• Health Policy and Management
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.85-108
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• 2012

One of the ways to achieve the principle of equal access for equal needs, availability and geographical accessibility of health care resources regardless of resident sites is important. The purpose of this paper is to measure socioeconomic inequities in distribution of health care resources among regions in the Republic of Korea (hereafter Korea). Data were extracted from regional statistics of National Health Insurance, Community Health Survey, Korea Social Science Data Archive, and Korean Statistical Information Services at the same period of 2009. The dependent variables were the number of health workforce and health care facilities in each region. The proxy indicator of regional socioeconomic status was local tax per person. To identify whether inequalities among regions, we examined the concentration index(CI) and indirectly standardized CI by controlling each region's demographics and need factors. Total observations were 232 districts in nationwide, and we analyzed separately Seoul(25 districts) and non-Seoul areas(207 districts). The standardized CI values of health care resources were positive(favoring the rich region) across the nation in almost all kinds of resources. Especially the number of specialist, dentist, dental clinics, clinics, oriental medical clinics, pharmacists, and pharmacies were statistically significantly favoring the rich region. But the CI for the number of long-term care hospitals, public health centers were negative(favoring the poor region). The tendency of CI presenting positive values were increased in Seoul area. But in the case of non-Seoul, the CI indexes were nearly zero. The results suggest that except the Seoul area, little regional socioeconomic-related inequalities were observed in the distribution of health care resources in Korea.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.37-50
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• 2015

Objective : In order to understand the scale of medicinal expenditure in the Korean medicine, an analysis has been made of Korean National Health Account and statistic archives used to estimate the Korean National Health Account and also of such archives as are contributory to learn the scale of total health expenditures in the Korean medicine. Method : From the Korean National Health Account archives, an analysis has been made of National health insurance statistic annual reports, National health insurance non-payment items, Korean Economic Census (The Service Industy Survey), and Korea Health Panel data. Moreover, in order to know the sales of overall Korean medicine clinics, relevant data have been utilized and cited from investigations into National tax statistics, Korean medicine medical institutions and Korean medicines used, and current states of medicinal herbs and Korean medicine industry. Results : It is found that the average scale of each section of the medical expenditures archives in the Korean medicine in 2012 was KRW 3.5638 billion and that the average medical expenditures in the Korean medicine derived from Total Health Expenditure, The Service Industy Survey, National tax statistic, and Korean medicine industry are approximately KRW 3.3901, 3.4796, 3.7218 and 3.9634 billion. And the average expenditures derived from National health insurance patients and Korea Health Panel data are 2.5162 and 2.2292 billion won and those from the users and consumers of Korean medicines and herbs are 5.6,461 billion won. In order to verify the appropriateness of estimated medical expenditures in the Korean medicine included in the archives, an analysis has been made of uninsured costs which come from the aggregate sales amount surveyed minus health insurance treatment expenditures and it is found that the ratio of insured costs against total health expenditures in 2006 was 50.67% and 41.92% in 2012 and that the ratio based on National tax statistics and The Service Industy Survey was 52.19% and 49.28% in 2006 and 50.54% and 50.64% in 2012 and that the ratio of uninsured costs against Korean medicines and herbs and Korean medicine industry was 37.5% and 58.27% in 2013. Conclusion : It calls for the improvement of the accuracy of an investigation into Total Health Expenditure which comprise the actual conditions of health insurance and Korea Health Panel, the development of statistic schemes for understanding and classifying medical expenditures of all the Korean medicine medicinal institutions like medicinal clinics, and enhanced methods for independent panels to comprehensively collect and analyze the number of sampled Korean medicine medical institutions.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.147-159
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• 2012

Objectives: Systems related to the production, authorization, and listing for insurance of herbal medicine products were compared between South Korea and Taiwan to illuminate herbal medicine products system issues in South Korea. Methods: Papers, and laws and policies related to the production, authorization, and listing for insurance of herbal medicine products in South Korea and Taiwan are analyzed to create the primary documents. The documents from South Korea were screened with the advice of a specialist, while those from Taiwan have been verified through local investigation and with the help of a related specialist. The screened documents were then compared and analyzed in the order of the systems related to the production, authorization, and listing for insurance of herbal medicine products. Results: The systems related to the production of herbal medicine products satisfy GMP requirements in both countries, while Taiwan has more specialized systems related to the production of herbal medicine products and a more strict authorization program as compared to South Korea. While South Korea has most of the herbal medicine products classified as non-prescription drugs, Taiwan has them as prescription drugs. And while South Korea does not allow new herbal medicine products to be listed for insurance, Taiwan allows for once-a-year application toward listing for insurance. Conclusions: In order to ensure the safe and effective use of herbal medicine products, systems related to the production, authorization, and listing for insurance of herbal medicine products are to be established, while the categorization of medicine products principally used by Korean medicine doctors should be prepared. Furthermore, prescription by a Korean medicine doctor for new drugs made with natural products and their listing for insurance need to be encouraged.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.11
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• pp.617-623
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• 2014

This study aims to organize the pharmacological component of native chicken(NC) by analyzing the bill presented in traditional medicine NC relevant literature. And the analyze the heterogeneity and the common prescription of chicken that a variety of traditional technologies to existing treatment books private data to organize information about the scientific verification. After the analysis by building a DB and want a prescription to traditional book, herbal medicine usability throughout the assessment of the special treatment provided the basis for further product and a variety of functional food development. In addition, the continued expansion of the country and future growth engine industry related businesses through added value of cultural knowledge resources. NC of the relevant search and information system for prescription knowledge. so standardized, conceptualization, formalization is to build a knowledge of traditional medicine NC recipe DB assess the usefulness of medical literature through interdisciplinary research systems to suggest practical ways of alternative medicine and functional food development.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.143-159
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• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the current status of and seek for measures to activate Korean medicine in stroke care. Methods: This is an e-mail survey targeting the members of Korean medical doctors registered at the association of Korean medicine. The project team of the society of stroke on Korean medicine for the development of clinical practice guideline for stroke has devised the items for the questionnaire. The survey was conducted for 15 days in November 2016. Results: The percentage of the respondents who have treated patients with stroke for the past month was 11.2% in the acute phase, 20.5% in the convalescent phase, and 32.4% in the chronic phase. Approximately 80% of the respondents answered they had a decrease in the number of patients compared to 10 years ago, regardless of the stroke phase. Most of the respondents were using Western medicine together with traditional Korean medicine for physical examination. Acupuncture and herbal medicine were the main therapeutic interventions. The two measures chosen by the most respondents to activate the Korean medicine usage for stroke care were the expansion of the insurance coverage (34.9%) and the generation of evidence on the effectiveness of traditional Korean medicine (25.1%) Conclusion: It is necessary to actively show the role of the Korean medicine through the establishment of the evidence on the effectiveness of Korean medicine and the promotion based on the evidence. In addition, optimal treatment methods should be derived based on the traditional knowledge and modern scientific research and the methods should be educated to every Korean medical clinics and hospitals so that they can be implemented in clinical practice. At the same time, the government should provide policy support to ensure that the optimal treatment can be timely and appropriately implemented.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.25-53
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• 1999

This study was conducted to provide basic data for policy of Oriental medicine by analyzing community residents' consciousness of taking herb medicine and its related factors. Data were collected from 1478 residents from March 2, 1999 to May 31, 1999. The results of this study are summarized as follows. 1. According to general characteristics of the subjects, 52.3% of the subjects was 'female'; 25.0% 'fifties of age'; 21.4% 'forties of age'; 20.9% 'thirties of ages'; 69.1% 'married'; 60.1% 'resident in a big city'; 12.1% 'residents in a small town or village'; 39.0% 'highschool graduate'; 35.9% 'above college graduate'; 23.4% 'housewife'; 23.4% 'professional' 34.1% 'Buddhist'; 81.1% 'middle class'. 2. The rate of experience of taking herb medicine was 85.2%(88.2% of 'male'; 82.5% of 'female'). It appeared to be significantly higher in the groups of 'the married', 'housewife', and 'Buddhist'. As the age increased, so the rate of experience of taking herb medicine was significantly high. 3. In case of purpose of taking herb medicine, taking herb medicine as a restorative(66.8%) was much higher than taking it as a curative medicine. Taking herb medicine as a curative medicine appeared to be significantly higher in the groups of 'male', 'thirties of age', 'resident in a town or village', 'above college graduate', 'professional technician', 'Christian', and 'the upper class'. 4. 52.1% of the respondents satisfied with the effect of herb medicine. The groups of 'male', 'older age', 'residents in a big city', 'insurant in company', and 'the employed' showed significantly high rate in satisfying with herb medicine than the other groups. 5. According to the reason for preferring herb medicine, 36.7% of the respondents preferred herb medicine because the herb medicine was effective, while 27.8% preferred it because its side effect was low. 16.7% preferred it. because persons around them recommended it. The preference for the herb medicine displayed significantly higher rate in the groups 'sixties of age', 'the unmarried', 'resident in a big city', 'office clerk', and 'the lower class'. 6. 42.6% of the respondents did not want to take the herb medicine because the price of the herb medicine was high. Also 20.6% of the respondents did not want to take herb medicine because it is uneasy to take herb medicine. 15.8% did not want to take it because certain foods should not be taken during the period of taking it. 9.4% did not want to take it because it tasted bitter. 7. In case of opinions on side effects of herb medicine, 40.8% of the respondents thinks that herb medicine is free from side effects, while 37.5% thinks that it causes side effects. There were significant difference in the opinions on side effects by sex, age, marital status, resident area, education level, occupation, and type of health insurance. 8. 60.7% of the respondents thinks the price of herb medicine is not resonable, while only 10.9% thinks it is resonable. 9. 14.2% of the respondents thinks health foods which contain herbs are good, while 16.8% thinks it is bad. 76.7% thinks that medicinal herbs in packages must be included in health insurance coverage, while only 3.0% thinks it needs not be included in health insurance coverage. 10. 45.2% of the respondents uses packs of decocted herbs although they think the packs of decocted herb are a little low effective because decocting herbs in home is bothersome. 45.2% uses packs of decocted herbs because they are convenient, being not related to the effect. 7.6% takes medicinal herbs after decocting them in a clay pot because they think the packs of decocted herbs have low effect. 11. According to the level of satisfaction with Oriental medical care, the respondents marked $3.47{\pm}0.64$ points on the base of 5 points. It was significantly higher in the groups of 'male', 'the married, resident in a big city', 'highschool graduate', 'the unemployed', 'office clerk', 'growing up in a big city', 'insurant in region', and 'the middle class'. 12. According to the result of a regression analysis of factors influencing preference for herb medicine, the factors displayed significant difference by sex, age, education level, health status, and times of receiving Oriental medical care. As shown in the above results, the community residents satisfy with the effect of herb medicine. Therefore, the method of taking herb medicine without difficulty must be devised. The medicinal herbs in packages need to be included in health insurance coverage and resonable price of herb medicine must be set. Also, education program for community residents must be developed in order to provide right information in herb medicine. Therefore, related public authority, associations, and professionals must make efforts, forming organic cooperative system.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.61-81
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• 2002

The purposes of this research were to investigate home care rehabilitation services in rural areas and to collect basic data about disabled persons necessary when for carrying out rehabilitation services. Respondents were selected from six of a total of eight townships (Myon) and one town (Eup) in the Wonju city area. Wonju is in Kangwon Province (Do). Of a total of 338 names provided by the Myon offices, 298 persons were located and included registered and non-registered persons. Conditions included stroke, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy in addition to disabilities classified as first, second or third degree, in the case of registered cases. Respondent demographic characteristics, medical characteristics, rehabilitation service needs, willingness to receive rehabilitation service and individual opinions regarding rehabilitation services were analysed by frequency and percentage. The results were as follows: 1) Rehabilitation services received by disabled persons living at home in the rural areas surrounding Wonju city were medical rehabilitation (41.7%), diagnosis (36.5%), rehabilitation assistive devices (7.6%), social assistance (7.1%), rehabilitation counseling (3.0%), vocational rehabilitation (1.8%), educational rehabilitation (1.6%) and housekeeping services (0.5%). The majority of rehabilitation services were medical rehabilitation provided at hospitals and oriental medicine hospitals. 2) Sixty point eight percent of respondents expressed their willingness to receive home care rehabilitation services. Needs expressed were highest for medical rehabilitation (27.0%), followed by social assistance (19.4%), medical examination (12.4%), physician-generated diagnosis in the home setting (11.6%), sociopsychological rehabilitation (9.3%), vocational rehabilitation (7.6%), rehabilitation engineering (6.0%), educational rehabilitation (3.3%), and housekeeping services (3.3%). 3) Rehabilitation service needs were analyzed by severity classification: 65.8% of first degree, 62.7% of second degree and 55.6% of third degree disability classification, and 62.7% of non-registered disabled individuals responded that rehabilitation service was necessary. 4) Rehabilitation service needs were also analyzed by diagnosis: 62.6% of stroke, 85.5% of amputation, 60.0% of spinal cord injury and 52.4% of traumatic brain injury respondents answered positively that they were willing to receive rehabilitation service if it were to be provided. Rehabilitation service utilization data of disabled individuals living at home in rural areas were investigated and their rehabilitation needs analyzed. This critical information can be used when community-based rehabilitation programs for disabled persons living at home are planned for provision out of a public health center or when community-based rehabilitation welfare policy is formulated.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.15-35
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• 2002

This study was conducted to provide basic data for policy of Oriental medicine by analyzing community resident's consciousness of taking herb medicine and its related factors. Data were collected from 1478 residents from March 2, 2001 to May 31, 2001. The results of this study are summarized as follows. 1) The rate of experience of taking herb medicine was 85.2%(88.2% of 'male'; 82.5% of 'female'). It appeared to be significantly higher in the groups of 'the married', 'housewife', and 'Buddhist'. As the age increased, so the rate of experience of taking herb medicine was significantly high. 2) In case of purpose of taking herb medicine, taking herb medicine as a restorative(66.8%) was much higher than taking it as a curative medicine. 3) 52.1% of the respondents satisfied with the effect of herb medicine. The groups of 'male', 'older age', 'residents in a big city', 'insurant in company', and 'the employed' showed significantly high rate in satisfying with herb medicine than the other groups. 4) According to the reason for preferring herb medicine, 36.7% of the respondents preferred herb medicine because the herb medicine was effective, while 27.8% preferred it because its side effect was low. 16.7% preferred it because persons around them recommended it. 5) 42.6% of the respondents did not want to take the herb medicine because the price of the herb medicine was high. Also 20.6% of the respondents did not want to take herb medicine because it is uneasy to take herb medicine. 15.8% did not want to take it because certain food should not be taken during the period of taking it. 9.4% did not want to take it because it tasted bitter. 6) In case of opinions on side effects of herb medicine, 40.8% of the respondents thinks that herb medicine is free from side effects, while 37.5% thinks that it causes side effects. There were significant difference in the opinions on side effects by sex, age, marital status, resident area, education level, occupation, and type of health insurance. 7) 60.7% of the respondents thinks the price of herb medicine is not resonable, while only 10.9% thinks it is resonable. 8) 45.2% of the respondents uses packs of decocted herbs although they think the packs of decocted herb are a little low effective because decocting herbs in home is bothersome. 45.2% uses packs of decocted herbs because they are convenient, being not related to the effect. 7.6% takes medicinal herbs after decocting them in a clay pot because they think the packs of decocted herbs have low effect. 51.9% does not know whether taking herb medicine in summer is effective or not because the effect is different according to their physical constitutions. 35.5% thinks that taking herb medicine is summer is effective because their physical stamina is weakened after sweated a lot, while 12.6% thinks that it is not effective because the effect of herb medicine disappears with sweat. 9) According to the level of satisfaction with Oriental medical care, the respondents marked $3.47{\pm}0.64$ points on the base of 5 points. It was significantly higher in the groups of 'male', 'the married, resident in a big city', 'highschool graduate', 'the unemployed', 'office clerk', 'growing up in a big city', 'insurant in region', and 'the middle class'. 10) According to the result of a regression analysis of factors influencing preference for herb medicine, the factors displayed significant difference by sex, age, education level, health status, and times of receiving Oriental medical care. As shown in the above results, the community residents satisfy with the effect of herb medicine. Therefore, the method of taking herb medicine without difficulty must be devised. The medicinal herbs in packages need to be included in health insurance coverage and resonable price of herb medicine must be set. Also, education program for community residents must be developed in order to provide right information in herb medicine. Therefore, related public authority, associations, and professionals must make efforts, forming organic cooperative system.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.439-444
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• 2015

This study analyzes the chicken-related prescription shown in the literature summarized by standing tradition deliberate aims to investigate the clinical efficacy of native chickens. Therefore, The old traditional medicine books of native chickens translate and organize the relevant prescriptions. The manuscript old documents is prescribed by the old central documents sourced directly from generation to generation descendants technical publishing contemporary situation sake of the development of this unique formulation not only contemporary who established himself through numerous trials and errors. Browse almost circular in traditional medicine prescription, which is scattered throughout the country is difficult, and because of the loss can not be confirmed even its existence. This study is to establish the analysis and separated by organized to establish a database on the basis of prescription and mixed herbs in a variety of functional foods developed through usability evaluation methods of treatment. Therefore, the management systems of native chickens related to lack of knowledge and information to foster the continued expansion and specialized training and knowledge of the future growth engine industry through the added value of cultural projects of national knowledge resources. Finally, convergence research and evaluate the usefulness of native chickens through interdisciplinary research systems, and practical measures of functional foods and alternative medicine are presented as well.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.92-101
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to study complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) used among cancer patients in Korea. Method: This study was a descriptive survey. Study participants were 1,150 cancer patients selected from 28 representative hospitals in Korea. Data were collected between December 1, 2004 and March 30, 2005. Results: Their diagnosis were as follows : 20.0% for breast cancer, 15.6% for stomach cancer, 14.4% for liver cancer, 10.8% for lung cancer, 10.0% for colon cancer, and 10.0% for uterine cancer. 75.0% of cancer patients had used CAM. The most popular categories of CAM use were diet with 153.2%, non- prescription of oriental medical doctor 47.9% and mind-body control 20.3%. CAM use gender, age, cancer type, cancer treatment method, and current treatment type was significantly different in. Conclusion: CAM use among cancer patients in Korea was very popular(75.0%) and so systemic guidelines of CAM use are needed.