• 보건행정학회지
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.314-325
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• 2013

Background: Stem cell research competition is accelerating globally since President Obama signed an executive order, repealing Bush-era policy that limited use of federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research. Methods: In this paper, we conducted a comparative analysis of stem cell research policy changes in three countries, including the Human Fertilisation Embryology Act (HFEA) of UK, executive order 13,505 (removing barriers to responsible scientific research involving human stem cells) of USA, and Bioethics and Safety Act of South Korea. Debates on stem cell research are based on conflicts of fundamental beliefs that exist in the supporting and opposing coalitions. We compared regional characteristics of the advocacy coalitions in three countries and presented various factors that might be related to the policy changes. Results: The UK government, parliament, and the HFEA have sought expert consultations and public opinions to establish guidelines. UK has made social consensus through continued discussion for a long time. US President's veto power was one strongest factors influencing policy. South Korean policy was influenced by public opinion and policy brokers. Also, South Korea has not made social consensus. UK had a strong leadership and strong adjustment of coalitions but US and South Korea had not. Dr. Hwang's scandal has had one of the greatest impacts on policy decision in South Korea. Conclusion: The power of public opinion was critical in all three countries. In particular, the influence of public opinion was noticeable in South Korea. Also it turned out that in US and South Korea, the presence of a policy broker who could pursue his or her goals was the most powerful factor among the advocacy coalition factors.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.175-183
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• 2005

Considering the increasing global burden of disease attributable to nutrition, the demand for national nutrition policies is growing stronger and stronger. The Republic of Korea is beginning to respond to this growing demand and there have been numerous recent achievements in the area of nutrition. The purpose of this paper is two fold. In the first part of the paper, an overview is provided about existing nutrition action in Korea. In the second part, information is elicited from Korean experts in the field of public health and nutrition. A structured questionnaire was sent directly to renowned Korean experts and was disseminated through the list serve of the Korean Nutrition Society. It asked about existing nutrition related policies, obstacles to nutrition policies in Korea, which professions are 'responsible' for the prevention of nutrition-related diseases and for example about existing nutrition programs within settings. Twenty-two questionnaires were returned. Based on the results, the following actions were considered crucial to develop and implement a nutrition policy in Korea: having a clear advocacy strategy for nutrition to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition, increase transparency of nutrition-related action and make the information easily accessible for all stakeholders, ensure the enforcement of regulations regarding misleading and incorrect food advertisements, strengthening the (public health) nutrition workforce, strengthen the settings-based approach and build and maintain partnerships, and last not least: educate and empower the citizens and ensure that healthy choices are 'easy choices'! Acknowledging the past and ongoing efforts in Korea, it is pivotal that the nutrition workforce grows stronger and the voice of nutritionists even louder, in order to promote and ensure the health and quality of life of the country's citizens. (J Community Nutrition 7(4) : $175\∼183$, 2005)

• 의학교육논단
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.258-272
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• 2023

This study investigated the current status and educational needs of global health education (GHE) at medical schools in Korea. Among the 40 medical schools nationwide, 32 schools that agreed to participate in the study collected data through a survey in 2022, and the results were examined by frequency analysis and content analysis. In total, 87.5% of medical schools included global health-related graduation outcomes. In the curriculum, global health lessons within courses were present at 71.9% of medical schools. Regarding extracurricular activities, 66.7% and 63.0% of medical schools offered overseas clerkships and overseas volunteer work, respectively. Although there were not many medical schools with a global health-related educational environment, 96.9% of schools agreed with the necessity of GHE in medical education. The prevailing opinion was that it was appropriate to continuously cover GHE as lessons within courses throughout all years of the program in medical education. The main opinions regarding the improvement of GHE related to curriculum development, personnel expansion, and awareness improvement at medical schools. These findings are expected to serve as a basis for identifying the current status of GHE at Korean medical schools and specifying future directions of GHE.

• 보건의료산업학회지
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.197-208
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• 2012

There's an opinion that it may be a combination of change of values and social economic factors that caused low fertility of Korean society. This study intends to analyze actual conditions of family children values and gender role centered on university students in a marriageable age so draw a policy implication for overcoming low fertility. Main findings of this study are like following. First, as for analysis of childbirth intention shows average score of $3.35{\pm}1.142$ presented sex distinction that men have a higher tendency to women. Second, in gender role attitudes, it shows that gender role related on women's social activities($2.06{\pm}0.739$), traditional gender role in family($2.41{\pm}0.789$) influence on childbirth intention (p<0.001). Third, in family children values indicates moderate scores($2.95{\pm}0.648$) that son's position in family ($2.33{\pm}0.911$), relation between children and parents($2.80{\pm}1.050$), individual's position in family($3.56{\pm}0.671$) influence on childbirth intention(p<0.000) in the traditional values. Measures against low fertility will prove effective when family values are established favorable to marriage, childbirth, rearing, gender equality is settled in a society as a whole and related systems.

• 한국치위생학회지
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• 제19권6호
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• pp.891-905
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• 2019

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the current state of dementia-related education for dental hygiene degree programs in Korea, as well as to develop a dementia-related curriculum for dental hygiene programs suitable for the social characteristics of Korea. Methods: The study was conducted between April and November 2018. First, the current state of dementia-related education for dental hygiene programs in colleges throughout Korea and dementia-related education for other health care-related fields were investigated. Based on the initial findings, the basic content of the preliminary curriculum was constructed. Second, based on the opinion of the dementia-related curriculum development committee comprising 10 professors of dental hygiene, the operations of dementia-related courses and relevant details were constructed. Third, these operations and relevant details were assessed and revised based on focus-group interviews. Fourth, the dementia-related curriculum was developed based on the study findings and literature review. Results: The name of the course in the developed curriculum was set as "Elderly Dental Hygiene and Practicum." The course was established as a "major elective," and was offered as two units with two instructional sessions of two hours each. The learning goal for this course was acquiring the methods for understanding and managing the characteristics of the elderly. A consensus was reached regarding conducting the theoretical and practical lessons on some of the dementia-related content. The dementia-related curriculum comprised 10 "required contents" which is to be conducted over three weeks of theoretical lessons and two weeks of practical lessons. Conclusions: With the growing elderly population, the development and operation of the curriculum for geriatric oral health interventions are warranted in dental hygiene education. However, continued discussions and improvements are needed on the extent of educational content, considering various dementia-related symptoms and general geriatric systemic diseases.

• 한국병원경영학회지
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.71-97
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• 2004

This study conducted a comparative analysis of awareness level of review standards, continuing education, and awareness about the need for speciality and educational courses in order to improve quality of Korean health insurance review work and to present directions for policies of personnel development and continuing education to smoothly perform hospital's insurance claim work and Agency's review work. The analysis unit of the study is individuals, and survey was conducted among hospital's claim officers and Agency' review officers by distributing questionnaires. The major results of the study are as follows: First, it is found that hospital's claim officers and Agency's review officers have conflicting awareness about review standards; more Agency's review officers think that current review standards are universal and reasonable, while more hospital's claim officers believe that they need to be revised. Especially, hospital's claim officers replied that it is possible that review results can differ according to government's policies. Second, there is no significant difference between the two groups in the opinion that there are individual differences in awareness level of review standard. In particular, both groups share the opinion that review results can differ according to officer's interpretation of review standards. Third, Both review officer groups feel the need for further training and continuing education. Fourth, there is no difference between the two groups in the opinion that both groups members should be educated in review related educational institutions. However, while 81.5% of Agency's review officers the education should be offered at the Agency, only 45.2% of hospital's claim officers agreed to it. Fifth, both review personnel do not show any difference in awareness of needed experience to successfully perform review work; both groups replied that three to four years experience is necessary to smoothly perform claim work and review work. This study was tried in order to search for directions to improve Korean insurance review work in quality rather than to explore characteristics themselves of individual factors. In this sense, this study presupposed an intention that the educational subjects for further training and continuing education for the two groups should be the same in order to narrow the awareness gap between hospital's claim officers and Agency's review officers. Thus, this study suggests that it is desirable to offer beginner courses at junior colleges or in undergraduate courses and advanced courses in professional graduate school for six to twelve months. In that a comparison of awareness level of hospital's claim officers and Agency's review officers who are actually in practice should precede appropriate presentation of directions for the qualitative improvement of insurance review work in Korea, the significance of this study lies in comparatively analyzing the awareness level of hospital's claim officers and Agency's review officers and in presenting the establishment of future further training and continuing education.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.43-48
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• 2013

Purpose: The aim of this study was to demonstrate that non-participation of physical therapists on the political decision-making committee results in invasion of their interests. Methods: To demonstrate the effects, we analyzed the change of medical insurance score decided by the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee between 2001 and 2012 years, focusing on medical examination as the interest of the participation group and physical therapy cost as interest of the non-participation group. Results: Total medical insurance cost increased by 23.72%, on average. Medical examination cost increased by 23.90% and 37.66% in medical examination for new and established patients, respectively. However, physical therapy cost was reduced by 5.01%. The medical examination cost for physical therapy without medical checkup increased by 2.62%. Conclusion: This study shows that the physical therapy cost, related on the interest of the non-participative group in the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee, rather decreased while the total medical insurance cost increased.These findings demonstrate the invasion of the non-participative group on the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee. Thus, aggressive participation in political decision-making committee is necessary in order to protect and increase rights and interests of Korean physical therapists.

• 가족자원경영과 정책
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.43-64
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• 2011

This study suggests policies to rearrange the status of Health Family Support Centers, targeting hands-on workers and centering on collected problems and improvements. To attain this aim, the study rearranged the materials investigated in 2009. On this basis, the study suggests the following policies. First, Health Family Support Centers changed into Korean Institute Healthy family which could prepare a means for opinion convergence through base organizations. Thus, it is necessary to establish a Gyeonggi-do wide area Health Family Support Center. Second, space and human resource arrangement, suitable to business, are necessary, and so are stable, secure finances. Third, urban areas, agricultural villages, and fishing villages are distributed across Gyeonggi-do. Thus, the development of specialized business, suitable to Gyeonggi-do, is necessary. Consequently, this study suggests executing obligatory family education (education for engaged couples, education for parents). Fourth, case management models, unique to Health Family Support Centers, have to be developed, as well as unified services related to education, counseling, and cultural businesses. Fifth, the Health Family Support Center has to secure its own status as a hub organization of inter-regional family businesses, has to strengthen its organizational identity, and has to promote suitable business development.

• 지역사회간호학회지
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.276-285
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand levels of both mental health literacy of depression and intention of help-seeking, and then to identify the relationship of them in Korean older adults. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional survey were 395 persons over 65 years old receiving customized home visiting health care services at Chungnam province. Data were collected through interviews by visiting nurses in 2011. Results: The proportion of participants with depression was 61.8% ($6.7{\pm}3.6$). 78.2% of subjects appeared to have help-seeking intention for solving depression. The proportions of participants with ability to recognize depression was 69.1%. Although the level about knowledge and belief in self-help interventions were varied according to questionnaires, subjects understood self-help intervention of smoking accurately (86.3%) and physical activity (85.5%). Ability to recognize depression, knowledge and belief about self-help managements, and opinion of medication for treatment among health literacy variables measured in this study were related to help-seeking intention. In addition, women, visual impairment, and lower depression scores were related to help-seeking intention. Conclusion: Results demonstrate that it is necessary to improve depression health literacy to manage effectively depression of vulnerable elderly in communities. These results could be used in developing mental health literacy programs.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.103-111
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• 2013

Seven diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) prospective payment system is going to expand to all hospitals including university hospitals this year. However there are few studies on the change of practice pattern under prospective payment system in the university hospital setting. So This study was intended to predict the practice pattern change after the introduction of 7 DRGs prospective payment system in a university hospital setting. To predict the change of practice pattern, this study used simulation technique. Five hundred and nineteen patients classified as 5 DRGs in a university hospital were selected for simulation. The change of practice pattern were predicted based on clinicians' opinion. We also predicted payment change by service items. Major findings of this study are as follows. First, the total medical payment was reduced by 14.4%. The drug payment change (8.8%) took most of total payment reduction. The followings are the change of treatment material cost (3.2%), the change of laboratory tests cost (1.8%), the change of room charge (0.5%), and other payment change (0.1%), respectively. Second, most of the reduction in total medical payment resulted from the decreased amount of medical services themselves. The transfer of medical services to outpatient setting took up only 4.9% of the total payment reduction. The change of unit price or composition took up 5.5% of the total payment reduction. In this study we found that it is possible to reduce the inpatient services through practice pattern change in university hospital setting. However, it needs to be careful to adjust DRG payment after the reduction of provided services, because most of reduction was not due to service transfer but to service volume reduction. It is desirable to utilize the saving from practice pattern change as incentive to improve quality of care.