• Health Policy and Management
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.85-108
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• 2012

One of the ways to achieve the principle of equal access for equal needs, availability and geographical accessibility of health care resources regardless of resident sites is important. The purpose of this paper is to measure socioeconomic inequities in distribution of health care resources among regions in the Republic of Korea (hereafter Korea). Data were extracted from regional statistics of National Health Insurance, Community Health Survey, Korea Social Science Data Archive, and Korean Statistical Information Services at the same period of 2009. The dependent variables were the number of health workforce and health care facilities in each region. The proxy indicator of regional socioeconomic status was local tax per person. To identify whether inequalities among regions, we examined the concentration index(CI) and indirectly standardized CI by controlling each region's demographics and need factors. Total observations were 232 districts in nationwide, and we analyzed separately Seoul(25 districts) and non-Seoul areas(207 districts). The standardized CI values of health care resources were positive(favoring the rich region) across the nation in almost all kinds of resources. Especially the number of specialist, dentist, dental clinics, clinics, oriental medical clinics, pharmacists, and pharmacies were statistically significantly favoring the rich region. But the CI for the number of long-term care hospitals, public health centers were negative(favoring the poor region). The tendency of CI presenting positive values were increased in Seoul area. But in the case of non-Seoul, the CI indexes were nearly zero. The results suggest that except the Seoul area, little regional socioeconomic-related inequalities were observed in the distribution of health care resources in Korea.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.408-415
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• 2018

Background: Nursing home resident care is an ongoing topic of public discussion, and there is great interest in improving the quality of resident care. This study investigated the association between nursing home employees' job satisfaction and residents' satisfaction with care and medical outcomes. Methods: Employee and resident satisfaction were measured by questionnaire in 175 skilled nursing facilities in the eastern United States from 2005 to 2009. Facility-level data on residents' pressure ulcers, medically unexplained weight loss, and falls were obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Long-Term Care Minimum Data Set. The association between employee satisfaction and resident satisfaction was examined with multiple and multilevel linear regression. Associations between employee satisfaction and the rates of pressure ulcers, weight loss, and falls were examined with simple and multilevel Poisson regression. Results: A 1-point increase in overall employee satisfaction was associated with an increase of 17.4 points (scale 0-100) in the satisfaction of residents and family members (p < 0.0001) and a 19% decrease in the incidence of resident falls, weight loss, and pressure ulcers combined (p < 0.0001), after adjusting for staffing ratio and percentage of resident-days paid by Medicaid. Conclusion: Job satisfaction of nursing home employees is associated with lower rates of resident injuries and higher resident satisfaction with care. A supportive work environment may help increase quality of care in the nation's nursing homes.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.47-69
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• 1990

The measures taken to reform the Dutch health insurance system hold valuable lessons for countries such as Korea, where there has been increased concern regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of the health services provided. The growing literature on comparative health insurance policies suggests that nations can learn from each other. In addition, Korean policymakers have shown great interest in the health insurance systems of foreign countries, particularly in Japan. The development of Korea's health insurance scheme during the past 12 years has made a significant contribution to the increased accessibility of health care services. Although the insurance coverage is universal, the health insurance system today in Korea is by no means a product of systematic and planned efforts. Moreover, it lacks due considerations of insured's needs as well as the long-term objectives of the social security health care system. There are growing gaps in premium burdens and benefits between the rural health insurance program and the employee's health insurance programs. Furthermore, the regional health insurance program is experiencing financial difficulties in spite of the fact that the amount of the government subsidy has been sharply increased in recent years. Under the present payment method solely based on the fee-for-service schedule, both consumers and providers are encouraged to utilize and prescribe more services. The combination of the utilization-inducing reimbursement system and continuous pushes for expanding health insurance has played a crucial role in raising the country's medical bills. Current trends in Korea's health care sector and those anticipated in the near future necessitate changes in the structure and funding of health care. As indicated in the above, there are various shortcomings in this context, the health policy authority in Korea can draw valuable lessons from the Dutch experiences in reforming their health insurance system. The main elements of the Dutch reform measures are a restructuring of the insurance system and a greater role for market forces in the health care system. On this basis a new system will be created which reflects the social nature of health care while at the same time containing sufficient mechanisms to allow the health care sector to operate in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.156-164
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• 2015

Nursing Homes do not have a defined standard in the space area nor does it have a detailed standard facility requirement by law. This can possibly lead to the deterioration of the facility and the system. This directly affects the medical treatment space area within the nursing home. The medical treatment area provides medical treatment to seniors and this is where the seniors get most of their daily services. Therefore, this is research is about the study of the space area of the medical center and the ratio trend of the space area for the medical treatment facility located in senior nursing homes. Ten facilities have been selected in this study to analyze the correlation factors between space area and its trends. The analysis performed includes the conditions relating to the area and what affects the center. We have followed up with a proposal for improvement of the facility and area configuration for the medical treatment facility. Based on the analysis, the following conclusion can be made: First, the senior welfare centers are mostly used as a residence purpose followed a temporary stay of residence facility for the seniors. Second, research indicates that the bigger the facility, nursing and public functions took a larger portion of the space area compared to other services within the senior welfare centers. Third, the study shows the management space area took up about 1%~6% of the entire medical center within the nursing home which is a narrow space area because of the integrated management. Fourth, analysis based on the trend in the time-series indicate after the adoption of the system, there is a continued decline in the space area of nursing, management and public areas. Lastly, since before and after 2008, the space area composition of the nursing facility shows a continuous decline in our study. We can safely conclude that the revised senior welfare act's construction plan has an effect in the facility and is effectively working to meet its requirement. Therefore, the revision of the law is required to reflect the social needs of the residents.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.228-237
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• 2017

Objective: We conducted a survey to understand the current state of pharmacy services and pharmacists' thoughts in the future of the community pharmacy setting. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 229 pharmacists and gathered from 95 respondents. Results: We asked to pharmacists about what the ideal pharmacy duty should be in the next 10 years at the community pharmacy setting in Korea. For this question, the respondents said drug counselling (19.4%), dispensing (13.8%), long-term care of chronic disease and healthcare education (12.8%), and OTC counselling (11.5%). When asked about how much time they were spending doing certain tasks in the pharmacy, the main tasks were dispensing (23.5%), counselling (17.1%), prescription review (10.1%), and OTC counselling (5.5%). When asked about what the most important duty of a pharmacist was, medication counselling (45.4%) was the most important task that they identified and the reasons for not being able to fulfill this role properly was time shortage (78.9%) followed by the lack of counselling spaces, up-to-date knowledges, and focus on financial gains over patient counselling. Conclusion: Korean pharmacists are mainly focusing on dispensing in their daily work. Their basic responsibilities can be easily mechanized over the next few years, but the social expectations of disease-prevention and public health promotion both in current and future can not be replaced by such mechanical measures. Therefore, pharmaceutical services in Korea should be developed in more diverse and professional ways.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.61-69
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• 2008

Purpose: We evaluated caregivers' understanding of patients' diseases and disuse syndrome, the understanding of exercise and massage related to rehabilitation and the necessity of education about these, the difference in education and realities of the care-giving field, and the extra services needed in the field. Methods: The survey using questionnaires was performed from June 2008 to August 2008 with 220 people participated in caregive education programme in daegu city and area near dagu city. Among the 220 submitted questionnaires, 184 which were faithfully answered were selected and they were analyzed by i-STATistics statistical program. Results: The educational focus of the first and second level caregivers, as defined by the second clause of the 29th article of the Elderly Welfare law, is on basic knowledge of diseases such as dementia, stroke, and depression. However, other diseases are not covered and the information does not include information on decreased function, complications, functional rehabilitating exercises, or preventing disuse syndrome for long term patients. The most common diseases, in order of prevalence, are stroke, dementia, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson disease, arthritis, and geriatric inertness. The general level of awareness about disuse syndrome was low, and patients, while understanding the need for massage and rehabilitative exercise, receive little education about the proper methods and therefore cannot use them. Patients also did not understand how participating in these activities could reduce medical fees, indicating that further education on massage and rehabilitative exercise is needed. Caregivers desired to include positive rehabilitation, massage, and exercise-related services in their services. Finally, differences in caregiver education and reality resulted from a lack of diversity in education. Conclusion: We suggest providing education on disuse atrophy and improving the lack of diversity in the care-giving education system.

• Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.31-46
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• 2004

Owing to continuous economic growth, an increased standard of living, and improvements to health care in Korea, the life expectancy of Koreans rose from 69.0years in 1985 to 71.3 years in 1990 It continued to rise throughout the 1990s, and, by2002, had reached 76.5 years for the general population and 80.0 years for Korean females. Similarly, the percentage of the Korean population that is 65 years of age or older Increased from 3.1 In 1970 to 7.1 In 2000, and is expected to reach approximately14.0 in 2019. Thus, according to this estimate, Korea will have evolved from an 'aging society 'to an "aged society" in only 19 years. In the case of other countries, this same transformation has generally taken 2 to 5 times longer. One of the major issues related to Korea's rapid1y aging population relates to the health problems of the elderly According to the 2002 National Health Survey Report,87.6 percent of the elderly were reported to have at least one chronic disease. In other words, almost 9 out of evert 10 elderly persons in Korea were suffering from a chronic illness. This, clearly, places a significant economic burden on Korean society in the form of increased health care costs. This paper examines the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases within Korea's rapidly aging population and offers some possible short- and long-term solutions to cope with the increased burden being placed on Korea's health care system. These Include the basic services at local health centers for the elderly and the national life-long health promotion programs that aim to correct unhealthy behavior, such as smoking, the excessive use of alcohol, and poor eating and exercise habits.

• Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.187-197
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• 2004

Owing to continuous economic growth, an increased standard of living, and improvements to health care in Korea, the life expectancy of Koreans rose from 69.0 years in 1985 to 71.3years in 1990. It continued to rise throughout the 1990s, and, by 2002, had reached 76.5years for the general population and 80.0 years for Korean females. Similarly, the percentage of the Korean population that is 65 years of age or older increased from 3.1 in 1970 to 7.1in 2000, and is expected to reach approximately 14,0 in 2019. Thus, according to this estimate, Korea will have evolved from an "aging society" to an "aged society" in only 19years. In the case of other countries, this same transformation has generally taken 2 to 5times longer. One of the major issues related to Korea's rapidly aging population relates to the health problems of the elderly. According to the 2002 National Health Survey Report, 87,6 percent of the elderly were reported to Have at least one chronic disease. In other words, almost 9out of every 10 elderly persons in Korea were suffering from a chronic illness, This, clearly, places a significant economic burden on Korean society in the form of increased health care Costs. This paper examines the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases within Korea's rapidlv aging population and offers some possible short- and long-term solutions to cope with the increased burden being placed on Korea's health care system. These include the basic services at local health centers for the elderly and the national life-long health promotion programs that aim to correct unhealthy behavior, such as smoking, the excessive use of alcohol, and poor eating and exercise habits.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 2020

Objectives: This study intends to analyze the relationship between medical service experience and subjective health awareness by using data from Panel Study of Worker's Compensation Insurance(PSWCI). Methods: Tte χ2-test was performed to investigate subjective health awareness and medical service experience relevance. Logistic analysis was performed to analyze the influencinge factors. Results: The subjective health awareness scored "bad" in"'lack treatment period" compared to "adequate treatment period" in medical service experience (OR = 2.603 [95% CI = 1.666-2.555]). Conclusions: To improve the subjective health awareness of patients with industrial accidents, the industrial accident compensation and medical care approval system should be improved, and long-term industrial accident insurance policies should be developed to accommodate direct and indirect medical services.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.400-403
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: By the year 2050, thirty-eight percent of the Korean population will be over the age of 65. Health care costs for Koreans over age 65 reached 15.4 trillion Korean won in 2011, accounting for a third of the total health care costs for the population. Chronic degenerative diseases, including coronary heart disease (CHD), drive long-term health care costs at an alarming annual rate. In the elderly population, loss of independence is one of the main reasons for this increase in health care costs. Korean heath policies place a high priority on the prevention of CHD because it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This evidence-based study aims to the estimate potential health care cost savings resulting from the daily intake of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. Potential cost savings associated with a reduced risk of CHD and the medical costs potentially avoided through risk reduction, including hospitalizations and physician services, were estimated using a Congressional Budget Office cost accounting methodology. RESULTS: The estimate of the seven-year (2005-2011) net savings in medical costs resulting from a reduction in the incidence of CHD among the elderly population through the daily use of omega-3 fatty acids was approximately 210 billion Korean won. Approximately 92,997 hospitalizations due to CHD could be avoided over the seven years. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that omega-3 supplementation in older individuals may yield substantial cost-savings by reducing the risk of CHD. It should be noted that additional health and cost benefits need to be revisited and re-evaluated as more is known about possible data sources or as new data become available.