• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.21-30
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• 2017

This study investigated the total annual direct cost of cerebrovascular disease patients. For this study, 265 respondents who answered that they used more than one emergency, inpatient, and outpatient services for cerebrovascular disease during the year of 2012 among Korean medical panel investigators in 2012 were included. In general, patients with cerebrovascular disease responded to cerebrovascular disease among Korean medical panel respondents in 2012. Percentage of respondents using inpatient and outpatient services. Total direct cost was calculated. According to the results of the study, the per capita annual medical expenditure per person is about 561,934 won, 669,557 won for men and 448,696 won for women. In the case of health insurance subscribers, the per capita self burden due to cerebrovascular disease averaged 634,459 won and the medical benefit recipients 160,236 won. The average total direct cost of 265 people with cerebrovascular disease is about 162,165,690, 193,223,955 won for men and 129,486,685 for women. The total direct cost per person due to cerebrovascular disease was 183,095,125 won and the medical benefit recipient was 46,241,705 won. According to household income, the highest rate of 672,268 won in the third income group of the household income, and 108,970,650 won in the fifth income group, the lowest total direct cost of the patients with cerebrovascular disease.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.343-350
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• 2016

To prepare a method for improving the oral health-related quality of life for Chinese foreign students by examining the oral health care behavior affecting the oral health-related quality of life, a self-administered survey was conducted with 236 Chinese foreign students at an university located in Jeonbuk during April 2 -May 5, 2013. The results showed that 65.3% had not visited the dentist within one year, 82.6% had not received scaling within one year, and 68.2% had not received oral health education. In regards to the OHIP-14 according to the general characteristics, there was a significant difference in the school year, health insurance enrollment status and overseas study life satisfaction (p<0.05). In regards to the OHIP-14 according to the oral health care behavior, there was a significant difference in the subjective oral health condition, the experience of having visited a dentist within one year and an experience of having received scaling (p<0.05). As for the influencing factors on the oral health-related quality of life, they were found to be the subjective oral health condition and the experience of having received scaling within one year (p<0.05). For the purpose of helping Chinese foreign students to conveniently use medical institutions when oral health-related problems arise, there is a need for a translated version of the guidebook in their native language, the availability of medical professional interpreters, the availability of a university level oral health service center, and practical oral health education to enhance oral health.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.513-522
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• 2019

Background: South Korea operates a Medical Aid (MA) program targeting selected low-income individuals to ensure medical service delivery to the disadvantaged while enhancing self-sufficiency of work-capable beneficiaries. However, as reasons behind welfare exits are diverse and do not always infer poverty relief or the provision of appropriate levels of health care services, this study aimed to investigate the association between changes in MA status and health care utilization. Methods: This study used the 2006 to 2015 National Health Insurance claims data. The impact of changes in annual MA status on health care utilization (yearly number of outpatient visits, inpatient visits, length of stay, and emergency department [ED] visits) was investigated using the generalized estimating equation model. Results: In 117,943 adult subjects aged 20 to 64, compared to the 'MA to MA' group, the 'MA to MA exit' group showed general decreases in utilization (outpatient visits: β=-3.93, p<0.0001; hospital admissions: relative risk [RR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-0.91; length of stay: β=-3.64, p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.77-0.90). Similar patterns were found in the 'MA exit to MA exit' group (outpatient visits: β=-5.72, p<0.0001; admissions: RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.94; length of stay: β=-5.87; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.75-0.88). Likewise, in 74,747 older adult subjects aged 65 or above, the 'MA to MA exit' group showed reduced levels of utilization (outpatient visits: β=-1.51; p=0.0020), as well as the 'MA exit to MA exit' group (admissions: RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89-0.95; length of stay: β, -5.45; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.97). Conclusion: MA exit was associated with general decreases in health care utilization. Utilization patterns of individuals with experiences of receiving MA benefits should be monitored to promote the ideal use of health care services while preventing potential financial barriers present in accessing medical care.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.7-16
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing the level of nursing needs of a long-term care service user at home and the care giving burden of a primary caregiver. For this study, data were collected from 152 primary caregivers in J City with self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using multiple regression technique. Among the nursing needs of long-term care giving service users, the level of psychological and social requests was the highest. This study found that two characteristics variables(long-term care insurance benefit level and long-term care giving grade) had difference was statistically significant in physical nursing needs and psychological nursing needs. Out of care giving burden of primary caregivers, physical care giving burden was found to be the highest. Out of factors influencing care giving burden, daily care giving hours was the factor which had strongest influence. Basic living recipients and female primary caregivers showed higher care giving burden. The more care givers there were, the less care giving burden became.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.822-830
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze effects of a community-based case management program for clients with hypertension living in the community. Methods: The research design was a one group pre and post-test design with 30 participants with hypertension who agreed to participate in the 8-12 week case management program provided by case managers from the National Health Insurance Corporation in 2002. Data were collected three times, before and after the case management services, and 6 months later. Outcomes included changes in blood pressure, knowledge of hypertension and daily life practices, including alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, and medication adherence. Results: Repeated-measures ANOVA and post-hoc tests of means revealed significant differences before and after service for systolic blood pressure, daily life practices (monitoring body weight and BP, low salt and cholesterol and high vegetable diet, and stress-relief practices), and exercise. The goal for medication adherence was attained after service. Significant improvements from baseline to 6 months after service were observed in measures of salt and vegetables in diet. There were no significant differences on hypertension knowledge, alcohol consumption or smoking behavior between before service and after, and at 6 months. Conclusion: The findings provide preliminary evidence that case management intervention can have positive outcomes on BP control, daily life practices, exercise, and medication adherence for clients with hypertension. However, additional interventions are needed to sustain long-term effects.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.87-98
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to understand the effectiveness of oral health education (OHE) or oral hygiene instruction (OHI) involving professional plaque control/removal, as compared to conventional plaque control/removal. By means of a systematic review of the literature, in the review of literature by using systematic method, Korean articles of plaque control including OHE or OHI, were studied in order to analyze and conclude the literature to enhance oral health. We found that self and professional plaque control/removal, in addition to tooth brushing instructions, decreased incidence and prevalence of loss of teeth. Taken together, professional mechanical plaque removals were most effective 4~5 visits every 1~2 weeks. Use of disclosing agent was more effective than oral education or model education. In line with oral hygiene education, professional brushing, oral prophylaxis, scaling and root planing, it was advisable to repeat the training according to the characteristics of the patient. Routine OHE or OHI would be help to increase to oral health. For a quality of life related oral health, reliability and validity of data are needed to develop and its data should be applied to dental health insurance policy.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 2006

Objectives : This study was conducted to examine the relationships of the several socioeconomic position indicators with the mortality risk in a representative longitudinal study of South Korea. Methods : The 1998 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was conducted on a cross-sectional probability sample of South Korean households, and it contained unique 13-digit personal identification numbers that were linked to the data on mortality from the National Statistical Office of Korea. Of 5,607 males and females, 264 died between 1999 and 2003. Cox's regression was used to estimate the relative risks (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) of mortality. Results: Socioeconomic differences in mortality were observed after adjustments were made for gender and age. Compared with those people having college or higher education, those people without any formal education had a greater mortality risk (RR=2.21, 95% CI=1.12-4.40). The mortality risk among manual workers was significantly greater than that for the non-manual workers (RR=2.73, 95% CI=1.47-5.06). A non-standard employment status was also associated with an increase in mortality: temporary or daily workers had a greater mortality risk than did the full-time workers (RR=3.01, 95% CI=1.50-6.03). The mortality risk for the low occupational class was 3.06 times greater than that of the high and middle occupational classes (95% CI=1.75-5.36). In addition, graded mortality differences according to equivalized monthly household income were found. A reduction of monthly household income by 500 thousand Korean Won (about 400 US dollars) was related with a 20% excess risk of mortality. Self-reported poor living standards were also associated with an increased risk of mortality. Those without health insurance had a 3.63 times greater risk of mortality than the insured (95% CI=1.61-8.19). Conclusions: This study showed the socioeconomic differentials in mortality in a national longitudinal study of South Korea. The existence of socioeconomic mortality inequalities requires increased social discussion on social policies in Korean society. Furthermore, the mechanisms for the socioeconomic inequalities of mortality need to be explored in future studies.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2006

Objectives : The incidence of colorectal cancer increased greatly among the elderly in Korea, but the relationship between smoking and colon cancer remains controversial. Few studies have targeted Asian elderly people. We analyzed the smoking status, the amount smoked, and the smoking duration as risk factors of colorectal cancer to determine their association and causality. Methods: The cohort members (n=14, 103) consisted of 4,694 males and 9,409 females, and they were derived from the Korea Elderly Phamacepidemilogic Cohort (KEPEC), which was a population-based dynamic cohort. They were aged 65 years or more and they lived in Busan Metropolitan City between from 1993-1998; they were beneficiaries of the Korean Medical Insurance Corporation (KMIC). The baseline information was surveyed by a self-administered mailed questionnaire; after 8.7 person-years of mean follow up period, 100 cases of colorectal cancer occurred. The adjusted relative ratio (aRR) of smoking status, the smoking amount and the smoking duration were calculated from the Cox's proportional hazard model with the never-smokers as a reference group and the Cox model controlled for age, gender, precancerous lesions of CRC, medication history of NSAIDs & antibiotics, the alcohol drinking status and BMI. Results : Compared with the never smokers, the aRRs were 2.03 (95% CI=1.02-4.03) and 1.36 (95% CI=0.80-2.32) for the ex-smokers and current smokers, respectively. Statistical significant trends were not observed for the dose-relationship among the elderly, either for the mean daily amount smoked (p for trend=0.28) or for the total amount (p for trend=0.15). Still, the aRRs were 1.51 (95% CI=0.97-2.34) for the elderly who smoked less than 40 years and 2.35 (95% CI=1.16-4.74) for the elderly who had 40 years or more of smoking (p for trend=0.06). Smokers who started smoking before the age 20 had an increased aRR of 2.15 (95% CI=1.17-3.93) compared to the never smokers. Conclusions : After controlling for age, gender, precancerous lesion of CRC, medication history of NSAIDs & antibiotics, the alcohol drinking status and BMI, smoking increases the risk of colorectal cancer among elderly people. The age when starting smoking is also important.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.366-375
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to analyze the use of hospital, hospitalization, medical service, discharge and power of medical care patients who are concerned about moral hazard. We conducted focus group interview with 3 medical care patients and their families and 5 workers who had worked for more than 4 years in a nursing hospital. The main results and implications are as follows. First, admission to nursing hospitals was mostly based on the linkage between the medical institutions and the competition to attract the patients rather than the choice of the patients. Second, the main cause of the long-term hospitalization of medical assistance patients was the lack of social protection measures such as absences of residence and care giver, although there are factors that cause moral hazard such as low self-pay. Third, most of the patients were in need of treatment, but they were admitted to the hospital even though their needs were not higher than those of the health insurance patients. Fourth, the rehabilitation service is the mainstay of the medical service of the nursing hospital, and the roles of nursing staff and care givers are important. Fifth, medical care patients are paying medical expenses for nursing hospitals due to cost of living and family support, but they are exempted from the hospital expenses or the burden of their own expenses in the hospital. Sixth, public institutions and social welfare institutions have not managed continuously since commissioning patients to nursing hospitals and have neglected the connection with community services after discharge.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.303-311
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• 2019

Background: Cerebrovascular disease is included in four major diseases and is a disease that has high rates of prevalence and mortality around the world. Moreover, it is a disease that requires a high cost for long-term hospitalization and treatment. This study aims to figure out the correlation between grip strength, which was presented as a simple, cost-effective, and relevant predictor of cerebrovascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease based on the results of a prior study. And furthermore, our study compared model suitability of the model to measuring grip strength and relative grip strength as a predictor of cerebrovascular disease to improve the quality of cerebrovascular disease's predictor. Methods: This study conducted an analysis based on the generalized linear mixed model using the data from the Korea Longitudinal Study of Ageing from 2006 to 2016. The research subjects consisted of 9,132 middle old age people aged 45 years or older at baseline with no missing information of education level, gender, marital status, residential region, type of national health insurance, self-related health, smoking status, alcohol use, and economic activity. The grip strength was calculated the average which measured 4 times (both hands twice), and the relative grip force was divided by the body mass index as a variable considering the anthropometric figure that affects the cerebrovascular disease and the grip strength. Cerebrovascular diseases, a dependent variable, were investigated based on experiences diagnosed by doctors. Results: An analysis of the association between grip strength and found that about 0.972 (odds ratio [OR], 0.972; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.963-0.981) was the incidence of cerebral vascular disease as grip strength increased by one unit increase and the association between relative grip strength and cerebrovascular disease found that about 0.418 (OR, 0.418; 95% CI, 0.342-0.511) was the incidence of cerebral vascular disease as relative grip strength increased by unit. In addition, the model suitability of the model for each grip strength and relative grip strength was 11,193 and 11,156, which means relative grip strength is the better application to the predictor of cerebrovascular diseases, irrespective of other variables. Conclusion: The results of this study need to be carefully examined and validated in applying relative grip strength to improve the quality of predictors of cerebrovascular diseases affecting high mortality and prevalence.