• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.272-283
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• 2016

Purpose: This is a comparative study using secondary data from the Korean national long term care (LTC) insurance. Methods: Visiting nursing (VN) service users (n=666) and non-users (n=4,375) were extracted and compared in terms of medical expenditures, length of hospitalization, and annual number of ambulatory care visits to investigate effects of VN services in LTC. Results: Total health care expenditures were compared between the two groups and it was found that VN service users spent about $ 1700 than non-users for their medical costs between 2009 and 2011. The average length of in-hospital stay for VN service users was 19.4 days shorter than that of non-users. However, using VN services did not significantly influence the annual number of ambulatory care visits. Conclusion: The study has found that VN services are effective ways of providing community-based LTC services. We recommend LTC policy makers to further utilize VN services to deliver cost effective health care services.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.139-149
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• 2001

With the increasing number of women involved in social activities, beauty industry has flourished. More women than ever before are concerned about make-up, hair care, skin care, and weight control, etc. With the success and commercialization of beauty industry, unconfirmed beauty care services have been introduced in the market. However, the health hazard from diverse beauty care services has not been systematically addressed. This study has the following two purposes: 1) to examine the utilization pattern of diverse beauty care services; and 2) to examine the health hazard from beauty care services. For this study, two major universities located in Seoul area were selected. While 450 female college students were selected from one women's university, the other 450 were from mixed university. Using survey questionnaire, we interviewed with 900 female college students. The results are as follows: As for the beauty care patterns, makeup accounted for 78.6％, Skin care 49.5％, weight/body control 32.0％, hair care 81.5％, and cosmetic operation 14.9％, indicating significant high rates of makeup(x2=9.215, p=0.002) and hair care(x2=4.435, p=0.035) at both mixed and women's universities. The health hazard was measured using four questions. The past studies have not paid special attention to the methodological issue of how to ask health hazard. Depending on how to ask health hazard, the percentage of respondents reporting health problems varied. When the respondents were asked whether or not they had suffered health problems for a short period, over 60％ of respondents reported health problems; when they were asked in other ways-1) whether or not they had suffered health problems for a long period, 2) whether or not they had suffered whole body problems, 3) whether or not they had permanent traces on skin due to beauty care activities-, the percentage of respondents reporting health problems dropped substantially to less than 10％, This finding indicates the importance of ‘words’ used in questions. The relationships between health problems and utilization of beauty care services were examined, using χ2 test or t test. We found that there was a significant relationship between health problem and beauty care.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.18-48
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• 2004

Health policies in many countries have come under critical scrutiny in recent years. This is because of increasing national health expenditures. Also many persons in health sector have been the perception that resources allocated to health services are not always deployed in an optimal fashion. And they believe that the scope of resources in health services is limited, there is need to search for ways of using existing resources more efficiently. A further concern has been the desire to ensure access to healthcare of various groups on an equitable basis. In some European countries this has been linked to a wish to enhance patient choice and to make service providers more responsive to consumers, while Korea integrated health insurance funds into single fund in 2000. Many European countries are under considerable pressure to review and restructure their health care systems. There are several reasons of pressure to reform. There are demographic changes, pattern of disease change, advances in medical sciences will also give rise to new demands within the health services, public expectations of health services are rising as those who use services demand higher standards of care. These circumstances require the change of health care delivery system based on hierarchical regionalism, which was basis of health care delivery since 1920s. Korea is also under similarly pressure to restructure our own health care systems. We will have good learning from OECD experiences. In this paper we reviewed and compared among OECD countries' various experiences.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.8
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• pp.313-322
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• 2013

Recent trends place an emphasis on school health care, the ultimate goal of which is to protect, maintain, and promote students' health. School health care is a program that integrates health care services, health education, health counseling, and local social health services. The student health examination (SHE) system is a part of school health care and schools and communities must be available to provide professional health services. Pediatricians also have important roles as experts in both school health care and the SHE system. In this article, the history of school health care, its legal basis, and the current status of the SHE system in Korea are reviewed. Furthermore, sample surveys from the past few years are reviewed. Through this holistic approach, future directions are proposed for the improvement of SHE and school health care.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.31-45
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• 2001

With an economic development and epidemiologic transition, the burden of disease due to chronic diseases and accidents is increasing. However, in most of developing countries, long-term care facilities are not available, therefore acute care facilities should provide both acute and long-term care services. It is also true in Korea. The demand for long-term care services needs to be estimated to establish the adequate supply system of health resources. This article introduces the reclassification methodology of inpatients' healthcare utilization to acute and long-term care services. All discharged patients from hospitals for one month were analyzed. The distribution of inpatients' hospital days were fitted to Chi-squared distribution by ICD disease categories, and they were grouped in five clusters. For each cluster, the lower and upper limit of classification criteria to acute and long-term care services were chosen. Summarizing all hospital days corresponding to acute and long-term care respectively, 24 to 28 percent of inpatient services fumed out to be long-term care services. The study results are consistent with those of the existing studies. They can be used practically in the allocation of long-term care resources.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.23 no.3 s.31
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• pp.285-295
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• 1990

The utilization of medical care services has been partly regionalized with the implementation of referral requirement by the government since July 1, 1989 when the health insurance coverage was extended to all the people. For the purpose of regionalization, the whole country has been primarily divided into tertiary care regions, and each of them again into secondary care regions. This study investigates the self-sufficiency for in-patient care services of secondary care regions focusing on why it varies among the regions. In doing so, analysis is performed to examine a model which embodies three sets of hypotheses as follows : 1) The regional self-sufficiency for medical care services would be subject to direct influences of regional characteristics, amount of available services and structural properties of regional medical care system ; 2) The regional characteristics would have indirect effects on the self-sufficiency which are mediated by medical care services ; and 3) The amount of available services would indirectly affect the self-sufficiency by influencing the structure of regional medical care system. The results of analysis were generally consistent with the model. The findings have some practical implications. The regional self-sufficiency for medical care services partly depends upon basic properties of each region which cannot be changed in a short period of time. Thus the self-sufficiency for medical care services can be improved mainly by health policy measures. In some of the regions the self-sufficiency for in-patient care services was much higher or lower than can be predicted from the bed-population ratio. Indication is that the allocation of health resources should be made considering a variety of factors bearing upon the supply of and demand for health care ; not on the basis of just a single criterion like the availability. The self-sufficiency of a certain region is related to not only its own characterstics but also the characteristics of neighboring regions. Therefore, attention should be also directed to the inter-regional relationships in health care when the needs for investment of health resources in a region are assessed. However, it should be noted that this study used the data collected before the referral requirement was imposed. A replication of this analysis using recent data would provide an evaluation of the impact on the self-sufficiency of the referral requirement as well as a confirmation of the findings of this study.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.139-149
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide the basic data required for quality improvement of home health care nursing and development of nursing services for cancer patients by examining the frequency of practices, level of service needs and satisfaction for nursing services. Methods: The subjects were 231 patients who agreed in participating on this study and were receiving home health care nursing services by the home health care advanced practice nurse from two national hospitals and four subsidiary general hospitals, located in Seoul from September 30, 2008 to February 28, 2009. Data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, t-test and ANOVA, using SPSS WIN 12.0 program. Results: The most frequent practices were 'checking vital sign' and 'explaining what patient want to know.' Total service need had an average of 3.03 point and emotional domain showed the highest average of 3.44 point. Total satisfaction had an average of 4.23 point and satisfaction along diseases had the highest average of 3.65 point in case of non-metastasis cancer. Conclusion: The subjects were highly satisfied with home health care nursing services which gave positive effect to them. It will be helpful to give cancer patients physical and spiritual care complementally when home health care nurses provide nursing services.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.619-630
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• 2001

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the differences in terms of services and cost between CVA without typical diseases (Group I), and CVA with typical diseases (Group II), in their Hospital-based home health care. Method: The subjects of this study were 308 CVA patients who used home care nursing during the second phase demonstration project of their hospital-based home health care. Results: The results of the study was as follows 1. Group II had more home visit (15.3/12.7) (p>0.05), and cases of death when home care (16.8/11.4) (p<0.05). 2. Group II needed more services than Group I such as bladder irrigation, skin care, bed sore care, glycerin enema, finger enema, lung care, urine sugar test, monitoring and surveillance of fluid infusion and R.O.M exercise (p<0.05). 3. The variables that showed statistical significance in the regression analysis were family style, OPD visit, level of consciousness, patient's state on termination of home care, and some extend of home health care services (R2=0.373, 0.205). Conclusion: Home nursing care needs to be planned by severity in Hospital-based home health care for CVA patients.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.385-396
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the status of care-giving for the demented elderly and to find out the need of community in-house care services-day care services, short-term care services, home help services, and home care services. Method: It analyzed the data of 186 old people having dementia, and caregivers. Data were collected for five days, in September 2002. Results: The caregivers were mostly women and the burden for the care giving was high (87.5%). They used community care services, that is, day care services (26.5%), home care services (21.6%), home help services 00.8%), short-term care services (6.2%). Caregivers' age and education level were significant factors in the demand for day care services. Caregivers' education level was a statistically significant factor in the demand for short-term care services and home help services. Caregivers' age and education level were significant factors in the demand for home care services. Conclusions: It is necessary to expand the financial aid for the active implementation of daytime protection for dementia-patients under medical treatment at home and to promote patients' recovery. It is necessary to enhance home help services and home care services, and to establish many day care centers and short term care centers. Through this, it will prevent caregivers from becoming burnt out due to the burden of care giving.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.138-162
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• 1997

This study was conducted to, develop the social workers role participating health and welfare services production of health centers The sharp increase rate on the elderly population in Korea lead the social issues as that health and social services are not developed enough to cope with the increase on the elderly's hearth care needs. The priority in the elderly's care service development should be put on public sectors. so that could prevent financial catastrophy of the elderly's care. The pulbic sector was concerned with health center services : as health center in Korea provide :mainly medical-oriented services. this study focused on to combine the existing health center's services into social services. The study method was based on needs survey with 322 patients aged over than 55 in rural area. "The needs survey include general health and disease care needs and daily life caring needs. The latter was applied with ADL and IADL with modificiation for the use of Korea environment. The findings were as follows : Social workers should be able to care diseases of muscular and skeletal. circulatory, digestive and general chronic disease in social service needs. aspect. Mostly the chronic pateints quit their care services because of shortage of finanical support$(18.3\%)$ and transportation problem$(19.5\%)$, but still prefer to be cured and cared from general hospitals. and at least clinic and health centers in community. The univisible dramatic effect. of health. care services also should be concerned and cared by xocial workers. The ADL and! IADL shown the most needs on transportation needs and problems caused by weaken legs. Mostly daily activities were supported by family members $(53.3\%\;spousers\;and\;35.0\%\;children)$, and the most demands were shown on helps for transportation visiting hospitals$(37\%)$ and getting similar care services for health care needs $(31.2\%)$ and daily hygeieal needs$(11.2\%)$ Social workers' role should include health care participation with social and health promotion approach as well as socio-economic supports: during health care receiving. Social workers also should provide social services for the elderly's daily needs solving for these are not in available family supporters.