• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.12-21
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• 2015

In an effort to expand working opportunities for women and encourage childbirth, the government of Korea introduced the free infant care policy in 2013. This policy, however, was controversial with regard to issues, such as budget shortages and dissatisfaction based on socioeconomic status. In addition, the lack of evidence-based data regarding adequate age criteria for the entry of children into childcare facilities was noted as a challenge. As child development professionals who are concerned with mental health issues, we investigated the influence and challenges of the free infant care policy with regard to infant mental health. In this review, we examined the policies enacted by developed countries, such as the United Kingdom (UK), and compared them with those in Korea. The childcare systems in Korea and the UK differ historically and socially, but show some similarities, such as maternal responsibility for parenting and household issues. Like Korea, the need for UK childcare facilities increased in the 1990's in response to market recovery and associated increase in female employment. Among the new policies in the UK, the Sure Start program has begun to provide integrated services for infants, particularly to those 0-4 years of age, who are vulnerable to social exclusion. Similar to the Dream Start program in Korea, it has been successful in providing family-related services, resulting in improvements in problematic behaviors of children, enhanced parenting skills, and decreased rates of severely injured children.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2012

The need for evidence-based decision making in immunization programs has increased due to the presence of multiple health priorities, limited human resources, expensive vaccines, and limited funds. Countries should establish a group of national experts to advise their Ministries of Health. So far, many nations have formed their own National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs). In the Republic of Korea, the Korea Expert Committee on Immunization Practices (KECIP), established by law in the early 1990s, has made many important technical recommendations to contribute to the decline in vaccine preventable diseases and currently functions as a NITAG. It includes 13 core members and 2 non-core members, including a chairperson. Core members usually come from affiliated organizations in internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, microbiology, preventive medicine, nursing and a representative from a consumer group, all of whom serve two year terms. Non-core members comprise two government officials belonging to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and the Korea Food and Drug Administration. Meetings are held as needed, but at least twice a year, and sub-committees are formed as a resource for gathering, analyzing, and preparing information for the KECIP meetings. Once the sub-committees or the KCDC review the available data, the KECIP members discuss each issue in depth and develop recommendations, usually by a consensus in the meeting. The KECIP publishes national guidelines and immunization schedules that are updated regularly. KECIP's role is essentially consultative and the implementation of their recommendations may depend on the budget or current laws.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.54-65
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• 2011

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of community visiting health service units using DEA and to compare the results with those of traditional evaluation methods. Methods: Data were collected using 2008 annual reports of 10 districts in one city. Input variables were number of staff and operational budget per year and output variables were number of managed household per nurse, rate of controlled hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. EMS Window version 3.1 was used to measure efficiency score and bootstrapping Chi-square test was applied to identify differences between efficient and non-efficient unit by organizational factors. Results: The average efficiency score of 10 community visiting health services was about 66%. Only two of the units operated program efficiently. The career of the staff was one among other factors associated with efficiency. The evaluation results from the traditional method and DEA were totally different. Conclusion: These results indicate that, evaluation methods have very important and significant effects on the evaluation results of community visiting health service units. The DEA method is recommend as an alterative method for evaluating community visiting health service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1-25
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• 2007

Relative value scales introduced in 2001 remarkably improved health insurance fee schedule, but current relative value scales have many problems. In the beginning the government intended to introduce 'resource based relative value scales(RBRVSs)' like USA, but political adjustment of RBRVS studied in 19.17 weakened the relationship between relative value scale and resource consumption. So unbalance of health insurance fees are existing till now. Also relative value was not divided to physician work and practice expense, and malpractice fee was not divided separately. To correct the unbalance of current relative value scales, the refinement project of health insurance relative value scales started in 2003. The project team divided relative value scales into three components, which are physician work, practice expense, malpractice fee. Physician work was studied by professional organizations like Korean medical association. To develop the practice expense relative value, project team organized clinical practice expert panels(CPEPs) composed of physicians, nurses, and medical technicians. CPEPs constructed direct expense data like labor costs, material costs, equipment costs about each medical procedures. The practice expense relative values of medical procedures were developed by the allocation of the institution level direct & indirect costs according to CPEPs direct costs. Institution level direct & indirect costs were collected in 21 hospitals, 98 medical clinics, 53 dental clinics, 78 oriental clinics, and 46 pharmacies. The malpractice fee relative values were developed through the survey of malpractice related costs of hospitals, clinics, pharmacies. Putting together three components of relative values in one scale, the final relative values were made. The final relative values were calculated under budget neutrality by medical departments, that is, total relative value score of a department was same before and after the revision. but malpractice fee relative value scores were added to total scores of relative values. So total score of a department was increased by the malpractice fee relative value score of that department This project failed in making 'resource based' relative value scales in the true sense of the word, because the total relative value scores of medical departments were fixed. However the project team constructed the objective basis of relative value scale like physician's work, direct practice expense, malpractice fee. So step by step making process of the basis, the fixation of total scores by the departments will be resolved and the resource based relative value scale will be introduced in true sense.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.54-69
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• 2001

This study was conducted to assess factors associated with the degree of performance of qualify improvement(QI) activities. A mailed questionnaire survey was conducted between September 15 and October 30, 2000, with the staffs being charge of QI at each of the hospitals with 400 beds or greater. Of the 108 hospitals eligible for inclusion in our study, 79 participated, yielding a response rate of 73.1%. After excluding 12 hospitals that did not perform any QI activities, 117 responses from 67 hospitals were used for the analysis. Using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria(MBNQAC), perceived performance of QI was measured in terms of the improvement of the quality of clinical practice, clinical supporting department, administrative procedure of receiving care, customer satisfaction, efficiency and standardization of work process. Factors evaluated for the association were the extent of QI implementation, compliance to 5 QI principles, participation of hospital CEOs, budget allocation, history of QI, and bed size. Path analysis was performed to assess the relationship between QI performance and these factors. Major findings of this study are as follows. Hospitals showing higher degree of QI implementation (path coefficient=0.5967, p<0.001)) and better compliance with the basic principes of QI(0.5736, p<0.05) tended to achieve better performance. Path analysis results showed that interest and participation of hospital CEOs(0.1954, p<0.05) and compliance with the basic principes of QI(0.4028, p<0.0001) indirectly affected the outcomes of QI by influencing the intermediate variable of the level of QI implementation. This study results suggest that having employees have a good orientation of the basic concept and principes of QI through relevant training be the most important requirement to achieve better outcomes from QI activities. In addition, to educate leaders of hospitals the need of active implementation of QI is important to encourage their participation and draw strong support for QI programs.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2022

Article 10 of the Constitution All citizens have dignity and values as humans and have the right to pursue happiness. There is a need for support measures such as a means to realize the respect of dignity and values as humans, and how to efficiently maintain policies on welfare for the elderly classified as the socially disadvantaged. It was considered necessary to develop an elderly-friendly city for economic, physical, and social life. Dasan Jeong Yak-yong's respect for adults was to practice the ideology of Confucianism, so this was the most important thing in the past Joseon Dynasty. In particular, it was considered important to think of adults first in practicing filial piety.This study focuses on the long-term care insurance system for the elderly, one of the welfare policy measures for the elderly. The significance of implementing the long-term care insurance system for the elderly is to benefit not only the elderly, but also all generations, including the middle-aged and children who were in charge of long-term care. To this end, the government should properly manage the factors of the social insurance financial crisis caused by the low birth rate and aging population.In addition, concerns about health insurance are high, so it is necessary to secure an appropriate level of government budget for health insurance financial management and minimize unnecessary non-benefit. In addition, it is necessary to induce appropriate medical use through connection with construction medical insurance.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.68 no.4
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• pp.199-224
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• 2016

This study is a research that investigated organization of case management practice at a mental health center. For organization research of case management practice, this study applied the research method of Institutional Ethnography, and analyzed 'work knowledge' and 'texts' data which were obtained through field work that lasted 3 months with 11 study participants. The analysis is not interpretation of the researcher, but it is work that assembles 'work knowledge' of field workers until they reach discovering institutions that organize case management practice. As a result of this study, case management practice of the mental health center was being standardized as 'a service that is biased towards symptom management without comprehensive and continual resources links' by new public management theory, bio-medicine discussion, 'standardization policy', 'treatment rate improvement policy', 'performance-based budget system', 'performance evaluation system' and 'continual linkage policy', mediating texts. This is a different outcome from usefulness of case management that is claimed to support politically.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.47-54
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the variables of the agency factors affected the number of occupational fatalities in the construction industry in order to determine whether there is a relationship between the number of occupational fatalities occurring at the construction sites and the agency. The considered agencies are KOSHA (Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency) and MOEL (Ministry of Employment and Labor). The variables of two agency factors are classified as follows: the variables of two agency factors are the number of employees, budget amounts, technical support and guidance for construction sites of KOSHA, and the number of labor inspectors, the number of inspection and oversight workplace, the number of criminally punished construction sites and fines levied on them in the industrial accident prevention departments of Regional Employment and Labor Office. The multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the effect of two agency factors on the total number of occupational fatalities in the construction industry. The policy implications derived from this study are that, in order to reduce the fatalities of construction sites by KOSHA, the appropriate level of increased budget for KOSHA must be secured every year. In addition, the amount of fines levied on construction sites by the labor inspector in the industrial accident prevention departments of Regional Employment and Labor Office reduces the occupational fatalities at the construction sites.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to predict industrial accident rate using time series analysis. Methods: The rates of industrial accident and occupational injury death were analyzed using industrial accident statistics analysis system of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency from 2001 to 2014. Time series analysis was done using the most recent data, such as raw materials of Economically Active Population Survey, Economic Statistics System of the Bank of Korea, and e-National indicators. The best-fit model with time series analysis to predict occupational injury was developed by identifying predictors when the value of Akaike Information Criteria was the lowest point. Variables into the model were selected through a series of expertises' consultations and literature review, which consisted of socioeconomic structure, labor force structure, working conditions, and occupational accidents. Results: Indexes at the meso- and macro-levels predicting well occurrence of occupational accidents and occupational injury death were labor force participation rate for ages 45-49 and budget for small scaled workplace support. The rates of industrial accident and occupational injury death are expected to decline. Conclusion: For reducing industrial accident continuously, we call for safe employment policy of economically active middle aged adults and support for improving safety work environment of small sized workplace.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.36-51
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted to implement Health Plus Happiness Plus projects in Gyeongsangnam-Do and assess the policy implications of initiatives to address regional health inequalities. Methods: Health Plus Happiness Plus projects were started as strategies to address regional health inequalities in Gyeongsangnam-Do. The principles of these projects are taken from the Health Action Zones initiatives in England: participation, partnership, resource concentration in project areas. The time period for these projects is from 2010 to 2017, and the total budget is 5.6 billion won. In 2010, a 6.8 hundred million won total budget was invested in 17 project areas. Such investments fell into four broad categories: establishment of the means and local framework; survey development to analyze the health determinants; development of an education and training center; and establishment of a technical support center. Results: Education and training programs for practitioners and coordinators were provided, and project teams and project promotion committees were established in project areas. Health survey result briefing meetings were held, and 17 health committees were established in project areas. Conclusions: Health Plus Happiness Plus projects have some problems in relation to participation and partnerships, however, if these principled projects are performed continuously, they will contribute to a reduction of standardized mortality rate and regional health inequalities in Gyeongsangnam-Do and the improvement of residents' well-being in project areas.