• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.36-50
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• 2009

Korean Government had performed three pilot programs to introduce the long term care insurance system. Persons aged 65 or older who are dependent on others for daily living could use long term care services in the pilot program. The long-term care insurance covered nursing home services, home care services and cash benefits. The cash benefits are included that for elderly at home and for patients in geriatric hospital. This study investigated whether there had been any change in the medical care utilization according to cash benefits for geriatric hospitalization. This study used National Health Insurance claims and Long term Care Insurance claims 2003 through 2006. Data were composed of subjects who undertook both insurance coverage. The subjects was divided into two groups. Case group included participants with the cash benefits of geriatric hospitalization. Control group included persons without the cash benefits selected by random sampling according to the distribution of case group. This study showed that the amount of medical care utilization of the case group is more significantly increased than the control group after adjusted their health condition and functional condition. This result will be helpful for making decisions on whether the cash benefit of geriatric hospitalization can be introduced into long term care insurance system.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.660-672
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• 2008

Purpose: To analyze the home care services provided to the elderly aged 65 and older by a hospital-based home care agencies and to investigate the effects of long-term care insurance for the elderly. Method: The subjects were the home care service recipients aged 65 and older in 172 hospital-based, home care agencies registered in Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service in January, 2007. The data were collected using a questionnaire from March 16 to April 15, 2007. The questionnaire return rate was 43.8%. Result: The hospital-based home care agencies were able to visit 66.5% of the national administrative districts. Of the home care service recipients, over 50% were 65 years old and older. About 43% of the agencies reported that over 50% of their patients would be subject to the long-term care insurance. They expressed concern that home care services would be withdrawn once the insurance system is initiated. Conclusion: This study suggests that hospital-based home care agencies need to manage home care services with long-term care insurance. It also recommends developing guidelines for the use of services and referrals.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.252-255
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• 2020

This article aims to discuss the barriers hindering cancer patients from receiving early palliative care, which has been demonstrated to be more effective in improving quality of life and controlling symptoms. Specifically, there are barriers in four aspects of delivering early palliative care. First, the difficulty of starting discussions about early palliative care and the lack of adequate appointment time can impede communication between oncologists and patients and their family members. Second, determining the timing of referral and deciding upon and applying a standard for referral can be barriers in the process of referral from oncology to palliative care. Third, palliative care patients and their family members can face difficulties regarding in what format and by whom the services will be delivered. Fourth, biases, misinformation, and inaccurate beliefs can be barriers in the process of patients and their family members accepting care. In order to facilitate early palliative care, research and policy regarding these barriers are necessary, along with efforts made by medical staff.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2011

The biggest change in the current medical service market is the shift from producer-based approach to customer-based approach. Thus, there is a high necessity for an introduction of market-oriented and customer-oriented marketing activities in medical institutions. Especially, revisitation and positive word-of-mouth of customers are the most effective marketing methods of consistently obtaining customers and drawing new loyal customers. Hence, the factors influencing the reuse of medical services and word-of-mouth are demonstrated using SERVQUAL, and the results show that the service factors influencing reuse intentions on medical services are assurance, responsiveness, and tangibles and the factors strengthening word-of-mouth are empathy and assurance on the services provided by medical institutions. This study has determined that revistation and word-of-mouth of customers are not only influenced by satisfaction on medical services but by the quality itself as well. Therefore, medical service providers need to pursue standardized strategies in order to enhance the quality of medical services simultaneously in addition to simply increasing the customer satisfaction level.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.143-166
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• 2006

It has been well known that women live longer but suffer more from degenerative diseases than men do, which, in turn, results in frequent utilization of medical care services among women. Previous studies, mostly based on Western society, have discussed that women, particularly married women, are more likely to utilize medical care services than men even after considerations of different health status and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Social interests in women's health and socialization process of caring for health among women are known as causes. This study examines sex differentials in the medical care service utilization in Korean society, particularly focusing on marital status. Feministic perspectives in Korea have argued that sex division of labor within family puts women in a position that has to continuously provide physical and emotional services to other family members, which keeps them from taking care of their own health. This study empirically tests if this feministic perspective holds true in Korea. Results show that Korean women and those with spouse are more likely to utilize medical care services than their men and the spouse-less counterparts, net of other risk factors. However the effect of existence of spouse on the medical care utilization is much smaller among women than men. These results suggest that the feministic perspective is in part applicable to explain sex differentials on medical care service utilization in Korea.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.479-490
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• 2017

The objective of this study is to examine the association of social networks and medical care utilization of elderly living alone depending on self-rated health status, and also to measure the moderating effects of welfare services for elderly. To this purpose, the data which was collected from the 2014 National Survey on Elderly in Korea was analyzed by Chi-square test and Poisson regression. According to the results, social networks and elderly welfare services affected to medical care utilization of elderly living alone, only who aware of their self-rated health status as bad. With this group, the frequency of contact with family and participation in lifelong education had a significant effect on increasing medical care utilization. In contrast, the frequency of contact with neighbors and the participation in elderly employment program were significant to reduce the utilization of medical care. Furthermore, the moderating effects of elderly welfare services were also measured that formal social gathering has an effect of increasing the medical care utilization of elderly living alone by expansion of their social networks. Based on these results, this study consequently has an implication for suggesting expansion of elderly welfare services, which might be an alternative to social networks of elderly living alone, and also for seeking the direction of political intervention that helps health promotion and disease prevention through the research of medical care utilization.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.673-683
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was aimed to evaluate the performance of a community-based home care services model. Method: The subjects were 138 patients who have been enrolled during a 6 month's period, nursing records and nursing service bills. The data was collected by self report and chart review. The mean cost per visit was compared with those of hospitalization & clinic visit in the data from National Health Insurance Corporation. Result: A significant number of patients were bed ridden(63.8%) and unconscious (27.5%), and most of the patients had complex chronic diseases. Except nursing assessment, bed sore care was the most frequent nursing treatment(25.1%) in home care services. The mean cost per visit of home care services was 34,665 won, which was lower than those of hospitalization & clinic visit for medical aid. The patients were highly satisfied with the services by visiting nurse specialists. Conclusion: Community-based home care services provided cost-effective and satisfied services. Community-based home care services needs systematic supports to expand it's domain for promoting community health.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.73-85
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• 2009

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to analyze the nursing care needs which can properly cope with patients' needs in emergency room, and grasp the patients' satisfaction level which can assess the care quality. It was aimed to check the level of today's care and provide basic data for care performance and care standard. Method : Data were collected from 192 patients in general hospitals in Daegu. The results are as followed. Results : First, the result of analysis conducted on the degree of overall patients' need for nursing care revealed that the need for nursing information (4.21+57) was the highest, followed by the order of information of patient's condition (4.05+53), emotional support (3.98+47), and nursing participation (3.65+54). Secondly, our study revealed that there was a significant negative correlat interrelation between care need and care satisfaction (r=.516, p<.01), indicating the higher the overall emergency room patients' nursing care need, treatment and nursing information, patient's condition, emotional support and nursing participation were, the lower the actual feeling of their satisfaction turned out. Conclusion : The study shows that treatment and nursing related information is the most highly needed and the patients' satisfaction level relies on actual care participation.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.33-51
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• 2007

The disabled population is a vulnerable group, having very complex medical conditions, but little is known about differences in the level of access by type of disability. This study was performed to investigate the differences of health care utilization by the type of disability. The database was constructed from registry of the disabled and health insurance and medical aid claims data submitted to the Korea Health Insurance Cooperation during in the year 2003. The disability classified three groups according to the Disabled Welfare Act; physically disability with external dysfunction, physically disability with organic disease, and mentally disability. There were huge differences in health care utilization by the type of disability. For the inpatient care, those with a mental disability were more likely to utilize health care services in terms of average visit number of medical facilities and visit days per case, but the treatment amount per case was the highest in physically disabled with organic disease. For the outpatient care, those who the physically disabled with organic disease were more likely to utilize health care services in terms of average visit number of medical facilities, treatment amount per case, and the treatment days per case. Also, those who physically disabled with organic disease were more likely to utilize general hospital for both inpatient and outpatient care, and spent more out-of-pocket expenditure. As the number of persons with disabilities rises, the need to consider new approaches to protecting their health grows increasingly. Especially, Korean health care system should be refined to be more responsive to the needs of the type of disability.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2008

Purpose: We evaluated patient nutritional status in a home care setting. Method: We recruited 81 patients who received in-home care using a screening sheet. The level of nutrition-related serum marker (albumin) was checked via medical records and data analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-tests, and $X^2$-test. Results: Nutritional status varied according to the primary medical diagnosis. Poor nutritional status was significantly higher in cancer patients than in other diseases. Serum albumin levels were significantly lower in the malnutrition group than the good nutrition group. Conclusions: Nutrition screening can determine the nutritional status in home care patients. Home care nurse practitioners should consider nutritional status when assessing patient health.