• Health Policy and Management
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.139-156
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• 1999

Recent changes in the health care environment have directed increasing attention to the number and specialty mix of practicing physicians. A major concern identified in Korean health care system is the serious oversupply of specialists and a relative lack of primary care physicians. Currently only 21% of Korean physicians are primary care physicians(general practitioners and family physicians), and less than 10% of recent medical school graduates are choosing to enter primary care. More primary care physicians are needed to deal with major problems in the current health care system, such as cost and access. The infrastructure that relies on primary care physicians is needed to deliver cost-effective and efficient care. To achieve a better balance of primary care to non-primary care physicians. more medical students need to choose careers in one of the primary care specialties(family medicine. internal medicine and pediatrics). This paper suggests the necessity of reforming the Korean graduate medical education system, that is, establishing the path of training primary care physicians in internal medicine and pediatrics residency training programs.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.58-90
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• 1996

This study provides an empirical analysis of location competition for demand maximization by central place theory among physicians in nonmetropolitan areas of Korea. The results show that the primary care physicians distribute themselves evenly from urban communities to rural communities. The subspecialists, however, cluster together in major cities rather than decentralize themselves in rural counties. This study establishes the three statistical models : Primary care physicians, subspecialist physicians, and total physicians. Two models of primary care physicians and total physicians have a strong significance in multiple regression analysis (p=-.0001). The primary care model explains approximately 45% of the variation and the total physicians model explains approximately 70% of the variation in physician/1,000 population ratios across national counties. The subspecialist physicians model analysze the tobit regreassion because of the left consored and truncated values(57 cases = 0). In all three models, analysis of the coefficiencts for physician centralization degrees in the 0- to 5- and 5- to 10-km rings around the core county reveals each a positive and negative association betwee these degrees and the physician/1,000 population ratios in the core county. Also, the results provide moderate evidence that the relationship between clinic physicians and community hospitals is competitive, and the relationship between clinic physicians and pharmaceutists is synergistic. This suggests that public policy makers and local self-governing bodies must take an active role to ensure procider availability and the regional health planning in all nonmetropolitan areas of Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1999-2004
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• 2013

Asian Americans experience disproportionate incidence and mortality rates of certain cancers, compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Primary care physicians are a critical source for cancer screening recommendations and play a significant role in increasing cancer screening of their patients. This study assessed primary care physicians' perceptions of cancer risk in Asians and screening recommendation practices. Primary care physicians practicing in New Jersey and New York City (n=100) completed a 30-question survey on medical practice characteristics, Asian patient communication, cancer screening guidelines, and Asian cancer risk. Liver cancer and stomach cancer were perceived as higher cancer risks among Asian Americans than among the general population, and breast and prostate cancer were perceived as lower risks. Physicians are integral public health liaisons who can be both influential and resourceful toward educating Asian Americans about specific cancer awareness and screening information.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2005

Objectives : To explore the factors influencing antibiotics prescription by primary health physicians for acute upper respiratory infections(URI). Methods : We performed a survey of 370 primary health physicians randomly sampled in April, 2003. The questionnaire consisted of a prescription on the scenario of acute bronchitis case, along with opinions and reasons for prescribing antibiotics on URI. Results : We found that 54.7% of the physicians prescribed antibiotics on the example case of acute bronchitis which is known as not needing antibiotics. Female physicians and ENT physicians had a greater tendency to prescribe antibiotics. The factors influencing antibiotics prescription on URI were the belief about the effectiveness of antibiotics, preference for their own experiences rather than clinical guidelines, perception of patients' expectations, and perception of competitive environment. The prescription of antibiotics in the example case was affected by how much they usually prescribe antibiotics (OR=2.400, 95% CI=1.470-3.917) and the physicians who thought that antibiotics were helpful for their income prescribed antibiotics more than others (OR=6.773, 95% CI=1.816-25.254). Conclusion : These findings demonstrated that the false belief on the effectiveness of antibiotics, patient's expectation of medication and fast relief of symptoms, and perception of competitive environment all affected the physicians prescription of antibiotics on URI. It may help to find barriers to accommodate scientific evidence and clinical guidelines among physicians and to specify subgroups for education about appropriate prescription behaviors.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.124-145
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• 1993

General practitioners, internists, pediatricians, and family physicians are classified as so-called primary care physicians in the United States. We carried out this study for the purpose of answering the following question; "Who are the primary care physicians in Korea\ulcorner" We analyzed the 663, 154 claims which were drawn from the health insurance processing file made during the period of one month, April 1992 on the basis of systemic random sampling technique. The 663, 154 cases were matched with the doctor's file registered at the National Federation Medical Insurance by using the indivisual physician code number and analyzed according to the kind of specialty. If we follow the Geyman's definition of primary care physician in the United States, this study shows that they can take care of 43.2% of the total private clinic's claims in Korea. Provided that general practitioners and family physicians are considered the same way as in the United Kingdom, they could with only 8.3% of the total claims in Korea. The most frequent diseases are those which rank first to 46th in the total private clinic's claims. The proportion of the most frequent diseases was highest for pediatricians(90.4%) and followed by internists(81.4%), otolaryngologists(78.7%) and family physicians(76.5%). The proportion of the most frequent diseases in the most common 46 diseases was highest for radiologists(80.4%) and the next was as follows : general practitioners(78.3%), family physicians(67.4%), and internists(67.4%). We classified the most common 20 diseases of each specialty into 17 categories of ICD-9 and compared it with those of general practitioners. The specialists who had managed a similar disease pattern to those of general practitioners were identified as anesthesiologists, family physicians, general surgeons, and internists. Some specialists practicing at private clinics managed the diseases which were not quite appropriate for their specialties. After we evaluated each specialty by the most common diseases, the most frequent diseases, and the most frequent 20 diseases of each specialty in terms of the 17 categories of ICD-9, a tentative assumption is made that the primary physicians in the Republic of Korea are general practitioners, anesthesiologists, family physicians, internists, and general surgeons. This study has concluded that the categories of the primary care physicians are so diverse that their roles and distributions are distorted accordingly. Vigorous health policy efforts in correcting the malcomposition need to be made for the better provision of primary health care in Korea. in Korea.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.100-129
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• 1993

This study is designed to find out some intra-clinic factors affecting the content of practice provided by primary care physicians in Korea, and proposed factors in this study are characteristcs of each private clinc --- physician-related variables(age, sex, specialty), bfed-related variables for inpatient care, laboratory-related variables for precise diagnosis. We have tried to estimate the difference of disease entities cared by each primary care physician according to above factors by analyzin gdisease data claimed during one month(April, 1992) to National Federation of Medical Insurance. The diagnosis codes by ICD-9 in the research disease data were reclassified to 'diagnosis clusters' by virtue of clinical similarities for effective analyses. We have converted frequent-tsing ICD-9 codes to 86 diagnosis clusters, which incorporated 97.4 percents of all ambulatory visits to private clinics. This result means proposed diagnosis-cluster method is effective tool for analysis of the content of ambulatory medical care carried out by primary care physicians. Comparisons and analyses of multiple diagnosis-clusters made on the basis of presented factors were done and the results were as follows; - Major factors affecting the difference between diagnosis-cluster pattern by each variables were phyusician's age, sex, specialty and bed counts of each private clinic for inpatient care and the size of laboratories of each clinic. - Middle aged(30th to 40th) group physicians are providing more comprehensive care than 20th or above 50th aged groups. Male physicians are more adequate for comprehensive care than female physicians, because woman-doctors are providing narrow-spectrum care. The content of practice of obstetricians and gynecologists shows much difference from primary medical practice, and they cannot be included in primary care physician, this study suggested. Pediatricians are also providing short-spectum acre, and nearly all visits to pediatricians were incorporated only 2-3 diagnosis-clusters. General surgeons' practices are very similar to general practioners' or family physicians' practices, the means they are providing primary care rather than special surgical care. And small number of beds(under 5 beds) and only basic(2-3 sorts of)diagnostic apparatuses are sufficient for primary physicians' clinic to carry out primary care. In conclusion, to reinforce primary care department in Korea, there must be support with health policy to expand office-based primary care practice-- with small number of beds for inpatient care and only basic laboratories-- provided by general practitioner of family physician.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.165-174
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• 2003

Background : Asthma is one of the most prevalent diseases in Korea. Although the guidelines of asthma management were reported in Korea, the present pattern of asthma management by primary physicians has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the pattern of asthma management by primary physicians. Methods : In November 2002, 710 primary physicians specializing in internal medicine in Seoul, Korea were provided with two scenarios of asthmatic patients, one mild and the other severe. By mail or interview, the physicians were asked several questions about their present pattern of asthma management for the patients in each scenario. Results : Among 710 primary physicians, we obtained the answers from 325 physicians (response rate 46%). The most preferred prescription was oral theophylline. 71% and 81% of the physicians answered that they would prescribe oral theophylline for the mild and severe asthmatics, respectively. The next prescription preferred were mucolytics and oral ${\beta}_2$-agonist, in that order. However, 36% and 56% of the physicians answered that they would prescribe inhaled steroids for the mild and severe asthmatics, respectively. Among diagnostic tests, physicians preferred pulmonary function test to the rank next to chest radiography. Conclusion : The primary physicians in Seoul prefer oral bronchodilators to inhaled steroids in asthma management. More efforts should be made to reduce the difference between the present pattern of asthma management by primary physicians and the asthma guidelines.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.15-24
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• 1992

This study was conducted to follow the patient referral system operated from the primary health care facilities to the hospital in a rural area of Korea. The subject for this study was sampled from a community health development project carried out by the Korea University in Yeoju Kun, Kyonggi Province. The data of referred patients from primary health care facilities were collected during the period from January 1989 to December 1989. The data was sorted out by a computer system using Database package. The results of this study were summarized as follows: 1. Characteristics of the referred patients were: males $32.0\%$. and females $68.0\%$. The more elderly of the patients visited to the hospital after having been referred there by CHPs or public physicians, $25.9\%$ has been to hospital on at least one previous occasion as against $74.1\%$ for whom it was there first visit. 2. The majority of patients who were referred to a hospital where: medicine $44.3\%$ and orthopedics$16.4\%$, major diseases were : diseases of digestive system $(21.3\%)$ ; symptoms and ill defined conditions $(17.3\%)$ ; diseases of the muscular skeletal system and connective tissue$(14.2\%)$. chronic illness was $82.0\%$ and acute illlness was $18.0\%$. 3. From Community health practitioners more patients referred than the public physicians. Categoris of diseases of the referred patients were different between community health practitioners and public physicians. Due to the. respective differences between the medical restrictions put on the nursing staffs at the community health practitioners and public physicians. From this study it was recommended to define the reason of differences between ~he two groups in futher study. Study as to 1) why one group should be referring more for hospital treatment than the other. And 2) why the two agencies should be referring different diseases.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.26 no.4 s.44
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• pp.661-671
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• 1993

In order to compare the geographical distribution of physician by level of medical care and specialty, a log linear model was applied to the annual registration data of the Korean Medical Association as of the end of December, 1991 which was supplemented from related institutions and adjusted with relevant sources. Those physicians in primary and secondary care institutions were not statistically significantly unevenly distributed by province-level catchment area. There were some differences in physician distribution among big cities, medium and small-sized cities, and counties; however, those physicians for primary care level were equitably distributed between cities and counties. Specialties for secondary care physicians were less evenly distributed in county areas than in city areas, and generalists are distributed more evenly in cities and counties than in big cities. There is a certain limitation due to underregistration in the annual physician registration to the Korean Medical Association; however, the geographical distribution of physicians has been improved quantitatively. It is strongly suggested that specialties and the level of medical care should be considered for further physician manpower studies.

• Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.176-182
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• 2018

Background: Family physicians (FPs) play an important role in cancer control. The aim of this study was to understand the functions of FPs in cancer control and to explore FPs' perceptions of their own roles and the difficulties they face in cancer control in Karabuk province, Turkey. Methods: The study consisted of two methodological parts. The qualitative part included a descriptive study in which data were collected from 87.5% (n=56) out of all FPs in Karabuk using a questionnaire. In the quantitative part, in-depth interviews with 15 FPs were conducted and analyzed through content analysis. Results: Half of the FPs (50.0%) provided cancer prevention information for their registered people, focusing on especially smoking cessation. In the last three months, the proportion of FPs who had not invited anyone to screenings was 37.5% for the pap test, 26.8% for the mammography, 19.0% for the fecal occult blood test and 34.5% for the colonoscopy. Only 16.1% of them reported that they made home visits for cancer patients. In the qualitative part of study, the following themes were highlighted: the perceived responsibilities of FPs regarding cancer control; the effect of geographically undefined working area of FPs; the issues with coordination between FPs and specialists; the effect of the number of primary care team members. Conclusions: Cancer control services provided by FPs have significant problems in terms of the FPs' approach to the services and their content, continuity and coordination.