• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.390-398
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• 2016

Background: This study aims to analyze the impact of levels of health care coverage on the trajectory of self-rated health, comparing the near-poor which tends to be excluded in traditional health care systems with the upper middle class. Methods: The study participants were 3,687 people who sincerely responded questions regarding health care expenditures, unmet medical needs, and self-rated health in the Korea Health Panel data in 2009-2012. Results: The higher health care expenditures and the presence of unmet medical needs were significantly associated with the lower level of self-rated health. However, both factors did not significantly predict the steeper decline in the self-rated health. The results from multiple group analyses showed that health care expenditures and unmet medical needs had greater impact on the near-poor compared to their higher income counterparts. Conclusion: Public health care coverages need to be enhanced as well as reducing health care expenditures and unmet medical needs.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.304-313
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to develop an educational needs scale for the prevention of cell phone addiction and to investigate the educational needs for prevention of cell phone addiction in Korean adolescents. Methods: The participants were 609 adolescents in one middle school and two high schools. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires, and analyzed using the SPSS program. Results: Twenty items regarding the educational needs for prevention of cell phone addiction were selected for the final scale, and categorized into 3 factors (diagnosis and management, properties, and definition and actual condition) which explained 61.09% of the total variance. The educational needs for the prevention of cell phone addiction in adolescents were moderate, with items related to diagnosis and management ranked as most important. The educational needs for prevention of cell phone addiction varied by gender, grade, academic achievement, perception of health status, satisfaction with school, and text messaging participants. Conclusion: The findings indicate that educational needs for diagnosis and management of cell phone addiction ranked as most important in adolescents. Therefore, programs related to the prevention and management of cell phone addiction based on the educational needs of adolescents should be provided.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.83-97
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• 2016

Objectives : This study analyzed the factors that determine the use and type of medical examination services (MES) to develop a model explaining the use behavior of MES which could consequently contribute to policy implications for medical examinations. Methods : Based on Anderson's healthcare utilization model, the MES utilization model was developed by including the perceived needs for MES. The data were collected from an online survey of a population aged 20-39 years and from a telephone survey of a population aged 40 years or older, respectively. Chi-Square tests and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were done with SAS version 9.3. Results : Generally, as health status became lower, the use of MES increased. However, patients with two or more chronic diseases were less likely to use private MES compared to patients with one chronic disease. The perceived needs for MES were only related to the use of service and not to the choice of the MES type. Conclusions : There were different results for the significant determinants between the use of the MES and the choice of the MES type. The healthcare industry needs to aware of consumer needs to provide MES based on empirical findings.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.31-41
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• 2018

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate whether employment status is associated with the experience of unmet care needs. Methods: This study utilized the Korea Health Panel data from 2012 to 2016. A total of 4,083 workers were selected as baseline subjects in 2012 and were followed for four years. This study used the GLIMMIX procedure under the marginal model while adjusting for covariates. Results: A total of 12.4% of 4,083 people said they had failed at least once to have a treatment or checkup despite the needs. Those more likely to experience unmet care needs were women and people of lower income level, with worse health conditions and chronic disease. Precarious workers, the self-employed, and the unemployed were more likely to experience unmet care needs caused by economic burden than permanent workers (Odds Ratio: 2.14, 2.07, 2.74, respectively). Conclusions: This disparity means that precarious workers and the unemployed are more likely to face barriers in obtaining needed health services. Given their insecure employment status, meeting their needs for health care is an important consideration.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.265-270
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• 2016

Public health system for more prevention-oriented health promotion rather than hospital-based curative service, focusing population rather than individual, and comprehensive health management in the local community strongly needs to be constructed to solve major issues on efficiencies and equity problems which Korean healthcare system is facing nowadays. Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work, and play. Medical care tries to cure those who have diseases, but public health tries not to become ill and not to be injured. Debates on how we build or rebuild public health system, which is contrasted with medical care system, are needed in Korea, focusing how needs for healthy community and right to health are fulfilled. Public health specialists for practising population health at local community level should be systematically recruited, the function of public health centers should be strengthened, and new government organization should be established for place-based health management.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2015

Background: The objective of this research is to investigate and provide analysis of the economic participatory change affecting the unmet needs of health care in Korean adults. Methods: We used Korea health panel 4th and 5th data of 10,261 adults. The method of investigation is threefold. First, We identified the regional factors affecting unmet needs of health care. Second, we analyzed the effect of economic participatory change as it affects the unmet needs of health care. Third, we also investigated whether there were discernable differences between the age subgroups. Results: It was determined that influencing factors included sex, education, economic level, and health status. And after the subgroup analysis of age, we found that the economic participatory change was associated with the economical unmet needs of health care especially for those over 40 years of age. Also the population are facing unemployment enduring particular economic hardship in meeting their medical needs. Conclusion: This study finds that there are some policy recommendations for the sake of medical service equality. Medical welfare policy for those 40 years of age and older has been identified as an area that needs improvement. And considering that those 40 years of age and older are facing unemployment enduring particular economic hardship in meeting their medical needs, this study finds a need for government sponsored medical stipends or subsidizing of medical premiums, co-payment, and other fees.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.524-536
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aims to examine the relationships among experiences of traumatic events, post-traumatic stress (PTS), and the needs for health promotion programs of 119 paramedics. Methods: Experiences of traumatic events, PTS, and needs for health promotion programs were measured using a structured questionnaire. The subjects were 193 paramedics in Jeju Island. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test and $x^2$ test. Results: The most experienced event out of the 16 different traumatic events was 'retrieve a suicide's body.' A high-risk classification of PTS was observed in 36.2% of the subjects. The rates of experiences were higher than those of the actual needs for all 26 health promotion programs. The programs reported as highly needed by respondents were stress management (75.5%) followed by exercise (74.6%) and PTS management (72.5%). Subjects with longer career periods, a fire sergeant, perceived obesity, numerous experiences of traumatic events, and in the PTS risk group had a higher need for a stress management program. Conclusion: These findings indicate that a significant number of 119 paramedics experienced PTS. They also show that onsite strategic management is strongly required. In addition, implementation of health promotion programs based on the needs of 119 paramedics is highly needed.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.85-96
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was performed to identify job competencies and needs for job education perceived by new community health practitioners. Methods: This study used a qualitative research design. Eight new community health practitioners participated in this study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Five job competencies were identified in this study, including primary care, public health management, interpersonal relationship, teaching and counseling, and leadership. The contents of job education that they needed were management of major symptoms and chronic diseases, understanding and prescription of medications, emergency responses and care, management of endemic diseases, planning and management of public health programs, writing official documentsand computer works, and leadership training. The learning methods they preferred were connecting theory and practice, situation- or case-based learning, skill- or practice-based learning, and increased opportunities of clinical practice. Conclusion: The findings of this study provided the direction of job education for new community health practitioners. Job education for new community health practitioners needs to consider the job competencies and educational needs identified in this study.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.82-97
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• 2003

The study attempts to review TQM models used in the health care sector and the obstacles to the application of TQM in the sector. Even though the TQM models in the manufacturing and service sectors were successfully applied, the applicability of TQM in the health care sector is still in question. The reason is the unique characteristics of the medical sector such as medical and management practices. The most of the TQM models in the health care sector come from manufacturing industries. The importance of the professional groups is, however, more emphasized in the sector than in manufacturing sector. The role of the groups are idiosyncratic to the sector. They generate some obstacles to the application of TQM in the sector. The barriers include cultural obstacles of health care organization. It naturally follows that the TQM in the health care sector requires the change of the organizational culture of the sector. The culture embraces the norms, rules, regulations, compensation system, morale, practices, and common experiences. To change the culture needs long term effort and modification of the rules, regulations, compensation system, and practices. It also requires staffs' training in the problem solving methods. The TQM in the health care sector needs that the interested parties should change. Since doctors group and nurses group are controlled in the bureaucratic and authoritative manner, they should learn the problem solving techniques which require the interaction with other groups. The management also needs to learn management skills and get thorough training on them.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.479-488
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• 2023

Background: By applying the suggested criteria for needs-based chronic medical care and long-term care delivery system for the elderly, the current status of delivery system was identified and regional delivery systems were categorized according to quantity and quality of delivery system. Methods: National claims data were used for this study. All claims data of medical and long-term care uses by the elderly and all claims data from long-term care hospitals and nursing homes in 2016 were analyzed to categorize the regional medical and long-term care delivery system. The current status of the delivery system with a high possibility of transition to a needs-based appropriate delivery system was identified. The necessary and actual amount of regional supply was calculated based on their needs, and the structure of delivery systems was evaluated in terms of the needs-based quality of the system. Finally, all regions were categorized into 15 types of medical and care delivery systems for the elderly. Results: Of the total 55 regions, 89.1% of regions had an oversupply of elderly medical and care services compared to the necessary supply based on their needs. However, 69.1% of regions met the criteria for less than two types of needs groups, and 21.8% of regions were identified as regions where the numbers of institutions or regions with a high possibility of transition to an appropriate delivery system were below the average levels for all four needs groups. Conclusion: In order to establish an appropriate community-based integrated elderly care system, it is necessary to analyze the characteristics of the regional delivery system categories and to plan a needs-based delivery system regionally.