• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.148-152
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• 2016

The hospital readmission rate has been widely used as an indicator of the quality of hospital care in many countries. However, the transferrability of this indicator that has been developed in a different health care system can be questioned. We reviewed what should be considered when using the risk-standardized readmission rate (RSRR) as a generic quality indicator in the Korean setting. We addressed the relationship between RSRR and the quality of hospital care, methodological aspects of RSRR, and use of RSRR for external purposes. These issues can influence the validity of the readmission rate as a generic quality indicator. Therefore RSRR should be used with care and further studies are needed to enhance the validity of the readmission rate indicator.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.210-223
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• 2013

Backgrounds: Escalating pharmaceutical expenditure has threatened the sustainability of National Health Insurance system in Korea. Generic medicines allow patients to access safe, effective, high-quality medicines at low cost, thus insurers could achieve significant financial savings by promotion of generics, if they are priced much lower than the originator. The purpose of this study was to review generic pricing as well as promotion policies in other countries and assess the implication of those policies. Methods: We reviewed the main measures adopted by the developed countries such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, especially in countries where governments are the largest third-party payers or insurance finance resource is the national health insurance. Results: The foreign countries's experience with generic medicine policy shows that demand-side policies such as physician budgets, international nonproprietary name prescribing, generics substitution, patients co-payment as well as supply-side policies relating to pricing and reimbursement seems to play a critical role in developing the generic medicines market. Conclusion: Various strategy should be implemented to promote generic drug use.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.105-118
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• 2018

Generic medicine (GM), which is an alternative drug product for branded medicine (BM), is used less in Japan than in other OECD countries. Therefore, we investigate why the medical consumers of Japan avoid the use of GMs even though the efficacy and safety of the medicines have already been proven. We theorize that effectiveness or risk of GMs are related to the consumer attitude toward GMs is affected by the behavioral approach/activation system (BAS) which promotes actions to reach the desired state, and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) which suppresses behaviors to avoid negative outcomes. To see which of the BAS and BIS dimensions are related to GM usage, we surveyed 374 Japanese consumers and found that Quality, Efficacy, Safety, & Cost-effectiveness with the BAS, and Functional Risk, Financial Risk, Social Risk, Physical Risk, Psychological Risk, & Time Risk with the BIS had a significant effect on consumer attitude to GMs. These results are important in that they 1), confirm the role of BAS/BIS in attitudes to GMs, 2), provide guidelines when marketing GMs, 3), help governments promote the use of GMs as a cost-saving measure, and 4), guide future surveys regarding consumer attitudes to GMs.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.101-113
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• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a competency model for the Korean medicine doctors and find application plans for the future education in Korean medicine. Methods: Based on literature review, we drafted a competency model framework for modeling and defined competencies using generic model overlay method. Also we conducted a FGI with 20 extension specialists in Korean medicine to validate competency model. Results: Findings are 5 domains and 15 competencies. 5 domains have optimal patient care, reasonable communication skill, professionalism enhancement, performing social accountability, and efficient clinical management. 3 competencies are included in 5 domains each. With this model, 4 ways of application plans are shown to apply for the future competency-based education in Korean medicine. Conclusion: Developed 2016 competency model for the Korean medicine doctors can be a first huge step to innovate education in Korean medicine toward competency-based educational system.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.38-59
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• 2017

Objectives: Few attempts have been made to develop a generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument and to examine its validity and reliability in Korea. We aimed to do this in our present study. Methods: After a literature review of existing generic HRQoL instruments, a focus group discussion, in-depth interviews, and expert consultations, we selected 30 tentative items for a new HRQoL measure. These items were evaluated by assessing their ceiling effects, difficulty, and redundancy in the first survey. To validate the HRQoL instrument that was developed, known-groups validity and convergent/discriminant validity were evaluated and its test-retest reliability was examined in the second survey. Results: Of the 30 items originally assessed for the HRQoL instrument, four were excluded due to high ceiling effects and six were removed due to redundancy. We ultimately developed a HRQoL instrument with a reduced number of 20 items, known as the Health-related Quality of Life Instrument with 20 items (HINT-20), incorporating physical, mental, social, and positive health dimensions. The results of the HINT-20 for known-groups validity were poorer in women, the elderly, and those with a low income. For convergent/discriminant validity, the correlation coefficients of items (except vitality) in the physical health dimension with the physical component summary of the Short Form 36 version 2 (SF-36v2) were generally higher than the correlations of those items with the mental component summary of the SF-36v2, and vice versa. Regarding test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient of the total HINT-20 score was 0.813 (p<0.001). Conclusions: A novel generic HRQoL instrument, the HINT-20, was developed for the Korean general population and showed acceptable validity and reliability.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.114-120
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• 2017

The hospital standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) is a widely used generic measure for assessing quality of hospital care in many countries. However, the validity of HSMR as a quality indicator is still controversial. We critically reviewed characteristics of HSMR and suggested how to use HSMR as a quality indicator in the Korean setting. The association between HSMR and other quality measures of hospital care is inconclusive. In addition current HSMR model has shortcomings in risk adjustment because of the lack of clinical data, accuracy of disease coding, coding variation among hospitals, end-of-life care issues, and so on. Therefore, HSMR should be used as an indicator for improvement, not for judgement such as public reporting and pay-for-performance. More efforts will be needed to tackle practical and methodological weaknesses of HSMR in the Korean setting.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.300-301
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• 2000

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.68-73
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• 2005

Pharmacogenomics research requires an intelligent integration of large-scale genomic and clinical data with public and private knowledge resources. We developed a web-based knowledge base for KPRN (Korea Pharmacogenomics Research Network, http://kprn.snubi. org/). Four major types of information is integrated; genetic variation, drug information, disease information, and literature annotation. Eighteen Korean pharmacogenomics research groups in collaboration have submitted 859 genotype data sets for 91 disease-related genes. Integrative analysis and visualization of the large collection of data supported by integrated biomedical path­ways and ontology resources are provided with a user-friendly interface and visualization engine empowered by Generic Genome Browser.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.1 s.21
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• pp.1-6
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• 1977

The physicochemical equivalencies of drugs are not usually correlate to the generic equivalencies of drugs and the generic equivalencies of drugs produced by different manufacturers or different formulations are being called in question frequently. The bioabailability of two formulations of oxytetracycline and erythromycin stearate were performed in healthy human volunteers. At the same time, the disintegration testes were performed with randomly sampled materials in question. For the biological evaluation of new oxytetracycline formulation; tablet(250mg), two-way cross over study in 10 healthy young volunteers was performed using oxytetracycline capsule (250mg) as reference, Erythromycin stearate (250mg) tablets and capsules produced by different manufacturers were compared in a two-way cross over study in 12 subjects with same manner of oxytetracyclines. oxytetracycline tablets showed somewhat slow disintegration rate, but appeared not statistical differences in serum concentrations from the reference, up to six hours after ingestion. Erythromycin stearate capsules disintegrated more rapidly than enteric coated tablets. Serum concentrations of capsules were more variable and markedly lower (P<.005 after 2hrs) than the enteric coated tablets. Rapid disintegration of capsules may result in destruction of active chemicals owing to the interaction with gastric acid and the above factor may contribute mainly to the low serum level after ingestion of capsules.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.95-115
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• 2013

Objectives The aim of this review is to provide fundamental data for low back pain scales which can be used in clinical trial. Methods We investigated the latest studies on chronic low back pain via PubMed. And we also investigated domestic studies through "http://oasis.kiom.re.kr". 95 research papers were analyzed. Scales were classified into pain scale, function scale, generic health status scale and psychological scale. Results 1) According to foreign clinical studies, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) were used 18 times as pain scale. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used 20 times as function scale, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) was 17, and Hannover Functional Ability Questionnaire (HFAQ) was used 3 times. 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used 13 times as generic health status scale, Euroqol-5 Dimentions Questionnaire (EQ-5D) was 11, and 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) was used 3 times. Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) was used 9 times as psychological scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-R) both were used 3 times. 2) According to domestic clinical studies, VAS was used 37 times as pain scale, NRS was 11, and Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) was used 6 times. ODI was used 30 times as function scale, RMDQ was 2 times only. SF-36 was used once as generic health status scale and Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) was used 3 times as psychological scale. Conclusions We recommend VAS or NRS as a measure to evaluate pain, and ODI as a measure to evaluate functional disability. And we also recommend SF-36 or SF-12 and EQ-5D as a measure to evaluate generic health status. Finally, we recommend FABQ for use in measuring psychological scale.