• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.39-49
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• 2015

Since most medical facilities and medical personnel are concentrated in urban areas in South Korea, an imbalance of access to medical facilities causes a gap in medical resource availability between urban and rural areas. Accessibility to medical facilities is a means of assessment that evaluates a measure of inequality in utilization of medical resources. The evaluation of accessibility uses Euclidean distance, in general; however, this method has its limits in that Euclidean distance cannot reflect actual distance. This study aims to estimate real road distance from village halls to medical facilities in rural areas using Open Application Programming Interface (Open API) of an internet portal site. Using real road distance, we evaluated medical accessibility and compared it with Euclidean distance. The accessibility to primary medical institutions was valued relatively well, but secondary and tertiary medical institutions were vulnerable in Pyeonchang-gun. Comparing Euclidean distance with real road distance from village halls to medical facilities, real road distance appeared to be approximately 1.4 times that of Euclidean distance. This calculation is similar to the circuity factor of Gangwon-do in Korea that estimated to fix the limits of Euclidean distance and assumed real road distance.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.33-51
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• 2007

The disabled population is a vulnerable group, having very complex medical conditions, but little is known about differences in the level of access by type of disability. This study was performed to investigate the differences of health care utilization by the type of disability. The database was constructed from registry of the disabled and health insurance and medical aid claims data submitted to the Korea Health Insurance Cooperation during in the year 2003. The disability classified three groups according to the Disabled Welfare Act; physically disability with external dysfunction, physically disability with organic disease, and mentally disability. There were huge differences in health care utilization by the type of disability. For the inpatient care, those with a mental disability were more likely to utilize health care services in terms of average visit number of medical facilities and visit days per case, but the treatment amount per case was the highest in physically disabled with organic disease. For the outpatient care, those who the physically disabled with organic disease were more likely to utilize health care services in terms of average visit number of medical facilities, treatment amount per case, and the treatment days per case. Also, those who physically disabled with organic disease were more likely to utilize general hospital for both inpatient and outpatient care, and spent more out-of-pocket expenditure. As the number of persons with disabilities rises, the need to consider new approaches to protecting their health grows increasingly. Especially, Korean health care system should be refined to be more responsive to the needs of the type of disability.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.243-251
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• 1996

Authors surveyed the inhabitants in Ulnung Island to assess the patterns of medical utilization. One hundred eighty six population(65 male and 121 female) were surveyed with formed questionnaire from Aug. 16 to Aug. 19 in 1994. Results are as follows. 1. The prevalence rate of acute diseases was 19.3%. 2. The prevalence rate of chronic diseases was 35.0%. In classification of chronic disease, the disease of musculoscletal system was the highest(33.9%) and that of digestive system in next order. 3. The first-visit medical facility when disease developed was community health center mainly. The admission care was taken in 37.6%. The 80.0% among location of medical facility for admission care was out of island. The surgical operative care were taken in 19.9%. The 86.5% among location of medical facility for surgical operative care was out of island. 4. Among the contents of dissatisfaction for medical service within island, 'Insufficient equipment' was the highest(35.8%), and 'Insufficient traffic networks' in next order. The results of this study suggest that public health facilities and medical personnel be strengthened and emergency transfer system be secured in Ulnung Island.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.5 no.9
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• pp.47-59
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• 1999

With the unparalleled rate of aging and rapid modernization, Korean society faces the situation in which it has to increase the supply of elderly care services dramatically in the near future. Among these services, nursing homes are considered as an essential alternative provision because Korea can no longer rely on traditional familism nor medical facilities for the care of her older population. It is necessary, therefore, to prepare a future plan for the delivery of nursing homes in Korea. This paper has identified elderly care context and analyzed elderly care facilities of Korea in the point of supply and utilization rate of nursing homes according to the region and type of facilities. On the bases of this analysis, the delivery planning of nursing homes in Korea has been proposed in order to increase welfare status of older people and efficient utilization of health care resources.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.217-230
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• 2015

This study investigated the differences in how medical institutions are chosen according to the motivation of medical service utilization(minor disease, major disease, chronic disease management, cosmetic). Importance order of selection for the minor disease were medical skill, kindness, rapidness, proximity, importance order of selection for major disease and cosmetic were medical skill, facilities, reputation, medical fee, importance order of selection for chronic disease management were medical skill, facilities, kindness, medical fee. From this medical study skill was a more important factor in medical institutions irrespective of motivation, subjects with the major disease tend to consider the selection of the medical institutions more important, except proximity. Medical users select medical institutions according to the motivation of visiting, and there were differences in same motivation according to socioeconomic status and information searching behavior.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.116-123
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• 2022

Background: Recently, there have been various developments in medical service robots (MSRs). However, few studies have examined the perceptions of those who use it. The purpose of this study is to identify user perceptions of MSRs. Methods: We conducted a survey of 320 patients, doctors, and nurses. The contents of the survey were organized as follows: external appearances, perceptions, expected utilization, possible safety accidents, and awareness of their responsibilities. Statistical analyses were performed using t-test, chi-square test, and analysis of variance. Results: The most preferred appearance was the animal type, with a screen. The overall average score of positive questions was 3.64±0.98 of 5 points and that of negative questions was 3.24±0.99. Thus, the results revealed that the participants had positive perceptions of MSR. The overall average of all expected utilization was 4.05±0.84. The most expected utilization was to guide hospital facilities. The most worrisome accident was exposure to personal information. Moreover, participants thought that the overall responsibility of the robot user (hospital) was greater than that of the robot manufacturer in the case of safety accidents. Conclusion: The perceptions of MSRs used in hospital wards were positive, and the overall expected utilization was high. It is necessary to recognize safety accidents for such robots, and sufficient attention is required when developing and manufacturing robots.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.24 no.4 s.36
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• pp.485-495
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• 1991

This study examined the effects of referral requirements for insurance patients which have been enforced since July 1, 1989 when medical insurance coverage was extended to the whole population except beneficiaries of medical assistance program. The requirements are mainly aimed at discouraging the use of tertiary care hospitals by imposing restrictions on the patient's choice of a medical service facility. The expectation is that such change in the pattern of medical care utilization would produce several desirable effects including increased efficiency in patient care and balanced development of various types of medical service facilities. In this study, these effects were assessed by the change in the number of out-patient visits and bed-days per illness episode and the share of each type of facility in the volume of services and the amount of expenditures after the implementation of the new referral system. The data for analysis were obtained from the claims to the insurance for government and school employees. The sample was drawn from the claims for the patients treated during the first six months of 1989, prior to the enforcement of referral requirements, and those of the patients treated during the first six months of 1990, after the enforcement. The 1989 sample included 299,824 claims (3.6% of total) and the 1990 sample included 332,131 (3.7% of total). The data were processed to make the unit of analysis an illness episode instead of an insurance claim. The facilities and types of care utilized for a given illness episode are defined to make up the pathway of medical care utilization. This pathway was conceived of as a Markov Chain process for further analysis. The conclusion emerged from the analysis is that the enforcement of referral requirements resulted in less use of tertiary care hospitals, and thereby decreased the volume of services and the amount of insurance expenses per illness episode. However, there are a few points that have to be taken into account in relation to the conclusion. The new referral system is likely to increase the use of medical services not covered by insurance, so that its impact on national health expenditures would be different from that on insurance expenditures. The extension of insurance coverage must have inereased patient load for all types of medical service organizations, and this increase may be partly responsible for producing the effects attributed to the new referral system. For example, excessive patient load for tertiary care hospitals may lead to the transfer of their patients to other types of facilities. Another point is that the data for this study correspond to very early phase of the new system. But both patients and medical care providers would adapt themselves to the new system to avoid or overcome its disadvantages for them, so as that its effects could change over time. Therefore, it is still necessary to closely monitor the impact of the referral requirements.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 1981

This survey was made to determine the overall health situation on (1) the status of sickness; (2) the medical care utilization; (3) the medical cost in Mi-Kum Myun, Nam Yang Ju Gun, Kyung-Gi Do. The survey with questionnaire was carried out with 2,840 peoples in 560 households from August 9th to 16th, 1979. The findings from the survey were as follows; 1. Annual morbidity rate of the prolonged ill cases was 97.2 per 1,000 population (male 94.7, female 99.6), The highest age specific morbidity rate was 274.5 of the 45-to 64-year group and the lowest was 21.9 of the 5-to 14-year group. 2. Annual morbidity rate of the new patients was 777.5 per 1,000 population(male 644.5, female 909.5). 3. The chief complaints distribution of the prolonged ill cases was: local pain 36.6%, indigestion 22.4%, and coughing 7.3%, respectively, In terms of age and sex distribution, a large number of female of the 45-to 64-year group complained of local pain or general pain and a large number of both sexes of the 25-to 44-year group complaned of indigestion. 4. The major diseases of the new patients which classified with International Classfication of Diseases (I.C.D.) were disease of the respiratory system, disease of the digestive system, and disease of the musculo-skeletal system and connective tissue for male, disease of the respiratory system, disease of the digestive system, and accident, poisoning, violence for female. 5. Total ill days of the 92 new patients were 536 days and average ill days per case were $6{\pm}38.3$ days. 6. The rate of receiving treatment in the prolonged ill cases was 82.2%(medical facilities 46.4%, drug stores 27.5%, herb medicine 8.3%). 7. The rate of receiving treatment by first choice of the new patients was 88.0% (drug stores 57.%, medical facilities 28.2%, and herb medicine 2.2%), and the rate of receiving treatment by second choice was 30.9% of first treatment cases (medical facilities 44.0%, drug store 44.0% and herb meicine 12.0%). 8. Annual hospitalization rate per 1,000 population was 12.0 (male 12.0, female 11.9). 9. The locations of medical facilities utilized by out-patients were: in the prolonged ill cases Seoul or other places 66.4%, Nam Yang Ju Gun 33.6%, in cases of the new patients Seoul or other places 35.1% and Nam Yang Ju Gun 64.9% respectively. 10. The satisfaction rate of the new patients by mode of receiving treatment was: in cases of primary utilization by first choice herb medicine 100.0%, medical facilities 88.5%, and drug stores 69.8%, in cases of secondary utilization medical facilities 100.0%, herb medicine 100.0%, and drug stores 72.7% respectively. 11. The medical cost per utilized facilities was as follows; in average medical fee per case out-patient 8.947 won, in-patient 266,000 won, drug stores 1,532 won, and herb medicine 15,607 won, in average medical fee per day out-patient 4,829 won, in patient 14,178 won, drug stores 891 won, and herb medicine 4,906 won respectively. 12. The sources of the hospital charges paid out were: there own expense 50.0%, debt 35.3%, and security of medical care 14.7% respectively.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.31-58
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• 1995

The Korean government achieved the universal coverage of health insurance in July 1989, and concomitantly introduced a new measure of regulated health care delivery system in using medical care. There are three reasons why the government took the new health care delivery system. Firstly, there was ample room for improving the allocative efficiency in the use of medical facilities. And the second one was to constrain the dramatic increase of medical demand under health insurance. Thirdly, and the most important reason was to alleviate the patient crowdedness in big general hospitals, particularly tertiary hospitals. There are essentially two different ways to control the use of health care : one is to cut the demand for health care, and the other to regulate behaviors of providers through the use of incentives/disincentives, demand-side approach or supply-side approach. The objective of this study is to examine whether or not medical care utilization behaviors under health insurance scheme have been changed among medical facilities such as clinic, hospital, general hospital and tertiary hospital in comparison with those before and after the introduction, particularly whether the patient crowdedness in tertiary hospitals has been alleviated or not. In order to conduct this study, the insurance claim data during the period of January 1989 and July 1992 were analyzed by focusing on diagnosis of both inpatients and outpatients, and especially the fifteen most frequent diseases in ambulatory care and the seven most frequent diseases in hospitalizatio. In addition, the same analyses were made on the changes in medical care utilization by specialty department. This was because the five departments, such as family medicine, ENT, eye, dermatology and rehabilitation, were exempted from applying the regulated health care delivery system in tertiary hospitals. The study revealed that a remarkable alleviation effect in the crowdness was noted for tertiary hospitals. This effect was most conspicuous for the most frequent mild diseases of both inpatient and outpatient care. For example, the fifteen most frequent OPD care at tertiary facilities have decreased as much as by 40%, of which 34% belonged to the cut in initial visits. Meanwhile, the proportion of those who used general hospitals and private practitioner's clinics have increased due to the shift of patients. The cases from the five special departments were also decreased, but not so much as other departments. A problem was noted that, as time passed by, the decreasing tendencies of crowdness at tertiary hospitals due to the regulated system became slightly smaller. Therefore, through complementary remedies are needed for the future implementation.

• 모자간호학회지
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.24-32
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• 1994

Using data from the Korean National Health Survey conducted in the years 1989 and 1992, child and maternal ambulatory care utilization patterns were compared. Data from 3,002 families from the 1989 survey and 1,523 families from the 1992 survey which have a child 0-4 years old and mother in the same family were selected and used for the analysis. The results indicate that child medical utilization is closely accociated with maternal medical utilization, as measured by the number of visits to medical facilities. Maternal use appears to be a more powerful predictor of child use than any other family and maternal variables. These results confirm the result of the previous localized studies and suggest that intervention directed at the mother may be effective in ensuring equitable and efficient use of ambulatory services by childeren.