• 보건행정학회지
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• 제6권1호
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• pp.110-143
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• 1996

The purpose of this study is to assess the extent of inequality in health outcomes and the distribution of health services according to health need under National Health Insurance System in Korea. For the empirical analysis, data were collected through an interview survey during one month of October, 1994. Interview were conducted with a total of 10, 875 of the employees and the self-employed selected through cluster, systematic sampling. The major findings of this research are as follows: 1. The analysis of the differentials in morbidity rates by socio-economic group showed that health inequality in the pro-higher groups existed in all self-reported morbidity indicators. 2. The findings of the conventional use measures showed that the lower socio-economic groups had more ambulatory and inpatient services than the higher groups. In contrast to the level of the medical care utilization, however, the higher socio-economic groups were more likely to use the high-quality source of care in terms of their treatment place compared to the lower groups. 3. By using the need-based use measures, the results were different from each use-disability ration indicator. Using the use-disability ration measured by physician visits per 100 restricted-activity days in the population, it was found that there was no evidence favoring the higher socio-economic groups. In contrast, the use-disability ration based on physician visits per a chronic patient in one year displayed that there was remarkable relative difference by income group as well as the evidence of the pro-higher income groups. 4. The results of logistic regression analysis and two-stage estimation method indicated that although the utilization is significantly affected by type and duration of insurance coverage, the use or nonuse of service and the volume of physician care consumed is determined by health need and demographic characteristics rater than economic status. In sum, these findings suggest that physician service is equitably distributed according to health need under national health insurance system in Korea. As there were some evidences of inequality including the differential in physician visits of chronic patients by income group, however, the government should strengthen the activities to guarantee the equity of health services utilization.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.520-534
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• 2018

본 연구는 건강 불평등의 개념을 정립하고 정의하기 위해 시행되었다. 연구 분석 방법은 Schwartz-Barcott와 Kim의 혼종 모형(Hybrid model)을 이용하였으며, 자료 수집은 14명의 대상자와 건강 불평등과 관련된 문헌으로부터 수집하였다. 본 연구 결과, 건강 불평등은 3개의 차원과 9개의 속성으로 도출되었으며, 3개의 차원은 대상영역, 선행영역, 결과영역 이었다. 대상 영역은 건강 불평등의 대상이 되는 영역, 선행 영역은 건강 불평등을 일으키는 원인이 되는 영역, 결과 영역은 건강 불평등의 결과가 되는 영역을 말한다. 즉, 건강 불평등의 정의는 개인, 가족, 지역사회 또는 사회적, 경제적, 지리적으로 구분되는 인구집단이 (i) 병원에서의 홀대받음, (ii) 떼우는 끼니, (iii) 일을 할 수 밖에 없는 현실, (iv) 질병관리의 의료비 부담, (v) 지역 간 의료의 질적 차이, (ⅵ) 질병의 지식부족, (ⅶ) 묶여있는 시간으로 인한 부적절한 건강 관리와 같은 건강 불평등으로 인하여 병을 얻게 되거나 병을 키우게 되며, 생존률과 삶의 질이 감소하게 되어 결과적으로 인간의 기본권이 침해되는 것을 의미 한다. 본 연구는 건강 불평등의 개념을 정립함으로 인해 건강불평등을 감소시킬 수 있는 전략에 실제적인 밑거름이 될 수 있는 자료를 제공했다는데 의의가 있으며 본 연구를 기초로 하여 건강 불평등을 줄이기 위한 프로그램 개발을 제안한다.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제13권3호
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• pp.104-128
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• 2003

Equity in health care has taken priority in the Korean government's policy agenda after the government-led national health insurance achieved universal coverage in 1989 along with the final inclusion of the self-employed as beneficiary. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which there exists difference or inequality in the utilization of health care, especially cancer inpatient services among income classes. We analysed the utilization of cancer inpatient services of residents in Jeju Island for a year of 2000, using the national health insurance data for qualification of beneficiaries and utilization of health care. The independent variable are 10 income classes based on the national health insurance fee imposed on each household for a year of 2000. The dependent variables of this study are an amount of cancer inpatient health care utilization measured by cancer admission days and cancer treatment costs. Also, cancer inpatient health care utilization is analysed by three categories divided into utilization in medical care institutions (1) within Jeju Island, (2) outside Jeju Island, and (3) all within and outside Jeju Island. We measured concentration index of cancer inpatient health care utilization. This analysis showed negative concentration index within Jeju Island and positive outside Jeju Island, and positive in all within and outside Jeju Island. This results suggest inequality against the relatively poor income groups in utilization of cancer inpatient health care services. Especially, inequity of cancer inpatient health care would be more serious in Jeju Island of Korea, considering that lower income groups reportedly have higher incidence rates in most of cancer and thus use more health services.

• 이베로아메리카
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.69-94
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• 2011

Chile has been the first country in Latin America which has built a two-tiered health care system by partially privatizing the health insurance sector. Despite the intial decrease of health expenditure, more researches now show that health inequality within the Chilean health sector has been augmented with privatization of its insurance system. To explore such inequality, this article looks into the impact of privatization of health insurance on women's health. The author argues that privatization has intensified medicalization of women's body and, consequently, it worsened women's health in Chile. This article contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of market-oriented health care reform by linking it with medicalization process.

• 문화기술의 융합
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• 제8권3호
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• pp.385-392
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• 2022

본 연구의 목적은 의료취약지 특히 서남권 도서지역의 의료불평등 정도를 파악하고 개선점을 마련해 보고자 시도되었다. 연구방법으로는 '의료취약', '의료불평등', '도서지역' 등을 키워드로 하여 체계적 문헌고찰을 하여 14편을 분석하였으며, 또한 공공의료전달체계에 있는 의료인 9명에게 포커스그룹 혹은 심층 인터뷰(FGI)를 시행하여 현황 및 요구도를 파악하였다. 연구결과로는 서남권 특히 도서지역의 의료불평등을 확인할 수 있었으며, FGI통해 전문인력의 부족, 행정지원체계의 부족 등을 확인할 수 있었다. 연구의 결론으로 도서지역의 취약성을 개선하기 위한 적극적 행정적 지원은 물론 공공의료의 효율성이 높아 질 수 있는 현실적인 방안이 마련되어져야 함을 확인할 수 있었다.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.288-302
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• 2019

Background: The one-person households (OPH) are rapidly increasing and vulnerable to socioeconomic and health problems. Because it is predicted to be inequitable to health care utilization, we would like to find out about the equity of health care utilization of the OPH by comparison with the multi-person households (MPH). Methods: This study followed the theoretical framework of Wagstaff and van Doorslaer (2000), O'Donnell and his colleagues (2008), where the horizontal inequity index is the difference between the concentration indices of actual health care utilization and health care needs. This study employed the 9th Korea Health Panel survey, and a total of 10,807 cases were analyzed. Health care needs were measured by age, sex, subjective health status, chronic disease count, Charlson's Comorbidity Index, limitation of activities, and disability. Results: Compared with the MPH, there were pro-poor inequities in hospitalization, emergency utilization, hospitalization out-of-pocket payments, and pro-rich inequities in outpatient out-of-pocket payments for the OPH. The decomposition of the concentration index revealed that chronic disease count made the largest contribution to socioeconomic inequality in outpatient utilization. Age, health insurance, economic activities, and subjective health status also proved more important contributors to inequality. The variables contributing to the hospitalization and emergency utilization inequity were age, education, Charlson's Comorbidity Index, marital status, and income. Conclusion: Because the OPH was more vulnerable to health problems than the MPH and there were pro-poor inequities in medical utilization, hospitalization, and emergency costs, it is necessary to develop a policy that can correct and improve the portion of high contribution to medical utilization of the OPH.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제55권4호
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• pp.389-397
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• 2022

Objectives: This study examined the effect of out-of-pocket (OOP) payment reduction on the potential utilization of low-value magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) across income groups. Methods: We conducted an experimental vignette survey using a proportional quota-based sample of individuals in Korea (n=1229). In two hypothetical vignettes, participants were asked whether they would be willing to use MRI if they had uncomplicated headache and non-specific low back pain, each before and after OOP payment reduction. To account for the possible role of physician inducement, half of the participants were initially presented with vignettes that included a physician recommendation for low-value care. The predicted probability, slope index of inequality (SII), and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated using logistic regression. Results: Before OOP payment reduction, the lowest income quintile was least likely to use low-value MRI regardless of physician inducement (36.7-49.6% for low back pain; 30.5-39.3% for headache). After OOP payment reduction, almost all individuals in each income quintile were willing to use low-value MRI (89.8-98.0% for low back pain; 78.1-90.3% for headache). Absolute and relative inequalities concerning potential low-value MRI utilization decreased after OOP payments were reduced, even without physician inducement (SII: from 8.15 to 5.37%, RII: from 1.20 to 1.06 for low back pain; SII: from 6.99 to 0.83%, RII: from 1.20 to 1.01 for headache). Conclusions: OOP payment reduction for MRI has the potential to increase low-value care utilization among all income groups while decreasing inequality in low-value care utilization.

• 한국노년학
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.759-776
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• 2012

본 연구는 EQ-5D를 이용하여 소득계층에 따른 노인들의 건강불평등을 측정하였다. 특히 건강불평등의 다양한 측면을 파악하기 위하여 집중지수를 EQ-5D의 하위차원 및 노인들의 하위집단에 따라 분해(decomposition)하였다. 분석 자료는 2010년 국민건강영양조사 원자료가 사용되었으며 이중 60세 이상인 자를 노인으로 정의하여 분석하였다. 본 연구의 분석결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 첫째, 노인들의 EQ-5D 집중지수는 .0254를 기록하였다. 이는 고소득층에 유리한 불평등이 있음을 의미한다. 나아가 EQ-5D를 구성하는 모든 하위차원 즉, 운동능력, 자기관리, 일상활동, 통증/불편, 불안/우울, 기능악화 등에서도 불건강이 저소득층에 집중되어 나타났다. 둘째, EQ-5D 집중지수를 가장 많이 설명하는 하위차원은 운동능력으로 EQ-5D 집중지수의 35.8%를 설명하였다. 그 다음으로 통증 및 불편(17.7%), 기능악화(17.7%), 일상관리(14.6%) 등의 순으로 설명력이 높다. 이러한 결과는 전 연령층을 분석한 선행연구의 결과와 대조를 이루는데, 선행연구들에서 기여도가 매우 낮았던 운동능력(3.9%)이 크게 상승한 반면 불안/우울의 기여도는 약화되었다. 셋째, 성별, 지역, 배우자 유무에 따라 EQ-5D 집중지수를 분해한 결과 세 집단이 집중지수를 설명하는 정도는 비슷하게 나타났다. 세 집단은 각각 건강형평성의 1/10정도를 설명하였다. 넷째, EQ-5D 집중지수를 하위집단에 따라 분해한 결과, 남성보다는 여성이, 도시지역보다는 농어촌지역이, 그리고 배우자가 있는 노인보다는 없는 노인의 내부불평등이 더 크게 나타났다. 내부 불평등이 큰 세 집단의 경우 모두 EQ-5D 평균값도 낮았는데, 이는 저소득 여성노인일수록, 농어촌지역 저소득 노인일수록, 배우자가 없는 저소득 노인일수록 건강관련 삶의 질이 떨어짐을 의미하는 것이었다. 마지막으로 하위집단의 내부불평등이 집중지수를 설명하는 정도는 여성노인집단, 도시지역 노인집단, 배우자가 있는 노인집단이 크게 나타났다.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제46권5호
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• pp.237-248
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine and explain the extent of income-related inequity in health care utilization and expenditures to compare the extent in 2005 and 2010 in Korea. Methods: We employed the concentration indices and the horizontal inequity index proposed by Wagstaff and van Doorslaer based on one- and two-part models. This study was conducted using data from the 2005 and 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We examined health care utilization and expenditures for different types of health care providers, including health centers, physician clinics, hospitals, general hospitals, dental care, and licensed traditional medical practitioners. Results: The results show the equitable distribution of overall health care utilization with pro-poor tendencies and modest pro-rich inequity in the amount of medical expenditures in 2010. For the decomposition analysis, non-need variables such as income, education, private insurance, and occupational status have contributed considerably to pro-rich inequality in health care over the period between 2005 and 2010. Conclusions: We found that health care utilization in Korea in 2010 was fairly equitable, but the poor still have some barriers to accessing primary care and continuing to receive medical care.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.21-37
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to examine internet agent of IT(Information Technology) in health care industry Since IT is essential for corporate strategy in service management, this section examines IT in health care service, especially from the view of 'Agent Technology' that has been recently issued. Intelligent agent is a new paradigm for developing software applications. More than this, agent-based computing has been hailed as 'the next significant break-through in software development' and 'the new revolution in software'. And health care service is a non-mechanic, human-based service. This paper reviewed what possible suggestions or advices can be made to the health care service. Since many health care services using internet have been attempted over the recent years, this study will hopefully be able to come up with good suggestions from many aspects. Thus, information inequality between producer(physician) and consumer(patient) in health care service will be decreased through the introduction of agent technology.