To cope with this situations, The concept of u-healthcare service should be adopted in the traditional korean medicine and diagnostic devices suitable for it should be also devised and developed based on traditonal korean medine. 2. Review of existing Ryodoraku related articles for applying to U-health : articles investigating feasibility applying Ryodoraku to meridian diagnosis and raising problems of it, articles providing recent research trends of Ryodoraku, Ryodoraku related articles considering usefulness for U-health, and articles confirming the repeatability and reproducity of Ryodoraku were included. Based on the review of the above Ryodoraku related articles, several application of Ryodoraku in the U-health care system. Conclusions : To make preparations for the increasing need of traditional Korean medicine due to rising morbidity rate of chronic geriatric degenerative diseases, it is necessary to appropriately apply Ryodoraku to the U-health care system. The application of Ryodoraku is as follows. 1. To use Ryodoraku additionally to the established diagnostic device of metabolic syndrome, CVA, coronary heart diseases, parkinson's diseases, degenerative joint disease, spondylosis. 2. To apply Ryodoraku to the symptoms or diseases having a tendency to be diagnosed by correlation between the affected meridian and the lesion such as headache, nuchal pain, shoulder pain, low back pain, sciatica, HNP, etc. 3. To secure the repeatability and reproducity of Ryodoraku. 4. To devise and develop Ryodoraku appliance in order to overcome the known drawbacks and to improve error of measurement.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.41-50
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• 2013

Objectives: As a newcomer to the medical tourism industry, Korea needs to differentiate itself from the leading competing countries to vitalize its early-stage medical tourism industry. This study aims to introduce a strategic plan to vitalize the Korean integrated medical tourism so that Korea can differentiate itself from competing countries and create high added value. Methods: The concept and actual conditions of medical tourism and Oriental medical tourism were examined. A plan to differentiate Korea from the competing countries in the medical tourism industry was studied to create high added-value through strategic vitalization of its medical tourism industry. Results: Korean integrated medical tourism must be developed differently from those of other South-East Asian countries in order to strategically promote the cash-cow medical tourism industry. In order to develop such medical tourism, Korean medical practice, which integrates Western and Oriental medicine, is to be developed through mutual understanding and fusion of other disciplines among medical doctors and Oriental medical doctors who are working in local healthcare for health promotion of local residents and disease prevention and control. This will play a key role in developing a unique medical tourism product of Korea by means of strategic alliances as an integrated medicine. Manpower specialized for integrated medicine is to be specially supplied for Oriental medicine-related business lines at city, county and borough levels, among local governments, that are enthusiastically carrying forward Oriental medical tourism with an interest to promoting more active and strategic business development and raise the effectiveness and efficiency of public health centers handling related medical tourism. Manpower specialized for Korean integrated medical tourism is to be specially supplied for the Ministry of Culture, Health and Tourism, a policy control tower to develop and vitalize high value-added fusion (theme) tourism products such as the Korean integrated medical tourism, in order to discover, promote and support Korean integrated medical tourism's differences from existing medical tourism. Conclusions: The differentiated integrated medical tourism that only Korea can offer in a variety of forms, in order to create a key area of high value-added medical tourism, should be strategically vitalized through a liaison between integrated medicine and tourism and the realization of patient-centered health care services with medical technology developed based on mutual understanding of Western and Oriental medicine.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.31-42
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• 2024

Objective : In order to understand the changes in domestic approval regulations applicable to traditional Korean medical device companies, this article will explain the major amendments 「Regulation on Medical Device Approval Report Review, etc.」 from 2005 to the present on a year-by-year basis, and provide a counter plan to the recent changes in approval regulations. Methods : We analysed the changes in approval regulatory amendments related to the traditional Korean medical devices from 2005 to the present. Results : The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is continuously improving medical device approval regulations to ensure the global competitiveness of domestic medical devices and contribute to the improvement of public health. Recent major approval regulatory amendments include the establishment of a review system for software medical devices and digital therapeutics, the recognition of real world evidence materials, the introduction of a biological evaluation of medical devices within a risk management process and a medical device approval licence renewal system. Conclusions : It is expected that the range of medical devices available to Korean medicine doctors will continue to expand in the future through the provision of non-face-to-face medical services and the development of advanced and new medical devices, as well as wearable medical devices and digital therapeutics. In order to increase the market entry potential of traditional Korean medical devices that incorporate advanced technologies such as digital technology and AI-based diagnosis and prediction technology, it is urgent that the government provide significant support to traditional Korean medical device companies to improve approval regulatory compliance.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.155-167
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• 2007

There are four types of human beings according to the Sasang Typology, Oriental medical doctors frequently prescribe healthcare information and treatment depending on one's type, The feature ratios (Table 1) on the human face are the most important criterions to decide which type a patient is. In this paper, we proposed a system to extract these feature ratios from the people's side face, There are two challenges in acquiring the feature ratio: one that selecting representative features; the other, that detecting region of interest from human profile facial image effectively and calculating the feature ratio accurately. In our system, an adaptive color model is used to separate human side face from background, and the method based on geometrical model is designed for region of interest detection. Then we present the error analysis caused by image variation in terms of image size and head pose, To verify the efficiency of the system proposed in this paper, several experiments are conducted using about 173 korean's left side facial photographs. Experiment results shows that the accuracy of our system is increased 17,99% after we combine the front face features with the side face features, instead of using the front face features only.