• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.275-284
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to provide useful insights into community-level support services for family caregivers in Korea by comparing them with the services in the United States. Similar to most developed countries, life expectancy has led to rapid population aging in Korea over the last several decades. However, despite increased social needs of long-term care for the elderly, many elderly Koreans are still dependent on their family for the long-term care. Yet, existing support programs for family caregivers are very limited. As a result, family caregivers often suffer from a lack of financial resources and emotional support. In this study, we comprehensively review the extensive literature, including relevant studies and documents of community-level support services for family caregivers of the elderly at home in Korea and the United States. One of the most important differences is that compared to Korea, diverse services based on the law of NFCSP to support the family caregivers, such as counseling, organization of support group, and educating have been available in the United States since 2000. Additionally, the legal definition of family caregivers in the United State is broader than that in Korea, where family caregivers are limited to those who are related by blood or marriage. Therefore, more caregivers are eligible for support programs and benefit from the programs in the United States. The findings of the study suggest that policy makers in Korea should legislate for diverse and comprehensive services for family caregivers. Further, it is necessary to define legal terms for family caregivers more broadly to extend beneficiaries of the programs.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.280-291
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• 2002

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the maternal child health services provided by public health centers in Pyungtaek city. Methods: Data were collected based on multiple sources of official records. A questionnaire survey was obtained from 50 mothers with premature babies, and 89 mothers with full- term babies, in order to compare their demographic factors, and physical, obstetrical, and emotional status. In addition, the investigators collected data on pre and post follow-up care for the remature group to evaluate the effects of home visiting services on them. Moreover, additional data were collected from 135 pregnant women and 315 mothers with infants, to assess their degree of satisfaction for prenatal education course and breast feeding practices. Results: 1) The pregnant women's satisfaction for the prenatal education course, knowledge, and practices on self care were considered to be high. 2) Of the mothers with infants, 62.9% experienced breast feeding, but only 35.9% of them did it for six months. 3) Premature birth rate in the region was 5.6%, and 75.6% of all premature babies received follow-up care. 4) The mothers with premature babies experienced premature rupture of membrane. placenta previa, preeclampsia, and cesarean section more frequently than the mothers with full-term babies. 5) At the pre-intervention data collection point. mothers with premature babies experienced significantly less social support than mothers with full-term babies. In addition, mothers with premature babies reported higher levels of stress and care-giving burdens, and lower level of self esteem, than mothers with full-term babies, although the differences were not statistically significant. 6) In the premature group, stress, care giving burdens, and postpartum depression decreased after the intervention, whereas maternal self esteem, and the husband's support were increased after the intervention. Social support from significant others were somewhat decreased. 7) Satisfaction for the home visiting service in the mothers with premature babies was very high. Conclusion: These results showed a possibility that the recently started maternal child health services provided by the public health centers may be efficient. Although statistically significant differences were not found, the investigators found a potential for changes in a positive direction. Long-term effects of the health services on maternal child health needs should be addressed in future studies.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.105-114
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• 2010

Recently, Web-based Survey has attempted to overcome the limitations of Paper-based survey. This method is more effective in costs and time use than traditional methods, also help respondents to understand and interest in the survey. Especially for the elderly, web-based survey is effective survey tool, because audio-visual material could be provied. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two kinds of methods which were web-based survey and paper-based survey, focused on elderly residents' needs for ubiquitous home service. The participants were older than 60 and divided into 2 groups, web-based survey and paper-based survey, each group was controlled over by age, gender, computer skill. For this study, elderly residents conducted a survey passed through 2 steps, the first was residents' needs for ubiquitous home services, the second was an evaluation of survey methods. Finding were as follows : first, there was no difference between the two groups in needs for ubiquitous home service, so survey itself can not make a difference in survey results. Second, respondents of web-based survey were more interested in and felt easier about method that they conducted than ones of paper-based survey. Finally, Web-based survey will be more effective method to be figure out the need of the elderly who are familiar with computer.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.71-81
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• 2012

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the process and outcome of a mobile computerized system for individual home visiting healthcare. Methods: A nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design was employed for this study. The newly constructed system was administered to 80 healthcare providers in the experimental group for 8 weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, and ANCOVA with the SPSS 18.0 program. Results: In the process stage, the difference in the frequency of computerized information usage between the experimental and control groups was significant as $8.88{\pm}3.20$ and $7.08{\pm}2.92$, respectively (t=3.90, p<.001). In the outcome evaluation stage, all kinds of healthy lifestyle such as alcohol use, nutrition, weight management and mental health were not improved. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the revised mobile computerized system was an effective device for individual visiting healthcare providers. Further advanced strategies for using this system should be developed and applied in a broad range of community healthcare.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.58-72
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• 2000

This study was an attempt to encourage the development of a rehabilitation delivery system and programs as a substitute service for hospitalization on the case of car accident patients, such as hospital based home health care nursing services. Various substitute services for hospitalization are required to curtail the length of stay for inpatients who were hospitalized with car accident compensation insurance. It focused on developing an estimation an early discharge day for car accident inpatients based on detailed statements of treatment for 111 inpatients who were hospitalized at the General Hospital in 1997. This study had four specific purposes as follows. First. to find out the utilization of medical services. Second, to estimate the time of early discharge and income increasing effect based on early discharge for those patients. Third, to identify the factors affecting total medical expenditure and the length of stay for those inpatients. Forth, to figure out the need of utilizing home health care nursing service for accident patients. In order to analyze the length of stay and medical expenditure for inpatients who were hospitalized due to car accidents, the authors conducted micro- and macro-analysis of medical and medical expenditure records. Micro-analysis was done by nominal group discussion of 4 expertise with the critical criteria, such as a decrease in the amount of treatment after surgery, treatments, tests, drugs and changes in the test consistency, drug methods, vital signs, start of ROM exercise, doctor's order, patient's outside visiting ability, and stable conditions. In addition to identifying variables affecting medical expenditure, and the length of stay and income effect due to early discharge day, the data was analyzed with a multiple regression analysis and linear regression analysis model by SPSS-PC for windows and Excell program. Results of this study were as follows. First. the mean length of stay was 50.3 days. whereas the mean length of stay due to early discharge was 34.3 days at the hospital. The estimation of time of early discharge depended on the length of stay. The longer the length of stay, the longer the length of time of early discharge : for instance a length of stay under 10 days was estimated as correlating to a mean length of stay of 6.6 days and early discharge of 6.5. The mean length of stay was 217.4 days and the time of early discharge was 110.1 respectively. The mean medical expenditure per day was found to be 169.085 Won and the mean medical expenditure per day showed negative linear trends according to the length of stay at the hospital. The estimation results of the income effect due to being discharged 16 days early was around 2,244,000 won per bed. However. this sum does not represent the real benefits resulting from early discharge, but rather the income increasing amount without considering medical prime cost in the general hospital. Therefore, further analysis is required on the cost containments and benefits as turn over rate per bed as the medical prime costs. The length of stay was most significant and was positive to the total medical expenditure, as expected. Surgery and patient's residential area was also an important variable in explaining medical expenditure. The level of complications was the most significant variable in explaining the length of stay. There was a high level for need a home health care nursing service which further supports early discharge for accident patients. In addition, when the patient was discharged. they needed follow up care for complications suffered during the car accident. $86.8\%$ of discharged patients responded that they needed home health services after early discharge. From these research findings, the following suggestions have been drawn. Strategies on a health care delivery system must be developed in order to focus on the consumer's needs and being planned for 21 century health policy in Korea. Community based intermediate facilities or home health care should be developed for rehabilitation services as a substitute for hospitalization in order to shorten the length of stay would be. A hospital based home health care nursing service. it would be available immediately to utilize by patients who want rehabilitation services as a substitute for hospitalization with the cooperation of car insurance companies.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.197-207
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• 2019

Objectives: This study examined the characteristics and nutritional risk of the elderly who receive home delivery services. We then analyzed the effects of the characteristics of the elderly who receive the home-delivery meal service on their nutritional risk. Methods: A total of 220 respondents who receive home-delivery meal service in Seoul participated in the survey. The survey consisted of the characteristics of the elderly (health status, tooth condition, physical activity, social participation activity, depression and relationship with neighbors), nutritional risk assessment and other general matters. The data was analyzed by using the SPSS program. Cross-tabulation analysis, t-test, correlation analysis and regression analysis were all conducted. Results: 47.0% of the subjects were under 80 years old and 53.0% were over 80 years old, The nutritional risk score, as evaluated by a Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) checklist was 10.7 points, and the high nutrition risk group was 91.5% of the subjects. The subjective self-health status score was 2.24 points (out of a total of 5 points) and the tooth status score was 3.30 points. The physical activity level was 2.17 points for the under 80 years old group and 1.76 points for the over 80 years old, and there was a significant difference according to age (p<0.01), The higher the health status, tooth condition, physical activity and social participation activity level, the lower was the nutritional risk. Further, the higher the degree of depression, the higher was the nutritional risk. Conclusions: For the healthy life of the elderly in the community, various welfare policies should be planned to increase social participation as well as to promote physical health and reduce depression.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.37-52
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to understand home hospice care status and problem in Korea, and ultimately to develop the home hospice standard. This study was conducted as a part of a study on the institutionalization of the home hospice in Korea. A focus group interview with representatives of seven home hospice agency where have provided home hospice service for years was conducted. All of the participants agreed to the essential components for home hospice service including 24 hour on call service, multidisciplinary team visiting, and periodical team meeting. Visiting frequency was 1-3 times per week mostly by nurses. And they agreed requisitely to fulfill an office for home visiting nurses, storage space, and home visiting bags. The obstacles of providing home hospice were 1) no reimbursement system, 2) difficulties to change medication at home, 3) lack of inpatient beds for symptom control. Standardization of home hospice is critical to improve service quality and to develop reimbursement system. The findings of this study could be used as a basic data to develop home hospice standards and guidelines.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.104-122
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• 2010

Long-term care insurance has been introduced in Korea a year ago, and we are in a stage requiring to set principles regarding the generosity of coverage and how to gradually extend the coverage. This study empirically analyzes how the long-term care insurance in Korea is operated. Special attention is given to who is the main beneficiary of the long-term care insurance introduction, and what is the factors influencing the elderly's decision to apply for or use long-term care services. Use of a detailed information of individuals' public health insurance and long-term care insurance from administration data made it possible to control for health status, socioeconomic status including family type, housing tenure, income level. Logit models were employed to analyze the effects of various socioeconomic factors on the likelihood of applying and using long-term care services. Also, this study employed a survey questioning whether to ever willing to take other option as a alternative to residential care or home-care and the level of cash benefit for which they are willing to replace the formal care with informal care. The result indicated that although the poorest elderly population groups are in the greatest need for the long-term care service, they are in difficulty using the service due to economic burden. This implies the copayment amount needs to be adjusted in order for the poor elderly group to be able to get the benefit of the long-term care service.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.88-100
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was to present the effects of home visiting health service on hypertension and DM clients. Method: The one-group pretest-posttest design was applied to 127 hypertension and 116 DM clients. To evaluate the effects of visiting nursing service, biological indexes and self-care abilities were measured from April to July, 2007. Result: Biological indexes and self-care abilities were improved in the hypertension and DM clients who received visiting nursing service. Especially, blood pressure and fasting blood sugar showed a dramatic decrease. Conclusion: Home visiting health service by public health centers is considered to be an effective nursing service in Gangwon-do. Therefore, case management is demanded not only for hypertension and DM but also for other chronic diseases.

• Journal of KIISE:Computing Practices and Letters
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.66-77
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• 2006

In this paper, we researched the searching and tracking locations of a home resident using ON/OFF switches and sensors and designed a remote monitoring system. As an implementation environment, this system is developed on the base of the distributed object group framework we have developed from previous works. In order to trace the moving locations of a home resident, we firstly showed a home structure which attaches ON/OFF switches and sensors to home appliances and indoor facilities being fixed in home. Whenever a home resident opens/closes these objects, the signals operated from ON/OFF switches and sensors are sent to a home server system. In this time, the real locations of ON/OFF switches and sensors that the signals are being occurred must be the current location that he/she stays. A home server system provides the functionalities that map the real location of a resident in home to virtual location designed on remote desk-tops or terminals like PDAs, and that construct a healthcare database consisted of moving patterns, moving ranges, momentum for analyzing the given searching locations and times Finally, this system provides these information for remotely monitoring services.