• Healthcare Informatics Research
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.359-370
• /
• 2018

Objectives: We assessed the public acceptance of a health information exchange (HIE) and examined factors that influenced the acceptance and associations among constructs of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Methods: We collected data from a survey of 1,000 individuals in Korea, which was administered through a structured questionnaire. We assessed the validity and reliability of the survey instrument with exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficients. We computed descriptive statistics to assess the acceptance and performed regression analyses with a structural equation model to estimate the magnitude and significance of influences among constructs of TAM. Results: Eighty-seven percent of the respondents were willing to use the technology, and the average level of agreement with the need for the technology was 4.16 on a 5-point Likert scale. The perception of ease of use of the technology significantly influenced perceptions of usefulness and attitudes about the need for HIE. Perceptions of usefulness influenced attitude and behavioral intention to use HIE, and attitude influenced intention. Age showed a wide range of influences throughout the model, and experience with offline-based information exchange and health status also showed noteworthy influences. Conclusions: The public acceptance of HIE was high, and influences posited by TAM were mostly confirmed by the study results. The study findings indicated a need for an education and communication strategy tailored by population age, health status, and prior experience with offline-based exchange to gain public buy-in for a successful introduction of the technology.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.17 no.7
• /
• pp.187-195
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between postpartum depression and breast-feeding in puerperium mothers to practice healthy breast-feeding. Puerperium mothers at postnatal care center completed an anonymous survey. Postpartum depression severity was observed at ($x^2=19.556$, p = 0.000). Postpartum depression was found to negatively affect healthy breast-feeding at a rate of Exp (B) = 0.887, p = 0.014. Puerperium mothers' postpartum depression has shown significant effect on breast-feeding practice, thus, when postpartum depression rate decrease, regular breast-feeding practice rate increased. Despite lacking robust statistical evidence, these results indicate that postpartum depression leads to bottle-feeding.

• Korean Journal of Child Care and Education Policy
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.55-76
• /
• 2018

The study aims to investigate nocturnal sleep duration in 4-year-olds and relative effects of various factors including the personal factor (temperament), the familial factor (mother's employment status), the time-use factors (hours spent in childhood educare institutions, on napping in the institutions, and on using electronic media). The data of 937 4-year-olds collected by the Korea Children and Youth Panel Survey in 2012 was analyzed. Using SPSS 21.0 program, frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation analysis and hierarchical regression were conducted. The results are as follows. First, there were significant negative correlations among the personal factor, familial factor and time-use factors. Finally, the time-use factors showed largest explanatory power on variance of children's nocturnal sleep duration, followed by the familial factor. But the personal factor was not statistically significant. These results suggested that parents and childhood educare institutions need to cooperate in order for children to sleep well. It is also necessary to implement and spread the social systems to support healthy development of children.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.69-90
• /
• 2021

Purpose : This study explores unmet medical services within a region for patients admitted to a single medical institution in one region and was to analyze the importance and satisfaction of hospital selection attributes. Through this, we tried to solve the unmet medical needs of patients and provide useful basic data in terms of hospital management in the region. Methods : It were collected to a total of 250 questionnaires for patients admitted to the regional integrative medical hospital. However, 232 samples were used for the final analysis, excluding 18 copies not reported in good faith. For the analysis, first, demographic frequency analysis of inpatients and inpatients was performed, and second, characteristics of patients, including frequent disease receiving treatment, were analyzed. Next, descriptive statistics analysis was conducted on unmet medical service intentions. In terms of hospital selection attribute, the items of continuity maintenance (I quadrant), priority visibility (II quadrant), low priority (III quadrant), and excessive effort (IV quadrant) were derived using the IPA (importance-performance analysis) matrix technique. Results : The derived results were classified by item and area. In the priority administration area, it was the reputation and recognition of medical institutions and the service area of medical institutions. In the case of items, there were 6 items including the importance of surgery and medical expenses, and diet at hospitalization. 1) Conclusion : Thus a result of this study, resources are efficiently allocated to priority correction areas with high importance but low satisfaction and circulatory medical treatment is performed in the departments required by patients who use medical care and, various methods, such as preparing a policy to support medical expenses, should be sought.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.545-556
• /
• 2022

This study aims to ensure that the help of family members and caregivers has a controlling effect in the process of restrictions on the Activities of Daily Living affecting depression in the elderly. Based on the 15th data of the Korea Welfare Panel, technical statistics, average difference analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and control effect analysis were conducted on 4,214 senior citizens aged 65 or older. The results of the study are as follows. First, restrictions on the Activities of Daily Living has been shown to have a significant effect on depression in older people. Second, between restrictions on the Activities of Daily Living and depression of the elderly, the family's private help has been shown to function as a modulator to alleviate depression of the elderly. Third, between restrictions on the Activities of Daily Living and depression of the elderly, public help from caregivers does not function as an adjustment variable that alleviates depression of the elderly. Implications were derived and policy suggestions were presented based on these results.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.34-44
• /
• 2022

Purpose:We investigated physicians' responses to a series of clinical vignettes consisting of patient safety incidents, with and without disclosure of patient safety incidents (DPSI). Methods: An anonymous survey was conducted to investigate physicians' responses to the DPSI via online communities of physicians, and additional participants were recruited using a snowballing sampling method. We evaluated physicians' responses to the DPSI using eight hypothetical scenarios (HS) from the following perspectives: thoughts regarding medical errors, revisiting the physician, recommendation, lawsuit, criminal prosecution, trust score, and compensation amounts. We used the chi-square test to evaluate the overall differences in response rates among the scenarios. Statistical analyses were performed using the Student's t-test to compare the trust scores and compensation amounts. Results: A total of 910 physicians participated in this survey. An overall comparison of trust scores among HS showed that HS 1 (unclear medical errors, minor harm, and DPSI) had the highest trust score. In contrast, in the opposite scenario, HS 8 (clear medical errors, major harm, and DPSI not conducted) received the lowest scores. Cases with minor harm to patients (HS 1, 2, 5, and 6) showed lower compensation amounts than the others (HS 3, 4, 7, and 8). Physicians were more likely to think of situations with DPSI as not having medical errors (53.1% vs. 55.2%). In addition, the scenarios with DPSI were evaluated favorably in terms of intention to revisit, recommend, suit, and engage in criminal proceedings. Physicians showed higher trust scores (6.2 vs 5.4) and gave lower compensation amounts ($27.7 million vs $28.1 million), although there was no significant difference in terms of compensation amounts to the physician conducting DPSI. Conclusion: Our study showed overall positive perceptions regarding DPSI among Korean physicians.

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

• Korean Medical Education Review
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.18-34
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to clarify the background of the controversial attempt to establish a new public medical school linked to compulsory service as a means of strengthening public healthcare in Korea, and to raise anticipated problems with possible solutions. In Korea, healthcare is predominantly provided by the private sector focused on medical care, rather than public healthcare, even under the national health insurance system. The government has been mainly in charge of public health and unmet medical services from a residual perspective, but health inequalities still exist. To resolve this issue, the government created the concept of public health and medical service (PHMS) from a universal perspective and tried to strengthen the infrastructure of public healthcare and to foster core PHMS doctors by establishing a new public medical school linked to compulsory service in medically vulnerable areas. This study investigated the reality and concept of the new public medical school planned by the government, and identified problems such as the possibility of obtaining accreditation and evaluation before its establishment, the side effects of dividing doctors' roles, the waste of huge amounts of resources, and insensitive policies. In conclusion, in order to resolve health inequalities in Korea, we need to train doctors through medical school education that strengthens the social responsibility of doctors along with strengthening public healthcare infrastructure, and to provide a better environment for doctors working in medically vulnerable areas through sophisticated policies.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.643-651
• /
• 2022

This study was conducted to examine the oral health, dental treatment and insurance awareness of the community during the COVID-19 period from September 1 to October 29, 2021 for patients who visited a local dental clinic in Gangwon-do. For analysis, SPSS Statistics 24.0 program was used. As a result of the analysis, it was found that oral health status, interest in oral health, and awareness of health insurance expansion affect dental treatment during the COVID-19 period. In addition, those who did not receive oral health education, those with a high school diploma or lower, and those with poor oral health showed positive results for dental treatment during the COVID-19. In conclusion, it is necessary to expand publicity on oral health education, and to list the cost of infection control in health insurance and separate compensation materials. In future research, I think that it is necessary to conduct research through a variety of subjects and study the expansion of insurance in detail.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.8 no.6
• /
• pp.405-411
• /
• 2022

Korea's long-term care insurance for the elderly, which started in 2008, is a borrowed one from gaeho insurance, which started eight years earlier. Both countries have a policy of welfare equipment benefit systems to support the lives of the elderly who are intellectually and mentally weakened. In this study, we attempted to compare and examine the welfare equipment items in Korea with those in Japan and find out the characteristics of the items in Korea and Japan. In Korea, loitering-detection device, posture changing devices, and incontinence underwears were registered as welfare devices before Japan, and in Japan, automatic urine disposal systems, wheelchair electric assist device, position converters, and lifts for handicapped person were designated as welfare devices before Korea. In addition, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has announced the designation of the excretion prediction support device as a welfare device. If Korea and Japan cooperate to develop welfare equipment items together, it will be of great help in improving the quality of life of the elderly in both countries in a super-aged society.