• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.328-338
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• 1991

To find out the state of illness, patterns of medical care utilization, and factors which determine medical care utilization for aged we surveyed 679 rural old persons who live in the Chungnam province from Jan. 10 1991 to Jan. 19. The major findings of this study were as follows : 1. The morbidity rate of chronic illness during last 3 months was 56.4% for all surveyed old persons ; 58.7% for female and 52.8% for male. 2. As expected, 80 years old or above group showed the highest morbidity rate, 60.2% and the 65-69 years age group was the lowest, 50.5%. 3. Old persons who are householder, whose family income is less than 290,000 won per month, and who receive benifits from the public medical assistance program had relative higher morbidity rate than other groups and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). 4. The most frequent chronic illness was musculoskeletal disease, 49.6% ; the disease from which the aged had suffered for the longest period was gastrointestinal, 11.6yrs : the cerebrovascular was the disease which inflicts the lowest level of physical ability. 5. 67.1% of 383 persons who were suffering from chronic illness were in need of medical care but unmet ; among the remaining 32.9% who utilized medical care, 19.2% utilized it in local clinics or hospital OPD and 15% in th health centers or subcenters. 6. Old person who are married, whose sons are householder and whose family income is 500,000 won or above per month showed relative higher utilization rate than other groups and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). 7. The most common reason why the aged did not utilize, in spite of, need medical care was economic problem, 35.4%. For the aged whose family income per month is 500,000 won or above, however the most common reason was tolerable symptom, 46.9% while persons who answered economic problem were 6.1% of them, the lowest frequency.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.513-522
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• 2019

Background: South Korea operates a Medical Aid (MA) program targeting selected low-income individuals to ensure medical service delivery to the disadvantaged while enhancing self-sufficiency of work-capable beneficiaries. However, as reasons behind welfare exits are diverse and do not always infer poverty relief or the provision of appropriate levels of health care services, this study aimed to investigate the association between changes in MA status and health care utilization. Methods: This study used the 2006 to 2015 National Health Insurance claims data. The impact of changes in annual MA status on health care utilization (yearly number of outpatient visits, inpatient visits, length of stay, and emergency department [ED] visits) was investigated using the generalized estimating equation model. Results: In 117,943 adult subjects aged 20 to 64, compared to the 'MA to MA' group, the 'MA to MA exit' group showed general decreases in utilization (outpatient visits: β=-3.93, p<0.0001; hospital admissions: relative risk [RR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-0.91; length of stay: β=-3.64, p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.77-0.90). Similar patterns were found in the 'MA exit to MA exit' group (outpatient visits: β=-5.72, p<0.0001; admissions: RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.94; length of stay: β=-5.87; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.75-0.88). Likewise, in 74,747 older adult subjects aged 65 or above, the 'MA to MA exit' group showed reduced levels of utilization (outpatient visits: β=-1.51; p=0.0020), as well as the 'MA exit to MA exit' group (admissions: RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89-0.95; length of stay: β, -5.45; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.97). Conclusion: MA exit was associated with general decreases in health care utilization. Utilization patterns of individuals with experiences of receiving MA benefits should be monitored to promote the ideal use of health care services while preventing potential financial barriers present in accessing medical care.

• 대한예방한의학회지
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.1-24
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• 2000

This study was conducted to examine utilization patterns and determinants of oriental medical services. Data were collected from 545 residents in Taegu city The results of this study are summarized as follows 1) 37.8% of subjects used oriental medical services in the past year. Especially, the female, the ages of 50 and 60 over, the single. low-educated. high-income class, white-collar class, medical insured tended to use more oriental medical services than another groups. 2) 46.7% of users of oriental medical services reported that number of visits in the past year was 2 - 5 times 37 1% of them was 1 times, and 4.5% over 10 times. 3) According to the reasons to choose the oriental medical facilities, most was 'on their own judgement'(48.8%) and 'by the advice of relatives and friends'(42.0%) Regarding to the objectives of using oriental medicine, 68.3% was 'treatment', 31.7% 'health counselling and promotion'. And among diseases of users, diseases of musculo-skeletal system was the highest(54.5%). 4) 57.9% of oriental medical services users had experience of utilizing western medicine on the same diseases. Among peoples with experiencing western medicine on the same diseases. 54.4% received oriental medical services 'in addition to western medicine', 45.6%'in place of western medicine 'And 41.2% of using both services reported that they had difficulty in deciding to choose the type of services -oriental medical services or western medicine-for their diseases. 37.3% of them answered that 'providing relevant information' was the most desirable measure to solve this problem, 27.3% 'establishment of effective referral system between oriental and western medical facilities '23.6% 'cooperative medical treatment systems in the same facilities', 11.8%'integration of oriental medicine into western medicine 5) According to the satisfaction level with each items of oriental medical services, the respondents had positive views on efficacy, kindness, and side-effects. They, however, had negative view on the cost of oriental medical services. 6) In regarding to the priority of improvement of oriental medical system,'expansion of insurance benefit package 'ranked first. 'expansion of insurance benefit Package 'ranked second, 'improvement of scientific methods and diagnostic technique 'third, and 'safety of herbal medicine' fourth in order. 7) The significant factors influencing the utilization of oriental medical services were kindness of oriental medical practitioners, efficacy , travel time, age To be brief, utilization rate of oriental medical services in urban area generally tends to be high. There, however, have been various barriers to limit oriental medical services, such as incomplete benefit package of oriental medical insurance and lack of coordination and referral system between oriental and western medical services, lack of scientific diagnostic procedures, high price etc . For the development of oriental medical services, Much attention to remove these limiting factors should be placed. In addition, kindness of oriental medical practitioners , which is expected to be more important factor in the consumer - focused health care environment than ever, should be kept high consistently. Since this study was conducted for specific residents of an urban city. further research including more sampling in different urban areas should be required to generalize the results of the study.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제39권2호
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• pp.116-123
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• 2022

Background: Recently, there have been various developments in medical service robots (MSRs). However, few studies have examined the perceptions of those who use it. The purpose of this study is to identify user perceptions of MSRs. Methods: We conducted a survey of 320 patients, doctors, and nurses. The contents of the survey were organized as follows: external appearances, perceptions, expected utilization, possible safety accidents, and awareness of their responsibilities. Statistical analyses were performed using t-test, chi-square test, and analysis of variance. Results: The most preferred appearance was the animal type, with a screen. The overall average score of positive questions was 3.64±0.98 of 5 points and that of negative questions was 3.24±0.99. Thus, the results revealed that the participants had positive perceptions of MSR. The overall average of all expected utilization was 4.05±0.84. The most expected utilization was to guide hospital facilities. The most worrisome accident was exposure to personal information. Moreover, participants thought that the overall responsibility of the robot user (hospital) was greater than that of the robot manufacturer in the case of safety accidents. Conclusion: The perceptions of MSRs used in hospital wards were positive, and the overall expected utilization was high. It is necessary to recognize safety accidents for such robots, and sufficient attention is required when developing and manufacturing robots.

• 한국콘텐츠학회논문지
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• 제17권5호
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• pp.479-490
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• 2017

본 연구는 주관적 건강수준에 따른 독거노인의 사회적 관계망이 의료기관 이용에 미치는 영향을 파악하고, 노인복지서비스 참여의 조절효과를 확인하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 한국보건사회연구원의 노인실태조사자료(2014) 중 독거노인 2,344명을 연구대상으로 선정하였고, 기술통계, 카이제곱 검정 및 포아송 회귀분석을 실시하였다. 연구결과, 독거노인들의 사회적 관계망 확대 및 노인복지서비스 참여는 주관적 건강수준이 나쁜 독거노인들의 의료기관 이용에 영향을 주는 것으로 확인되었다. 주관적 건강수준이 나쁜 독거노인들의 경우, 가족과의 왕래 및 평생교육 참여로 인해 의료기관 이용횟수가 감소하였으며, 이웃과의 왕래가 증가하거나 노인일자리사업을 신청할 경우 의료기관 이용이 증가하는 결과를 보였다. 또한 노인복지서비스 참여의 조절효과를 확인한 결과, 친목시설 및 단체에 참여한 독거노인들의 사회적 관계망이 확대 될수록 의료기관 이용횟수가 증가하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 본 연구는 이러한 결과에 근거하여 독거노인들의 사회적 관계망을 대체할 수 있는 노인복지서비스 확대를 제시하고, 의료이용 실태 파악을 통하여 실질적인 건강유지증진 및 예방을 지원할 수 있는 정책적 방향성을 모색했다는 점에서 의의가 있겠다.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.508-517
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• 2021

Background: After the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January 2020, Korea has experienced three waves in 2020. This study aimed to analyze changes in health care utilization according to the period of the 1st to 3rd waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We analyzed 3,354,469,401 national health insurance claims from 59,104 medical facilities between 2017 and 2020. Observed-to-expected ratios (O:E ratio) with data from 2017 to 2019 as expected values and data from 2020 as observed values were obtained to analyze changes in medical utilization. T-test was used to test whether the difference of observed and expected values was statistically significant. Results: In 2020, the O:E ratio was 0.894, indicating a decrease in health care utilization overall during the pandemic. The O:E ratio of the 1st wave was 0.832, which was lower than those of the second (0.886) and third (0.873) waves. Health care utilization decreased relatively more among outpatient, women, children and adolescents, and health insurance patients. And health care utilization decreased more in small medical facilities and in Daegu and Gyeongbuk during the first wave. During the pandemic, the O:E ratios of respiratory diseases were 0.486-0.694, while chronic diseases and mental diseases were more than 1.0. Conclusion: Health care utilization decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic overall, and there were differences by COVID-19 waves, and by the characteristics of patients and medical facilities. It is necessary to understand the cause of changes in health care utilization in order to cope with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

• 보건교육건강증진학회지
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.1-12
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• 2012

Objectives: Several practice guidelines recommended both medication and behavior modification to control hypertension. The objective of this study was to analyze ambulatory care utilization pattern and related factors. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 45,267 new users who initiated treatment with hypertensive drugs in 2003. Korean National Health Insurance Claims Data was used to study the medical care utilization behavior and related factors after treatment initiation for up to four years. Taking prescription was considered as medical care utilization. Results: More than 20% of patients discontinued visiting physicians for prescription after initiating antihypertensive drug therapy. The average number of institutions visited by patients was about 1.3 annually. Clinic was the most frequently visited institution by patients. In GEE analysis, probability of continuous visit one institution after initiating antihypertensive drug treatment increased in patients who were women, old, have comorbidity, visited clinic or hospital mainly in previous year. Conclusions: Young hypertensive male patients who have no major comorbidity showed high possibility to discontinue medical service utilization. It is necessary to educate these targeted patients about importance of hypertension management in early stage after treatment initiation.

• 보건의료산업학회지
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• 제6권4호
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• pp.83-98
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• 2012

The objective of this study is to analyze the utilization patterns of national health insurance and medical aid inpatients in tertiary hospitals. For the analysis, the study utilize the nationwide data on '2010 Survey of Patients' of Ministry of Health & Welfare. The statistical methodology used in the study is the logistic regression model. This study has three major findings. First, utilization rate of national health insurance inpatients was higher than medical aid inpatients in tertiary hospitals. Second, the significant affecting demographic factors in utilizing tertiary hospitals were sex, age, surgery case, treatment result, inpatients residence region and short length of stay. Third, compared to other disease groups, the inpatients on 'congenital malformation, deformity and chromosomal abnormalities', 'factors influencing health status and contact with health services' and 'neoplasm' groups are more likely to utilize tertiary hospitals. Finally, according to residence region, Seoul residence inpatients in both of national health insurance and medical aid more likely to utilize tertiary hospitals than other region inpatients.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.1-18
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• 2008

As medical insurance had been implemented for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) from January 1, 2005, this study investigated whether there had been any change in the amount of the medical care utilization of patients who undertook MRI before and after the insurance coverage, and was to examine factors affecting the amount of medical care utilization of MRI. Data were collected from patients who undertook MRI before and after the insurance coverage for a year at a general hospital in Kyeanggi-do. $X^2$ and t-test were used for the analysis of their general characteristics, the number of MRI, and its medical costs before and after the insurance coverage, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis for the factors affecting the amount of the medical care utilization of MRI. The results of this study were as follows. First, the number of MRI after the insurance coverage was significantly decreased. Second, there was no significant difference in the total medical costs of MRI after the insurance coverage, but a significant difference was found in patient's share of medical costs. Third, six variables were found to be affecting the amount of the medical care utilization of MRI, and the variables showed to lead the number of MRI decrease after the insurance coverage. These six factors explained 21.4% of the total number of MRI. As MRI had been covered by insurance, the use of MRI and patient's share of the costs were deceased, but the total medical costs were not affected. Reasons for that could be found in that MRI insurance, different from the case of CT insurance coverage, was allowed not to cover some items and the kinds of diseases subjected to the insurance coverage were extremely limited, lowering insurance prescription rate. In addition to that, the average medical cost of MRI was not changed after the insurance coverage. Therefore, as future measures for the MRI insurance, coverage, it should be considered to allow insurance coverage to no coverage items and to expand the scope of benefit coverage, or to lower patient's share of the costs. Furthermore, researches should be done to explore how recipients will act and how suppliers will react if the coverage is expanded, including expanding the scope of coverage and reducing patient's share of the costs, as well as to conduct research on its economic analysis according to case mix.

• 대한한방내과학회지
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.336-352
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• 2017

Objective: This study investigated the perception, utilization, and satisfaction (in the general population), of the common cold treatment at the Korean Medical Clinic, to provide basic information for the development of Korean medicine clinical practice guidelines for the common cold. Method: A questionnaire was developed that consisted of questions about the general perception, utilization status, degree of satisfaction, willingness to use, and the improvement of the common cold treatment at the Korean Medical Clinic. An online survey was conducted using this questionnaire. Results: Three-hundred subjects responded to the survey. The results of the analysis were as follows. 1. 73.7% of the subjects recognized the common cold treatment at the Korean Medical Clinic. 2. 72% of the subjects had a positive perception of Korean medicine for common cold treatment. The major reason for the positive perception was the expectation about improving immunity and preventing recurrence. 3. Only 20% of the subjects had visited the Korean Medical Clinic for common cold treatment. The expensive cost was the major reason for not visiting the Korean Medical Clinic for common cold treatment. 4. The ratio of subjects who were willing to visit the Korean Medical Clinic for common cold treatment was 70%. 5. The expansion of health insurance coverage (67.7%), the activation of public relations (54.7%), and the development of a new herb medicine preparation that was easy to take (43.3%) were found to be necessary for improving the Korean medical service for common cold treatment. Conclusion: In spite of high recognition and positive perception, actual utilization of common cold treatment at the Korean Medical Clinic was relatively low. Multifaceted efforts are necessary to enhance the competitiveness of Korean medical service for treatment of the common cold.