• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.368-379
• /
• 2022

Background: This study aimed to establish a strategy to improve the poor working environment and working conditions among long-term healthcare workers in Korea. Methods: A total of 600 questionnaires with which long-term health care workers participated in the targeted base areas of each city and province nationwide were distributed directly and 525 responses were collected and 506 responses were analyzed. Surveys, on-site field visits, and in-depth interviews were also conducted to understand the working environment as well as conditions and establish a strategy for improving the working environment among long-term healthcare workers to understand the demands of working conditions and working conditions. Results: Korean long-term care workers firstly and mostly enumerated their risk factors for ill-health when lifting or moving elderly recipients directly by hand (69.9%), followed by increased physical workload with old beds, tools, and facilities (42.3%) in the workplaces, shortage of manpower (32%), and source of infection (30%). To improve the working environment as well as conditions, Korean long-term care workers considered improving low-wage structures, ergonomic improvements to solve excessive physical loads, and increasing various bonus payments as well as implementing the salary system, positive social awareness, and increasing resting time. Of 506 responses, 92.3% replied that the long-term care insurance system for the elderly should be developed to expand publicization at the national level. Conclusion: This study proposes to improve the low-wage structure of Korean long-term care workers, automation and improvement of facilities, equipment, and tools to eliminate excessive physical loads (beneficiary elderly lifting), and reduction of night labor.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.68-77
• /
• 2024

Background: Depressive disorders can be categorized into daily depression and clinical depression. The experience of depressive disorder can increase health care utilization due to decreased treatment compliance and somatization. On the other hand, the clinical depression group may also experience social prejudice associated with the illness, which can limit their access to health care utilization. In terms of the significance of health care utilization as a factor in individual and social issues, this study aims to compare the health care utilization of the clinical depression group with that of the non-depressed group and the daily depression group. Methods: The analysis utilized the inverse probability of treatment weighting based on the generalized propensity score. Results: As a result of the analysis, clinical depression and daily depression were higher among women, low-income groups, individuals with low education levels, and so forth. The clinical depression group was also higher among individuals who were not economically active, did not have private health insurance, or had multiple chronic diseases. The number of outpatient department visits in the depression group was significantly higher than in the non-depressed group. In addition, the number of outpatient department visits for the clinical depression group was significantly higher than that for the daily depression group. Outpatient medical expenses were higher in the depression group than in the non-depressed group, and there was no significant difference between the clinical depression group and the daily depression group. Conclusion: Health care utilization was higher in the depression group than the non-depressed group, it was also higher in the clinical depression group than the daily depression group.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.1045-1054
• /
• 2000

As cost pressures have escalated, policy makers, politicians, health care providers and families have tried to devise ways to reduce health care costs. While originally developed to enhance patient control and to provide better care at the end of life, hospice care has recently received significant attention as a mean of reducing health care costs. As a program providing care for patients who are dying at their homes, hospice has expanded slowly since the opening of the first hospice in Korea in 1963. Therefore, a variety of services that responds to the needs and concerns of many dying people and their families is limited The purpose of this study was to determine the potential cost savings at the end of life among patients who used home hospice compared with the patients who received institutional care in Korea. This study used a retrospective, descriptive design. The sample for this study included 46 patients who died of lung cancer: 25 patients who received home hospice care and 21 patients who received institutional care. Data on patient characteristics, kinds and frequencies of provided treatment and nursing services, and hospice and hospital charges during the last month before death were collected. Cost of care was measured by the average cost per patient per day in the last month of life. The results of the study indicated that there were significant differences in average cost of care between home hospice sample and institutional care sample (t=9.956, p<.001; home hospice sample: M=18,102 won, institutional care sample: M=317,578 won). The cost of the home hospice sample was approximately 6% of the cost of institutional care. The majority of the home hospice nursing services were education (35.7%) and supportive counseling (25.2%), followed by medication management (13.6%), assessment (12.1%), basic nursing (7.2%), treatment (5.5%) and others. In institutional care sample, basic nursing and treatment were more emphasized than education or supportive counseling among the nursing services provided. The results of this study showed the potential for hospice to reduce costs and implications for policymakers and clinicians to incorporate hospice program into the formal health care delivery system in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.77-86
• /
• 2002

The purpose of this study is to review the Home and Community Based Care Program in the United States and to examine the ways these programs help the rural elderly to maintain independent living in their own home in the community instead of moving into the nursing home. First, the overall welfare policy for the aged and service delivery systems in the United States are reviewed. Second, basic assumptions and programs of HCBC are reviewed. Third, using the informations about the elder support program in Madison, Dane County of Wisconsin as a case, various kinds and contents of specific programs are introduced. Applicability of these programs to rural Korea is discussed.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.147-158
• /
• 2006

The purpose of this paper is to review the empirical study results of conversion factors(unit prices) for relative values of health care services in the national health insurance system and establish optimal classification of health care institutions for feasible contract of conversion factors between National Health Insurance Corporation(NHIC) and provider groups, based on legal backgrounds and types of health care service delivery system. some empirical research evidences shows the validity of applying multiple conversion factors to annual contract for reimbursement in the national health insurance. Policy recommendations suggest that clinic, hospital, general hospital, tertiary hospital, dental clinic, oriental medical clinic, pharmacy, and public health centers would be a basic category of provider groups for a meaningful price contract between the NHIC and providers.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.174-176
• /
• 2010

Compared to the specialist program, the advanced general dentistry program (AGD) is designed to guarantee that dentists dealing with primary care services possess overall dental care proficiency and contribute to offering better care to customers. This program is also believed to help resolve the imbalance among the number of candidates for specialization, which came to the authorities' attention throughout the implementation of the dental specialist program. KDA will continue to implement AGD while pushing for the establishment of the program by complementing it with adjustment measures and regulations provided the dental community agrees to such actions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Computer Information Conference
• /
• 2014.01a
• /
• pp.159-160
• /
• 2014

우리나라는 세계에서 유례를 찾아보기 어려운 빠른 속도로 저출산과 더불어 고령화가 진행되어 가고 있다. 인구구조도 피라미드형 구조였으나, 최근에는 역피라미드형 구조가 되어감에 따라 생산인구 문제를 열악하게 만드는 요인으로 작용하고 있다. 노인 일자리사업은 이러한 산업구조 역행의 일부를 대체하는 측면도 있지만, 노인의 경제적 측면과 신체적 측면 그리고 사회통합의 측면에서도 효과적인 지원체계가 마련되어져야 한다.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.69-76
• /
• 2001

It is generally said that primary health care is the base of health delivery system. But in Korea, the primary care have not performed its roles well. To resolve these problems, the government has elaborate some policy measures. One of them is 'Attending Hospital System'. The purposes of this study are to understand Attending Hospital System and to anticipate the change of general hospital and clinic by this regulation.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.29-35
• /
• 2017

Background: Despite our knowledge of the causes of cancer, millions of workers are involuntarily exposed to a wide range of known and suspected carcinogens in the workplace. To address this issue from a policy perspective, we developed a policy framework based on a prospective health policy analysis. Use of the framework was demonstrated for developing policies to prevent cancers associated with diesel engine exhaust (DEE), asbestos, and shift work, three occupational carcinogens with global reach and large cancer impact. Methods: An environmental scan of existing prospective health policy analyses was conducted to select and describe our framework parameters. These parameters were augmented by considerations unique to occupational cancer. Policy-related resources, predominantly from Canada, were used to demonstrate how the framework can be applied to cancers associated with DEE, asbestos, and shift work. Results: The parameters of the framework were: problem statement, context, jurisdictional evidence, primary prevention policy options, and key policy players and their attributes. Applying the framework to the three selected carcinogens illustrated multiple avenues for primary prevention, including establishing an occupational exposure limit for DEE, banning asbestos, and improving shift schedules. The framework emphasized the need for leadership by employers and government. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first proposal for a comprehensive policy framework dedicated to the primary prevention of occupational cancer. The framework can be adapted and applied by key policy players in Canada and other countries as a guide of what parameters to consider when developing policies to protect workers' health.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.909-936
• /
• 2013

This study investigated definition of care farming in which advanced countries in agricultural industry such as Netherlands and Belgium increase their interest and investment, and established a strategy for settlement and development of care farming industry in Korea. For achieving purpose of the study, literature review was implemented to analyze policy, system, related law, workforce of advanced countries in care farming, and experts' conference which consists of 9 representatives such as professors, researchers in areas of agriculture, health, education, horticulture, animal-assisted therapy was implemented. Also survey was conducted targeting 165 people of practitioners in care farming industry. For the result, the concept of care farming in Korea was defined as 'Industry and activity which promotes psychological social physical cognitive health of every Korean people by utilizing agricultural resources(plants, livestock, rural environment, rural culture) or related activity and output', and the purpose, resources, targets of care farming was determined by the definition.