• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.87-98
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate advance care planning needs expressed online. Methods: This study collected data from online community posts and healthcare news sites. The search keywords included "death," "euthanasia," "life-sustaining medical care," "life-sustaining treatment," "advance directives," "advance medical directives," and "advance care planning." Data collection spanned from February 2018 to February 14, 2020. Out of 2,288 posts, 1,190 were included in the final analysis. Data analysis was conducted using NVivo 12, a qualitative data analysis software program. Results: Content analysis categorized patients' advance care planning needs into eight themes, 11 theme clusters, and 33 meaningful statements. Similarly, care providers' advance care planning needs were categorized into eight themes, 14 theme clusters, and 42 meaningful statements. The identified themes of care needs included life-sustaining medical care, decision-making related to life-sustaining medical care, physical care, environmental care, supportive and spiritual care, respect, preparing for death, and family. Conclusion: This study identified care needs from the perspectives of patients and their families. The findings may serve as preliminary data for future research and clinical applications.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.373-383
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• 2021

Our society is aging rapidly. In this super-aged society, the increase in healthcare costs are considered a national problem that undermines the sustainability of social security. Various services for healthcare for the elderly have been promoted to address this. However, most of them have focused on healthcare after the outbreak of chronic diseases and lack preventive healthcare. Most of the preventive healthcare projects are only pilots. In this paper, the current status of health care services for senior citizens at home and abroad was analyzed and based on this, the limitations and improvements were analyzed to propose the establishment of IoT-based Total Silver Care Center. IoT-based Total Silver Care Center may be conveniently monitored the health status of the elderly through various sensors, medical devices, and smart bands. And based on this, it can improve the quality of nursing services through time-saving and work efficiency of nursing providers. In addition, health care interventions may be provided in a timely manner if there is a change in the health status of users. And real-time imaging systems can help overcome mental difficulties.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.892-900
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• 2010

Objectives : To save the lives of patients with cardiac arrests, CPR must be performed rapidly and precisely. Regarding its critical necessity, there is a growing tendency to encourage whomever witnesses the cardiac arrest to perform basic CPR. However, the attitude toward basic CPR nor its current state of education in Korean Oriental Medical arena, which is one of the dual axes unique to Korean medical system, are not known. This is a kind of pilot study to research attitudes toward and the educative effect of basic CPR among oriental medical doctors in Korea. Methods : We carried out surveys and tests targeting nineteen apprentice doctors working in Dongguk University Ilsan Oriental Hospital, who were receiving training for 'AHA BLS course for healthcare providers', on the attitude toward and educative effect of basic CPR before and after the education. Results : The pre-educational survey showed that most of the participants felt the necessity to be trained in the BLS course, were not confident about performing CPR, and not well-acquainted with the whole process of performing CPR. After education, however, none of them responded with a lack of confidence to perform basic CPR, and the score of the confidence to perform basic CPR was significantly increased, too (from $2.05{\pm}0.71$ to $4.05{\pm}0.40$, n=19, p<0.001). Moreover, all of them answered they were satisfied with this BLS course, and it aroused their sense of responsibility as oriental medical doctors. All the participants passed the exam, and their average score for BLS scheme performance was $28.2{\pm}1.3$. Conclusions : It is necessary, in the future, to set up a management system for intensive, regular and continuous reeducation and expand the research on the perception and attitude targeting larger numbers and more multilevel groups of oriental medical doctors.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.37-51
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• 2012

Objectives : The objective of this study is to determine the present state of patients with breast cancer use of Korean medicine(KM) and predictive factors for the use. Through this, the present study is intended to present reasonable treatment approaches for patients with breast cancer as well as communicating correct information on KM to healthcare providers and presenting objective alternatives for patients with breast cancer management based on the subjects' experience in health benefits obtained from their use of KM. Methods : To collect data for the present study, questionnaire surveys were conducted on outpatients who visited four hospitals located in Seoul, Korea during around three weeks from May 31, 2012. Although the total number of the questionnaire sheet distributed in the form of directly asking questionnaire questions was 300, 12 incomplete questionnaire sheets were excluded. Therefore, the number of questionnaire sheets actually used in analyses was 288 and thus the collect rate was 96%. Results : Major results of this study are as follows. First, the number of subjects who responded to the questionnaire was 288 in total. Forty-six percent of the patients reported KM usage and the most commonly used ginseng and qigong/exercise. KM use was found to be associated with age, experiencing side effects of cancer treamnent. Factors that affect the use of KM were analyzed by Linear Logistic Regression and the results showed that age, experiencing side effects of cancer treatment, effectiveness of cancer treatment, and satisfaction of the treatment were factors that were related with relatively more frequent use of KM. Conclusions : Comparing the previous studies, it could be seen that patients with breast cancer were highly interested in and used KM in which conventional medicine and KM are used simultaneously. Knowledge on the integrative use of KM and conventional therapies is necessary for cancer physicians and traditional Korean medical doctors to help patients make informed choices. KM use may play a role in the positive benefits associated with process of breast center treatment. Healthcare providers should communicate correct information on the KM use that has been scientifically verified and talk with each other openly. The fact that the significant correlation between predictive factors for the use of KM was identified trough the present study is quite meaningful.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.63-74
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• 2017

Background: This study aims to analyze quality of and satisfaction with Korea medical services and identify factors affecting medical service satisfaction, revisit, and recommendation intention among international patients. Methods: Secondary analysis of survey data conducted by Korea Health Industry Development Institute from June 10th to July 17th in 2013 was done using multiple regression and logistic regression analysis. The 191 international patients from 9 medical institutions in Seoul were enrolled. Results: The results showed that international patients were satisfied with 85.6 points out of 100.0 points. International patients appraised higher in staff service rather than other services. Factors influencing medical service satisfaction were gender, religion, medical specialty, length of stay, and quality of medical services. Quality of medical service explained 29.8% of medical service satisfaction and especially, 'doctor's care' and 'communication and patient respect' were significantly related to medical service satisfaction. Medical specialty had a significant influence on revisit intention. There were no statistically significant influencing factors of recommendation intention. Additionally, more satisfied patients were associated with higher revisit and recommendation intention. Conclusion: This study implies that quality of medical services is a critical factor for patient satisfaction and that satisfaction with medical services is an important factor for increasing revisit and recommendation intention among international patients. In addition, health care providers should consider cultural differences to enhance satisfaction with medical services for international patients. Therefore, multidimensional strategy is required to strengthen the cultural competency of healthcare providers.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.37-50
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• 2023

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing communication satisfaction between geriatric caregivers and older adults in urban-rural complex communities. The ultimate goal was to design local community educational programs and policies to enhance communication satisfaction among geriatric caregivers and improve the quality of care services for older adults. Methods: To identify factors influencing communication satisfaction between elderly caregivers and older adults, a survey titled "CCEP: Assessment of Communication Status between Elderly Care Service Providers and Recipients" was conducted from February to July 2020, focusing on rural-urban complex areas. The survey was administered based on providers of elderly healthcare services. The survey targeted 131 respondents involved in providing care services for older adults. The dependent variable of this study was the communication satisfaction reported by elderly caregivers in their interactions with the elderly. The independent variables included perceptions of older adults, factors associated with communication difficulties, and communication efforts. Additionally, gender, working environment, working experience, and the proportion of face-to-face interactions with older adults during caregiving were controlled for the hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results: The analysis revealed that communication efforts with older adults significantly influenced communication satisfaction (β=.09, p<0.01). However, perceptions of the elderly and communication hindrance factors did not have a significant impact on communication satisfaction among geriatric caregivers. Conclusion: Effective communication between geriatric caregivers and older adults is crucial for identifying and meeting the needs and demands of caregiving services, and it plays a vital role in overall caregiving service satisfaction. To enhance communication skills and satisfaction among geriatric caregivers and ensure the appropriate fulfillment of elderly care needs in the local community, the development of community-centered, specialized health communication programs and other initiatives will be necessary in the future.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.1-18
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• 2024

Objectives : This study aimed to analyze the College of Korean Medicine's education related to vaccination to examine the feasibility of Korean medical doctors administering vaccines. Methods : We conducted a comprehensive review of the guidelines from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCP) and the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), along with the educational standards of Korean medical colleges. From these sources, key knowledge areas essential for vaccination were identified and distilled into 12 core items, creating a checklist used to evaluate the vaccination-related education. The curricula of Korean medical colleges and online continuing education courses for Korean medical doctors were analyzed using this checklist. Additionally, we reviewed the compulsory education course for vaccination providers for comparative purposes. Results : The analysis of common textbooks from colleges of Korean medicine revealed that while basic concepts of vaccination are widely covered, practical guidance on vaccine administration is less comprehensive. Continuing education for Korean medical doctors emphasizes basic epidemiological knowledge, vaccination contraindications and treating adverse reactions, but lacks details on patient education and the vaccination process. Compulsory education for vaccination providers covers extensive administrative content and comprehensively addresses essential vaccination knowledge, including patient education and practical vaccination procedures. Conclusion : The College of Korean Medicine's curriculum covers basic vaccination theories but lacks specific training in vaccine management. Additional training can improve Korean medical doctors' vaccination skills, enhancing the healthcare system's emergency response.

• Journal of the HCI Society of Korea
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.45-55
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• 2017

In recent years, some service providers have introduced chatbot agents to provide engagement in the healthcare field. However, current research on chatbot agents is still limited to designing various chatbot identities for healthcare services. By contrast, this study aims to investigate how various agent identities affect users' perceptions and behaviors differently. We developed three chatbot agents with different identities: a doctor (an individual), a hospital (an institution), and a virtual agent (a machine). Then, we recruited 36 users and divided them into three groups, each using a different chatbot agent. They were asked to track their behaviors and review advice from the chatbot agent for six days. Post-hoc surveys and interviews were conducted in order to investigate users' perceptions. The findings are as follows: participants felt more trusting and intimate with the doctor and hospital agents than with the virtual agent. Many of the participants preferred the hospital agent due to its higher reliability. However, all three agents did not lead the participants to change their behaviors. This study contributes to providing practical guidelines for designing chatbots in the healthcare field by studying users' perceptions and behaviors depending on chatbot identities.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.113-145
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• 2010

Nowadays, it is surely the quack which stands as one of the most controversial, problematic. the quack has been a consistent target of contested public protection strategies in the past few centuries in many countries. Recently, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly utilized and accepted by patients and providers throughout the health care system in the world, most accounts attribute this growing acceptability to the shortcomings of conventional medicine, the appeal of CAM's core beliefs, and the growing body of research indicating that CAM actually works. However, the governments of western countries have called for measures to ensure that the public are protected from incompetent and dangerous practitioners. Common to these controversies has been a suggestion to ban, exclude or limit the medical practice of those deemed to be damaging rather than improving the health of individuals as a measure of public protection. This article describes the experiences of western counties' health care system which is moving in a more pluralistic direction. By examining the ways in which regulatory efforts in the countries have come to address what is invariably described as a growing interest in CAM, this study show how the problem of CAM/quackery today is increasingly located in an ethical field of practitioner competency, qualifications, conduct, responsibility and personal professional development, regardless of the form of therapy in question. Many countries developed a series of measures and strategies to contain the acceptance of CAM groups, such as insisting on scientific evidence of safety and efficacy, resisting integration of CAM with conventional medicine and opposing government support for research and education. In a sense, those countries' movements serve to protect not only patients, but the dominant position of medicine and its allied professions, and to maintain existing jurisdictional boundaries within the healthcare system. The popular support for CAM will require that health professional stakeholders continue to address the challenges this poses, and at the same time protect their position at healthcare system. To cope with the quack, professional body, public sector and health authorities should consider the safety of consumers of healthcare and responding to the demands of the community for CAM therapies as well as the claims of the established healthcare professions. Finally, some implications for future health care were suggested.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 2014

In accordance with the government's plan to expand the national health insurance (NHI) coverage for severe diseases such as cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and rare and incurable disease, the diagnostic ultrasound services have been covered by NHI from October 1, 2013. The quality is very important factor in providing diagnostic services because they influence on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of diseases. In particular, equipments and health care providers plays an important role in providing qualitative services. The purpose of this paper is to examine the major feature of ultrasound services covered by health security system and to review quality assurance policies in other countries such as Australia, Japan, the USA, and Canada. In addition, we assessed the implication of those policies. We especially put emphasis on the types and qualifications of healthcare professionals and measures to manage equipments. All countries have reviewed on policies to promote the quality such as educational requirements of professionals or restrictions on the duration of equipment usage. Various measures should be implemented to assure the qualitative ultrasound service.