• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.455-464
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• 2020

Objectives: The distribution of hospitals in Korea is unbalanced in terms of accessibility. Many local public health centers (PHCs) exempt out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) based on local government laws to increase coverage. However, this varies across administrative regions, as many make this exemption for the elderly, while others do not. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the OOP exemption at local PHCs among elderly individuals. Methods: This study used online data on Korean national law to gather information on individual local governments' regulations regarding OOP exemptions. Individual-level data were gathered from the 2018 Community Health Survey and regional-level data from public online sources. Results: The study analyzed 132 regions and 44 918 elderly people. A statistical analysis of rate differences and 2-level multiple logistic regression were carried out. The rate difference according to whether elderly individuals resided in areas with the OOP exemption was 1.97%p (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07 to 2.88) for PHC utilization, 1.37%p (95% CI, 0.67 to 2.08) for hypertension treatment, and 2.19%p (95% CI, 0.63 to 3.74) for diabetes treatment. The regression analysis showed that OOP exemption had an effect on hypertension treatment, with a fixed-effect odds ratio of 1.25 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.48). Conclusions: The OOP exemption at PHCs can affect medical utilization in Korea, especially for hypertension treatment. The OOP exemption should be expanded to improve healthcare utilization in Korea.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.53 no.10
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• pp.705-711
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• 2015

South Korea's oral health care non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a crucial role in South-North relations, although a formal intergovernmental relationship is difficult to establish and also easily breaks down. Humanitarian assistance by NGOs in the oral health care sector is an area that receives wide support from South Korean society for its urgency and for its appeal to humanity. This humanitarian assistance started in the late 1990's and continued to grow until the late 2000's. This assistance continued throughout the tension between the two administrations that resulted in a radical decrease in overall assistance from South Korea to North Korea. However, concerns remain about the transparency and efficiency of NGO activities. In this article, the NGOs and their major activities are delineated, and South Korean legislation is examined. A current act, the Law on the Development of South and North Korean Relations serves as a basis for governmental regulation and support of NGO's. Humanitarian assistance in the oral healthcare area is directly related to the oral health of the North Korean people, and it should not be influenced by political changes. Long-term planning and close discussions between NGOs, their North Korean counterparts, and the South Korean government are needed. NGOs need to overcome their shortcomings such as a lack of expertise and shortage of financial support. For this, NGOs must improve their administration transparency and professionalism.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.27-34
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• 2006

Planning for the space of the Media Medical Department requires the details about the efficiency of the equipment and the operation in professional sector. For that, as designing, it is necessary to keep communicating with the experts on the technology and the officials from the company producing the equipment. One of the common concerns is not only how to insure enough room for the future extension and the upgrade of the equipment, as concerning the scale of the hospital, but the plan to cover movie cameras. As technology has been developed, despite the fact that machinery tend to be small, it can be possible to require continuously about the concerns of the scale because the camera taking body-picture tend to be much bigger and more complicated than before. Currently used diagnostic media techniques are divided by the method and the feature of the equipment such as Diagnostic X-ray, Ultrasound, CT, MRI, Angiography. The general and special photographing units which are used more than the other diagnostic parts, must be planned not for experiencing any inconvenience and unnecessary risks for the patients and must accept technical requirements. Also, it must be designed not to be seen as a clinic zone, as concerning the psychological stability of the patients. However, study of the general and special photographing units among the domestic general hospitals is insufficient. Also, as there is shortage of the material considering the development of the equipment, when planning, it's involving a lot of difficulties. Thus, this study has got a purpose on giving the basic material which is essential for further study, as suggesting the planning guidelines and the alternative plans for the general and special photographing units in a general hospital.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.27-35
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• 2020

Purpose: A solid system in the process of establishing guidelines can increase social acceptance and utilization. The paper aims to comparatively analyze the system in which guidelines for health care facilities in the US, Australia, and the UK and suggest implications for Korea. Method: It conducted literature analysis of the system in the framework of composition, governance, and procedure for the Facility Guidelines Institute's Guideline for US, Australia's Australasian Health Facility Guidelines for Australia, and Health Building Notes for UK. Results and Implications: First, in terms of composition, the guidelines for health care facilities can be divided into composition by space and composition by issue. It is proposed to establish a system that space and issues are clearly separated, such as Australia's AusHGF, and complete it step by step. Second, in terms of governance, despite the fact that the medical supply is privately oriented, the medical system is controlled by the government in Korea. Therefore, it is suggested to form a separate organization in the public sector that establishes, researches, and revises the guideline that will serve as a focal point for experts in various fields to participate. Third, in terms of procedure, it is suggested to establish a guideline that reflects the experiences and demands of consumers by clearly organizing procedures including collecting opinions.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.111-128
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• 2016

Trade between nations has been considered as exchange for material things. According to recent changes in the paradigm of global trade, trade is shifting focus on the exchange of an immaterial being. Among them, the service sector is growing fast and the health service has shown exceptional growth as the healthcare market is consistently expanding. It is also part of the global service targeting people all around the world. People visiting other countries for medical service tend to spend more money and stay longer than a traveler. For these reasons, global medical service is in the spotlight as a promising and higher value-added business. The global medical service industry has been developed around Asia, specifically Thailand, Singapore, India, etc. Compared to them, Korea has come late into the market of global healthcare and the Korean government is striving to attract foreign patients. Nevertheless, there is a lack of effort to make foreign patients visiting Korea revisit Korea. Regarding foreign patients' medical disputes, these are not yet a problem officially; however, the government cannot leave the matter as it is. Medical dispute related with foreign patients is a highly complex issue due to different languages, nationalities, cultures, etc. Particularly, Korea's medical tourism is developed with Chinese visiting Korea for plastic surgery and cosmetic procedure. Thus, the Korean medical tourism market can be crowded with a lot of minor medical agencies, so-called brokers, getting foreign patients connected to the medical institutions. Consequently, Korea has received a large number of complaints and dissatisfaction. No one can predict and know what's supposed to happen in the future. Efforts of the Korean government and medical institute attracting foreign patients could be in vain. In order to take a step forward, this paper will do research on present conditions and look for strategies of improving this industry, focusing on the part of medical agency and contributing to the improvement of the Korean medical tourism industry.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.59-71
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• 2008

e-Health/u-Health has generally been considered as an expansion of current medical and medical relevant segments. However. as e-Health/u-Health has been known to have typical attributes and characteristics of services supporting a physically and mentally well-balanced life of its users, we can rationally assume that e-Health/u-Health can be not only an expansion of the existing medical field but also a result of the complex and sophisticated convergence among diverse industries such as the ICT industry. traditional care-relevant segments, etc. Thus, in this study, we carefully and cautiously consider e-Health/u-Health in accordance with both possible scenarios: 1) an expansion of a typical industry, and 2) a result of a convergence among various industries. The advent of new technologies, rapid development of current technologies, and convergence trends in various fields are creating dramatic innovations in the next generation health services market. Consumerism as a characteristic of c-Health/u-Health can be expected to find a solution of the existing healthcare service problems. In the initial phase. mainly due to the absence of a vanguard, as well as to various legalistic and regulative limitations, the role of the government would be immensely critical for the successful early settlement of the e-Health/u-Health industry. Both the government and private sector need to practice continuous and effective public education and publicity mainly to increase the overall recognition and usability of e-Health/u-Health services. Nursing as a unique professional discipline should be well aware of the new paradigm shift of the healthcare market, and make maximum use of the possibility of this trend to the advent of the professional nursing's new role.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.17-24
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• 2018

This study attempted to analyze technology convergence structure and key technology research sectors in bio-health. For this, network analysis was performed based on the patent outcomes achieved through national R&Ds. Then, a patent network was analyzed to derive problems and collect data from the National Science & Technology Information Service. With the five groups obtained through the analysis of IPC network and national R&D patents in bio-health based on a research frame network, topics were chosen based on the bio-healthcare technology system. Then, the technology with the greatest ripple effects was derived and compared to other sectors, suggesting a direction for national R&D investments. It is anticipated that this study would make a contribution to a search for R&D investment direction by additionally analyzing overseas patent data and improving correlation analysis between technology convergence and government-led R&D expenses.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2024

Purpose: The planning of medical facilities involves formulating a comprehensive medical basic plan, translating it into spatial dimensions through a space program. Feasibility assessment often relies on empirical methods like floor area per bed. However, with the shift towards specialized medical concepts, proportional scaling to bed numbers is challenging. This study proposes scale planning improvements during the feasibility assessment stage for comprehensive hospitals, analyzing cases using area determination factors and standard areas based on medical resources. Methods: The Korean Development Institute's Public Investment Management Center (KDI) identified issues in the scale determination of medical facilities in the Preliminary Feasibility Study Guidelines and investigated alternative approaches for determining the scale of a case that passed the preliminary feasibility study in 2019. The study assessed the feasibility of applying individual factors to determine not only the number of beds but also the scale at the sector and department levels. Additionally, a statistical analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between the total number of beds and various area determination factors. Results: Results suggest a strong correlation between total beds and major equipment needs, but in hospitals with <500 beds, this correlation weakens. Ward section scale is better calculated per ward type, not just total beds. Outpatient department scale depends on specialists, influencing treatment room numbers. Medical personnel play a crucial role in determining the scale of sections like rehabilitation therapy rooms, operating rooms, dialysis rooms, and overall facility scale.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.103-105
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• 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is rapidly spreading across various industries. Accordingly, interest in ethical issues arising from the use of AI is also increasing. This is particularly true in the healthcare sector, where AI-related ethical issues are a significant topic due to its focus on health and life. Hence, this issue aims to examine the ethical concerns when using AI tools during research and publication processes. One of the key concerns is the potential for unintended plagiarism when researchers use AI tools for tasks such as translation, citation, and editing. Currently, as AI is not given authorship, the researcher is held accountable for any ethical problems arising from using AI tools. Researchers are advised to specify which AI tools were used and how they were employed in their research papers. As more cases of ethical issues related to AI tools accumulate, it is expected that various guidelines will be developed. Therefore, researchers should stay informed about global consensus and guidelines regarding the use of AI tools in the research and publication process.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.149-158
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• 2010

Background & Objectives: Rising concerns about patient safety and looming health provider shortages were generating new recognition for an old idea. Interprofessional education means that two or more professions learn with, from and about other to improve collaboration and the quality of healthcare. The University of British Columbia established the College of Health Disciplines in 2001 to examine the merits of interprofessional health education. The objective of this study was to review UBC's interprofessional health education and to introduce the theoretical framework of interprofessional education for collaborative patient-centered practice. Methods: This study was conducted with the materials relevant to the interprofessional education. We reviewed the journals and Web site for this subject and we obtained interview data from administrators in the University of British Columbia, College of Health Disciplines. Results: We introduced interdisciplinary education for collaborative patient-centered practice model. It is assumed valuable model in preparing the interprofessional education as well as theoretical framework for implementation. We preseuted the example for interprofessional education of the College of Health Disciplines, University of British Columbia. Conclusion: We need to introduce the interprofessional education at the health care departments of University or College in Korea.