• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.40-51
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• 2006

Backgrouds : This study was performed to compare the satisfaction levels for health examination programs provided by between the Korea National Health Insurance Corporation (KNHIC) and private healthcare organizations in Korea. We investigated factors associated with the satisfaction level for the KNHIC health examination. Also, factors explaining for the additional receipt of private healthcare organization's examination were identified. Methods : A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in June 2004 with 250 beneficiaries of the KNHIC industrial workers' program and 100 beneficiaries of the KNHIC selfemployed program. A total of 297 completed the questionnaire, including 213 (85.2%) and 84 (84.0%) for each insurance program. Ten questions measuring satisfaction levels for each examination program were rated on a scale ranging from 1 (strongly unsatisfied) to 5 (strongly satisfied). Results : Among the subjects receiving both examinations, the mean satisfaction level for the KNHIC examination (3.07) was significantly lower than that for the private healthcare organization's examination (3.50) (p<0.05). The KNHIC examination showed lower satisfaction for all of the 10 items than the counterpart. In particular, the KNHIC examination had the scores of lower than 3.0 for the items reflecting post-examination management services. According to the multiple regression analysis results, the satisfaction for the KNHIC examination was positively associated with the positive attitude toward health examination(${\bullet}$,=0.38, p<0.00). The logistic regression results showed that the likelihood of receiving the private healthcare organization's examination in addition to the KNHIC examination increases as the respondents were less healthier(OR=0.29, 95% CI = 0.10¢¶0.84), the satisfaction level for the KNHIC examination decreased(OR=0.46, 0.28¢¶0.75) or the attitude toward health examination was more positive (OR=2.56, 1.31¢¶5.12). Conclusion : The relatively low satisfaction level for both examination programs suggests that there's ample room for improvement of health examination services in Korea. The negative association between additional receipt of private healthcare organization's examination and satisfaction level for the KNHIC examination implies that the improvement of the satisfaction for the KNHIC examination would help to reduce the national expenditure spent on the additional examination.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.415-426
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• 2012

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate trends in home-visit nursing care by agencies' characteristics under the national long-term care insurance system. Methods: Cochran-Mantel-Haenzel tests were conducted, using data drawn from the nationwide long-term care insurance claim database of the Korean National Health Insurance Corporation from 2009 to 2011. Results: The number of home-visit nursing care agencies has decreased continuously since 2009. There were also similar trends in the total amount of service provided by home-visit nursing care agencies, the number of recipients, the number of employees, and payments. This study showed that there were statistically significant differences in the trends in home-visit nursing care by agencies' characteristics. Despite the overall downward trend, there were some increases in the percentage of home-visit nursing care provided by agencies which were established by individuals, located in large cities, and which combined home-visit care with home-visit bathing. Conclusion: Home-visit nursing care agencies are responsible for providing community-based healthcare services. For past three years, however, they have not been utilized to their full potential. Understanding the trends in home-visit nursing care by agencies' characteristics is important to develop utilization strategies for home-visit nursing care.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.70-74
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• 2009

An omental infarctions is an uncommon cause of an acute abdomen and a rare entity in children. The etiology is still unclear and the symptoms mimic acute appendicitis. We recently encountered a case of a 10-year-old boy who had a previous surgical history of a manual reduction for intussusception. He complained of abdominal pain and right upper quadrant tenderness without fever or anorexia. An abdominal ultrasonography suggested an omental infarction and computed tomography confirmed the diagnosis. Conservative management was adopted with a rapid and uneventful recovery. Non-operative treatment is a safe and effective treatment of choice for omental infarction.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.981-984
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• 2001

Object : To treat hydrocephalus by ventriculo-peritoneal shunt operation, the correct positioning of the proximal catheter in the ventricle is very important. The purpose of this study was to develop the "shunt guiding kit" for the proper positioning of the proximal shunt catheter to the ventricle in the ventriculo-peritoneal shunt operation. Materials and Methods: The "shunt guiding kit" is made of tungsten alloy and it consists of one frame, two screws and one guider. Through the guider, the proximal shunt catheter operates by mechanically coupling the posterior burr hole to the anterior target point. Results: We have treated three hydrocephalus patients with use of the "shunt guiding kit", and achieved good location of proximal shunt catheters. Conclusion: We developed the "shunt guiding kit" for the proper positioning of the proximal shunt catheter to the ventricle, and this would be very useful for preventing ventriculo-peritoneal shunt malfunction and preventing possible brain injury during the procedures.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.705-709
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• 2009

Herpes zoster is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which affects nerve ganglions. VZV infection may be associated with neurologic complications, which are usually observed after vesicular exanthem. Acute aseptic meningitis is a rare complication of VZV reactivation. We report the case of a previously healthy 14-year-old boy who suffered from aseptic meningitis that was attributed to reactivated VZV infection with exanthem; the patient had undergone vaccination against varicella. This condition can be confirmed by the detection of VZV DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid. The patient was treated with acyclovir and recovered fully.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.153-158
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was performed retrospectively and to compare the clinical outcomes of the surgical management using Antiglide plating and lateral plating for Danis-Weber type B isolated lateral malleolar fractures. Materials and Methods: Between March 2004 and March 2009, 92 patients were followed up for more than 6 months after surgical treatment. 49 patients were treated with Antiglide plating, whereas the remaining 43 patients underwent lateral plating. The results of the two groups were analyzed both radiographically and clinically using Ankle scoring system. Results: Both groups were comparable for age, sex distribution, time to surgery, and operation time. Bone union was noted at average of 8 weeks in all fractures. The mean ankle score was similar in both groups (94% versus 93%). Conclusion: Antiglide plating for Danis-Weber type B isolated lateral malleolar fracture is one of the good methods which has some advantages such as early ankle motion, ambulation and smaller operative incision.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.165-177
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• 2012

This study examined market size of private health insurance premium and individual characteristics associated with the market size change in Korea, using wave 1 (2008) and wave 2 (2009) of Korea Health Panel. The market size was 24.4 trillion Korean won in 2008 and 26.9 trillion in 2009. The increase rate of private health insurance premium among those who were the elderly, single, or the poor was higher than that among their counterpart respectively. Health status and utilization were insignificant in determining the increase rate of private health insurance premium. These findings were more obvious among the uninsured in 2008 than among the insured in 2008. The increase of private health insurance premium in Korea imply the increase of willingness-to-pay for health risk through private sector. The authors suggest policy intervention for accessability to health care for the underprivileged and weak through enlargement of Korean social health insurance benefit.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.45-57
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• 2008

Objective: The aim of this study was to find out the factors associated with the health status and life satisfaction in the elderly who participated in an exercise program practiced by the National Health Insurance Corporation and the elderly who did not. Methods: The subjects of this study included 105 elderly people in K-city who participated in the elderly exercise program of the National Health Insurance Corporation and 103 elderly who did not. Results: The elderly group that participated in the exercise program showed slightly better physical health than non-participants but the difference was significant only in the item of bowel control. The elderly group that participated in the exercise program displayed slightly better mental health status than non-participants but the difference was significant only in the item of memory and cognitive ability. The elderly group that participated in the exercise program showed significantly higher life satisfaction than non-participants. The factors affecting the satisfaction of life were participation of exercise program, higher level of education, and perception of health, and the attributable rate was 24.6%. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study suggested that the people who participated in elderly exercise program showed higher level of physical and mental health status and life satisfaction than non-participants. Therefore, various National Exercise Program for elderly tailored by characteristics should be implemented.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1229-1237
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• 2009

In the long-term care insurance(LTCI) system, the question of how to provide the most appropriate care has become a major issue for the elderly, their family, and for policy makers. To help beneficiaries use LTC services appropriately to their needs of care, National Health Insurance Corporation(NHIC) provide them with the individualized care plan, named the Long-term Care User Guide. It includes recommendations for beneficiaries' most appropriate type of care. The purpose of this study is to develop a recommending system for care plan(Res-CP) in LTCI system. We used data set for Long-term Care User Guide in the 3rd long-term care insurance pilot programs. To develop the model, we tested four models, including a decision-tree model in data-mining, a logistic regression model, and a boosting and boosting techniques in an ensemble model. A decision-tree model was selected to describe the Res-CP, because it may be easy to explain the algorithm of Res-CP to the working groups. Res-CP might be useful in an evidence-based care planning in LTCI system and may contribute to support use of LTC services efficiently.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3767-3772
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• 2012

Objective: We estimated the total medical costs incurred during the 5 years following a cancer diagnosis and annual medical use status for the six most prevalent cancers in Korea. Methods: From January 1 to December 31, 2006, new patients registered with the six most prevalent cancers (stomach, liver, lung, breast, colon, and thyroid) were randomly selected from the Korea Central Cancer Registry, with 30% of patients being drawn from each cancer group. For the selected patients, cost data were generated using National Health Insurance claims data from the time of cancer diagnosis in 2006 to December 31, 2010. The total number of patients selected was 28,509. Five-year total medical costs by tumor site and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) stage at the time of diagnosis, and annual total medical costs from diagnosis, were estimated. All costs were calculated as per-patient net costs. Results: Mean 5-year net costs per patient varied widely, from $5,647 for thyroid cancer to $20,217 for lung cancer. Advanced stage at diagnosis was associated with a 1.8-2.5-fold higher total cost, and the total medical cost was highest during the first year following diagnosis and decreased by the third or fourth year. Conclusions: The costs of cancer care were substantial and varied by tumor site, annual phase, and stage at diagnosis. This indicates the need for increased prevention, earlier diagnosis, and new therapies that may assist in reducing medical costs.