• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.89-95
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• 2019

Currently, the legal framework for installation of safety facilities has not been implemented for new multi-purpose business excluding 23 multi-purpose business types, and therefore, there is a high likelihood of large number of casualties in case of fire accident. At present, the new multi-purpose business can start its operation only with administrative actions of the licensing agencies and registration to the tax agency, and it is difficult that the fire department, which is a competent safety management department, makes intervention them in the same way as before. In addition, as the licensing agency has no authority to restrict the business due to insufficient implementation of safety facilities, a lot of civil complaints occur, which causes difficulties in changing concerned laws and regulations rapidly. In this study, it is considered to analyze the legal system, status of safety management of multi-purpose business, type of new multi-use facility and characteristics of fire risk. Based on such analysis results, this study will suggest the improvement plan to solve the blind zones in the safety management, which enables the multi-purpose business to be operated within the legal framework.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.19.1-19.7
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• 2016

A large portion of the Korean population has been exposed to toxic humidifier disinfectants (HDs), and considering that the majority of the victims are infants, the magnitude of the damage is expected to be considerably larger than what has currently been revealed. The current victims are voicing problems caused by various diseases, including but not limited to lung, upper respiratory tract, cardiovascular, kidney, musculoskeletal, eye, and skin diseases, etc. However, there has been difficulty in gaining validation for these health problems and identifying causal relationships due to lack of evidence proving that toxic HD is the specific causes of extrapulmonary diseases such as allergic rhinitis. Furthermore, the victims and bereaved families of the HD case have not received any support for psychological distress such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, feelings of injustice, and anger caused by the trauma. In addition, because the underlying mechanisms of the toxic materials within the HDs such as polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate, poly(oxyalkylene guanidine) hydrochloride, chloromethylisothiazolinone /methylisothiazolinone have yet to be determined, the demand for information regarding the HD issue is growing. The victims of the HD cases require support that goes beyond financial aid for medical costs and living expenses. There is a desperate need for government-led integrated support centers that provide individualized support through health screenings; in other words, we need an integrated facility that provides the appropriate social support to allow the victims to recover their physical and mental health, so as to well prepare them to return to a normal life. The implementation of such a plan requires not only the close cooperation between those departments already directly involved such as the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but also active support on a national scale from pan-governmental consultative bodies.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.15-25
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• 2010

Objectives: The objectives of this study was to evaluate Wonju Healthy City project and identify its problems, and seeking a way for its improvement based on the Healthy City project philosophy and strategies. Methods: We used the SPIRIT Checklist that was a process evaluation tool and developed by Alliance for Healthy Cities for the study. We analyzed 39 related materials and gathered opinions on the evaluation result with Healthy City Team staffs, related department staffs and the advisory committee. Finally, a joint meeting with AFHC SPIRIT evaluation expert verified the result of the analysis. Results: The evaluation of Wonju Healthy City project confirmed that Wonju city is equipped with the resources, such as mid-term plan, infrastructure, cooperative organizations, and the Healthy City network to enable the consistent implementation of the Healthy City project based on strong political commitment. However, the necessity of additional complementary processes as well as the application of further improvements to assist health promotion strategies was evident. Conclusion: It is required to improve Wonju Healthy City project that activation of health promotion programs based on the political support and cooperation with public health center and Healthy City project departments in city hall.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.91-113
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• 2002

We report and analyze the Korean physicians' recent general strike over the implementation of the Separation of Prescribing and Dispensing Practice (SPDP) in which more than 18,000 private clinics and 280 hospitals participated. Utilizing game-theoretic models of bargaining we explain why the Korean physicians were so successful in organizing intense collective action against the government and securing very favorable policy outcomes. In particular, we highlight the role of distributional conflict among social actors in shaping the details of institutional reform. The introduction of the SPDP was a necessary first step in the overall reform of health care system in Korea. However, the SPDP was perceived to be a serious threat to the economic viability of their profession by the vast majority of Korean physicians who had long been relied on the profits from selling medicines to compensate for the loss of income due to the low service fee under the previous health care system. The strong political coalition among heterogeneous physicians enabled them to organize an intense form of collective action, the general strike. Thus, physicians were successful not only in dragging the government to a bargaining table, but also winning in the bargaining and securing an outcome vastly favorable to them. On the other hand, the lack of an overall reform plan in the health care policy area, especially the finance of the National Health Insurance and the need for maintaining an image as a successful reform initiator, motivated the government to reach a quick resolution with the striking physicians.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.67-80
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• 2014

Purpose : Long-term Care Insurance sets up facility standard and installation standard of aged care facilities and decides the presence of minimum number of rooms and its size in care facilities by using systematic instruments. Therefore, most aged care facilities had renovation in expansion and reconstruction following the revised regulations and even facility space structure and space composition are continuously improving. The study is to determine the purpose and trend by comparing before and after space composition of facilities which followed the implementation of Long-term Care Insurance and also to suggest hierarchical space composition suitable for aged care facilities through derived problems and to provide basic materials to plan the most appropriate facility for the aged. Methods : J-graph based on Space Syntax Theory will be schematized through in-site facility survey and before and after facility floor plan. Space composition trend will be analyzed by comparing indexes through S3 program. Results : As a result of 5 cases analysis, the following results were found; the average of whole space depth is increasing due to the Extension, the number of volunteers is decreasing and rooms for geriatric care helpers are being created due to the geriatric care helper introduction duty. Also, there are solariums being created to improve the health of the aged and dispensaries are being placed on every floor with the increase of documentary work for geriatric care helpers. With the policy implementation, care facility space composition and structure are changing with facility standard and it was analyzed that facilities were mostly put under the control of limited number of people in care room and total ground area per person. It was also found that there is increase in care space integration through before and after comparison of whole integration value. This is considered as the important result not only in facility standard satisfaction, but also in care support of geriatric care helpers and the aged, its main users. Implication : In order for elderly care facilities to have quality improvement and to develop as suitable facilities for characteristics of the aged, independent environmental facility standard preparation of elderly care facilities is needed through mutual cooperation of construction fields with regulation and policy related researches.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.267-274
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• 2021

Background: Although the orofacial-function improvement exercise (OFIE; oral exercise) was first introduced in Korea 10 years prior, it is still not covered by medical insurance, and no detailed survey on the dissemination of related programs has been conducted. Therefore, this study investigated the actual status of the education and practice of OFIE among the elderly and at elderly welfare institutions in the Seoul and Gyeonggi Provinces. Methods: Senior citizens aged more than 65 years old, public health centers (total of 69) and elderly welfare institutions (including nursing homes and elderly welfare centers, total of 56) per administrative area in the Seoul and Gyeonggi Provinces were targeted. We analyzed 200 elderly people and 93 institutions who agreed to participate in the survey. For the elderly, general characteristics, experience and route, current practice, and necessity regarding OFIE were investigated. For institutions, the history and plan of education programs on OFIE were investigated. Results: Regardless of the general characteristics, both the rate of experience and practice for OFIE were low overall; moreover, although they felt it was necessary, they had insufficient motivation for its implementation. Moreover, only a few institutions which were operating the education about OFIE regardless of the COVID-19 situation. Conclusion: Although OFIE is necessary for the elderly, its distribution remains insufficient. Therefore, further efforts are needed to expand the education and raise the awareness of oral exercise among elderly individuals and senior welfare institutions.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.443-448
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• 2023

Over the past five years, the number of patients with sleep disorders has increased by about 250,000 from 840,000 in 2017 to 1.09 million in 2021. In addition, sleep disorder is a factor that causes dementia risk factors, and furthermore, the population with sleep disorder is a very important policy issue in terms of stable health insurance financial management in the future in terms of national health management in the super-aging trend. Therefore, this study aims to establish an efficient treatment environment in medical institutions responsible for the current status of polysomnography and effective reimbursement policies for the recently increasing population with sleep disorders, and appropriate sleep management policies for future sleep disorders through correct implementation. We are trying to find out the actual condition and improvement plan through interviews with related organizations and experts.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.341-352
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• 2012

It is well established that excessive sodium intake is related to a higher incidence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease and gastric cancer. Although the upper limit of the current sodium intake guideline by WHO is set at 2,000 mg/day for adults, sodium intake of Koreans is well over 4,700 mg/capita/day implying an urgent need to develop and implement sodium intake reduction policy at the national level. This study investigated the cost-effectiveness of the sodium intake reduction policy, for the first time, in Korea. Analyses were performed using most recent and representative data on national health insurance statistics, healthcare utilization, employment information, disease morbidity/mortality, etc. The socioeconomic benefits of the policy, resulting from reduced morbidity of those relevant diseases, included lower medical expenditures, transportation costs, caregiver cost for inpatients and income losses. The socioeconomic benefits from diminished mortality included reductions in earning losses and welfare losses caused by early deaths. It is estimated that the amount of total benefits of reducing sodium intake from 4.7 g to 3.0 g is 12.6 trillion Korean Won; and the size of its cost is 149 billion Won. Assuming that the effect of sodium intake reduction would become gradually evident over a 5-year period, the implied rate of average return to the sodium reduction policy is 7,790% for the following 25 years, suggesting a very high cost-effectiveness. Accordingly, development and implementation of a mid-to-long term plan for a consistent sodium intake reduction policy is extremely beneficial and well warranted.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 1979

A study was carried out from October 1977 to September 1978 in order to develope health care delively system which will meet to rural area in Korea. For the study objective a model of health care delivery system of Myun (township) area was developed which is adopted the net-work of village health voluntary worker who will play the role of bridge for communication related with health and illness between families or village people and health subcenter, and :he model health care delivery system net-work was set in the area of Soodong Myun, Yangju Gun. which is the rural health demonstration area of Ewha Womans University since 1972. The activities and attitude of 22 village health voluntary workers were observed and analized. during the study period. The results are as follows; 1. For the field activities of village health voluntary workers. a guide line which is described with specific behavioral objectives was developed and used for not only training of the workers but also evaluation of their field activities. 2. During the study period, the number of 971 village people were served primary health care service by village health voluntary worker and the service was classified largely into symptomatic medications (92%) and preventive measures (8%). 3. Comparative percentage of the number of 894 symptomatic cases cared by village health voluntary workers to 5,695 cases of patient treated by Soodong Health Subcenter during the same period was 15.7%. 4. Annual utility rate of village health voluntary worker by Myun total people was 16.1% but utility rate by Rie was varied from 38.2% to 2.8% which shown there were considerable differences in each Rie. In order to settle the village health care service, the obstructive factors of utility should be detected and their counter measure must be taken. 5. As the health need of village people increases, it is expected that the supplement of drug excluding present sit basic drugs is inevitable, but considering the ability of village health voluntary worker, the selection of additional drugs and education, plan should be carefully studied. 6. It is desirable that a financial resource for supplementary purchase of first aid kit, drugs and materials whould be alloted from village public fund like Saemaeul Women's Club fund, which has already practiced in a few villages in the study area. 7. As pointed out by village health voluntary workers, in order to improve the village health, village leaders should be in the center of it and the cooperation of whole village people is a core of healthful village development, and it is reasonable that the health subcenter backs up these voluntary health activities by village people in techniques. 8. It seems effective that a supplementary education for village health voluntary worker be accomplished by a planned education through regular meetings like worker's monthly meeting and irregular post guide when Myun Health Workers can handle the problems found during the round trip of villages. 9. It is desirable that village health voluntary workers, who are recommended by a civil voluntary organization like Saemael Woman's Club, are charged by natural villagc unit, are given a function of village health care service and used through basic education at health subcenter. 10. It is advisable that the village health voluntary worker's service is compensated not by a form of money, but by other way such as an exemption of medical fee of worker herself or her families in health subcenter can be one method. 11. Daily health activities of each village health voluntary worker should be reported to health subcenter by biweekly or monthly in order to get not only for basic data of the program but also for evaluation the program. It is recomandable that the report form should be simple and clear enough for village health voluntary worker to fill it effectively. 12. Village health care service should be developed into a Saemaeul Movement in which village people actively participate. For this, the appointed function of village health voluntary worker should be absorbed into those of living Environment Betterment Section or Family Planning Section of Saemaeul Women's Club or it is desirable that establish a new section, Village Health Promoting Section and make it involve the appointed functions of those sections mentioned above.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.15-30
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• 2019

Changpo Lake was created as a part of a land reclamation for refugee self-helping projects. It shows characteristics of a fresh water lake, and still retains the early appearance of reclamation that surrounding regions have not been developed into farm lands. Shallow wetland has formed around the lake, which provides great conditions for diverse lives, and surrounding earthiness is favorable for growth of vegetation and restoration of the ecosystem. However, as facilities of the Muan International Airport nearby Changpo Lake are expanding and barns are being constructed, artificialness is gradually increasing. Particularly, since pollution sources such as sport facilities, farm lands and barns are scattered around Changpo Lake, pollutants are flowing in constantly. Accordingly, the results for setting up management areas according to the spatial characteristics and creating natural ecological spaces near Changpo Lake, Taebongcheon stream and Hakgyecheon stream are as follows. First, the creation of a natural eco-friendly waterfront space should be promoted by securing the health of the aquatic ecosystem and restoring species and the ecosystem. In addition, a consultative body needs to be formed to lead local residents to participating in river investigation and monitoring, maintenance, and management through role sharing. Second, the basic direction of the spatial management plan is to keep the unique charm of Changpo Lake, maintain harmony with nature, create diverse waterfront areas, and secure the continuity of Changpo Lake and inflow streams. Moreover, the area should be divided into three zones such as a conservation zone, a restoration zone and a waterfront zone, and for each zone, the preservation of vegetation, the creation of ecological wetlands and restoration of the ecotone and ecological nature need to be promoted. Third, facilities and activity programs for each space of Changpo Lake should be operated for efficient management of protected areas. In order to suit the status of each space, biological habitats, water purification spaces, experiential and learning spaces, and convenience and rest spaces should be organized and designated as research, monitoring, education, and tourism areas. Accordingly, points of interest should be set up within the corresponding area. In this study, there are many parts that need to be supplemented for immediate implementation since the detailed plans and project costs for the promotion of programs by area are not calculated. Therefore, it is necessary to make detailed project plans and consider related projects such as water quality, restoration of habitats, nature learning and observation, and experience of ecological environments based on the categories such as research, monitoring, education and tourism in the future.