• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.85-98
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• 2007

In distributed computing paradigm, mobile surrogate systems have not gained wide acceptance because of security concerns that have not been suitably addressed yet. Currently even the widely used Grid middleware, Globus, does not have a host authentication mechanism, which makes it hard to provide high performance Grid computing capabilities to mobile clients. In this paper, a mobile Grid service framework is designed and implemented in order to provide Grid services to mobile host such as PDA. The surrogate host-based system allows mobile hosts to be provided with Grid services while moving. The implemented mobile Grid services system has been applied to mobile healthcare system which utilizes Grid computing for ECG signal processing. The presented system framework can be used as a secure enterprise mobile healthcare system for hospital physicians.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.95-114
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• 2023

Smart healthcare, combining ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) and medical technologies, has been rapidly emerging. Accordingly, its market has also increased as interest in disease prevention, management, and diagnosis grows due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, using mobile devices to support medical activities, mobile healthcare has been attracting attention as a leading service in the smart healthcare market. However, the intention to use mobile healthcare apps may vary depending on individual beliefs and attitudes. Many studies on the intention to use mobile healthcare apps have used the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model), but there is a lack of studies that have been verified from the perspective of users' health beliefs. This study aims to identify the factors that affect the intention to use mobile healthcare apps based on the HBM (Health Belief Model). Furthermore, it investigates how this influencing mechanism fluctuates based on the user's mHealth literacy, the ability to find and understand health information through mobile. This study contributes to the empirical examination of the intention to use mobile healthcare apps through the HBM. It also offers insights for app providers and public health officials to increase the use of mobile healthcare apps.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.53-66
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was considered in order to identify the factors affecting healthcare utilization by Asian immigrants in the United States. Methods: From February to April 2011, a descriptive survey study was conducted in a convenience sample of 250 Korean and Asian Indian immigrants aged between 40 and 64 in the Triangle area of North Carolina. An author-developed instrument was used to assess predisposing, enabling, and need factors according to Anderson's Behavioral Model of Health Services. Utilization Data analysis was performed by $X^2$-test, t-test, and binary logistic regression. Results: Participants' healthcare services experiences were significantly different when they had a longer stay in the U.S., had been employed, had higher income, were Asian Indians, had better English-speaking skills, better health status, more knowledge of health system and health insurance, had higher satisfaction with the healthcare system, and when they were taking prescribed medications and having health insurance. The strongest association with experience of healthcare services was having health insurance with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 15.37 (95% CI 4.95-47.71, p<.001) and self-reported English proficiency (OR=1.99, 95% CI 1.00-3.96, p=.05). Conclusion: Intervention strategies to increase accessibility to healthcare services should focus on these significant predictors.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.333-341
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• 2015

This article aimed to investigate problems relating to medical tourism based on a review of medical tourism reports and statistics in the global healthcare industry. To be a leading nation in the global healthcare industry, the needs and culture of many peoples, including Muslims, should be considered. Qualified medical services by JCI certification, including nutrition services, will provide opportunities to participate in the international and Asia medical tourism markets. In this article, the definitions of medical tourism, medical service, Halal and Haram, nutrition service for inbound Muslim patients, and Halal food supply in Korea were examined for medical service improvement. Mutual assistance between the government and private enterprise, sharing of medical service information, and construction of a cooperative network system are needed and should be supported by the government.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.47-54
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• 2024

PURPOSE: This study examined the status and prospects of telerehabilitation to identify the challenges and propose strategies for its promotion both domestically and internationally. The study also focused on the preconditions and improvements required for adopting telerehabilitation, considering technological, institutional, and socio-cultural factors. METHODS: A thorough database search was conducted. The relevant research, papers, and reports were collected, and the literature was evaluated to summarize the findings. RESULTS: Tele-rehabilitation showed promise in enhancing the healthcare service quality and accessibility. However, addressing challenges requires a comprehensive analysis of its status, global research trends, and the formulation of adoption strategies. Research in this direction is expected to improve healthcare services. CONCLUSION: Tele-rehabilitation can enhance healthcare services by overcoming geographical limitations. On the other hand, addressing challenges through analysis and strategic planning is essential for its effective adoption and advancing healthcare quality and accessibility.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.57-68
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• 2014

Since the introduction of National Health Insurance(NHI) in 1977, it has grown rapidly and contributed to extend patient's access to the health care services. However, limited coverage for health care services of NHI has been ongoing challenge and private health insurance(PHI) has been rising as an alternative source of enhancing coverage and saving out-of-pocket(OOP) expenditure for patients. In this study, after controlling for socio-demographic, economic, health related variables, we identified the patients' healthcare utilization and subsequent OOP expenditure depending on their PHI enrollment and their enrollment types(fixed benefit, indemnity, fixed benefit plus indemnity). Data were collected from the 2010 Korean Health Panel. The unit of analysis was a member of household(n=13,324). Of the 13,324 cases, 70.7% of patients held PHI, in detail, fixed benefit(47.0%), indemnity(3.6%), fixed benefit plus indemnity(20.1%). Major findings showd that patients who enrolled in PHI used more outpatient services(outpatient visit, number of physician visit, number of examination) and spent more OOP expenditure than non-PHI patients. There were also differences of healthcare utilization and OOP expenditure among the types of PHI. In addition, PHI patients used more inpatient services(inpatient use, number of hospitalization, LOS), but there was no significant difference between PHI and non-PHI patients with regard to the OOP expenditure. Thus, we could not find any distinct relationship between the types of PHI and patients' tertiary hospital use. Policy-makers should need careful political deliberation for monitoring the effect of PHI on health care utilization and subsequent expenditure not only to improve patients' coverage but also to save their OOP expenditures.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.9-24
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• 2008

In this paper, we describes the design of software architecture supporting for healthcare context information service platform based on multi agent in home environment. In this platform, the DOGF supports the execute object and healthcare sensors and device's logical services grouping. JADE framework can support mobility in heterogeneous environment. The multi agents on platform order to support a healthcare context information service it will be able to divide. An agent collects an environment information from distributed devices. Another an agent follows mobile-device specific and it does a different service. And an agent where it manages like this. The mobile-proxy&agent is an interface part between DOGF and JADE, support data interchange or mobility pattern. For DOGF and JADE to provide healthcare context information service, we describes the design of multi agent software platform and multi agent classification by services. Finally we showed the system environments which is physical environments and prototype based on platfonn for healthcare context information services.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.66-77
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• 2009

This study aims to examine the effect of socioeconomic status (hereafter, SES) on healthcare utilization of the patients with rare and incurable diseases. Information of 2,973 patients who were self-employed insured and utilized healthcare service in 2007 was drawn from the National Health Insurance (hereafter, NHI) claim data. SES was set as four groups based on the monthly contribution. Outcome variable was the expense for outpatient and in-hospital services, which was log-transformed and square-rooted in oder to obtain normal distribution. Covariates included age, gender, residence and diagnosis. To examine the effects after controlling for covariates, we employed generalized estimating equation model, since patients with the same diagnosis are likely to have similar characteristics of demographics and healthcare utilization. Univariate statistics showed that lower SES was associated with less utilization of healthcare services. After controlling for covariates, a significantly smaller amount of money was expended for the lowest SES group compared to the highest one. Rural residence was associated with less utilization, except that residents in Seoul significantly more utilized outpatient services in tertiary hospitals. Considering that there is a subsidy program for the low income patients, such differences in healthcare utilization according to SES seems to result from the burden of out-of-pocket payments for uncovered services of the NHI.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.3276-3283
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether some socio-economic characteristics affect the service users' perception on the change of social condition in healthcare services. The research target for this study was fixed on the sample members in national sample design and the data of this study was used 37,648 effective samples collecting using Probability Proportional to Size. The results of this study using the causal relationships model are as follows: The variables including type of female, age, years of schooling show positive signs on the service users' perception on the social condition change of healthcare. And the variables including household income, temporary worker, casual worker, urban residents show negative signs on the service users' perception on the social condition change of healthcare. In conclusion, the socio-economic characteristics affect the service users' perception on the social condition change of healthcare. And the service user's perception on the social condition change of healthcare was affected positively on the beneficiary side.