• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.456-468
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• 2020

This exploratory study, related to the introduction of Western-style family doctors, was conducted based on a comparative survey of medical care satisfaction in foreign residents of the U.S. and Canada based on a consumer-centered perspective. As a result of statistical analysis based on 493 collections of empirical data from 2016 to 2018, the main conclusions of this study are as follows. First, there was no evidence that satisfaction with US and Canadian family doctors was higher than the satisfaction with Korean primary care physicians. Second, satisfaction with Korean primary care physicians was high with regard to treatment, promptness, etc., and there was no evidence that foreign family doctor systems were better in terms of sufficient counseling and explanation. Third, overseas Koreans in the United States showed less satisfaction with their family doctors than Koreans in Canada. Fourth, overseas Koreans preferred to visit a hospital directly, without a referral from the family doctor. In conclusion, there is insufficient evidence showing that satisfaction with family doctors in the U.S. and Canada is higher than satisfaction with primary care doctors in Korea. Therefore, a more in-depth, additional analysis on the Western-style family doctor is needed before introducing such a system in Korea.