• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.7-15
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to introduce an oath and ethics code for emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Methods: The proposed oath and ethics code for the EMTs was evaluated using a modified Delphi technique. This oath and ethics code was presented at Korean association of emergency medical technician conference and was revised by experts in emergency medical services. Results: We examined the ethics codes for other allied healthcare professionals regarding the topics of human rights, health promotion, acting as an advocate, ethics, cooperation, observance, human rights, right to know, self-determination, confidentiality, and professionalism. These elements are reflected in our proposed oath and ethics code for EMTs. Conclusion: The proposed oath and ethics code would raise the professional status of EMTs.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.69-118
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• 2007

In providing general medical treatments, the medical service contract between the patient and the doctor is the mutually responsible onerous contract. However, the nature of the mutually assumed contract standings of the patient and the doctor has been changing since the implementation of the national health insurance program. For instance, besides the cases of beyond excessive medical charges and medical negligence, if the doctor charged for his/her medical treatments violating the post-treatment/nursing cover criteria, the overpaid medical charge, regardless of being collected with the patient's consent, has to be refunded back to the patient. Medically needed aspects, treatment results, and unfair benefits favoring the patient are not at all taken into consideration in the health insurance scheme. This makes it easier for patients to get refunds for their share of the medical payments by involving the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service or the National Health Insurance Corporation, without engaging in civil law suits (for reimbursement claim) against doctors. In other words, the doctor's responsibility to provide medical treatments and the patient's responsibility to pay for the medical treatment provided within the contractual realm are being demolished by the administrational arbitration of the National Health Insurance system. The basic rights of medical service providers, and the patient's right to choose are as important constitutional rights, as the National Health Insurance program, which is essential in the social welfare system. Furthermore, the development of the medical fields should not be prevented by the National Health Insurance system. If the medical treatment services can be divided into necessary treatments, general treatments, and high quality treatments, the National Health Insurance is supposed to guarantee the necessary and general treatments to provide medical treatments equally to all the insured with limited financial resources. However, for the high quality treatments, it is recommended that they should not be interfered by the National Health Insurance system, and that they should be left to the private contract between the patient and the doctor.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.1-11
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate patient experience assessment of inpatients, and to prepare measures to improve the quality level of medical services and guarante patient rights. Methods: The study was conducted among 199 patients admitted to hospitals and general hospitals in the metropolitan area. The analysis method used was crossover analysis, including a comparison of means, and logistic regression analysis. Results: The overall average score of satisfaction with healthcare service was 3.39 for nurses, 3.35 for hospitals and 3.42 for general hospitals. Age at the time of hospitalization affected satisfaction. The overall average score of healthcare service satisfaction was 3.09 for doctors, 3.14 for hospitals, and 3.04 for general hospitals. The factors affecting hospital satisfaction were gender and subjective health status. The factors affecting satisfaction in general hospitals were education, medical department, and hospitalization route. Conclusions: Hospitals should also introduce a systematic management system of general hospitals and strengthen the guarantee of the rights of patients who can improve the quality of medical care through positive communication between medical personnel and patients.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.67-98
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• 2023

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea took the lead in implementing "social distancing" policies more strongly than other countries. In addition to making it mandatory to wear a mask according to the policy, all patients using medical institutions are tested for COVID-19 to prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections, and only those patients who test negative have been regulated to receive face-to-face medical treatment. In this process, situations such as the disabled, who have difficulty wearing masks, were not taken into account, and emergency patients did not receive timely treatment or surgery from medical personnel. In response, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea has decided that forcing everyone to wear a mask and restricting access to medical institutions constitutes discrimination against the disabled. Therefore, the purposes this study has that, the first is to review cases of human rights discrimination against persons with disabilities due to measures to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases that did not consider the characteristics of persons with disabilities in the COVID-19 situation and issues regarding the decisions of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, the second is to find a reasonable plan and the need for measures to prevent refusal of treatment by medical institutions for the disabled who have difficulty wearing masks.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.83-105
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• 2016

Traditional medical knowledge and its biological resources, including Korean Medicine, has regarded as an important object of intellectual property rights. International organizations have been discussed and implemented various treaties on how to exercise and protect the property rights of traditional medicines. In Korea, the governmental policies and the academic societies have endeavored to establish the protection method and academic foundations of Korean Medicine's intellectual properties. This study will examine the current situation of discussions in major international organizations and Korean governmental policies related to the protection of traditional medical intellectual properties. Furthermore, this paper will contemplate the possible arguments and countermeasures to protect the traditional knowledge of Korean Medicine. We hope that this study will contribute to find the reasonable and effective ways of protection of Korean Medicine's intellectual property rights.

• Korean Journal of Hospice Care
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.10-18
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• 2006

This study was designed to learn attitudes to euthanasia of nursing student. Data were collected from May 1 to May 30, 2005 by structured questionaires. The respondents joined in the study were 307 nursing student. Data were analyzed using SPSS program by percentage, t-test, one-way ANOVA and scheffe, The results obtained were as follows :1. The mean scores for euthanasia were 3.16 in medical ethics, 2.85 in respect for life, 2.83 in patient's rights, and 2.63 in quality of life, being 2.85 overall. 2. Those who have grade showed significantly higher scores for euthanasia. 3. About 56% of the respondents did not agree that passive euthanasia is justifiable, and 55% did not like performance of euthanasia. 4. The group admitting that passive euthanasia is ethically justifiable showed significantly higher scores in the patient's rights(t=6.031, p=.000), the respect for life(t=5.280, p=.000) and the medical ethics(t=5.558, p=.000) than the group which do not admit. 5. The group which would perform passive euthanasia showed significantly higher scores in the patient's rights(t=6.329, p=.000), the respect for life(t=6.339, p=.000), the quality of life (t=1.993, p=.047) and the medical ethics(t=6.240, p=.000) than the group which would not perform passive euthanasia.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.359-395
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• 2012

In a broad term, health and medical data means all patient information that has been generated or circulated in government health and medical policies, such as medical research and public health, and all sorts of health and medical fields as well as patients' personal data, referred as medical data (filled out as medical record forms) by medical institutions. The kinds of health and medical data in medical records are prescribed by Articles on required medical data and the terms of recordkeeping in the Enforcement Decree of the Medical Service Act. As EMR, OCS, LIS, telemedicine and u-health emerges, sharing and protecting digital health and medical data is at issue in these days. At medical institutions, health and medical data, such as medical records, is classified as "sensitive information" and thus is protected strictly. However, due to the circulative property of information, health and medical data can be public as well as being private. The legal grounds of health and medical data as such are based on the right to informational self-determination, which is one of the fundamental rights derived from the Constitution. In there, patients' rights to refuse the collection of information, to control recordkeeping (to demand access, correction or deletion) and to control using and sharing of information are rooted. In any processing of health and medical data, such as generating, recording, storing, using or disposing, privacy can be violated in many ways, including the leakage, forgery, falsification or abuse of information. That is why laws, such as the Medical Service Act and the Personal Data Protection Law, and the Guideline for Protection of Personal Data at Medical Institutions (by the Ministry of Health and Welfare) provide for technical, physical, administrative and legal safeguards on those who handle personal data (health and medical information-processing personnel and medical institutions). The Personal Data Protection Law provides for the collection, use and sharing of personal data, and the regulation thereon, the disposal of information, the means of receiving consent, and the regulation of processing of personal data. On the contrary, health and medical data can be inspected or delivered of the copies, based on the principle of restriction on fundamental rights prescribed by the Constitution. For instance, Article 21(Access to Record) of the Medical Service Act, and the Personal Data Protection Law prescribe self-disclosure, the release of information by family members or by laws, the exchange of medical data due to patient transfer, the secondary use of medical data, such as medical research, and the release of information and the release of information required by the Personal Data Protection Law.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.397-445
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• 2010

This thesis introduces the trends of korean courts' ruling on damages in medical malpractice cases for past 10 years. First of all, Korean courts' ruling have had a tendency to pay only non-economic damages for not taking the informed consent. If a doctor cannot get the informed consent from a patient, he compensate only non-economic damages for the infringement of self-determination rights of patient. It's enough for the plaintiff to prove the infringement of self-determination rights, if the plaintiff just want to get non-economic damages. The Korean Supreme court have ruled that if plaintiffs want to get economic damages for the infringement of self-determination rights or informed consent, plaintiffs must prove that the infringement of self-determination rights is the proximate cause of the economic damages of patient. There is another tendency for the Korean Supreme court to limit the damages in medical malpractice cases on the ground of patient's diseases' dangerousness or patient's idiosyncrasy. In the past courts often limit the damages only to 70~80% of total damages, but now a days courts mostly limit the damages to 20~30%. This thesis also introduce the Korean courts' trends about Valuing damages in personal injury actions awarded for gratuitously rendered nursing and medical care.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.315-346
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• 2012

The legal relationship between patient and physician is legally equal relationship. But, in times past, patients be compelled to sign an unequal contract, substantially. Because of the imbalance between supply and demand in the health care market. Today, the law of supply and demand in the health care market is running well. And as the cognition of citizens' rights grows, the relationship between patient and physician can also get a lot of changes. Patients have the right to know the information about medical care, and to decide whether or not to get treatment including invasions against their own bodies. In other words, Doctors have an obligation to explain to their patients. If doctors did not provide patients sufficient explanation or information, it violates the right of patients. This is a tort, or a breach of contract. To improve the remedy for violation of patient's right, patient is able to be protected by status as consumer. If patient is a kind of consumer in terms of medical consumption, he/she as consumer can enjoy supplementally the consumer's right. The patient as a consumer can exercise now a consumer's right as a constitutional right. In addition, with respect to consumer's rights, Framework Act on Consumers was enacted. This Act is based on constitutional provisions of Article 124 and the Act can be seen as a law that embodies consumer right because the provision of the constitutional law delegates specific contents. In the health care field, patients need to win recognition the statue of the consumer to hold the sovereignty of the consumer. In particular, if patients are consumers, they may be able to make good use of the quickly and efficiently collective dispute resolution and association lawsuit to rescue their damage, the Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) of Framework Act on Consumers.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.145-178
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• 2020

This paper examines discussions surrounding cognitive liberty, neuro-privacy, and mental integrity from the perspective of Neuro-rights. The right to control one's neurological data entails self-determination of collection and usage of one's data, and the right to object to any way such data may be employed to negatively impact oneself. As innovations in neurotechnologies bear benefits and downsides, a novel concept of the neuro-rights has been suggested to protect individual liberty and rights. In Oct. 2020, the Chilean Senate presented the 'Proyecto de ley sobre neuroderechos' to promote the recognition and protection of neuro-rights. This new bill defines all data obtained from the brain as neuronal data and outlaws the commerce of this data. Neurotechnology, especially when paired with big data and artificial intelligence, has the potential to turn one's neurological state into data. The possibility of inferring one's intent, preferences, personality, memory, emotions, and so on, poses harm to individual liberty and rights. However, the collection and use of neural data may outpace legislative innovation in the near future. Legal protection of neural data and the rights of its subject must be established in a comprehensive way, to adapt to the evolving data economy and technical environment.