• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.95-105
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• 2010

Background and Purpose : Forest-Therapy has received attention as a treatment of regulating living habits with the increase of chronic disease. Forest-Therapy and Korean Medicine are in same as their philosophy to adapt to nature and they can suggest new alternative treating of chronic diseases. Now we want to look the possibility of development of Forest-Therapy program adopting Korean Medicine with the analysis of research status and cases of Forest-Therapy. Methods : We searched articles in Korea by using keyword 'Forest-Therapy', 'Forest & Therapy' 'Forest' and 'Therapy' Korean. Results : Even though the domestic research about Forest-Therapy is still insufficient, there is a need of try referring the cases of Germany and Japan. Forest-Therapy program was used to get psychological stability, release stress and treat alcohol diseases. There was some cases that adopt the nature to clinical field actively. The clinical articles were mainly published about stress and health. Conclusions : It seems that running the constitutional program that considers different among individuals adopting Sasang constitutional medicine, utilizing Forest-Therapy Doctor through the participation of Public Oriental Medicine Doctor, and operating experience program applying Herb have sufficient possibility.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.155-182
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• 1997

Objectives : This study was designed to compare North Korea and South Korea in measures of the quality of life (physical quality of life index and human development index) and to investigate the impact of selected medical and socioeconomic factors on PQL variables. Data and Methods : The World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and Population Reference Bureau were the principal sources of statistical data of 121 countries. Variables included infant mortality, life expectancy at birth, literacy rate, secondary school enrollment (male and female), GNP per capita, population per doctor, daily calorie supply per capita, and a composite PQL index. The Ordinary Least Square model was employed for cross-countries analysis. Findings : Both countries under quite different political and economic systems saw big improvememts in the quality of life, reducing mortality and prolonging life expectancy during the past three decades. In recent decad, however, North Korea has experienced abrupt exacerbation in the quality of life. Significant improvements in infant mortality of the population wer attributable mainly to GNP per capita and the secondary school enrollemt of female. The principal predictors of life expectancy at birth were population per doctor, infant mortality, and literacy rate. The secondary school enrollment of female and population per doctor were significantly associated with improvements in the physical quality of life index (PQLI). Conclusion : The results of this study confirmed a point illustrated by other studies : The association between quality of life as a measure of health status and socioeconomic factors was strong and positive. The important contribution of educational attainment in general, female education level in particular to improvements in the quality of life deserves good news for building an integrated health care system in the reunified Korea, taking into account the high level of education two koreas are enjoying. Meanwhile, when a sharp drop in the quality of life has been observed in North Korea under serious economic difficulties and food shortage in recent decade, the significant contribution of economic development to improvements in the quality of life poses bad nows for reunifying Korean health care in economic terms.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.141-149
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• 2018

This study examined doctors' images represented in the Korean press to identify overall public perceptions of doctors and to suggest areas for improvement to enhance their image. All news reports published in the two major Korean daily newspapers between years 2011 and 2015 related to doctors and the practice of medicine were searched and collected. The news reports were categorized into the five competency domains in the Korean doctor's role (i.e., patient care, communication and cooperation, social accountability, professionalism, and education and research). Each news item was coded as being either positive or negative and was given a score regarding the extent to which positive or negative image that it represents of doctors using the Doctor Image Scale (DIS) score. A total of 314 news reports were collected, a majority of which were on patient care (36%), professionalism (33%), and social accountability (23%). Positive stories slightly outnumbered negative ones (56% vs. 44%). The largest number of positive news reports was in patient care (n=82); negative news reports most frequently appeared in professionalism (n=99) and patient care (n=32). The total DIS score was also positive (+28): the highest positive DIS score was in social accountability (+164); the highest negative DIS score was obtained in professionalism (-226). This study revealed overall positive portrayals of doctors in the Korean press, yet doctors need to better comply with regulations and ethical guidelines and enhance their medical knowledge and clinical skills and to improve their image.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.65-81
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• 2013

Objectives: The present study was carried out to develop and evaluate comprehensive health care program to prevent infectious disease and promote health in child-care centers by Doctor of Korean medicine. Methods: A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design study was conducted on 568 children and 85 child care teacher at 12 child care facilities for 12 weeks from July to October 2012. The program was consist of management, education, screening under concepts of traditional preventive medicine, Yangsaeng and Chimibyeong. Children's medical utilization due to infectious disease and attendance means functional status were measured by reports from parents. The Difference in difference(DID) estimator was applied data analysis, and added Zero-inflated negative binomial regression model. Also, attitudes on the infection of teacher was measured and analyzed through t-test. Results: After the intervention, the total medical utilization due to infectious disease decreased, but not significantly. Total absence, early leave and lateness decreased significantly. But, Attitude on the infection of child care teacher was not changed. The parent's satisfaction showed positive overall. Conclusions: The intervention program may be effective in preventing infectious disease and managing health in child-care center partially. To measure long-term effect, long-term study improved is requested.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.37-63
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• 2023

In medical litigation, there are various cases where a doctor's 'explanation' of a patient becomes problematic. Medical explanations and guidance are required from the doctor, starting from the beginning of diagnosis, through treatment processes such as surgery, when hospitalization is necessary for treatment, during hospitalization, upon discharge, and after discharge. Furthermore, notification from the doctor or medical institution may be requested regarding the economic costs that will be incurred due to medical treatment. South Korea's judiciary has been developing legal principles regarding such doctor's explanations by distinguishing between explanations for obtaining consent for medical treatment and medical explanations related to guidance on patient treatment methods, taking into account related laws such as the stage of treatment and the Medical Service Act. Additionally, the Constitutional Court recently ruled on the non-benefit cost notification system linked to the explanation of economic costs. However, holding a doctor accountable solely because the doctor's explanation was insufficient has aspects that do not correspond to the actual situation in clinical reality, and may have a reflexive disadvantage that results in a decline in legal rights. Therefore, the doctor's explanation needs to be examined from both perspectives: guaranteeing the patient's right to self-determination and protecting his or her right to decision.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.139-158
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• 2023

Defining a competent doctor is important for educating and training doctors. However, competency frameworks have rarely been validated during the process of their development in Korea. The purpose of this study was to validate the patient-centered doctor's competency framework, which had been developed by our expert working group (EWG). Two rounds of Delphi questionnaire surveys were conducted among a panel of experts on medicine and medical education. The panel members were provided with six core competencies, 17 sub-competencies, and 53 enabling competencies, and were asked to rate the importance of these competencies on a 5-point Likert scale. Between April and July 2021, a total of 28 experts completed both rounds. The data of the Delphi study were analyzed for the mean, standard deviation, median, inter-rater agreement (IRA), and content validity ratio (CVR). A CVR >0.36 and IRA ≥0.75 were deemed to indicate validity and agreement. This study found that five enabling competencies were not valid, and agreement was not reached for three sub-competencies and two enabling competencies. In consideration of CVR and the individual opinions of panel members at each session, the final competencies were extracted through consensus meetings of the EWG. The competencies were modified into six core competencies, 16 sub-competencies, and 47 enabling competencies. This study is meaningful in that it proposes patient-centered doctor's competencies enabling the development of residents' milestone competencies, an assessment system, and educational programs.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.32-50
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• 2000

On the process of research in the plan on oriental medical participation in the industrial health sponsored by BK21 project, we carried out the oriental medical health examination program for workers during former half-year We reached the conclusion as follows, 1. The oriental medical health examination program is contents and formalities that should be determined by present industrial health system, based on the oriental medical system and scholastic character, and included probability of the western and oriental medical cooperation. 2. The oriental medical health examination program can promote capability of individual health management and productive power of workers, and it is capable to manage on the self-conscious symptoms and macroschophically approach to their environment 3. The oriental medical health examination program that we have developed, is flow as questionare, understanding of working environment, information of result and later management. It is composed of three fields as follow , first, use of pulse diagnostic apparatus, understanding of the health promotion life style, and diagnosis of the oriental medical doctor, second, analysis of constitution, third, photographing for understanding of the musculoskeletal disorders, questionare for musculoskeletal self-conscious symptoms, and diagnosis of oriental medical doctor. 4. The oriental medical health examination program that we have developed, progressive from the view point of health, makes the oriental medical doctor's roll more important. It is the first trial at the western and oriental medical cooperation and characterized by excellence about musouloskeletal disorders. But it need to be improved in aspects of time and specialist on the health examination, diagnostic apparatus, control of examinant and later management. So we think that it needs research on the employment of health examination specialist, establishment of later management system, development of significantly diagnosable standard and assessable form on the health examination, and contents of health examination on the western and oriental medical cooperation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 2006

Objectives : We wanted to evaluate the medical underutilization for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among Korean elderly men and we wanted to determine their associated factors. Methods : This study was conducted on 239 men with LUTS and 116 men with BPH who were compatible with the diagnostic criteria from a total of 641 participants. These participants were over 50 years old and they were randomly chosen in a community-based study for estimating the prevalence of BPH. Using a self-reported questionnaire, we surveyed the sociodemographics, health status, quality of life, lower urinary tract symptoms, medical utilization and reasons for not seeking treatment. Results : Only 27.6% of the men with LUTS and 31.0% of the men with BPH reported having visited a doctor for urinary symptoms. The reasons for not visiting a doctor were, in order of responses from the group with LUTS: 'considered the symptoms as a part of the normal ageing process', 'not enough time to visit a doctor', 'financial difficulty' and 'the symptoms were not severe or bothersome'. Regarding BPH, the responses were the same as those of the group with LUTS however, 'financial difficulty' placed second. Among the men with experience of visiting a doctor for urinary symptoms, 33.3% of those with LUTS and 28.1% of those with BPH were not treated. The most common reason in both groups was 'the symptoms were not severe to be treated'. On a multiple logistic regression analysis, the larger size household (odds ratio (OR) 3.03, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.40-6.54) and an unsatisfactory quality of life related with urinary symptoms (OR 2.98, 95% CI=1.23-7.21) were associated with medical utilization in the group of LUTS. For BPH, the current employment status was related with the medical utilization (OR 2.80, 95% CI=1.10-7.11), in addition to the larger size household (OR 3.24, 95% CI=1.14-9.21). Conclusions : Many men with urinary symptoms do not visit a doctor. This medical underutilization for people with LUTS and BPH may be associated with economic status in Korea.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.19-30
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• 2011

This study aims to present ways to enhance the stabilization of electronic medical records, ensure the commitment to filling in information of the medical record and improve the overall quality Electronic Medical Record(EMR) information. For that purpose, the present state of the incomplete record rate and the doctor's satisfaction in Electronic Medical Record(EMR) have been surveyed by comparing and analyzing Paper-based Medical Record(PMR) and Electronic Medical Record(EMR). The survey was conducted on 31 doctors in charge of EMR system and each PMR and EMR inpatients were collected for a period of 5 months and analyzed. The results showed that the doctor's satisfaction level was higher for EMR, and the rate of incomplete record appeared to be lower in EMR in departments of both internal and external medicine. In this context, it can be said that the higher efficiency of EMR helped accomplish the increase in commitment to completing medical record information and improve the quality of the data.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting turnover intention in pediatric nurses. Methods: A survey was conducted with 212 nurses working in pediatric units at 15 hospitals in Busan, K city. Data were collected from September 1 to October 31, 2014. and analyzed with SPSS PASW 18.0. Results: In Stepwise multiple regression analysis, factors affecting the nurses' turnover intention were emotional burnout (${\beta}$ =.37, p<.001), relationship between nurse and doctor (${\beta}$ =.20, p<.001), turnover plan (${\beta}$ =.17, p<.001), and annual salary (${\beta}$ =-.13, p<.001), and these variables accounted for 32.2% of the variance in turnover intention. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the major factors influencing pediatric nurses' turnover intention are emotional burnout, cooperative relationship between nurse and doctor, turnover plan, and annual salary. Thus, in order to reduce pediatric nurses' turnover intention, it is necessary to develop intervention programs to prevent emotional burnout, the most influencing factor, and enhance cooperative relationship between nurse and doctor and to examine their effects.