• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
• /
• v.17 no.2
• /
• pp.11-22
• /
• 2004

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of oral health care programs in 3 school-based oral health care center among primary schoolchildren. Methods: School-based oral health care programs included fluoride mouth rinsing, pit and fissure sealing for permanent premolars and molars, fluoride gel application and chewing of xylitol candy. All of the programs were carried out by one dental hygienist among 'D' primary schoolchildren in Daegu city under the supervision of a dentist. Baseline dental examinations were completed and preventive care was implemented for 544 children during one year. All of the children visited a school-based oral health care center every three months for a regular check-up. The final oral examination was conducted from March 15 to April 1, 2004. The data analysis data was made on the basis of SAS 8.01. Mean differences between 2003 and 2004 data were compared by paired t-test. Corresponding p-values were considered significant at values less than 0.05. Results: The DMF rate and DFT index were reduced to 8.0% and 8.4% during one year respectively, but there were no statistically significant differences. The DMF rate was significantly reduced (16.3%) after a one year program of school-based oral health care practice. The DMFT(Decay Missing Filling Tooth) index was also reduced compared to 2003 throughout the entire grade. Conclusion: School-based oral health care programs can reduce the prevalence of dental caries prevalence among schoolchildren during one year. This program also improved the oral health capacity of schoolchildren. It is recommend that the school-based oral health care program should be extended to every primary school in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.237-248
• /
• 2010

Purpose: The study assessed the effects of a 12-session empowering program to promote health quality of life, decision making self-efficacy, self-care competency, and reasonable medical care utilization among low income women households in one rural area. Methods: A quasi-experimental, one-group pre-posttest design was employed. A total of 28 women enrolled as medicaid recipients in the Public Health Center of W city agreed to participate. The empowering program consisted of 12 sessions addressing health education for self-care of disease, medication management, and counseling for psycho-social support. The intervention was delivered by five nurses and one social worker. Women completed a structured questionnaire measuring the study variables with demographic characteristic before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed by PAWS Statistics 17 utilizing descriptive statistics and paired t-test. Results: After the intervention, significant increases were evident in participant health quality of life (t=-5.83, p<.001), decision making self-efficacy (t=-4.86, p<.001), self-care competency (t=-8.16, p<.001), and reasonable medical care utilization (t=-3.97, p<.001). Conclusion: The 12-session empowering program on health quality of life as well as self-care competency was effective when delivered to low income women households. Further studies with larger numbers of participants and a control group are necessary to validate the results.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.71-79
• /
• 2015

With the growth of aging population in Korea, a better care of chronic and other degenerative illnesses is urgently needed. Evidences suggest that this can be achieved through incorporating a wide range of care options, expanding beyond medical interventions. The aim of this study is to analyze the distribution of publically funded research to understand if the Korean research and development funding system matches various approaches and purposes to successfully tackle the chronic care needs of an aging society. We complied the list of funded projects to be analyzed by searching the National Technical Information Service database with key words such as aging society/senescence, chronic diseases, disability, and health promotion. Most projects were based on the biomedical approach with the purpose of establishing the etiology and clinical (treatment) interventions. Health promotion projects showed a distinctive distribution with more percentage of projects based on psycho-behavioral approaches while research on chronic diseases predominantly biomedical. It would be necessary to diversify publically-funded research projects to develop effective and efficient care technologies for the future.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.71-82
• /
• 1994

The article reviewed the elderly health care management problems in policy development issue of the nation. Policy of Korean government on elderly health care has still not yet developed. The main stream of policy which is effective on elderly welfare policy is 'Elderly care are responsible by their families'. Now only those aged whose family members are not able to take care of their parents are receive custodial care at the non-profit nursing homes. This article examined the main stream policy in pro and cons aspects in relation to social changes such as: demographic changes. family structure changes. attitude changes. health care delivery system. and political settlement view points in connection with medical insurance program. Finally. a model for the elderly health care management was proposed which will provide chronic care services at the community level. such as nursing homes. day care centers. day hospitals, respite care units, and special care institute for dementia.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.80-89
• /
• 2004

This study focused on individual health education for people with hypertension who were being seen in public health centers. The program was an adjusted intervention program that considered the characteristics of each individual and reflected the individual's will to change. Each individual had a different lifestyle with different characteristics and habits so the study considered these individual's characteristics. A comparison was done of knowledge related to hypertension, self-efficacy, and self-care in these individuals. In order to determine the effectiveness of education given by the nurses the variables were measured before and after the individual health education program. The participants in this study were 85 people with hypertension who were seen at a public health center in G city. They were assigned to an experimental group (43) and a control group (42). A tool developed by Park Young-Im (1994) was used to measure knowledge related to hypertension and self-efficacy. A tool developed by Lee Young-Whee (1994) was used for self-care. Data collection was done for 10 weeks from March 24 to May 31, 2003 using interviews with questionnaires. The following is a summary of the results of the study. Hypothesis 1, 'the experimental group which had the individual health education will have higher knowledge scores on hypertension than the control group that did not have the individual health education' was supported (t=4.17, P=0.00). Hypothesis 2, 'the experimental group which had the individual health education will have higher self-efficacy scores than the control group that did not have the individual health education' was supported (t=4.06, P=0.00). Hypothesis 3, 'the experimental group which had the individual health education will have better self-care ability than the control group that did not have the individual health education' was supported (t=4.94, P=0.00). Based on the results of this study, the public health centers should develop an educational program that uses a variety of visual aids and assess the effects of the education on patients with different chronic diseases. After the development of an inclusive education program which will standardize health education effectively and provide a variety of teaching methods, study is needed to measure changes in lifestyle after education and to determine how much knowledge related to hypertension, self-efficacy, and self-care increase

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
• /
• v.4
• /
• pp.86-100
• /
• 1997

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the community rehabilitation program of the two Public Health Center. Data were collected from the 138 clients who received rehabilitation services from visiting public health nurses. Data were analysed by SAS computer program. The result were as follows. 1. The clients have been average 7years disabled state until public health nurse visit them. 78.3% of them can't advance rehabilitation process because of insufficient family or social support. 2. The clients' burden due to their family's help was average 80.0 and that due to economic distresst was average 76.0. That factors were same that interfere rehabilitation process. 3. The clients needed exercise and modality therapy(78.2), economic support(76.0) and rehablitation advices (64.0). The needs of welfare benefit, medical service and social participation were 68.0, 61.5 and 54.5. 4. The pulblic health nurse visited the clients 2.3 time every month. And they have served emotional support (95.7%, exercise therapy (94.9%), family education(82.6%) and blood pressure management (71.7%), One client have received average 60% of the medical rehabilitation services and 27% of the refer services. 5. The rehabilitation effects of clients' attitude, knowledge and practice were 73.3, 81.0 and 68.7. The physical rehabilitation effect was 70.0. After receving rehabilitation services, the clients' preforrence to pulblic health center was 82.0. 6. The clients hopped that public health nurse visit them earlier (80.0). On the basis of this results, the following suggestions are proposed. 1. The pulblic health center is important institution in community rehabilition program, and every pulblic health center must participate in this program. 2. Various strateges have to be tryed and analysed to improve the visiting nurses' rehabilitation services. 3. For successful community rehabilitation, social welfare rehabilitation program must be developed and correlated with that of the pulblic helth center.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.44 no.6
• /
• pp.267-274
• /
• 2011

Objectives: We examined health care disparities in Korean urban homeless people and individual characteristics associated with the utilization of health care. Methods: We selected a sample of 203 homeless individuals at streets, shelters, and drop-in centers in Seoul and Daejeon by a quota sampling method. We surveyed demographic information, information related to using health care, and health status with a questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was adopted to identify factors associated with using health care and to reveal health care disparities within the Korean urban homeless population. Results: Among 203 respondents, 89 reported that they had visited health care providers at least once in the past 6 months. Twenty persons (22.5%) in the group that used health care (n = 89) reported feeling discriminated against. After adjustment for age, sex, marital status, educational level, monthly income, perceived health status, Beck Depression Inventory score, homeless period, and other covariates, three factors were significantly associated with medical utilization: female sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR, 15.95; 95% CI, 3.97 to 64.04], having three or more diseases (aOR, 24.58; 95% CI, 4.23 to 142.78), and non-street residency (aOR, 11.39; 95% CI, 3.58 to 36.24). Conclusions: Health care disparities in Seoul and Daejeon homeless exist in terms of the main place to stay, physical illnesses, and gender. Under the current homeless support system in South Korea, street homeless have poorer accessibility to health care versus non-street homeless. To provide equitable medical aid for homeless people, strategies to overcome barriers against health care for the street homeless are needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.28 no.2 s.50
• /
• pp.450-461
• /
• 1995

This paper tested by using Micro TSP, an empirical econometric analysis to approve officially a hypothesis of price elasticity of the demand for medical care services in Korean national medical insurance and the economic effect of health care delivery system with time-series datas of Medical Insurance Statistical Yearbook$(1981\sim1993)$. The results suggest that the Korean medical insurance system shows moral hazard due to the change of coinsurance and the economic effect according to intervention of the health care delivery system, but it is different by insurers regardless of the same structure of the medical insurance scheme.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.418-427
• /
• 2014

Purpose: Objectives of this study were to investigate the association between efficiency and quality of health care in Long-term Care Hospitals (LTCH) and determine related factors that would enable achievement of both high efficiency and high quality at the same time. Methods: Major data sources were the "2012 Korean Assessment of Propriety by Long-term Care Hospitals" obtained from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service. Cost variables were supplemented by a National Tax Service accounting document. First, data envelopment analysis was performed by generating efficiency scores for each LTCH. Second, matrix analysis was conducted to ascertain association between efficiency and quality. Lastly, kruskal-wallis and mann-whitney tests were conducted to identify related factors. Results: First, efficiency and quality of care are not in a relationship of trade-offs; thus, LTCH can be confident that high efficiency-high quality can be achieved. Second, LTCH with a large number of beds, longer tenure of medical personnel, and adequate levels of investment were more likely to have improved quality as well as efficiency. Conclusion: It is essential to enforce legal standards appropriate to the facilities, reduce turnover of nursing staff, and invest properly in human resources. These consequences will help LTCH to maintain the balance of high efficiency-high quality in the long-run.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.311-325
• /
• 2019

Purpose: This study examined the definition of care coordination, and the activities and roles of nurse care coordinators. The study also proposed suggestions for establishing and expanding the role of nurse care coordinators in community health practice. Methods: This study derived its conclusions by conducting a literature review. Results: The definition of care coordination is a comprehensive concept that includes case management and transitional care, and can be summarized as organizer and integrator of care. According to the literature review, 12 activities and 6 roles of nurse care coordinator were identified such as a collaborator, an individualized care planer, an educator/counselor, a direct nursing care providers, a population care coordinator, and a program evaluator. Training for nurse care coordinators is currently addressed in the Primary Medical Chronic Disease Management Program. Visiting nurses working at the Eupyeong-dong visiting health and welfare service are expected to act as nurse care coordinators, and the role of nurse care coordinators will, in the future, gradually increase in various nursing facilities. Conclusion: In addition to developing competencies to act as a nurse care coordinator, there is need for approaches to health policy that develop both independent role and population focused role as care coordinators.