• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
• /
• v.12 no.12
• /
• pp.443-451
• /
• 2021

This study is a qualitative research using focus group interviews with disabled people and their families to understand the unmet healthcare needs perceived themselves and to analyze the experiences of 'The 2^nd pilot project for primary care for people with disabilities', from 9 to 17 February 2021. The subjects of the study was the disabled who can express their opinions (group 1) or the guardians of the subjects who can not express their opinions (group 2). The participants were interviewed for about 100 minutes for each group once or twice. As a result of this study, the factors regarding unmet healthcare needs were extracted in subject, provider, institutional, and socio-cultural aspects. Further, the factors resolved and unresolved by the pilot project were extracted. Based on the results, we can recommend that the expanded application to the visiting service, inclusion of doctors from various departments, multidisciplinary approach including physical or occupational therapists, minimizing disconnection among the hospitals and healthcare centers, improvement of service quality by collecting opinions from people with disabilities, and more publicity activities should be applied.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.224-238
• /
• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to identify factors associated with the self-rated health of married immigrant women in South Korea. Methods: Data, collected in August 2018, were derived from the 2018 National Multicultural Family Survey. Study subjects were 9,230 married immigrant women. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. Results: Of the study subjects, 23.2% rated their health as poor. Results showed that individual factors (age, ethnic affiliation, duration in South Korea, and depressive symptoms); social and community networks (relationship with spouse, parenting efficacy, Korean proficiency, perceived discrimination, social support, and social activities); and living and working conditions (life satisfaction and unmet heath needs) were associated with health. Married immigrant women in their 50s or older, living in Korea for more than 15 years, experiencing depressive symptoms, low life satisfaction, and having unmet health needs were especially at high risk of poor health. Conclusion: More detailed health policy that considers age, length of stay, and country of origin. To prevent the rapidly deteriorating health of married immigrant women after middle age, mental health support should be given priority, and systematic improvement is needed to increase accessibility healthcare services.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.77-92
• /
• 2011

Objectives : This study examined the health policy researchers' needs and their accessibility towards health insurance claim datasets according to their academic capacity. Methods : An online questionnaire to capture relevant proxy variables for academic needs, accessibility, and research capacity was constructed based on previous studies. The survey was delivered to active health policy researchers through three major scholarly associations in South Korea. Seven-hundred and one scholars responded while the survey as open for 12 days (starting on December 20th, 2010). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were carried out. Results : Regardless of the definition for operational needs, the prevalent needs of survey respondents were not met with the current provision of claim data. Greater research capacity was shown to be correlated with increased demand for claim data along with a positive correlation between attempts to obtain claim datasets and research capacity. A greater research capacity, however, was not necessarily correlated with better accessibility to the claim data. Conclusions : The substantial unmet need for claim data among the healthcare policy research community calls for establishing proactive institutions which could systematically prepare and make available public datasets and provide call-in services to facilitate proper handling of data.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.129-136
• /
• 2021

Objectives: This study examined demographic factors hampering access to healthcare at hospitals and suggests policy approaches to improve healthcare management in Thailand. Methods: The data for the study were drawn from a health and welfare survey conducted by the National Statistical Office of Thailand in 2017. The population-based health and welfare survey was systematically carried out by skilled interviewers, who polled 21 519 384 individuals. The independent variables related to demographic data (age, sex, religion, marital status, education, occupation, and area of residence), chronic diseases, and health insurance coverage. The dependent variable was the degree of access to healthcare. Multiple logistic regression analysis was subsequently performed on the variables found to be significant in the univariate analysis. Results: Only 2.5% of the population did not visit a hospital when necessary for outpatient-department treatment, hospitalization, or the provision of oral care. The primary reasons people gave for not availing themselves of the services offered by government hospitals when they were ill were-in descending order of frequency-insufficient time to seek care, long hospital queues, travel inconvenience, a lack of hospital beds, unavailability of a dentist, not having someone to accompany them, and being unable to pay for the transportation costs. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that failure to access the health services provided at hospitals was associated with demographic, educational, occupational, health welfare, and geographic factors. Conclusions: Accessibility depends not only on health and welfare benefit coverage, but also on socioeconomic factors and the degree of convenience associated with visiting a hospital.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.271-281
• /
• 2024

Background: The unmet healthcare needs (UHNs) of people with disabilities (PWD) are not only detrimental to their quality of life but also can lead to serious health outcomes including death. A variety of factors including socioeconomic, personal, and environmental factors affect UHNs for PWD. Previous studies focused on individual socioeconomic and disability characteristics as influencing factors. Our studies included environmental factors that have a significant impact on the use of healthcare service by PWD. Methods: We analyzed the UHNs status and influencing factors among 4,326 adults with disabilities using the Korea Disability Life Data. Chisquare analysis identified differences in UHNs by general, disability, and environmental characteristics. Logistic regression determined factors affecting UHNs. Results: Those with low educational level (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.229; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.024-1.475), those with low income level (aOR, 1.416; 95% CI, 1.015-1.976), those who enrolled in private insurance (aOR, 1.234; 95% CI, 1.018-1.496), those who need help with daily living (aOR, 1.298; 95% CI, 1.059-1.592), those who did not go out (OR, 1.566; 95% CI, 1.274-1.924), those who use taxis (aOR, 1.407; 95% CI, 1.047-1.891) or call taxi for people with disabilities when going to the hospital (aOR, 1.370; 95% CI, 1.001-1.875), the communication disabled (aOR, 1.304; 95% CI, 1.029-1.651), those with poor subjective health status (aOR, 1.248; 95% CI, 1.043-1.494), those who felt the explanation of treatment results was insufficient (aOR, 4.035; 95% CI, 1.365-11.927), hose dissatisfied with healthcare services (aOR, 3.515; 95% CI, 2.741-4.508) were more likely to experience UHNs. Conclusion: Effective healthcare service provision for PWD requires not only financial assistance but also social support, along with education for healthcare staff, policies that consider the characteristics of disabilities.

• Journal of Society of Occupational Therapy for the Aged and Dementia
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2018

Objective : The aim of this study was to compare the sociodemographic characteristics, depression, quality of life, and unmet medical need in elders with and without limitation of activity by aging or dementia. Method : The data were used for raw data of seventh national health and nutrition examination survey (2016). We compared sociodemographic characteristics, depression, quality of life, and unmet medical needs between elders with limitation of activity by aging or dementia (n = 32) and elders without limitation of activity (n = 1201). Result : Elders with limitation of activity were significantly older than elders without limitation of activity (p<.001), income was lower (p<.05) and married status had more bereavement (p<.001). The elders with limitation of activity had higher depression (p<.001) and lower quality of life (p<.001) than elders without limitation of activity. Unmet medical need was greater than elders without limitation of activity (p<.001). Conclusion : Elders with limitation of activity showed that they did not receive enough medical services than elders without limitation of activity. These results suggest that the welfare system for the health care of population with aging or dementia needs to be improved.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.81-85
• /
• 2023

Background: It was to describe collaborative educational efforts under Coronavirus disease 2019 period to advocate pharmacy-based immunization delivery and meet unmet needs of partnership institution using virtual learning platforms. Methods: A partnership was established among three pharmacy schools from two countries. The class content included the history of pharmacy immunization, pharmacists' roles and contribution to public health of the USA. The class also reviewed the value of pharmacists as frontline healthcare workers to foster student insights and the scope of pharmacy. The virtual class featured an interactive video simulation and small breakroom discussion besides a lecture. Results: Participants indicated that public accessibility to pharmacy and six-year education system in South Korea as advantages. However, legislative restrictions, pharmacist burden, and interprofessional disagreements were expressed as barriers to introduce the pharmacist immunization. Conclusion: A virtual learning platform was used to advocate for pharmacy-based immunization and fulfilled an unmet educational gap at a partnership institution.

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2024

The study aims to comprehend the health needs of multicultural families, identify relevant policies, and explore ways to enhance health information accessibility through Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Employing a qualitative research method, the health status of multicultural families was analyzed through literature review, followed by in-depth interviews. The findings revealed a lower priority given to health policies for multicultural families compared to other governmental sectors, with limited discussion on leveraging ICT for improved accessibility. In-depth interviews highlighted four main themes: "Early experiences in Korean society," "Language barriers in medical facilities," "Unmet healthcare needs for various reasons," and "High demand for health-related services." To safeguard health rights and enhance information accessibility, we recommend strengthening linguistic support in healthcare institutions, implementing government efforts for multicultural families, and designing user-centered ICT platforms.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.621-629
• /
• 2017

According to the rapid population aging and the increase of the number of people with chronic diseases, the digital healthcare services are getting more and more attention. Recent improvement in information technology has expanded the consumers of digital healthcare service from the patients to the general population. Therefore, there is a growing need for studies on the status and needs of digital healthcare users in general. This study conducted a survey of 1,000 people on their perception and attitude about four areas of digital healthcare: internet health information service, smartphone healthcare application, wearable device, and u-health. The questionnaire asked the respondents about their past experience of using digital healthcare services, the purpose of use and point to be improved. The respondents were also asked about new type and contents of digital healthcare service which they would like to use. The survey results will help developers of digital healthcare service by improving their understanding and identifying unmet needs from the general population.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.267-271
• /
• 2023

Background: The objective of this study is to identify the working conditions and health status of Vietnamese male migrant workers in Republic of Korea, in comparison to the Korean general population. Methods: We conducted our survey through the Migrant People Center, and we received completed questionnaires from 87 male Vietnamese migrant workers. The questionnaire employed was identical to those used in the Korean Working Conditions Survey and the 2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The collected data from the Vietnamese migrant workers was then compared with the Korean reference population using indirect age-standardization. Results: Vietnamese male workers demonstrated a higher prevalence of health problems including hearing problems (age-standardized prevalence ratio (aSPR) 13.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.07-20.4), skin problems (aSPR 13.49, 95% CI: 8.07-20.4), and low back pain (aSPR 8.40, 95% CI: 6.50-10.69). Elevated exposure to workplace hazards such as chemicals (aSPR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.51-3.51), organic solvents (aSPR 2.22, 95% CI: 1.44-3.28), handling of heavy objects (aSPR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.24-2.21), and high temperatures (aSPR 1.96, 95% CI: 1.46-2.57) was observed among them. Additionally, they faced a higher risk of no personal protective equipment (aSPR 2.53, 95% CI: 1.26-4.52) and a greater prevalence of unmet medical needs (aSPR 7.14, 95% CI: 4.74-10.32). Conclusion: Our findings highlight the elevated workplace hazards, health problems, and unmet medical needs among Vietnamese male workers compared to the Korean reference population. These findings underscores the urgency for enhanced scrutiny over working conditions and protective equipment provision, coupled with efforts to improve healthcare accessibility and worker education.