• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.479-490
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• 2021

Background: Conflict in the medical world in 2020 led to the rejection of the national examination for doctors. This study explained the process until the end of the national test refusal situation triggered in 2020 through the signaling game theory. The government has succeeded in requiring medical students to take the national exam. Methods: To explain the rejection of the national examination, we first compose and show an example of two small non-signaling games where medical students know which type the government is of, then combine them to play a signaling game. Results: The behavior of the government and medical students was examined through the signaling game model. In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the government makes an ultimatum, whatever the type. And the medical students accept it. They judged that the government could not be expected to abolish the policy. If COVID-19 had not occurred, medical students would have been able to continue the confrontation. Conclusion: The government instilled in the other party the perception that the government would not bend its policies because it was the surly type and would not be afraid of a strong confrontation. Through the image created in this way, the government was forced to accept the ultimatum by medical students. Academically, this study is to deal with the policy-making process through the signaling game theory. In the area of health care policy, this study suggests that various situations such as the type of government or the spread of COVID-19 can become important in addition to the rationality of the policy itself.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5639-5644
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• 2014

Objective: This study aimed to determine effects of doctor-patient communication on the quality of life among breast cancer survivors in 16 communities in southern China. Methods: Multistage random sampling was to use to recruit 260 females from the Guangzhou Cancer Registry Database who were diagnosed with breast cancer. A questionnaire provided data on the doctor-patient communication (including the doctor's attitude, the patient's participation with the medical decision and information about the disease) and QOL (quality of life), as measured using FACT-B. Univariate analysis, non-conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations between the doctor-patient communication and QOL. Results: Females who received good attitudes from doctors demonstrated higher FACT-B (OR=4.65, 95% CI: 1.68-12.86), social well-being (OR=5.88, 95% CI: 2.16-16.05), emotional well-being (OR=4.77, 95% CI: 1.92-11.88), and functional well-being ((OR=5.26, 95% CI: 1.90-14.52) compared to the females who encountered worse attitudes from their doctor, adjusting for age, education, marriage, employment, family income, years since diagnosis, TNM stage, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and side effects, particularly when the TNM stage was 0-II and the patients exhibited no side effects. Regardless of the length of time after diagnosis, doctors' good attitudes resulted in higher QOL scores. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the doctor-patient communication has a significant association with the QOL of breast cancer survivors, mainly dependent on the doctors' attitude. Effective intervention is required to develop optimal doctor-patient communication.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2011

Misinformation and inappropriate use of medication has become one of the most pressing concerns in drug safety. The purpose of this study was to survey public perception on drug safety as well as the channels most relied upon providing such information. The survey was performed for patients or their families visiting pharmacies in a local city in Korea. Analysis was performed from 367 respondents to the survey. The contents of this survey revealed that consumers were aware of the fact that medications should not be taken at any higher dosage or more often than directed by their prescriptions. The survey revealed a general awareness that symptoms might not be relieved immediately by their medications. However, the perception that there could be adverse drug reaction (ADR) at therapeutic dose was low except among the young or highly educated members. Respondents recognized that skin rashes were the most whereas drowsiness was the least common ADR symptom. There was a high awareness of drug-food or drug-drug interactions except in the case of certain nutraceuticals. Doctors and pharmacists were ranked as the most reliable resources to the consumer for providing drug related information. However, public relations or education programs were in need since there were still not negligible numbers of consumers depending on personal experience rather than health professionals.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.403-415
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the eyesight and life habits of college students in an attempt to provide some information on the protection of their eyesight. Methods: The subjects in this study were 311 students in the department of dental technology at a college of health, on whom a survey was conducted. A crosstabulation analysis was carried out to show the joint distribution of general characteristics and several variables involving the use of glasses or contact lenses and life habits. Results: 77.5% of the students currently wore glasses due to weak sight. 9.3% took an eye test on a regular basis, and 31.2% did that every six months. As for the length of the length of daily mean reading time, 55.3% spent one hour or less reading books. The most common distance between eyes and books during their reading(44.7%) was 21 to 25. Concerning a reading posture, the biggest group(54.3%) lay down or lay on their face while they read books. 45.0 % spent less than an hour watching TV per day on average, and 27.0% were on the computer for 30 minutes to less than an hour per day on average. The greatest group(63.0%) made use of basic indoor lighting when they were on the computer at night, and 62.1% saw eye doctors to take an eye test. In relation to how to protect eyesight, the biggest group(50.5%) spent less time being on the computer. Conclusion: As the eyesight of college students fails due to reading, TV, computer, and improper ways and posture of doing or using those things, every college definitely should provide education on eye health as one of general education courses.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2022

South Korea is not a wasteland of publicly funded health care-instead, it has a good medical social security system known as the national health insurance (NHI). The NHI of Korea has three unique features; (1) low premiums, low insurance fees, and low coverage; (2) obligatory designation of medical institutions; (3) and allowance of non-benefit services. These features have made hospitals and doctors interested in profit-seeking. However, the commercialization of medical institutions has taken place in both private- and public-established sectors. A basic problem of commercialization is the co-existence of the obligatory designation of medical institutions and non-benefit services. The problem became worse in the Kim Dae-Jung government because it officially permitted non-benefit services. Since 2000, the Korean government has consistently pursued benefit extension policies, but the coverage rates of the NHI have stagnated. In addition, premiums and current medical expenses have markedly increased because policy-makers have emphasized accessibility to the NHI, while ignoring important principles of medical social security such as a needs-based approach and patient-referral system. In order to resolve the commercialization problem, the obligatory designation of medical institutions to the NHI should be changed to a contract system, and non-benefit services should be prohibited at NHI institutions. We must re-establish the patient-referral system via a needs-based approach. We also need to build a primary healthcare system and public health policies. We should make a long-term plan for healthcare reform.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.9
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• pp.105-115
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• 2018

The study selected two regional public medical centers(G, N) in Jeollabuk-do to recognize problems and provide solutions for regional medical centers. The medical centers were analyzed, focusing on availability of medical personnel, budget and management thereof, medical treatment performance, public project performance, and patient satisfaction. The results showed that the medical centers were understaffed with doctors compared to private hospitals or national university hospitals and suffering financial debt. The number of patient with medical benefit was increasing in the medical center G, whereas it was decreasing in the medical center N. Patient satisfaction survey showed that the medical center G was scoring similar to the national average, whereas the medical center N was scoring slightly less than the average. Policies needed for development and efficient management of Regional public medical centers are clarification of Regional medical centers identity, modernization of medical equipment and facilities, recruitment of competent medical personnels, specialization of hospitals and establishment of stronger referral system. The regional medical centers should secure financial supports for public service from regional and national governments, and establish revenues from funerary service, leasing service, and national projects participation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.193-211
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• 1997

The study was designed to gain necessary basic data in order to grasp the health knowledge, attitude, and practice level of students and teachers of elementary, middle and high schools. This study was conducted through interviews of 3,400 students and 1,022 teachers attending 14 different schools large, middle and small cities and rural towns during a period of nine months (from Oct. 2 1995 to Jun. 30 1996). By the results of this study, the recommendations can be summarized as follows: 1. A school health development committee should be established of 10 members: school health related teachers (physical trainers, nurses, and teachers in charge of health), parents, persons related to health administration, local medical doctors, and student reprensentatives in order to support and immplement school health development plans. 2. Like advanced countries, a health class of 2~4 hours should beplaced in middle and high schools. A nurse majoring in health from a university should be the teacher. 3. A curriculum of health should contain the following: education on health, sex, alcohol, tabacco, the misuse of the drugs, the structure and function of human body, the growth of the body, mental health, safety and emergency care, the prevention of disease, proper eating habits and nutrition, daily health life, family health education, society health, community health, environmental pollution and individual responsibility. 4. Create a school health promotion center, with a nurse's office, and a sports center which has health machines (bars, aerobics, training, twist machine, belt massage, running machine, bench press, chest waist, hack hip extension machine) as well as a physical strength measuring machine (muscular strength, alertness, flexibility, endurance, lung functions and so on), so that the teaching staff and students can use them and train their bodies. 5. Through a refresher education program, urge teachers to understand school health promotion services. 6. Regulate a standard and establish a system of monitoring the physical enviroment of the school (the height of desks and chairs, illumination facilities, ventilation facilities, safe drinking water). 7. Create a check list of health to evaluate improvement.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 2008

This study investigated the Oriental medicine knowledge and educational requirement of medical staff working in Oriental-Western collaborative medicine hospitals(except for Oriental and Western medicine doctors) based on the recognition that not only mutual understanding and cooperation between Oriental and Western medicine doctors but also the knowledge of Oriental medicine of medical support staff such as nurses, medical technologists, pharmacists and administrative staff are very important to promote Oriental-Western collaborative medical treatment. The study results are summarized as follows : First, it was found that the ratio of nurses who took Oriental medicine education was much higher than those of other groups. They took Oriental medicine education in the types of school curriculum (27.0%) and special lectures in workplace(20.4%). Second, many of the people who took Oriental medicine education were found to be not satisfied with the education in general - 32.7% of them answered the education content was "so so" and 48.4% of them answered "unsatisfactory." Third, the general necessity of Oriental medicine education was found to be an average of 3.60 out of 5, and the number was higher "after employment"(average=3.85) than "before employment"(average=3.04). Fourth, the study found that Oriental-Western collaborative medicine hospital staff are well aware of the necessity of the knowledge of Oriental medicine in the cases of communications between different occupational types, consultations with patients or their guardians, treatment and nursing and the establishment of the practice of specialized Oriental medicine institutes. Fifth, the levels of Oriental medicine knowledge showed a difference in average value according to the role range(p<0.000), and it was found that there is an interaction effect between occupation type and role range(p<0.015).

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.29 no.2 s.53
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• pp.265-278
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• 1996

This paper concerns professional socialization of medical students. Professional socialization, in the context of this paper, means the process through which a layperson becomes a doctor equipped with professional identity and values. While medical education does not include such process in the curriculum, medical students obtain certain values and identity informally. The dependent variables were professional values and professionalism. The former means the desirable attributes required to conducting professional works such as humane attitudes, science-oriented mind, capability for organizational management. The latter means socio-political reasoning with which doctors can rationalize their privileges such as autonomy. A specially designed questionnaire was developed. The data were collected from five medical schools for 1,318 students in 1994. A total of 1,070 cases were finally included in the statistical analysis. The students emphasized the human factor in the professional values. Their attitude did not change with the grade. Other independent variables such as motives for entering a medical school, socioeconomic status, satisfaction with medical education, etc. also did not influence professinal values. It implies that professional values were not consolidated among the students. However, the factors of professionalism change significantly with the grade. It implies that the students paid more attention to socio-political issues related to doctor's interests as the grade went up. And the factor scores for professionalism were higher for those students who had more positive attitude towards doing medical practice for profit, expected higher income, and were more conservative about social reform. Other independent variables did not influence professionalism. It seems that the students also give emphasis on professionalism, like current medical doctors, mainly because of their concern with recent unfavorable changes in economic conditions of medical care providers.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.144-152
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• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the social and policy determinants of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection across 23 countries. Methods: COVID-19 indicators (incidence, mortality, and fatality) for each country were calculated by direct and indirect standardization. Multivariable regression analyses were used to identify the social and policy determinants of COVID-19 infection. Results: A higher number of doctors per population was related to lower incidence, mortality, and fatality rates of COVID-19 in 23 countries (β=-0.672, -0.445, and -0.564, respectively). The number of nurses/midwives per population was associated with lower mortality and fatality rates of COVID-19 in 23 countries (β=-0.215 and -0.372, respectively). Strengthening of policy restriction indicators, such as restrictions of public gatherings, was related to lower COVID-19 incidence (β=-0.423). A national Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination policy conducted among special groups or in the past was associated with a higher incidence of COVID-19 in 23 countries (β=0.341). The proportion of the elderly population (aged over 70 years) was related to higher mortality and fatality rates (β=0.209 and 0.350, respectively), and income support was associated with mortality and fatality rates (β=-0.362 and -0.449, respectively). Conclusions: These findings do not imply causality because this was a country-based correlation study. However, COVID-19 transmission can be influenced by social and policy determinants such as integrated health systems and policy responses to COVID-19. Various social and policy determinants should be considered when planning responses to COVID-19.