• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.20-46
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• 2007

Given the pressures to promote the efficient utilization of medical resources, hospitals have developed cost accounting systems in several countries. This study discusses the recent development and problems of hospital cost accounting practices in three countries: UK, US, and Japan. first, we discuss a cost accounting structure and detailed pictures of costing practices. Second, problems of current systems arc reviewed and then possible remedies are discussed. Third, we provide implications for implementing the systems(especially ABC). finally, we assert that infrastructure(hospital information systems, database, etc.) must be established and the target level of costing has to be considered before organization-wide application.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.54 no.12
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• pp.477-480
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• 2011

In order to care for an ill or injured child, it is crucial that every emergency department (ED) has a minimum set of personnel and resources because the majority of children are brought to the geographically nearest ED. In addition to adequate preparation for basic pediatric emergency care, a comprehensive, specialized healthcare system should be in place for a critically-ill or injured victim. Regionalization of healthcare means a system providing high-quality and cost-effective care for victims who present with alow frequency, but critical condition, such as multiple trauma or cardiac arrest. Within the pediatric field, neonatal intensive care and pediatric trauma care are good examples of regionalization. For successful regionalized pediatric emergency care, all aspects of a pediatric emergency system, from pre-hospital field to hospital care, should be categorized and coordinated. Efforts to set up the pediatric emergency care regionalization program based on a nationwide healthcare system are urgently needed in Korea.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.45-52
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• 2007

Hospital Architectures in Korea are continuously erected to old-fashioned design, such as a large self-sufficient, but cost-inefficient hospital, in spite of rapidly changing social and healthcare environment. However, changes are slowly coming from inside of itself. This paper analyzed block plans of 7 best Korean hospitals which constructed in recent 20 years in aspects of the purpose of erection, departmental composition, areal composition, mass design and functional zoning of block plans and then, presented the directions of new design trends of hospital architecture in Korea. It is anticipated that hospital architecture will change immensely in the enlarging process of these minor changes.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.293-300
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• 2022

Flexible, wearable, and implantable electronic sensors have started to gain popularity in improving the quality of life of sick and healthy people, shifting the future paradigm with high sensitivity. However, conventional technologies with a limited lifespan occasionally limit their continued usage, resulting in a high cost. In addition, traditional battery technologies with a short lifespan frequently limit operation, resulting in a substantial challenge to their growth. Subsequently, utilizing human biomechanical energy is extensively preferred motion for biologically integrated, self-powered, functioning devices. Ideally suited for this purpose are piezoelectric energy harvesters. To convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, devices must be mechanically flexible and stretchable to implant or attach to the highly deformable tissues of the body. A systematic analysis of piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) for personalized healthcare is provided in this article. This article briefly overviews PENGs as self-powered sensor devices for energy harvesting, sensing, physiological motion, and healthcare.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.33-56
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyze the change of hospitals that patients safety and quality improvement by accreditation process and to examine the impact or interrelation of leadership, organizational culture, hospital management activities and recognition of hospital management performances. The data were collected through a review of the literature, and selfadministered survey with a structured questionnaires to 714 subjects from several medical staff members, administration staff members, nursing staff members, medical technicians and other staff members working in 23 accredited hospitals in Korea. In this analysis hierarchical multiple regression and structural equation model were used. The conclusion of this study provides a theoretical model for understanding organizational changes brought about by accreditation system. Factor on improvement of efficiency and raise the morale, rather than increase of medical income and reduce of the cost factors, had a stronger influence on the accreditation process. In the future, the hospital's participation to induce the accreditation program voluntarily will come up with an alternative policy concern about financial perspective. Also, the hospitals which preparing accreditation program to achieve the goal efficiently, will make use of transformational leadership through enhancing individual consideration and intellectual development to leading members participation. Additionally, non-accredited hospitals should aim at professional culture by innovative and creative approaches, and inviting members to learning and growth in the organization.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.120-125
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• 2020

Unmet healthcare needs lead to increased disease severity, increased likelihood of complications, and worse disease prognosis. To examine the latest status of unmet healthcare needs in South Korea, the four different data configured with nationally representative sample of South Korean population were used: the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNAHANES, 2007-2018), the Community Health Survey (CHS, 2008-2018), the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHP, 2011-2016), and the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS, 2006-2018). The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs were 7.8% (KNHANES, 2018), 8.8% (CHS), and 10.8% (KHP, 2016). Annual percentage change which characterizes trend for the follow-up period was -9.1%, -3.2%, and -6.8%, respectively. The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs due to cost were 1.2% (KNAHANES, 2018), 1.2% (CHS, 2018), 2.5% (KHP, 2016), and 0.5% (KOWEPS, 2018). Annual percentage change which characterizes trend for the follow-up period was -10.3%, -12.0%, -11.3%, and -18.8, respectively. The low-income population and the elderly population were vulnerable groups reporting the highest rate of unmet health care needs. The rate of unmet healthcare needs has been declining since the past decade, still, the disparity between different income groups and age groups suggests that there are many challenges to address.

• Infection and chemotherapy
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.319-327
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• 2018

Background: Lancet-related needlestick injuries (NSIs) occur steadily in clinical practices. Safety-engineered devices (SEDs) can systematically reduce NSIs. However, the use of SEDs is not active and no study to guide the implementation of SEDs was known in South Korea. The lancet-related NSIs may be eliminated to zero incidence using a SED lancet with effective sharp injury protection and reuse prevention features. Materials and Methods: We implemented a SED lancet by replacing a conventional prick lancet in a tertiary hospital in a sequential approach. A spot test of the new SED was conducted for 1 month to check the acceptability in practice and a questionnaire survey was obtained from the healthcare workers (HCWs). A pilot implementation of the SED lancet in 2 wards was made for 1 year. Based on these preliminary interventions, a hospital-wide full implementation of the SED lancet was launched. The incidence of NSIs and cost expenditure before and after the intervention were compared. Results: There were 29 cases of conventional prick lancet-related NSIs for 3 years before the full implementation of SED lancet. The proportion of prick lancet-related NSIs among yearly all kinds of NSIs during two years before the pilot study was average 11.7% (22/188). Pre-interventional baseline incidence of all kinds of NSIs was 7.01 per 100 HCW-years. After the full implementation of SED lancet, the lancet-related NSIs became zero in the 2nd year (P = 0.001). The average direct cost of 18,393 US dollars (USD) per year from device and post-exposure medical care before the intervention rose to 20,701 USD in the 2nd year of the intervention. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was 210 USD per injury avoided. Conclusion: The implementation of a SED lancet could eliminate the lancet-related NSIs to zero incidence. The cost increase incurred by the use of SED lancet was tolerable.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.325-337
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• 2023

Background: While there are many studies estimating the effects of private health insurance on various types of health care utilization, few have examined how such effects change in conjunction with important policy reforms in national health insurance (NHI). This study examined how the effect of private health insurance (supplemental and fixed cash benefit) on high-cost outpatient imaging test utilization changed following the expansion of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) coverage in 2018, which is a key example of the NHI benefit expansion policy in recent years. Methods: Data from the 2017 and 2019 Korea Health Panel Survey, which contained information about healthcare utilization before and after the expansion of MRI coverage in 2018, were used. The incremental effect of private health insurance on high-cost outpatient imaging test utilization for each period were quantified and compared, with special attention given to the type of private health insurance. Results: While people with supplemental private health insurance were more likely to use high-cost outpatient imaging tests than those without, both before and after the expansion of MRI coverage, the incremental effect increased from 1.6% points in 2017 to 2.5% points in 2019. Conclusion: Benefit expansion in NHI does not necessarily reduce disparities in the use of health care between private health insurance subscribers and non-subscribers. The results of our study also suggest that the path through which private health insurance affects healthcare utilization may not be limited to the price mechanism alone but can be more complex.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.77-86
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• 2012

Objective of the study represents experiences of medical utilization of Psychiatric Outpatients. This research draws on information obtained from the 2008 National-wide sampling study of the Korean Healthcare Panel(KHP) conducted. The results of our study suggest the significance of variables such as the gender(p<.001) in the social demographical characteristics, the medical security type(p<.016), medical institution utilization(p<.012) treatment type(p<.004) in the utilization factors. In the case of medical utilization cost, the financial support factor(p<.018) showed a significant relationship. Depending on the particularities of gender, medical security type, financial support, medical institution utilization, treatment type were determined through a multiple logistics regression analysis. Gender showed that, among Psychiatric outpatient age of 30-59 level was 5.358 times and 60 years and older, their the second medical examination level was 4.490 times higher than Psychiatric outpatients under the age of 29. Health insurance type showed for the others medical allowance was 6.712 times higher than job health insurance and the other treatment was 0.395 times lower than drug treatment. Psychiatric outpatients utilization are rooted in the thoughts and factor levels of the Psychiatric patients and must be understood from the Psychiatric outpatients's perspective. The point is not only to gauge the patients research during Psychiatric medical utilization. The important of social community mental healthcare services levels goes beyond the goal of enhancing healthcare.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.82-90
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• 2008

Recent shortening of hospitalization has partly led to the transition of health care services from hospitals to communities in cardiovascular (CVD) care. Home healthcare nursing is an alternative modality of care for chronically ill CVD patients. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been redefined as a "secondary prevention center", consisting of: patient assessment; nutritional counseling; blood pressure and diabetes management; tobacco cessation; psychosocial management; and physical activity counseling. Improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a major goal of the CR that integrates physical, psychological and social dimensions of care. The review of evidence on effects of CR on HRQOL may allow home healthcare nurses to provide better comprehensive care for CVD patients. There is evidence on beneficial effects of CR on HRQOL in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) as well as patients with chronic heart failure. Specifically, home-based CR, which is more cost-effective than hospital-based CR, has been reported to produce comparable improvements in HRQOL with hospital-based CR in MI patients. In conclusion, a newly-designed, home-based CR may be required to be applied to Korean home healthcare nursing system for improving HRQOL.