• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 1979

In Korea, the regional differences of medical facilities and man-powers are very serious recently. in order to solve rural medical problem, the comprehensive health care service is required earnestly in rural area. The present study was performed to provide the material for rural medical policy by analyzing the diseases occurring frequently in rural area and assuming the paramedical workers' abilities of medical treatment. The frequently by occurring diseases were classified by investigating. The chief complaints of 4559 subjects through home visiting for last weeks occurred in 1978. The paramedical workers' abilities of medical treatment were investigated by analyzing the clinical charts of patients treated by paramedical workers by systemic health care delivery system from, September 1977 to December 1977. The results obtained are summarized as fellows; 1. The rate of disease suffering recently for 2 weeks was 22.5% in Rural area. 2. The rate of respiratory disease was 36.%, gastrointestinal disease 18%, trauma 8% and neuromuscular disease 7.5%, respectively. 3. The coverage of treatment by health workers was 97.6% in general practitioner, 70% in community health practitioner and 42.1% in community health aid, respectively.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.196-205
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current status of hospice palliative care facilities, and to identify problems and improve hospice palliative care in Korea. Methods: The questionnaire survey was implemented from October to December, 2007. It was consisted of general characteristics of organization, health manpower, facilities & equipments, service programs, and so on. Sixty two (79.5%) out of 78 hospice palliative care facilities returned the questionnaires. Results: They were 42 hospital-based hospice palliative care hospitals and 9 clinics, and most of them are located at central metropolitan areas (Seoul and Gyeonggi Province). more than 80% of hospitals met with the requirements (one doctor per 10 patients and one nurse per 1.5 patients), whereas 42.9% of clinics met the requirements. Approximately 22% of them met the requirement of sick room (4 patients for 1 room). Most of them provided various hospice palliative care programs. The proportion of giving regular education programs to hospice palliative care personnels were about half (41.9%). Thirty two (51.6%) facilities provided home visiting hospice palliative care service. Conclusion: There were lack of enough health manpower, rooms, and programmes and they varied among facilities. It is necessary to increase the number of hospice palliative care facilities with consideration of regional fair distribution and standardization of programmes.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.958-969
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• 1998

In this study, we attempted to investigate the needs and problems of the terminal cancer patients and their family caregivers to provide them with nursing information to improve their quality of life and prepare for a peaceful death. Data was collected from August 1, 1995 to July 31, 1996 at the internal medicine unit of S hospital in Seoul area with the two groups of participants who were family members of terminal cancer patients seventy four of them were in-patients and 34 were out-patients who were discharged from the same hospital for home care. The research tool used in this study has been developed by selecting the questionnaires from various references, modifying them for our purpose and refining them based on the results of preliminary study. While general background information about the patients was obtained by reviewing their medical records, all other information was collected by interviewing the primary family caregivers of the patients using the questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed with the SPSS PC/sup +/ program. The results of this study are summarized as follows ; 1) Most frequently complained symptoms of the terminal cancer patients were in the order of pain(87%), weakness(86.1%), anorexia(83.3%) and fatigue (80.6%). 2) Main therapies for the terminal cancer patients were pain control (58.3%), hyperalimentation(47.2%) and antibiotics(21.3%). 3) Special medical devices that terminal cancer patients used most were oxygen device (11.1%), and feeding tube(5.6%). Other devices were used by less than 5% of the patients. 4) The mobility of 70.4% of the patients was worse than ECOG 3 level, they had to stay in bed more than 50% of a day. 5) Patients wanted their medical staffs to help relieve pain(45.4%), various physical symptoms(29.6%), and problems associated with their emotion(11.1%). 6) 16.7% of the family caregivers hoped for full recovery of the patients, refusing to admit the status of the patients. Also, 37% wished for the extension of the patient's life at least for 6 months. 7) Only 38.9% of the family members was preparing for the patient's funeral. 8) 45.4% of family caregivers prefer hospital as the place for the patient's death, 39.8% their own home, and 14.8% undetermined. 9) Caregivers of the patients were mostly close family members, i.e., spouse(62%), and sons and daughters or daughter-in-laws(21.3%). 10) 43.5% of the family caregivers were aware of hospice care. 46.8% of them learned about the hospice care from the mass media, 27.7% from health professionals, and the rest from books and other sources. 11) Caregivers were asked about the most difficult problems they encounter in home care, 41 of them pointed out the lack of health professionals they can contact, counsel and get help from in case of emergency, 17 identified the difficulty of finding appropriate transportation to hospital, and 13 stated the difficulty of admission in hospital as needed. 12) 93.6% of family caregivers demanded 24-hour hot line, 80% the visiting nurses and doctors, and 69.4% the volunteer's help. The above results indicate that terminal patients and their family caregivers demand help from qualified health professionals whenever necessary. Hospice care system led by well-trained medical and nursing staffs is one of the viable answers for such demands.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.107-126
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• 2002

Health sub-centers(HSCs) have played an important role in primary health care in rural area in Korea. The unification of neighboring HSCs was a strategy to improve the role of HSCs. This study was conducted to reveal the efficacy of the unified HSC established in Yangbuk-myeon, Gyeongju-si in1997. The utilization patterns of HSC and its related factors, and satisfaction of consumer on HSC were compared before and after unification of two HSCs in Gampo-eup, Yangnam-myeon using questionnaire survey, and also the statistics of medical care services and public health services were compared. Four hundred forty nine subjects were questioned in survey, 156 from Gampo-eup, 147 from Yangbuk-myeon, and 146 from Yangnam-myeon. Following unification, the utilization rates and the frequency of visits in Gampo-eup declined. In all three areas, chronic illness was the common factor influencing the utilization and change in frequency of visits to the unified HSC. Following unification, aspects of consumer satisfaction, for example; accessibility and affordability decreased in Gampo-eup, but increased in both Yangbuk-myeon and Yangnam-myeon. The statistics relating to medical care, X-ray examination, home visiting service, vaccination, and health education showed an increase for the unified HSC when compared to the sum of the statistics for the previous two. The execution rates for other public health services were the same, or a little decreased. Clinical laboratory examinations and the issuing of civil affair documents were new services offered by the unified HSC. It is concluded, the overall consumer satisfaction with the unified HSC was improved. In Gampo-eup, where after unification there was no HSC, it seemed to be a barrier to accessing the unified HSC. The effect of the unified HSC, in the respect of medical care and public health services, was not as significant as expected at the time of being established. Therefore, the strategies to reenforce the unified HSC should be developed to provide all residents with comprehensive primary health care services.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.23-41
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to explore social supports for elderly housing and their residential lives in small cities along rural counties of the United States and Canada, and suggest future implications for age-concentrated rural villages in Korea. In this study, five small and medium cities in non-metropolitan counties of California and Ontario province were visited and elderly residents and service experts were interviewed about their perceptions of community integrated social support networks for senior residences. The senior housing complexes were built due to influx of both metropolitan and rural residents seeking warm localities, traffic connections, business purposes in active production areas. and leisure attractions. There are five main social support networks for senior housing issues in these areas. First, the areas are claimed for senior zones and accordingly health industries are encouraged by local authorities. Second, the community is homogeneously constructed as a senior friendly environment and include features such as an RV park and mobile cottages. Third, senior-helping seniors are offered active work through golf-cluster active retirement communities. Fourth, traditional theme production camps are mobilized by the elderly workers. Lastly, an information system is maintained for screening volunteers and for senior abuse prevention. On the other hand, residential lives are occasionally negatively influenced by unbalanced concentrations of elderly facilities such as nursing stations and funeral homes. For the future of Korean rural elderly policies, suggestions are made as follows: first, an integrated urban and rural township that contains attractive places for early retiring people who seek a warm atmosphere in later life needs to be constructed. Second, an integrated model retirement village of urban and rural retirement life needs to be initiated as a measure of evaluating the adaptation process of movers in senior concentrated zones. Third, a cooperation system among governmental ministries needs to be formed with the long- term goal of establishing a traditional rural town of independent housing districts and medical facilities in rural areas. Fourth, productive and active lifestyles need to be maintained as the local community and government develop successful retirement rural villages, by limiting the expansion of nursing related facilities. Finally, generation integrated visiting welfare programs and services need to be further developed for the housing areas especially in the winter, when social integration and activity are relatively low.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was a part of a drive to develop a community health center-based hospice management model which is concerned with hospice care at a community health care setting and available resources of the local community. Methods: Development of a community health center-based hospice management model involved evaluation of existing hospice-related research, including literature review, and research on hospice facilities at the study site, as well as evaluation of model operation. The latter involved community health center-based hospice test operation, and evaluation of test operation by a research team, including of a nursing professor majoring in hospice care and staffs from a community health center in Busan metropolitan city, regional cancer center, and regional terminal cancer patient medical institute. The study was conducted in the 2008 calendar year. Results: The community health center-based hospice management model provides service linked with local community resources, focusing on the local community health center. Financial and administrative assistance is provided by the regional cancer center, with collaboration from academic health care professionals who guide the operation management. The community health center hospice nurse in consultation with a visiting nurse team registers terminally-ill cancer patients and, after assessment, the hospice team prioritize hospice care during team meeting. Care is delivered by staffs and volunteers. Conclusion: The developed community health center-based hospice operation management model maximally utilizes available community health resources to produce qualitative improvement of regional health and welfare policy through improving the lives of home-based cancer patients and their family who are in medical blind spot.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.57-95
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• 1972

This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of service by maternity aids concerning maternal and child health in improving simultaneously infant mortality, contraception and vital registration among expectant mothers in rural Korea, where there is less apportunity for maternal and child health care. It is unrealistic to expect to solve this problem in rural Korea through professional persons considering the situation of medical facilities and the socioeconomic condition of residents. So, we intended to adopt a system of services by maternity aids who were educated formally among indigenous women. After the women were trained in maternal and child health, contraception, and registration for a short period, they were assigned as a maternity aids to each village to help with various activities concerning maternal and child health, for example, registration of pregnant women, home visiting to check for complications, supplying of delivery kits, attendance at delivery, persuasion of contraception, and invitation for registration and so on. Mean-while, four researchers called on the maternity aids to collect materials concerning vital events, maternal child health, contraception and registration, and to give further instruction and supervision as the program proceeded. A. Changes of women's attitude by services of maternity aid. Now, we examined to what extent' such a service system to expectant mothers affected a change in attitude of women residing in the study area as compared to women of the control area. 1) In the birth and death places, there were no changes between last and present infants, in study or control area. 2) In regard to attendants at delivery, there were no changes except for a small percentage of attendance (8%) by maternity aid in study area. But, I expect that more maternity sids could be used as attendants at delivery if they would be trained further and if there was more explanation to the residents about such a service. 3) Considering the rate of utilization of sterilized delivery kit, I am sure that more than 90 percent would be used if the delivery kit were supplied in the proper time. There were significant differences in rates between the study and the control areas. 4) Taking into consideration the utilization rate of the clinic for prenatal care and well baby care, if suck facilities were installed, it would probably be well utilized. 5) In the contraception, the rate of approval was as high as 89 percent in study area as compared to 82 percent in the control area. 6) Considering the rate of pre-and post-partum acceptance on contraception were as much as 70 percent or more, if motivation to use contraception was given to them adequately, the government could reach the goals for family planning as planned. 7) In the vital registration, the rate of birth registration in the study area was some what improved compared to that of the control area, while the rate of death registration was not changed at all. Taking into account the fact that the rate of confirmation of vital events by maternity aids was remarkably high, if the registration system changed to a 'notification' system instead of formal registration ststem, it would be improved significantly compared to present system. B. Effect of the project Thus, with changes in the residents' attitude, was there a reduction in the infant death rate? 1) It is very difficult problem to compare the mortality of infants between last and present infants, because many women don't want to answer accurately about their dead children especially the infants that died within a few days after birth. In this study the data of present death comes from the maternity aides who followed up every pregnancy they had recorded to see what had happened. They seem to have very reliable information on what happened in first few weeks with follow up visitits to check out later changes. From these calculaton, when we compared the rate of infant death between last and present infant, there was remarkable reduction of death rate for present infant compare to that of last children, namely, the former was 30, while the latter 42. The figure is the lowest rate that I have ever heard. As the quality of data we could assess by comparing the causes of death. In the current death rate by communicable disease was much lower compare to the last child especially, tetanus cases and pneumonia. 2) Next, how many respondents used contraception after birth because of frequent contact with the maternity aid. In the registered cases, the respondents showed a tendency to practice contraception at an earlier age and with a small number of children. In a comparison of the rate of contraception between the study and the control area, the rate in the former was significantly higher than that of the latter. What is more, the proportion favoring smaller numbers of children and younger women rose in the study area as compared to the control area. 3) Regarding vital registration, though the rate of registration was gradually improved by efforts of maternity aid, it would be better to change the registration system. 4) In the crude birth rate, the rate in the study area was 22.2 while in the control area was 26.5. Natural increase rate showed 15.4 in the study area, while control area was 19.1. 5) In assessment of the efficiency of the maternity aids judging by the cost-effect viewpoint, the workers in the Medium area seemed to be more efficiency than those of other areas.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.482-493
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• 2003

This study has been designed to stress the thoughts that soups should be offered taking into account customer's preference aimed at leading to eventual customer's satisfaction and the importance that Korean traditional food should take the lead in shifting dining-out industry's paradigm to customer-orientation instead of product-orientation. From August 15 through August 30, 2003, the drawn-up questionnaires were handed out to 500 numbers of adults aged over 20 living in Seoul, metropolitan city of Korea and the finally collected 361 questionnaires from them have been analysed as a subject for this study. It showed that the male respondents(44%) dined out much more frequently than the female respondents(35%) and their rate of 5,000-7,000 Won for a meal was most preferred as their average expenditure at one sitting in the restaurant. When eating Korean food at home or in a restaurant, the majority(5l,3%) of them think the soups(Tang) should be served coupled with their ordered meals. Among soups using flesh and meat as a staple material, they most preferred beef & bone soup(33.2%), followed by beep rib soup(30.4%) and beef soup with seasoned red pepper(l0.8%), and among soups using fish & shell and crustacean as a staple material, most preferred were hot fish soup(20.6%), loach soup(l5.2%) and hot crab soup(11.4%). Among soups using beans as a staple material, they most preferred soybean paste stew(33.2%), uncurdled soybean curd stew(29.4%) and Dambuk stew(l5.8%). Among soups using fowls and birds as a staple material, chicken soup with ginseng(51.9%), plain chicken soup(l8.4%) and chicken soup with red pepper sauce(l2.3%) falls on the most preferred. Among soups using vegetables and seaweeds as a staple material, most preferred are sea mustard soup(25.3%), Kimchi soup(16.8%), soybean paste soup with Chinese cabbage(13.0%) and bean sprout soup(10.1%). The soups(Tang) most preferred in the morning time are those soups whose staple materials are vegetables and seaweeds, such as sea mustard soup, bean sprout soup, Kimchi soup and soybean paste soup with Chinese cabbage while the soups most preferred for the lunch time are beef & bone soup, beep rib soup, chicken soup with ginseng and beef soup with seasoned red pepper while beef soup with seasoned red pepper, beef & bone soup, soybean curd stew and Kimchi soup are most preferred soups for the dinner time. The survey showed that 41 % of the subject preferred chicken soup with ginseng for a food considered good by themselves for their health. The male respondents preferred Bosin-tang(soup of edible-dog meat) than the female counterparts did, while the female respondents preferred chicken soup with ginseng than the male counterparts did. The survey showed that when eating korean traditional food, 70% of the subject are visiting a restaurant where soups are cooked delicious while 61% of the subject think that price does not matter if only food tastes good, which is reflecting that taste of food is a decisive factor in selecting menu rather than its price is. In conclusion, you can say that taste of soup is the most important factor creating steady customer in the restaurant, taking it into account Korean people most prefer their traditional food when dining out.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.5
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• pp.84-99
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• 1998

The objectives of this study are to identify the actual educational contents of management for head nurse and to propose the educational subjects according to identity the needs of head, charge, and staff nurses. The subjects were investigated the actual Management Development Programs and educational needs of head nurses and prospective nurse manager(charge nurse, staff nurse with a lot of clinical experiences) in general hospitals. The tools were composed of two questionnaires: One was developed from the literature review for making items to measure actual situation. The other was revised Katz's model for measurement of educational needs. The first respondents of actual situation were 27 general hospitals with over 400 beds in Seoul and the second respondents were 89 head nurses, 67 charge nurses and 136 nurses at 3 hospitals by convenient sampling out of 27 general hospitals. Data were collected by telephone interview, mail questionnaire and visiting from 7th of October through 30th of November in 1997. In data analysis, general characteristics of the respondents and actual status of Management Development Programs were analyzed by frequency and percentage. Educational needs according to general characteristics were analyzed by ANOVA The results were as follows: 1. Actual situation of Management Development Program 1) Seven hospitals(26%) had Management Development Program for prospective managers and 14 hospitals (52%) for head nurses. 2) Education Department existed in 14 hospitals (52%). 3) One hospital(4%) had top level managers took part in the Management Development. 4) Two hospitals selected head nurse, who had finished courses of Management Development. Eight hospitals(30%) assessed educational needs. The assessment tools consisted of making a question via questionnaire(75%), determining at department meeting(12%) and interview(13%). 5) Educational programs had 3 types: 10 lecture type, 7 discussion type and 4 role play type programs. 6) One hospital evaluated the change of learner's attitude. 7) Four hospitals scored educational point, but that was measured only by attending. 8) Actual Management Development Programs were as follows. parenthesis indicates the number of hospitals. (1) Management Development Programs for Prospective manager. Role perception of Middle level Manager (1) . Role reconstruction of Nurse Manager (1). Workshop for Charge Nurse (1). Nursing Delivery System and Nursing Process (1). Communication (1). Motivation (1) (2) Management Development Programs for Head nurse.. Head nurse's Role (5). Administrative Work (7). Service Education (4). Prevention and Countermeasure of Nursing Incidence (3). Appraisal (3) 2. The results of needs on Management Development subject 1) The educational needs of all respondents on 3 skill domains showed positive agreement to strongly positive agreement. 2) High priority(more than 4.5) items were 12 of 24 Human skill items(50%), 1 of 6 Technical skill items(16%), and 2 of 13 Conceptual skill items (15%). 3) Out of high priority items, 8 items were instituted. 4) All respondents showed high needs on 3 skill domains regardless of 3 positions (head nurse, charge nurse, and nurse). Educational needs of Human skill domain, according to position were 108. S, 108.7, 106.8 (mean score = 72) , needs of Technical skill domain were 26.5, 26.6, 26.I(mean score=18), and needs of Conceptual skill domains were 56.9,56.7, 55.1(mean score=39). 5) Needs of 3 skill domains according to clinical career showed significant difference. Out of respondents, nurses with career of over 16years showed lowest degree of needs in Human skill domains(F=4.47, P=.004) and Conceptual skill domain(F=2.93, P=.034). 6) Educational needs according to educational background were not significant difference. But out of respondents, nurses educated at 3-year junior college relatively showed lowest needs in all of the 3 skill domains. With the above-mentioned findings, further study is necessary for generalization of this study at hospitals with different bed size and location. Also it is needed to study about management skill of nurse and charge nurse, and effective educational method.