• Health Policy and Management
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.183-202
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• 1998

This study is to investigate patient's choice of health care and the demand for Korean traditional medicine care in rural areas in 1995. It tried to evaluate the effect of out-of-pocket expenditure, travel time, and waiting time on improving care-seeking and substituting clinical medicine for pharmacy care and Korean traditional medicine care in rural areas. The statistical model of this study is conditional logit to estimate effects of choice-specific and individual-specific characteristics on the choice of type of services. This study used, as explanatory variables, average out-of-pocket payment, travel time, and waiting time of services required to use the services. The model was empirically tested using data from 1995 Korean National Health Survery. The results showed that rural Koreans responded to out-of pocket payment and travel time. Increases of out-of-pocket payment and travel time decreased the probability to choose care in rural Korea. Rural Koreans were more likely to seek care than others with low out-of-pocket payment and travel time. The probability of choosing Korean traditional medicine were higher among the members of the households with higher education level and older persons, while they were lower in the households with large family than others compared with the probabilities of choosing public health facilities. The result of this study implies that policy on use of health care in rural Korea can be focused in managing travel time and out-of-pocket payment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.128-143
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• 2010

Objectives : This study aims to estimate the oral antihyperglycemic medications adherence among ambulatory care with adult type 2 diabetes patients and to identify factors affecting the medication adherence in Korea. Methods : This study used the Korean National Health Insurance Database. Study population was 40,082 patients who were 20 years of age or older and first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (ICD-10: E11) in 2004. The patients were followed up for two years in order to measure adherence with oral antihyperglycemic medications. The level of medication adherence was measured by the medication possession ratio (MPR). Results : The average MPR in the study population was 49.5%. The appropriate adherence rate (MPR$\geq$80%) was 29.4% and showed variation according to the characteristics of individual patients. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of appropriate adherence increased with female (OR:1.21, CI:1.14-1.27), older age, increasing ambulatory care visits, health insurance (OR:1.53, CI:1.33-1.76), decreasing ambulatory care providers, using a specialized general hospital as their main attending medical institution (OR:10.08, CI:8.96-11.33), having co-morbidity, using polytherapy (OR:1.07, CI:1.01-1.13). Conclusions : The medications adherence for patient with type 2 diabetes is low in Korea, and shows variation according to the characteristics of patients. For proper management of diabetes, health care policy is expected to be enacted to improve medications adherence continuously. In particular, more intensive management is needed for patients with low medications adherence. Also, health care policy makers need to develop the program to induce health care utilization by a patient to be more concentrated with the same provider.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.383-402
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting family caregiver financial burden of out-of pocket expenses for the nursing home service under Long-term Care Insurance System. We conducted a national cross-sectional descriptive survey from July to September 2010 to collect data based on the long-term care benefits cost specification. Total 1,016 family caregivers completed questionnaires. 185 subjects of total were excluded from the data analysis due to being answered by user(18 cases), or caregivers not to pay for services expenditures(122 cases), having a missing data on family caregivers characteristics(45 cases). Finally, 831 subjects were included in the study. The average financial burden was 3.18(${\pm}0.71$). We divided subjects into two groups by level of burden, high-burden group and low-burden group. In the result of the multiple logistic regression analysis, family caregiver financial burden was significantly higher in family caregivers with ages 40 to 49 compared to less than 40, lower educational level, unsatisfaction for long-term care service, high percentage(more than 50%) of cost-sharing and high total out-of pocket expenses(more than 300,000 won) for long-term care services. Also, Family caregivers who are spouse felt higher financial burden compared to son. This study is meaningful as the first attempt to measure family caregiver financial burden for long-term care service and to identify factors affecting the financial burden. Family caregivers felt financial burden of out-of pocket expenses for the nursing home service. The policy makers, the insurer, and the providers need to pay attention to ease family caregiver financial burden.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.263-275
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• 2010

While child care policy has mainly focused on the financial support for child care centers, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs recently announced the introduction of a child care allowances. The purpose of this study is to investigate how mothers and directors of child care centers perceived this child care allowance. One hundred and seventeen directors and one hundred and fifty six mothers in the Seoul, Kyunggi-Do, and Cheonbuk-Do areas participated in the survey. The results demonstrated that both the mothers and the directors of child care center exhibit more differences than similarities in terms of their views of child care allowances. Moreover, the perception on some issues of child care allowance differed significantly depending on the types of child care center in question, the mother's economic participation or family income. Issues of importance to the successful introduction of a child care allowance system were also discussed.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.183-199
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• 2012

Since the Framework Act on Healthy Families came into effect in 2005, family policy has become a primary field of social policy, and 'family' has emerged as an important keyword for solving Korean society's various phenomena and problems. In order to seek practical plans for reforming social policy through family policy, this thesis has analyzed the transitional characteristics of Korean families in relation to where Korean families currently stand and the situation they are facing. This thesis has also reviewed the content of family policy in the master plan of healthy families, the starting point of the actual family policy, and other related policies. It also has analyzed the key content of child care support policy. From these various analyses and discussions, this thesis has emphasized "family care" as the keyword of family policy, family effect analysis as the means of reinforcing family perspective, and family integrity for policy effectiveness.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.28
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• pp.57-100
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• 1996

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.53-65
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the prenatal heath care utilization and expenditure among pregnant women. Method: This was a 5-month follow-up study using a stratified sampling and the data were drawn from the "nationwide claim database of Korean National Health Insurance Corporation". Result: This study found that pregnant women were first diagnosed with pregnancy when they were 7.1 weeks pregnant, received 12.7 times of prenatal examinations and 10.6 times of ultrasonogram. It was revealed that 67.5% of the subjects continued to receive prenatal care at the same medical institutions from the diagnosis of pregnancy to the delivery. The study also showed that the total expenditure of prenatal care per pregnant woman was 700,000 Korean Won (KRW) on average and the insurance coverage rate stood at only 20%. Pregnant women living in metropolitan area spent more on prenatal healthcare expenditure than those who living in medium-sized city or rural area. Conclusion: The results of this study implies that the government needs to provide pregnant women with continuous support by increasing health insurance coverage for prenatal care. Especially, it is considered to provide more support to the pregnant women residing in medically underserved areas.

• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 2019

Recently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has emphasized the necessity to build community care, and the interest of health care- long-term care-social welfare system continues. In order to examine the future vision of long-term care for elderly people, which can be a core system in establishing community models for elderly people in the future, we will implement aging in place as a national policy project. It is meaningful to analyze in depth the case of Japan's policy implementation through the amendment process of long-term care insurance system. The purpose of this study is to examine the concept definition, operating system, and major promotion process of the Integrated Care System in Japan and to suggest policy implications for the future Korea long-term care insurance system. As a result of reviewing the operation status and revision process of the long-term care insurance system for establishing the Integrated care system in Japan, it is necessary to clarify the basic principles and construction of community care system, diversification of residence type and upgrading work, establishment of linkage network of health care-long term care-social welfare, expansion of support for family and self-mind.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.49 no.9
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• pp.511-518
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• 2011

Policy of for-profit hospitals permission has provoked debate on how to enhance health care system and medical service industry. The government says that for-profit hospitals could help improve the quality of medical care and develop medical tourism. On the other hand, Medical care related NGO insist that for-profit hospitals will not fix the existing medical problems in Korea, only create new ones. Recently, a type of for-profit hospitals emerged in dentistry and caused much trouble. Accordingly, We try to carefully look at for-profit hospitals related policy and debate.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.428-436
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate the study subjects' awareness on hospice & palliative care service; and explore its activation methods of Long-term care hospitals located in the metropolitan cities B and K. The total of returned survey was answered from 183 employees on Long-term care hospitals which it was selected 13 institutions. One month to study during from July 1 to July 30, 2016 the researchers visited to investigate relevant data and surveyed to examine their awareness and activation methods. The returned survey questionnaires were processed with SPSS 21.0 for basic data analysis. The results of the 13 institutions under this research, 9 institutions provided hospice & palliative care education once a year. Most of the staff members were found to be aware of the idea of hospice & palliative care, think of it as a good program, and wish it to be implemented(81.9%). They answered that the reason of not implementing the hospice&palliative care was the 'lack of personnel(50.8%)', 'lack of knowledge on hospice&palliative care program; and presented activation method was 'insurance fee introduction(15.8%)' followed by 'service education(15%)' and 'governmental financial support(14%)'.