• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.227-232
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• 2007

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to determine the population-attributable risk (PAR) and estimate the total medical expenditure of the Korean National Health Insurance (KNHI) due to smoking. Methods : We used data from the Korean Cancer Prevention Study of 1,178,138 Koreans aged 30 to 95. These data were available from 1992 to 2003 and covered a long-term follow-up period among the Korean population. Results : The total medical expenditure of KNHI related to smoking increased by 27% from $324.9 million in 1999 to $413.7 million in 2003. By specific diseases, smoking-attributable KNHI medical expenditure was the highest for lung cancer ($74.2 million), followed by stroke ($65.3 million), COPD ($50.1 million), CHO ($49 million) and stomach cancer ($30 million). A total of 1.3 million KNHI patients were suffering from smoking-related diseases in 2003. We predicted rises in total KNHI medical expenditure related to smoking to $675.1 million (63% increase compared with that of 2003) and in the total number of KNHI patients suffering from smoking-related diseases to about 2.6million (an approximate 100% increase compared with those in 2003) in 2015. Conclusions : We found a substantial economic burden related to the high smoking prevalence in South Korea.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.264-272
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• 2023

Background: Private health insurance supplements the coverage of national health insurance in Korea. In this situation, the subject of the study is to identify the healthcare utilization of people with physical and mental illnesses according to private health insurance. Methods: This study used data from the Korea Health Panel Survey 2018. The study population consisted of 813 individuals with physical and mental illnesses (PMI). Multiple logistic regression analysis and binominal logistic regression analysis were conducted about the utilization of emergency, inpatient, and outpatient medical services of people with PMI depending on enrollment in private health insurance (PHI). Results: The results of this study indicated that individuals with PHI utilized emergency and outpatient medical services less frequently compared to those without PHI. Conversely, having PHI was associated with a higher utilization of inpatient medical services compared to not having PHI. Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that individuals with PMI who had PHI exhibited a higher frequency of visits to emergency and outpatient medical services compared to those without PHI. However, the significance of this trend was not observed in the case of emergency medical services. On the other hand, individuals with PMI who had PHI showed a lower frequency of visits to inpatient medical services compared to those without PHI. Conclusion: In conclusion, there was a significant relationship between having PHI and the utilization of medical services in people with PMI. There is a need for a follow-up study considering the type of mental illnesses, length of stay, and health outcome of people with PMI depending on having PHI.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.224-233
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• 2019

Objectives: In women, breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death. Screening tests are the basis for early diagnosis. In Iranian women, the mortality rate of breast cancer is high due to insufficient screening examinations and delayed visits for care. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the factors affecting breast self-examinations among Iranian women employed in medical careers. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 501 women working in the medical professions at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in western Iran in 2018. The subjects were selected by stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-developed, self-report questionnaire that contained demographic information and questions based on protection motivation theory and social support theory. Descriptive data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23 and model fitting with PLS version 2. Results: The mean age of the participants was $37.1{\pm}8.3years$, and most of the women (80.4%) were married. Most women had a bachelor's degree (67.5%). The findings of this study showed that the coping appraisal construct was a predictor of protection motivation (${\beta}=0.380$, p<0.05), and protection motivation (${\beta}=0.604$, p<0.05) was a predictor of breast self-examination behavior. Additionally, social support theory (${\beta}=0.202$, p<0.05) had a significant positive effect on breast self-examination behavior. Conclusions: The frequency of practicing self-examinations among women employees in the medical sector was low; considering the influence of social support as a factor promoting screening, it is necessary to pay attention to influential people in women's lives when designing educational interventions.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.75-84
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• 2017

As there has been growing interests in PHR-based personalized health management project, various institutions recently explore safe methods of recording personal medical and health information. In particular, innovative medical solution can be realized when medical researchers and medical service institutes can generally get access to patient data. As EMR data is extremely sensitive, there has been no progress in clinical information exchange. Moreover, patients cannot get access to their own health data and exchange it with researchers or service institutions. It can be operated in terms of technology, yet policy environment are affected by state laws as well as Privacy and Security Policy. Blockchain technology-independent, in transaction, and under test-is introduced in the medical industry in order to settle these problems. In other words, medical organizations can grant preliminary approval on patient information exchange by using the safely encrypted and distributed Blockchain ledger and can be managed independently and completely by individuals. More apparently, medical researchers can gain access to information, thereby contributing to the scientific advance in rare diseases or minor groups in the world. In this paper, we focused on how to manage personal medical information and its protective use and proposes medical treatment exchange system for patients based on a permissioned Blockchain network for the safe PHR operation. Trusted Model for Sharing Medical Data (TMSMD), that is proposed model, is based on exchanging information as patients rely on hospitals as well as among hospitals. And introduce medical treatment exchange system for patients based on a permissioned Blockchain network. This system is a model that encrypts and records patients' medical information by using this permissioned Blockchain and further enhances the security due to its restricted counterfeit. This provides service to share medical information uploaded on the permissioned Blockchain to approved users through role-based access control. In addition, this paper presents methods with smart contracts if medical institutions request patient information complying with domestic laws by using the distributed Blockchain ledger and eventually granting preliminary approval for sharing information. This service will provide an independent information transaction and the Blockchain technology under test will be adopted in the medical industry.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.15-27
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to compare analysis of financial performance in university hospitals. Methods: Data from 2005 to 2017 were collected from income statement, balance sheet, and annual reports in 23 university hospitals. The dependent variables are used financial performance, namely, medical profit to total assets, medical profit to medical revenue, and net profit to medical revenue. The independent variables are establishment type, hospital province, bed, open liquidity, stability, and activity. Results: From 2005 to 2007, university hospitals steadily increased medical revenues, nonmedical revenues, medical profit, net profit, and reserve fund for essential business by investing fixed assets using financial leverage. From 2015 to 2017, the debt ratio was minimized based on existing management performance. Results showed that university hospitals maintained high profitability by actively investing in medical equipment, medical environment, and facilities using reserve fund for essential business. Conclusions: Results suggest that this will be the basic data for efficient management of university hospitals.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.53
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• pp.343.1-343.8
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• 2018

Background: Linkage of public healthcare data is useful in stroke research because patients may visit different sectors of the health system before, during, and after stroke. Therefore, we aimed to establish high-quality big data on stroke in Korea by linking acute stroke registry and national health claim databases. Methods: Acute stroke patients (n = 65,311) with claim data suitable for linkage were included in the Clinical Research Center for Stroke (CRCS) registry during 2006-2014. We linked the CRCS registry with national health claim databases in the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). Linkage was performed using 6 common variables: birth date, gender, provider identification, receiving year and number, and statement serial number in the benefit claim statement. For matched records, linkage accuracy was evaluated using differences between hospital visiting date in the CRCS registry and the commencement date for health insurance care in HIRA. Results: Of 65,311 CRCS cases, 64,634 were matched to HIRA cases (match rate, 99.0%). The proportion of true matches was 94.4% (n = 61,017) in the matched data. Among true matches (mean age 66.4 years; men 58.4%), the median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 3 (interquartile range 1-7). When comparing baseline characteristics between true matches and false matches, no substantial difference was observed for any variable. Conclusion: We could establish big data on stroke by linking CRCS registry and HIRA records, using claims data without personal identifiers. We plan to conduct national stroke research and improve stroke care using the linked big database.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.640-653
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• 2014

Recently medical consumers pursue high leveled quality of life through active promotion, prevention, management activity of health as the importance of health during home life is emerged to meet the aging society and chronic diseases. In addition, people are directed to the m-Health for managing yourself their health by using smartphone and various personal health devices, if necessary transmits health data to the physician himself. In the previous studies, m-Health Application were developed and applied in the real clinical environment by adopting the medical information standards was rarely conducted. Therefore, in this study, the m-Health application platform was developed. Developed application was communicate with IEEE 11073 standard protocol using the Bluetooth Health Device Profile in personal health device via smart phone to process blood pressure information, and it converted to HL7 V2.6 ORU_R01 message for send to remote medical server. In addition, we tested the interoperability and safety of the developed application for 23 inpatient and 17 outpatient at D University Hospital. As a result, the blood pressure information has been transmitted without error.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.35-45
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• 2014

This study aimed to identify the relationship between the awareness of employees in medical institutes on the protection of medical information and their practice, and basic data of the development of a protection policy is presented. The subjects of the study were 433 employees of general hospitals located in G city and they were interviewed to ascertain their awareness of the protection of medical information and their practice level. The collected data was analysed with a t-test, a dispersion analysis, a Pearson analysis, and a multi-regression analysis. The mean scores on the awareness of protection of medical information was $4.0{\pm}0.7$, and that for the proficiency level was $3.7{\pm}0.7$. As a relevant factor for awareness and proficiency, education in medical information protection was significantly related to awareness. Education experience in medical information protection and the daily mean number of patients in hospitals had a significant relationship with scores on awareness.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.69-80
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• 2010

Objectives: This study aimed to find determinants of customers' use of and satisfaction with oriental medical services in Korea. Methods: A total of 33 articles which consist of 9 articles published in academic journals, 20 master's theses, and 4 doctoral dissertations were included in the systematic review. Among the articles used in the study, 29 used primary survey data, while 4 used secondary data produced by the Korean National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey. Results: First, it was found that people who prefer to use oriental medical services usually have one or more of the following diseases: musculoskeletal disorders, paralysis, or diseases or injuries without clear diagnosis. Other variables of gender, age, expectation of treatment outcome, and kindness of doctor and other staff were found to be significant determinants of using the oriental medical services. Second, the determinants of customers' satisfaction with oriental medical services were found to be age, gender, level of education, chronic disease with long length of stay, kindness of staff, medical cost, clinical environment, doctor's reputation, and public image of the institutions. Conclusion: The results of this study can be used to develop marketing strategies for oriental medical institutions in Korea.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.369-375
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• 2013

Objective: Using the Korean Health Panel data (KHP) of 2008 and 2009, this paper analyzed the effect of antihypertension medication adherence on the changes in medical service utilization and medical expenditure in the next year. Method: Through a face-to-face interview survey, KHP has provided an extensive data on demographic characteristics, medical utilizations behavior, medical expenditure and health behaviors of the targeted households and their members since 2008. KHP is recognized as highly accurate regarding medical expenditure in that it makes the target households to record 'Health diary' whenever they use healthcare service, which could minimize their cognitive bias or memory distortion. The 2010 KHP data was based on the interview from 6,432 households and 19,697 household members. Two part model was used to explore the effects of medication adherence on medical use (logistic regression analysis) and medical expenditures (OLS). Result: Our study result demonstrated that the 74.7% of the patients who strictly adhere to their medication in both years, in 2008 and in 2009, were likely to use inpatient service in 2010. This shows the noncompliant patients were in fact use emergency service less than the compliant patients. Conclusion: Based on our analysis, this paper concludes that the high medication adherence of hypertensive patients could contribute to reduce the emergency service use. Therefore it is highly recommendable for the Korean government and the insurer, NHIS, to actively invest in developing education and promotion program to improve medication adherence among hypertensive patients.