• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.323-332
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• 2015

This paper examines the level of the primary care continuity for patients with high blood pressure and the effects of the primary care continuity on their convergence health outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study. A total of 315,791 patients who had received new diagnoses of hypertension. We determined standard indices of continuity of care-MFPC, MMCI, and COC and evaluated their association with study outcomes over three years of follow-up. Outcome measures included hospitalization and emergency room visits. The result of the primary care continuity levels and hazard ratios of health outcome showed that, comparing continuity group, non-continuity group had higher rates of hospitalization by 1.655(95% CI: 1.547-1.771) and emergency room visits by 1.669(95% CI: 1.465-1.903). This paper argues that medical costs of chronic diseases will reduce if low continuity of care turns into high continuity of care.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.16-29
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect on depression and self-esteem in elders taking part in the Magma healing program. Methods: This study was a single group pre-post quasi-experimental design. The participants were elders over 60 who had complained of depression more than once within the last 3 months, and who were living in the jurisdiction of a health clinic in the 3-area of Chungnam. Data from 14 elders who participated in the Magma healing program were analyzed using nonparametric paired t-test with SPSS 25.0. Results: The study results showed that the Magma healing program had statistically significant results in reducing depression (z=-2.91, p=.004) and improving self-esteem (z=-2.91, p=.004) in elders. Conclusion: The Magma healing program has been proven to be a very useful program to reduce depression in elders and promote self-esteem, thereby integrating their lives and leading to successful aging.

• 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.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.671-676
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• 2012

Objectives: Screening for second primary cancer (SPC) is one of the key components of cancer survivorship care. The aim of the present study was to explore oncologists' experience with promoting second primary cancer screening. Methods: Two focus group interviews were conducted with 12 oncologists of diverse backgrounds. Recurrent issues were identified and placed into thematic categories. Results: Most of the oncologists did not consider SPC screening promotion as their responsibility and did not cover it in routine care. All of the study participants had experience with unexpected SPC cases, and they were under emotional tress. There was no systematic manner of providing SPC screening. Oncologists usually prescribe SPC screening in response to patients' requests, and there was no active promotion of SPC screening. Short consultation time, limited knowledge about cancer screening, no established guideline for SPC screening, and disagreement with patients about oncologists' roles were major barriers to its promotion. An institution-based shared care model was suggested as a potential solution for promoting SPC screening given current oncology practices in Korea. Conclusion: Oncologists could not effectively deal with the occurrence of SPC, and they were not actively promoting SPC screening. Lack of knowledge, limited health care resources, and no established guidelines were major barriers for promoting SPC screening to cancer survivors. More active involvement of oncologists and a systematic approach such as shared-care models would be necessary for promoting SPC screening considering increasing number of cancer survivors who are vulnerable.

• 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.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.103-113
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• 2017

There have been many achievements for 40 years since the introduction of compulsory health insurance. Despite many achievements, it has many challenges in health insurance. Aging, non-communicable disease, and low growth economy are threatening the sustainability of health insurance, and it is time to reform the health insurance. A long-term reform plan will be an absolute necessity for reform of health insurance and health care system. Health insurance and health care reform should be an extremely revolutionary content that completely changes the framework. This reform should deal with the philosophy of health, approach of medical education and doctor training, changing supply of medical service, the innovation of primary medical care, reform of public health system, the management of medical utilization, the integration of medical cure and care services, enhancing the benefit coverage, prohibition of covered and non-covered services, etc. Therefore, it is urgent to form a consensus on the necessity of reform, to establish the health insurance plan on this consensus, and to make efforts to make health insurance sustainable.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.12-14
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• 1988

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.86-111
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• 2006

Either ways of understanding health care as a commodity or public work are at opposite ends of health care spectrum. These two rival conceptions reflected by viewpoint(ideology) would lead to different directions in policy-making for health care reform. The purpose of this study is to access the value differences of experts' policy views about health care issues by analyzing the extent of consensus among experts in the field of health care. Using primary data obtained through a mail survey of 558 experts in the field of health care, we analyzed the differences of experts' opinions about characteristics of health care market, policy issues and values Gdeology). The study represents from 50-50 split analysis, entropy index, and factor analysis that the wide spread disagreements over health policy, which is a major barriers to effective policy-making, could be caused by the ideological perception differences among experts. This implies that, if values play an important role in policy-making, we should identify the differences in value and seek ways to balance among the diverse values such as efficiency, equity, freedom, and security. For this, the policy issues debated on differences in values should be reconciled for narrowing gaps of experts' perceptions through various ways.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.499-506
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• 2021

Objectives: This case - study was conducted to assess the oral health status change of the elderly through visiting oral care interventions based on a community health care project. Methods: Professional dental hygiene treatment and oral health education, including brushing using interdental toothbrushes and sponge brushes, were performed on three senior citizens who received home visiting oral health care benefit. Results: The subject's periodontal conditions improved including gingival inflammation and bleeding. The gingival color tured pink by controlling the dental plaque. Conclusions: Visiting oral health care contributed to the improvement of oral health of the elderly. Therefore, based on the characteristics of the elderly with various systemic diseases, it is necessary to discover various cases that can perform professional and customized visiting oral health care programs.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.29-58
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• 1996

This study was conducted to identify the factors that affect the output of health conters. An analystical model employed in this study was developed by modifying 'input-output model' and 'organizational behavior model'. Data were collected form two source; the 1995 report of thealth center which was submitted to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and a mail survey questionary of officers at health center, including 66 directors and 1,768 staffs of the health centers in southern region. The major findings are as follows: That analysis has identified the factors associated with dependent variables: medical services provided by the health center and health program performance(HPP). The number of primary medical facilities was negatively associated with health center performance while the number of staffs, job satisfaction, and professional background of health center directors were positively associated. These independent variables accounted for 40.1% of the variance of dependent variables. The variance of HPP was significantly explained by the number of health subcenter and primary health post, priority level of public health program by hief executive officers(CEOs) and legislator. A significant relationship was found between leadership types of health center directors and the performance of maternal and child health program. Considering these results, the authors suggested that the role in medical care service of health center in the should be rearranged at local level because medical care service of the health center is competing with primary medical facilities in the same region. It is also suggested that educational efforts be made to improve leadership of the health center directors and concern with public health program by the CEOs and legislators of local governments.