• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.46
• /
• pp.349-376
• /
• 2001

The objectives of this study is to examine the German mandatory prescription system in terms of the applicability and restriction of the pharmaceutical policy in order to obtain some useful implications for solving the problems in Korean prescription system. Recently, in Germany, an issue about the security of the prescription, the price control of the pharmaceuticals and the containment of the increasing prescription expenditure has been intensively discussed. Similar problems are also occurred in Korea. So, the policy measurements of Germany could be used in Korea. But it could not easy to introduce the German policy measurements in Korea because of the social-institutional differences between the two countries, which are following; (1) Korea has a short experience with the mandatory prescription system, (2) the German concept of the management differs from that of the Korea, (3) the subscribers and the patients are excluded from the decision making process, (4) the medical service providers often resist against reform plans. For the stable development of the Korean prescription system the principle of self-government, the collective bargaining concept for cost containment, and social consensus about optimal expenditure of the pharmaceuticals are expected to be needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.484-494
• /
• 2000

Objective : To evaluate the relative benefits and the costs associated with the introduction of the new pharmaceutical provision called 'Mandatory Prescription System' which separates the role of physicians from that of pharmacists with respect to the prescription and dispensation of from the perspective of consumers (i.e., patients). Methods : The costs of the system were measured by considering both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs included additional payments for ambulatory care and dispensing fees that occurred under the new system. indirect costs consisted of transportation expenses and costs related to time spent for physician consultation, waiting for the prescriptions to be filled, and extra traveling. Benefits identified in this study were the reduction of drug misuse and overuse, and the overall decrease in drug consumption among the Korean population. Sensitivity analysis was peformed for the inclusion of benefits for outpatients of hospitals, price elasticity, and increased fees for established patients. Results : The net benefit was estimated to be about minus 1,862 billion won and the benefit-cost ratio was 0.478. This indicates that the costs of 'Mandatory Prescription' outweigh its benefits, relative to the previous system. The sensitivity analysis results for all the variables considered in this study consistently showed the benefit-cost ratio to be less than 1. Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that implementing Mandatory Prescription System in Korea might be inefficient from the consumer's perspective. The results of this study do not coincide with the results of previous studies, presumably because of the differences in study design and in which items of costs and benefits were considered.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.65-86
• /
• 1999

In this study, we investigate the welfare effect of mandatory prescription(MP) in Korea. An immediate effect of MP is the increase in the implicit price of prescribed medicine, which could be obtained easily from drug stores before MP. This will lower the quantity demanded. which will in turn reduce the abuse of drugs. The key to the cost-benefit analysis of MP, therefore, should be focused on this point; price increase in the cost side and quantity decrease in the benefit side. Since we do not have as much information as needed for the analysis, however, we made strong assumptions for the clarity of numbers; the severity of moral hazard of medical doctors related to the sales of hospital drugs, constant demand elasticity, constant benefit multiplier of reduced drug usage, and so on, With these rather strong assumptions, we find that i) the benefit side is much more sensitive to demand elasticity than the cost side effect ii) the larger the demand elasticity, the greater the size of net gain of MP, though the result depends on the size of the benefit multiplier. This analysis shows that we need to have more information on the specific institutional path of health benefit diffusion caused by the reduction of drug usage, which was the major target of MP.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2000.10a
• /
• pp.169-170
• /
• 2000

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.164-169
• /
• 2009

Objectives : Administration methods of antibiotics implements a variety for indications and diseases. Therefore, it is impossible to produce a single guideline. Many antibiotics have been prescribed without specific index, by practicians for a long period of time. In general dental practice and oral and maxillofacial surgical practice, there is not a guidelines for antibiotics. Therefore, there is a dependency on pre-existent methods rather than following an exact guideline. Consequently, a controversy was issued that prescription of antibiotics tend to be misused or abused. And it is also direct relation to the tolerance of antibiotics as well. Moving forward, in this review we will be analyzing the exact usage and indication of antibiotics in dental treatment. Materials and Methods : 29 published articles of both domestic and international were researched through Pubmed and Kormed, and the review from these articles were performed accordingly. We examined the administration of antibiotics through the objective usage, that classified prophylactic and therapeutic. Results : For therapeutic usage, empirical prescription is mandatory for the first step. Next is to moderate the empirical prescription depending upon the result of its culture. Administration of antibiotics must be kept for 2days after the symptoms disappear. For a prophylactic use, we can generally pr escribe antibiotics to prevent local infection or systemic infection. Although the method of prescription and neccessity of antibiotics to prevent local in fection are controversial, exact guidelines of antibiotics to prevent systemic infection are established by AHA. Conclusion : Most crucial concept for prescript antibiotics is to determine if it is adequately suitable for all circumstances. In this decision making, a guideline for prescription of antibiotics in various dental surgical practice is necessary. This guideline can reduce the misusage and disusage of a ntibiotics in general dental practices and oral and maxillofacial surgical practices.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.427-433
• /
• 2013

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the factors affecting adherence in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus before and after a clinic based patient incentive program in Incheon. Methods: An observational follow-up study was done for 28,355 patients in one registered group and 245,598 patients in a non-registered group from March 16th 2009 to December 31th 2010 in Incheon. The registration, mandatory laboratory tests and number of clinic visits were collected by merging the Incheon Chronic Disease Management System data and the National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) data. As a measure of patient adherence, we used a variable of prescription days from the NHIC and defined above 80% of average prescription days as an appropriate patient adherence. Repeated measures analysis of variance and logistic regression were used to analyze the differences in patient adherence and factors affecting adherence. Results: The changes in prescription days for the registered group are larger than for the non-registered group. In the logistic regression model, including the variables with sex, age, income status and number of clinic visits, the registered group exhibited a higher Odds ratio in the patient adherence. Conclusion: This study revealed the association between registration and appropriate patient adherence in patients with hypertension or type 2 diabetes mellitus.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.179-184
• /
• 2013

Purpose: X-ray exposure should be clinically justified and each exposure should be expected to give patients benefits. Since dental radiographic examination is one of the most frequent radiological procedures, radiation hazard becomes an important public health concern. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitude of Korean dentists about radiation safety and use of criteria for selecting the frequency and type of radiographic examinations. Materials and Methods: The study included 267 Korean dentists. Five questions related to radiation safety were asked of each of them. These questions were about factors associated with radiation protection of patients and operators including the use of radiographic selection criteria for intraoral radiographic procedures. Results: The frequency of prescription of routine radiographic examination (an example is a panoramic radiograph for screening process for occult disease) was 34.1%, while that of selective radiography was 64.0%. Dentists' discussion of radiation risk and benefit with patients was infrequent. More than half of the operators held the image receptor by themselves during intraoral radiographic examinations. Lead apron/thyroid collars for patient protection were used by fewer than 22% of dental offices. Rectangular collimation was utilized by fewer than 15% of dental offices. Conclusion: The majority of Korean dentists in the study did not practice radiation protection procedures which would be required to minimize exposure to unnecessary radiation for patients and dental professionals. Mandatory continuing professional education in radiation safety and development of Korean radiographic selection criteria is recommended.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.9-15
• /
• 2010

Purpose : This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) nasal carriage in Korean children attending day care centers. Methods : During September and October 2009, a survey for nasal carriage of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was conducted among children attending day care centers located in Seoul with questionnaire survey for evaluation of risk factors of acquisition of MRSA was obtained from their guardians. A culture of the anterior nares swabs using enrichment broth was executed for isolating S. aureus and oxacillin susceptibility was assessed by the disk diffusion method. Results : Out of the 428 children enrolled whose mean age was 55 months old, 163 (38.1%) were colonized with S. aureus. Of the 163 isolates, 40 (24.5%) were MRSA. The nasal carriage rate of S. aureus showed an increasing trend with increase of age. Based on the answer to the questionnaire, 9.2% and 3.6% of children had a recent history of hospitalization and surgery, respectively, and approximately 40% of children had a history of prescription of antibiotics within 1 year prior to enrollment. Of the 428 subjects, 40 (9.3%) were MRSA nasal carriers. Conclusion : S. aureus and MRSA carriage rate of children attending day care center in Korea was 38.1% and 9.3%, respectively. Continued surveillance for nasal carriage rate of S. aureus and MRSA (especially community-associated MRSA) is mandatory.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.65-73
• /
• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the changes in distance refractive power and reading addition that occur after wearing corrective glasses for prebyopia. Methods: The subjects aged 42 to 75 years who had no ophthalmologic diseases and did not undergo cataract or retina surgery, had a corrected visual acuity of 20/20 and did not have a previous history of wearing corrective glasses for presbyopia. These subjects were divided into 3 groups: the control, reading spectacles and multifocals wearing group and they were measured for distance refractive power and reading addition at their visit. The maximum follow-up period was 73 months. Results: As for distance refractive power, the power tends to shift to hyperopia depending on age (r=0.486, p<.001) and 50.0% of the subjects increased plus power during this study period. Plus power Increments per year in distance refractive power in the reading spectacle wearing group were significantly different with control and multifocals wearing group (p<.05). On the other hand, the multifocals wearing group's increments were not different with control. Increments in reading addition were also increased in the reading spectacles group than in the control and multifocals wearing groups (p<.05). Conclusions: The age related hyperopic shift could be occurred in the elderly people, routine refraction is mandatory. And reading spectacles could induce an age related hyperopic shift and the additional need for reading addition that the prescription of multifocals may reduce changes in distance refractive power and reading addition.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.26 no.1 s.41
• /
• pp.1-19
• /
• 1993

Mail questionnaire was administrated to 370 practising physicians and 388 pharmacists in Taegu city selected by systematic sampling to examine utilization states and opinion of pharmacy under medical care insurance programme and the attitude to the functional division between physicians and pharmacists from April to May 1992. Regarding the opinion on the outcome of drug-store under medical insurance, 71.2 percent of practicing physician answered faliure but 13.4 percent of practicing pharmacists answered failure in contrast. Fifty percent of practicing physician asserted introducing functional division between physician and pharmacist while 66.9 percent of practicing pharmacist answered drug-store under medical insurance itself is sucessful programme. Average daily numbers of preparation of medicine was 32.2 case. Percentage of utilization of drug-store under medical issurance to average daily cases of preparing of medicine was 20 percent, percentage of utilization with physician's prescription was 0.7 percent. And 58.7 percent of practicing physician experienced outside the institute prescription. Regarding the opinion on the pros and cons of enforcing functional division between physician and pharmacist, 59.2 percent of practicing physician prefered pros and 17.7 percent cons, but 38 percent of practicing pharmacist prefered pros and 45.5 percent cons. And pharmacist knew better the content of functional division between physician and pharmacist than physician. As a reason for pros of enforcing functional division between physician and pharmacist, practicing physician emphasized to prevent misuse or abuse of medicine but practicing pharmacist emphasized to display physician and pharmacist's professional ability. And as an opinion on implementation style of functional division between physician and pharmacist in pros respondents, practicing physician favored mandatory enforcement (52.3%), while practicing pharmacist favored partial incomplete functional division (81.7%). As the method of prescription if functional division between physician and pharmacist will be enforced, both practicing physician and pharmacist prefered generic name (44.0%, 89%) mostly, but physician prefered brand name (35.3%) secondly. Regarding the reason for not implementing functional division between physician and pharmacist up to date, both physician and pharmacist answered problem of business right between physician and pharmacist, followed by lack of recognition, and interest of people and lack of the govermental willness. Regarding the opinion on prior decision of condition for enforcing functional division between physician and pharmacist, practicing physician and pharmacist named uneven distribution of medical facilities and drug-store between rural and urban, inequality of physician and pharmacist manpower and the problem of manpower demand and supply mostly, and practicing physician pointed out establishing attitude of acceptance on the part of pharmacist and practicing pharmacist favored establishing attitude of acceptance on the part of physician, which was different attitudes between physician and pharmacist. Following conclusion was reached ; 1. Current drug-store under medical insurance program yield insufficient outcome, so we should consider program conversion from drug-store under medical insurance program to functional division between physician and pharmacist. 2. There were problem of business right and conflicts between physician and pharmacist at enforcing functional division between physician and pharmacist, so the goverment should search for formulating plan to resolve the problem and have neutral willness for the protection of the national health.