• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.159-174
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to examine the health care expenditure of elderly single and elderly couple households whose head is more than 60 years old. The data analyzed for the study were Korean Retirement and Income Study(KRelS) conducted in 2007 by National Pension Corporation. The major finding of this study were as follows: First, the amount of health care expenditure of elderly single households was lower than that of elderly couple households. However, ratio of health care expenditure to total consumption expenditure of elderly single households was larger than that of elderly couple households. Second, the ratio of health care expenditure in consumption expenditure in this study was larger than the ratios in past analyse showed in the previous studies. Third, common factor affecting on health care expenditure of elderly single and elderly couple households was the existence of the family member with chronic disease or handicap. The health care expenditure of elderly singer households was influenced by income, gender and the ownership of national health insurance. The influence of income for elderly singer households seemed to be greater than for elderly couple households. The variables which affected health care expenditure of elderly couple households were age and housing tenure status. The amount and ratio health care expenditure were increased as the age increases. These results show that the health care expenditures for each groups varied according to socio-demographic variables and health-related behavior variables. It is suggested that there should be a discriminative health care policy for each elderly single and elderly couple households. In addition, the health care policy for the elderly households of which member has a chronic disease is certainly necessary. Especially a health care plan for the elderly single households with lower income is in need. For the elderly couple households, the priority group of health care policy would be the high age group.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.601-614
• /
• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the present conditions and problems of oral health care in senior citizens with dementia using a qualitative research method, through focused group interviews. Methods: Data was collected for approximately one month from May 2019. The subjects were divided into two groups: care workers and family caregivers. Fifteen participants were included in the study. Results: In-depth interviews with the care workers revealed the following three categories: characteristics of senile dementia patients, oral health care in senile dementia patients, and oral health care education. In-depth interviews with the family caregivers revealed the following four categories: characteristics of senile dementia patients, oral health care in senile dementia patients, oral health care education, and burden of care. The central themes common to both the care workers and family caregivers were the challenges owing to the characteristics of senile dementia patients, poor health condition of the senile dementia patients, difficulty in oral health care of the senile dementia patients, the desire to receive oral health care education and related information, and to access the information more easily. Additional central themes specific to the care workers were, the applicability of the intervention programs, variability between the facilities, and the problems of oral health care education. An additional central theme specific to the family caregivers was the burden of care. Conclusions: It is necessary to provide oral health care education and information to care workers and family caregivers of senile dementia patients, and to manage and support the dental health professionals ready to care for senile dementia patients. In addition, support to the family caregivers should not be limited only to the financial aspects, but also consider the psychological and emotional difficulties.

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

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.1-26
• /
• 2010

We achieved both industrialization and democratization during the shortest period in the world. We also achieved good performance in national health insurance: universal coverage, solidarity in financing, equitable access of health care. However, national health insurance system has faced the problem of sustainability: various expenditure and financing problems. The problem of sustainablity has two facets of economic sustainability and fiscal sustainability. Economic sustainability refers to growth in health spending as a proportion of gross domestic product(GDP). Rapid increasing rate of health spending exceeds the growth rate of domestic product. Growth in health spending is more likely to threaten other areas of economic activity. Concern on fiscal sustainability relates to revenue and expenditure on health care. Health care financing face demographic and technical obstacles. Democratic obstacle is aging problem. Technical obstacle is collection of contribution. Expenditure of health care has various problems in benefit structure and efficiency of health care system. In this article, I suggest several policy reforms to enhance sustainability: generating additional revenue from value added tax, changing method of levying contribution, increasing efficiency of health care system by introducing the competition principle. restructuring of benefit scheme of health insurance. contracting with health care institutions to provide health care services.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.157-168
• /
• 2001

Currently the oriental medical care services in the health centers is getting popularity because of their unique aspects which western medicine can not cover. This study was conducted to speculate the current status of oriental medical care services in health centers and possibility of how to effectively provide the oriental medical care services(or traditional medical care services) in health centers. For the study, the survey questionnaires were distributed to all 269 health centers and 138(51.3%) of them were collected. Eight of the collected were inadequate for the analysis and 130 of 269 questionnaires were finally chosen for the study. The SPSS/PC WIN 8.0 was used for the statistical analysis. The results are as follows. First, 91 out of 130 sample health centers(70%) are providing oriental medical care services. The results show that the willingness of the directors and the public awareness in community are the most important factors to provide oriental medical care services in health centers. In contrast, the lack of cooperative efforts between western and oriental medical doctors and the lack of government supports are considered as factors that intervene the oriental medical care services in health centers. About 80% of the sample health centers respond that the government supports is needed for oriental medical care services in health centers. Second, it was asked to the directors of 39 health centers which do not provide oriental medical care services regarding their future plan to include the services. About 70% of health centers respond that no plan is available now. They acknowledge that the demand on the services is the most important factor to consider the oriental services as their future medical services. Third, 69.2% of the oriental medical doctors in health centers are public health doctor. 95.6% of the sample health centers have space for the oriental medical care services in their facilities and some health centers provide the services through the private clinics nearby facilities. Finally, the surveyors consider both budgetary constraints and difficulty in recruiting doctors as barriers for the effective oriental medical care services in health centers. Finally, t-test and LSD were employed to find out the difference among several groups. The analysis shows statistically significant difference among groups about their recognition on health care policy, health care system, and effectiveness of oriental medical care services. To be conclude, the study shows the necessity of oriental medical care services in health centers. To do so, the government supports, cooperative efforts between oriental and western medical doctors, and providing job security for doctors should proceed to provide effective oriental medical care services in health centers.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.59-68
• /
• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify current health care management and barriers in health care management according to ecological systems, and to develop an ecological model for enhancing health care in child care centers. Methods: Focus group interviews were conducted with directors and teachers of child care centers, and with parents of children enrolled in child care. Data were analyzed by the latent content analysis method. Results: Twelve categories of health care management were identified. Barriers to child health care included knowledge deficit and lack of competence in health care by teachers, lack of useful health care manuals, non-existence of professional child health care personnel in child care centers, lack of mutual information sharing and disagreement on child health conditions between child care personnel and parents, lack of specific health related child care inspection criteria and time flexible child care centers with a lack of policy on collaboration with health care facilities. The ecological model developed included specific strategies to improve health care management in child care. Conclusion: The proposed ecological model to improve child health care management should be useful to plan future health care program considering both the immediate and indirect social environment surrounding children in child care.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.130-139
• /
• 2009

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the relationship between belief, knowledge, and practice about oral health care of middle-aged women, and to prepare baseline data for developing a dental health education and promotion program, Method: For the survey, 120 individuals(middle-aged women) were chosen by convenience sampling and agreed to participate in the study. Their belief, knowledge, and practice about oral health care were measured, For descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Tukey and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used with SPSS Win 14,0. Result: The level of belief and practice about oral health care was middle for the subjects, However, the level of knowledge about oral health care was relatively high. The level of practice about oral health care related to characteristics of subjects showed significant differences according to level of education and oral health status. There was no significant correlation between the level of practice and the belief about oral health care, The practice about oral health care showed a significant positive correlation with knowledge. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate a need for the development of oral health care programs that is effective in improving belief, knowledge, and practice about oral health care reported by middle-aged women.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.308-315
• /
• 2005

Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to examine the status of the health examination in child care centers. Method: The participants in this study were 631 child care centers. A self report questionnaire on health examination which has been examined for content validity, was distributed by mail to 2,000 child care centers using randomized sampling. Result: Of the sample, $76.2\%$ child care centers had done health examination for children. Height & weight, urinalysis, dental check, anemia test and visual acuity were the most frequently performed items. The rate for maintaining a health record was highest in the national/public child care centers. Child care centers more closely related to community health centers, showed higher rates of health examination. Conclusion: Health care personnel and financial aids should be provided for child care centers to enhance the level of health management of children.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.202-209
• /
• 2018

Health care has two different facets. One is commodity and another is a right of human being. Health care as a commodity is utilized by demand approach in market. Demand is determined by economic factors such as price and income. From the last third of the 19th century until the early 1920s, priority of sickness insurance was replacing the income that workers lost as a result of illness and injury. By the 1920s, the capacity of applied biological and medical science was remarkably developed. Development of medical science stimulated the cost of medical care, and the burden of increased medical care cost required new role of medical care security system. In 1942, Beveridge report was published in United Kingdom, and health care was considered as a right of human being. In 1948, United Nations declared heath care as a right in the Universal Declaration of Human Right. In most countries introduced new medical care security policy based on health care as a right. The viewing health care as a commodity must be shifted toward need based care as a right. Need were understood to rest on demographic, epidemiological, scientific, and medical knowledge factors. Bring needed care to the population could best be achieved institutionally by a hierarchy of provider organizations, guided by planning bodies, which would provide comprehensive benefits. In Korea, health care in social health insurance (SHI) is considered as a commodity not a right. However, health policies under SHI must be need approach based on health care as a right. Mismatch between health policies and ideology of SHI made big troubles. It is important to realize ideology of SHI for good health policies.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.71-82
• /
• 1994

The article reviewed the elderly health care management problems in policy development issue of the nation. Policy of Korean government on elderly health care has still not yet developed. The main stream of policy which is effective on elderly welfare policy is 'Elderly care are responsible by their families'. Now only those aged whose family members are not able to take care of their parents are receive custodial care at the non-profit nursing homes. This article examined the main stream policy in pro and cons aspects in relation to social changes such as: demographic changes. family structure changes. attitude changes. health care delivery system. and political settlement view points in connection with medical insurance program. Finally. a model for the elderly health care management was proposed which will provide chronic care services at the community level. such as nursing homes. day care centers. day hospitals, respite care units, and special care institute for dementia.