• Title/Summary/Keyword: medical specialist

Search Result 347, Processing Time 0.025 seconds

Problems in the field of maternal and child health care and its improvement in rural Korea (우리나라 농촌(農村)의 모자보건(母子保健)의 문제점(問題點)과 개선방안(改善方案))

  • Lee, Sung-Kwan
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
    • /
    • v.1 no.1
    • /
    • pp.29-36
    • /
    • 1976
  • Introduction Recently, changes in the patterns and concepts of maternity care, in both developing and developed countries have been accelerating. An outstanding development in this field is the number of deliveries taking place in hospitals or maternity centers. In Korea, however, more than 90% of deliveries are carried out at home with the help of untrained relatives or even without helpers. It is estimated that less than 10% of deliveries are assisted by professional persons such as a physician or a midwife. Taking into account the shortage of professional person i11 rural Korea, it is difficult to expect widespread prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care by professional persons in the near future, It is unrealistic, therefore, to expect rapid development of MCH care by professional persons in rural Korea due to economic and sociological reasons. Given these conditions. it is reasonable that an educated village women could used as a "maternity aid", serving simple and technically easy roles in the MCH field, if we could give such a women incentive to do so. The midwife and physician are assigned difficult problems in the MCH field which could not be solved by the village worker. However, with the application of the village worker system, we could expect to improve maternal and child hoalth through the replacement of untrained relatives as birth attendants with educated and trained maternity aides. We hope that this system will be a way of improving MCH care, which is only one part of the general health services offered at the local health centre level. Problems of MCH in rural Korea The field of MCH is not only the weakest point in the medical field in our country hut it has also dropped behind other developing countries. Regarding the knowledge about pregnancy and delivery, a large proportion of our respondents reported having only a little knowledge, while 29% reported that they had "sufficient" knowledge. The average number of pregnancies among women residing in rural areas was 4.3 while the rate of women with 5 or more pregnancies among general women and women who terminated childbearing were 43 and 80% respectively. The rate of unwanted pregnancy among general women was 19.7%. The total rate for complications during pregnancy was 15.4%, toxemia being the major complication. The rate of pregnant women with chronic disease was 7%. Regarding the interval of pregnancy, the rates of pregnancy within 12 months and within 36 months after last delivery were 9 and 49% respectively. Induced abortion has been increasing in rural areas, being as high as 30-50% in some locations. The maternal death rate was shown 10 times higher than in developed countries (35/10,000 live births). Prenatal care Most women had no consultation with a physician during the prenatal period. Of those women who did have prenatal care, the majority (63%) received such care only 1 or 2 times throughout the entire period of pregnancy. Also, in 80% of these women the first visit Game after 4 months of gestation. Delivery conditions This field is lagging behind other public health problems in our country. Namely, more than 95% of the women deliveried their baby at home, and delivery attendance by a professional person occurred only 11% of the time. Attendance rate by laymen was 78% while those receiving no care at all was 16%. For instruments used to cut the umbilical corn, sterilized scissors were used by 19%, non-sterilized scissors by 63% and 16% used sickles. Regarding delivery sheets, the rate of use of clean sheets was only 10%, unclean sheets, vinyl and papers 72%, and without sheets, 18%. The main reason for not using a hospital as a place of delivery was that the women felt they did not need it as they had previously experience easy deliveries outside hospitals. Difficult delivery composed about 5% of the total. Child health The main food for infants (95%) was breast milk. Regarding weaning time, the rates within one year, up to one and half, two, three and more than three years were 28,43,60,81 and 91% respectively, and even after the next pregnancy still continued lactation. The vaccination of children is the only service for child health in rural Korea. As shown in the Table, the rates of all kinds of vaccination were very low and insufficient. Infant death rate was 42 per 1,000 live births. Most of the deaths were caused by preventable diseases. Death of infants within the neonatal period was 83% meaning that deaths from communicable diseases decreased remarkably after that time. Infant deaths which occurred without medical care was 52%. Methods of improvement in the MCH field 1. Through the activities of village health workers (VHW) to detect pregnant women by home visiting and. after registration. visiting once a month to observe any abnormalities in pregnant women. If they find warning signs of abnormalities. they refer them to the public health nurse or midwife. Sterilized delivery kits were distributed to the expected mother 2 weeks prior to expected date of delivery by the VHW. If a delivery was expected to be difficult, then the VHW took the mother to a physician or call a physician to help after birth, the VHW visits the mother and baby to confirm health and to recommend the baby be given proper vaccination. 2. Through the midwife or public health nurse (aid nurse) Examination of pregnant women who are referred by the VHW to confirm abnormalities and to treat them. If the midwife or aid nurse could not solve the problems, they refer the pregnant women to the OB-GY specialist. The midwife and PHN will attend in the cases of normal deliveries and they help in the birth. The PHN will conduct vaccination for all infants and children under 5, years old. 3. The Physician will help only in those cases referred to him by the PHN or VHW. However, the physician should examine all pregnant women at least three times during their pregnancy. First, the physician will identify the pregnancy and conduct general physical examination to confirm any chronic disease that might disturb the continuity of the pregnancy. Second, if the pregnant woman shows any abnormalities the physician must examine and treat. Third, at 9 or 10 months of gestation (after sitting of the baby) the physician should examine the position of the fetus and measure the pelvis to recommend institutional delivery of those who are expected to have a difficult delivery. And of course. the medical care of both the mother and the infants are responsible of the physician. Overall, large areas of the field of MCH would be served by the VHW, PHN, or midwife so the physician is needed only as a parttime worker.

  • PDF

A Study on Satisfaction of Practicing Dentists about Prosthesis in Pusan Part I : About Fixed Prosthetic appliances (부산지역(釜山地域) 개업치과(開業齒科)의 치과보철물(齒科補綴物)에 관(關)한 만족도(滿足度) 조사(調査)(I) - 일부정식 치과 보철물에 관하여 -)

  • Lee, Myung-Kon
    • Journal of Technologic Dentistry
    • /
    • v.10 no.1
    • /
    • pp.159-169
    • /
    • 1988
  • Fixed prosthetic appliance is the restorations of damaged teeth with cast metal or porcelain, and of replacing missing teeth with fixed, or cemented prosthesis. Successfully treating a patient by means of fixed prosthodontics requires the thoughtful combination of dentist and dental laboratory technician. In order to know the satisfaction of dentisits about fixed prosthetic appliances-porcelain, precious and non precious metal-, this study was conducted for 69 practicing dentisis in Pusan during Fed. to Mar. 1988 using a questionnaire method and was analyzed by the use of percentage, $X^2$-test The results are obtained as follow: 1. General characteristics of the respondents, The rate of age distribution of practcing dentists responded was as follow : 31$\sim$35 age group is 29.0%, 51$\sim$55age group 18.8%, 41$\sim$45 age group and 46$\sim$50 group each 11.6%, 36$\sim$40 age group and 56$\sim$60 age group 8.7%, over 60 age group 7.3%, below 30 age group 4.3% respectively. The tate of term of practice experience distribution of dentists responded was as follow : 6$\sim$10 year group 26.1%, 25$\sim$25year group 18.8%, 11$\sim$15 years group and 16~20 years group each 13.0%, below 5 years group and over 30 years group each 10.2%, 26$\sim$30 years group 8.7% in order. The rate of respondents’ degree was follow : bachelor group 81.2%, doctor group 13.0%, master group 5.8% in order. The rate of respondents’completed medical specialist course was as follow : non-complete group 75.4%, complete group 24.6%. The rate of having own laboratory in respondents’clinic was as follow : no having own laboratory group 58.0%, having own labiratory group 42.0% The rate of being lab. technician in respondent;s clinic was as follow: non-being lab. technician group 91.3%, being lab. technician group 8.7%. The rate of transactional commercial dental lab. numbers was as follow : I dental lab. group 40.6%, 2 dental lab. group 30.4%, 3 dental lab. group 20.3%, production at own lab. group 8.7% 2. Cognitions about the respondent's job, About cognition of patient numvers, there were neither many nor few group 62.3%, few group 17.4%, many group 15.9%, too many group 4.4% in order.(P<.01) As compared with the ratio of dentists to patient prothetic treatment, there were moderate level group 46.4%, high level group 33.6%, low level group 18.8% in order.(P<.01) By job satisfaction of respondents, the highest percentage group was satisfied group 44.9%, neither astisfied nor disstified group 33.3%, dissatisfied group 14.5%, much satisfied group 7.3%(P<.01). As compared with the level of prosthetics price, the were moderate level group 71.0%, low level group 23.2%, high level group 5.8%(P<.01) 3. Satisfaction and assessment of dissatisfied factor of the fixed prosthetic appliance, As compared with the satisfaction of al prosthetic appliance, there were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied group 59.4%, satisfied group 20.3% dissatisfied group 18.8%, much satisfied group 1.5% in order.(P<.01). About precious and non precious metal crown and bridge, there were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied group 60.9%, satisfied group 24.6%, dissatisfied group 11.6%, much satisfied group 2.9% in order.(P<.01) The reat of respondent;s satisfaction about porcelain crown and bridge was as follow : neither satisfied nor dissatisfied group 43.5%, dissatisfied group 33.3%, satisfied group 21.7%, much satisfied group 1.5%(P<.01). The rate of respondent's dissatisfied factor item of precious and non precious metal crown and bridge was as follow : inadequate margin fit item 39.1% respondent, inadequate occlusion item 24.6%, inadequate adaptation item 23.2%, poor anat omic form item 15.9%, inadequate contact item 31.9%, improper polishing item 4.4%, the rest item 11.6% respectively. The rate of respondent's dissatisfied factor item of porcelain crown and bridge was as follow : inadequate margin fit item 52.2%, inadequate occlusion item 2.9%, inadequate adaptation item 10.1%, poor anatomic form item 11.6%, improper polishing item 1.5%, shade mismatching item 71%, the rest item 7.2% respectively. The rate of cognition of respondents’ about cause of dissatisfied factor on fixed prosthetic appliance by item was as follow : deficiency of sincerity item 55.1%, deficiency of knowledge about work item 47.8%, deficiency of experience item 15.9%, poor quality of using material item 5.8%, the rest item 2.9% respectively.

  • PDF

Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Titration and Time to Reach Optima1 Pressure in Sleep Apnea Syndrome (수면 무호흡 증후군에서 지속적 양압 치료시의 최적압 및 그 도달기간)

  • Lee, Kwan-Ho;Lee, Hyun-Woo
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
    • /
    • v.42 no.1
    • /
    • pp.84-92
    • /
    • 1995
  • Background: Nasal applied continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) is a highly effective method of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. More than a decade of accumulated experience with this treatment modality confirmed that it is unquestionably the medical treatment of choice for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. However it takes long time to reach optimal CPAP pressure. To save the time to reach optimal pressure, it is necessary to clarify the time to reach optimal pressure for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Method: CPAP pressure is titrated during an overnight study according to a standardized protocol. Just before the presleep bio-calibration procedures, the technician applies the nasal mask and switches on the clinical CPAP unit. Initial positive for pressure is typically 3.0 centimeters of water pressure. After sleep onset, the technician gradually increases the pressure until sleep-disordered breathing events disappear or become minimal. The pressure must maintain maximal airway patency during both NREM and REM sleep to be considered effective. Before recommending a final pressure setting, sleep recording and oximetry data are reviewed by an American Board of Sleep Medicine certified Sleep Specialist and a Registrered Polysomnographic Technologist. Results: We examined the time required to reach optimal pressure during routine CPAP titration in 127 consecutively evaluated individuals diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing. Results indicate that 33% of patients required more than four hours to attain satisfactory titration. This indicates that a four-hour session is marginally enough time, at best, to determine a proper CPAP pressure setting. Moreover, 60 of 127 patients required further adjustment after optimal pressure was reached. These additional pressure trials were needed to confirm that higher pressures were not superior for eliminating sleep-disordered breathing events. Conclusions: The data presented underscore the logistical difficulty of titrating CPAP during split-night studies without modifying the titration procedure. Futhermore, the time needed to reach optimal pressure makes it improbable that proper CPAP titration can be performed during a 2-3 hour nap study.

  • PDF

Maternal and Child Factors Associated with Early Detection of Cerebral Palsy (뇌성마비아 조기발견과 관련된 모자인자)

  • Bae, Sung-Soo;Park, Jung-Han
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
    • /
    • v.20 no.2 s.22
    • /
    • pp.312-321
    • /
    • 1987
  • To investigate the maternal and child factors associated with early detection of cerebral palsy, 74 mothers of cerebral palsy children who were born since January 1, 1980 and being treated at Taegu Rehabilitation Center for the Handicapped, Rehabilitiation Center of Taegu University, St. Paul Children's House and Pusan Welfare Association of Cerebral Palsy Children were interviewed from February to April 1987. There is no association between age of child when parents noticed the child's abnormality and educational level of father but it tend to be detected earlier when education level of mother is college or above compared with high school or under. There is a trend of earlier detection of child's abnormality although statistically not significant in case father is professional or managerial worker, monthly income of father is over \610,000, child is first-born, age of the parents is 34 years or under, child is a boy, and child has periodic well-baby check-up. The child's abnormality is detected earlier when mothers had 7 prenatal visits or more compared with those who had 6 visits or less (p<0.05). Parents noticed the child's abnormality first in 85.1% of the cases whereas doctors detected it first in 2.7% and this percentage was not different whether the child had periodic well-baby check-up or not. The first physician's diagnosis of the children was cerebral palsy in 36.5% and the rest was normal, need for observation, uncertain, etc. Parents took the child to doctor for diagnosis 2-3 months after they noticed the child's abnormality and after the child was diagnosed as cerebral palsy parents either took no therapeutic measure or brought the child to physiotherapy or acupuncture or gave herb medicine before they started specific rehabilitative therapy. For early detection of the cerebral palsy children, teaching of evaluation method for child development should be reinforced both in medical school and clinical training course and should train the specialist for diagnosis and treatment of crippling conditions. Also, public education is needed for the importance of early detection of crippling conditions and currently available methods for diagnosis and treatment.

  • PDF

Determination of Cost and Measurement of nursing Care Hours for Hospice Patients Hospitalized in one University Hospital (일 대학병원 호스피스 병동 입원 환자의 간호활동시간 측정과 원가산정)

  • Kim, Kyeong-Uoon
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
    • /
    • v.6 no.3
    • /
    • pp.389-404
    • /
    • 2000
  • This study was designed to determine the cost and measurement of nursing care hours for hospice patients hostpitalized in one university hospital. 314 inpatients in the hospice unit 11 nursing manpower were enrolled. Study was taken place in C University Hospital from 8th to 28th, Nov, 1999. Researcher and investigator did pilot study for selecting compatible hospice patient classification indicators. After modifying patient classification indicators and nursing care details for general ward, approved of content validity by specialist. Using hospice patient classification indicators and per 5 min continuing observation method, researcher and investigator recorded direct nursing care hours, indirect nursing care hours, and personnel time on hospice nursing care hours, and personnel time on hospice nursing care activities sheet. All of the patients were classified into Class I(mildly ill), Class II (moderately ill), Class III (acutely ill), and Class IV (critically ill) by patient classification system (PCS) which had been carefully developed to be suitable for the Korean hospice ward. And then the elements of the nursing care cost was investigated. Based on the data from an accounting section (Riccolo, 1988), nursing care hours per patient per day in each class and nursing care cost per patient per hour were multiplied. And then the mean of the nursing care cost per patient per day in each class was calculated. Using SAS, The number of patients in class and nursing activities in duty for nursing care hours were calculated the percent, the mean, the standard deviation respectively. According to the ANOVA and the $Scheff{\'{e}$ test, direct nursing care hours per patient per day for the each class were analyzed. The results of this study were summarized as follows : 1. Distribution of patient class : class IN(33.5%) was the largest class the rest were class II(26.1%) class III(22.6%), class I(17.8%). Nursing care requirements of the inpatients in hospice ward were greater than that of the inpatients in general ward. 2. Direct nursing care activities : Measurement ${\cdot}$ observation 41.7%, medication 16.6%, exercise ${\cdot}$ safety 12.5%, education ${\cdot}$ communication 7.2% etc. The mean hours of direct nursing care per patient per day per duty were needed ; 69.3 min for day duty, 64.7 min for evening duty, 88.2 min for night duty, 38.7 min for shift duty. The mean hours of direct nursing care of night duty was longer than that of the other duty. Direct nursing care hours per patient per day in each class were needed ; 3.1 hrs for class I, 3.9 hrs for class II, 4.7 hrs for class III, and 5.2 hrs for class IV. The mean hours of direct nursing care per patient per day without the PCS was 4.1 hours. The mean hours of direct nursing care per patient per day in class was increased significantly according to increasing nursing care requirements of the inpatients(F=49.04, p=.0001). The each class was significantly different(p<0.05). The mean hours of direct nursing care of several direct nursing care activities in each class were increased according to increasing nursing care requirements of the inpatients(p<0.05) ; class III and class IV for medication and education ${\cdot}$ communication, class I, class III and class IV for measurement ${\cdot}$ observation, class I, class II and class IV for elimination ${\cdot}$ irrigation, all of class for exercise ${\cdot}$ safety. 3. Indirect nursing care activities and personnel time : Recognization 24.2%, house keeping activity 22.7%, charting 17.2%, personnel time 11.8% etc. The mean hours of indirect nursing care and personnel time per nursing manpower was 4.7 hrs. The mean hours of indirect nursing care and personnel time per duty were 294.8 min for day duty, 212.3 min for evening duty, 387.9 min for night duty, 143.3 min for shift duty. The mean of indirect nursing care hours and personnel time of night duty was longer than that of the other duty. 4. The mean hours of indirect nursing care and personnel time per patient per day was 2.5 hrs. 5. The mean hours of nursing care per patient per day in each class were class I 5.6 hrs, class II 6.4 hrs, class III 7.2 hrs, class IV 7.7 hrs. 6. The elements of the nursing care cost were composed of 2,212 won for direct nursing care cost, 267 won for direct material cost and 307 won for indirect cost. Sum of the elements of the nursing care cost was 2,786 won. 7. The mean cost of the nursing care per patient per day in each class were 15,601.6 won for class I, 17,830.4 won for class II, 20,259.2 won for class III, 21,452.2 won for class IV. As above, using modified hospice patient classification indicators and nursing care activity details, many critical ill patients were hospitalized in the hospice unit and it reflected that the more nursing care requirements of the patients, the more direct nursing care hours. Emotional ${\cdot}$ spiritual care, pain ${\cdot}$ symptom control, terminal care, education ${\cdot}$ communication, narcotics management and delivery, attending funeral ceremony, the major nursing care activities, were also the independent hospice service. But it is not compensated by the present medical insurance system. Exercise ${\cdot}$ safety, elimination ${\cdot}$ irrigation needed more nursing care hours as equal to that of intensive care units. The present nursing management fee in the medical insurance system compensated only a part of nursing car service in hospice unit, which rewarded lower cost that that of nursing care.

  • PDF

A Study on Personal hygiene of Primary School Students (초등학교 아동의 개인위생에 대한 조사)

  • Kim, Jae-Sam;Nam, Cbul-Hyun;Kang, Hae-Yang
    • Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
    • /
    • v.9 no.1
    • /
    • pp.109-123
    • /
    • 1996
  • The study was designed to gain necessary basic data, in order to grasp the actual condition on personal hygiene of primary school students and to help school health education and child health education data development of parents of students, the survery was carried out through this reporter's interview for mothers who have primary school pupil in KyungBug area during the period of a month from 14 the April to 30 the April 1994. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. 1. As for general characteristics, the percent of answer mothers with 30~34 years 44.9%, and the percent of answer mothers with 35~39 years was 37.6%, 14.6% of answer mother was 40 years and over. The most house types was apartment house, that is 64.8% and independence house was 18.9%, 13.7% of answer mothers was multivalent house residents. As for level of school career, the percent of high school was 64.2% and the percent of university was 20.5%, 10.1% of answer mothers was finishment of middle school. As for religion a lack of religion was 38.4% and a Buddhist was 36.8%, a christian was 13.4%, 10.4% of answer mothers was a catholic. As for jobs, the percent of office was 33.9%, specialist and expert skiller was 17.3%, self-management was 16.0%, fishing and agrarian villiages was 11.6%, public service personnel and shool personnel was 9.1%. As for the number of sons and daughters, the percent of two was 70.5%, the percent of one was 16.0%, and the percent of male students was 54.1%. As for level of economic life middle level was 59.9%. 2. The percentage of washing hand after school hours was 66.8% and not washing hand after school hours was 33.2%. In washing hand after school hours family of independence house, mothers that have schoolcareer of university, female students, three and over of sons and daughters was high individually (p<0.05). 3. As for paring one's nails, once a ten days was 52.9% once a five days was 22.5% once a fifteen days was 19.0%, once a twenty and over was 5.6%. 4. 54.7% of primary school students of answer mother's take a bath once a few days and 31.6% take a bath once a week, 10.1% take a bath once a tendays. 5. The percentage of changing of underwear once a day was 60.9%, once a few days was 37.1%, once a week was 2.0%, as for changing of underwear, sons and daughters that has mothers with 29 years and downward, one number of sons and daughters, females students was high individually (p<0.01). 6. The percentage of haircut once a 20~30 days was 59.9%, once a 31~40 days was 17.9%, once a 40 days and over was 16.6%. As for the percentage of haircut once a 20~30 days apartment house residents, male students was high (p<0.01). 7. The percentage of experience in taking nutrition was 79.8% and the percentage of experience in taking restorative was 72.3%. As for taking nutrition, apartment house residents, one number of sons and daughters, male students was high individually (p<0.01). As for taking restorative apartment house residents, on number of sons and daughters, male students was high individually (p<0.05). 8. The percentage of habit of unbalanced diet was 44.0%, sons and daughters that have mother with 40 years and over apartment house residents, male students, one number of sons and daughters was high indivdually (p<0.05). 9. As for hygiene condition of sons and daughters, the percentage of good state of health was 65.2%, middle state of health was 3.5% bad state of health was 11.4%. In good state of health sons and daughters that have mothers with 29 years and downward, multivalent house residents, three numbers of sons and daughters, female students, high birth was high individually. 10. As for fattness of sons and daughters, existence was 18.2%. No existence was 81.8%. in existence sons and daughters who have mothers with 40 years and downward, independence house resident, special job and expert skill job, three and over number of sons and daughters, female students, low birth was high individually. 11. As for use aspect of medical facilities of sons and daughters, hospital doctors was 53.1%, drugstore was 42.3%, chinese medicine hospitals or health organization was 4.6%. In usage of drugstore, sons and daughters of mothers with 29 years, 40 years and over was 55.6%, 61.4% individully, inusage of hospital doctors 30~34 years, 34~39 tears was 64.5%, 49.1% individully (p<0.01), apartment house residents, one or two numbers of sons and daughters, male students was high individually. In the percentage of using drugstore, school career of middle school and downward, in occupation, three and over numbers of sons and daughters, low birth was high individually (p<0.05). According to the results mentioned above. An actual condition and a related matters on personal hygiene of primary school students must be used as the basis data of a health education program and a health data of a health education program and a health data related, a teaching materials development and must be helped to the health life education of parents of students and childs.

  • PDF

An Intervention Study on Integration of Family Planning and Maternal/Infant Care Services in Rural Korea (가족계획과 모자보건 통합을 위한 조산원의 투입효과 분석 -서산지역의 개입연구 평가보고-)

  • Bang, Sook;Han, Seung-Hyun;Lee, Chung-Ja;Ahn, Moon-Young;Lee, In-Sook;Kim, Eun-Shil;Kim, Chong-Ho
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
    • /
    • v.20 no.1 s.21
    • /
    • pp.165-203
    • /
    • 1987
  • This project was a service-cum-research effort with a quasi-experimental study design to examine the health benefits of an integrated Family Planning (FP)/Maternal & Child health (MCH) Service approach that provides crucial factors missing in the present on-going programs. The specific objectives were: 1) To test the effectiveness of trained nurse/midwives (MW) assigned as change agents in the Health Sub-Center (HSC) to bring about the changes in the eight FP/MCH indicators, namely; (i)FP/MCH contacts between field workers and their clients (ii) the use of effective FP methods, (iii) the inter-birth interval and/or open interval, (iv) prenatal care by medically qualified personnel, (v) medically supervised deliveries, (vi) the rate of induced abortion, (vii) maternal and infant morbidity, and (viii) preinatal & infant mortality. 2) To measure the integrative linkage (contacts) between MW & HSC workers and between HSC and clients. 3) To examine the organizational or administrative factors influencing integrative linkage between health workers. Study design; The above objectives called for quasi-experimental design setting up a study and control area with and without a midwife. An active intervention program (FP/MCH minimum 'package' program) was conducted for a 2 year period from June 1982-July 1984 in Seosan County and 'before and after' surveys were conducted to measure the change. Service input; This study was undertaken by the Soonchunhyang University in collaboration with WHO. After a baseline survery in 1981, trained nurses/midwives were introduced into two health sub-centers in a rural setting (Seosan county) for a 2 year period from 1982 to 1984. A major service input was the establishment of midwifery services in the existing health delivery system with emphasis on nurse/midwife's role as the link between health workers (nurse aids) and village health workers, and the referral of risk patients to the private physician (OBGY specialist). An evaluation survey was made in August 1984 to assess the effectiveness of this alternative integrated approach in the study areas in comparison with the control area which had normal government services. Method of evaluation; a. In this study, the primary objective was first to examine to what extent the FP/MCH package program brought about changes in the pre-determined eight indicators (outcome and impact measures) and the following relationship was first analyzed; b. Nevertheless, this project did not automatically accept the assumption that if two or more activities were integrated, the results would automatically be better than a non-integrated or categorical program. There is a need to assess the 'integration process' itself within the package program. The process of integration was measured in terms of interactive linkages, or the quantity & quality of contacts between workers & clients and among workers. Intergrative linkages were hypothesized to be influenced by organizational factors at the HSC clinic level including HSC goals, sltrurture, authority, leadership style, resources, and personal characteristics of HSC staff. The extent or degree of integration, as measured by the intensity of integrative linkages, was in turn presumed to influence programme performance. Thus as indicated diagrammatically below, organizational factors constituted the independent variables, integration as the intervening variable and programme performance with respect to family planning and health services as the dependent variable: Concerning organizational factors, however, due to the limited number of HSCs (2 in the study area and 3 in the control area), they were studied by participatory observation of an anthropologist who was independent of the project. In this observation, we examined whether the assumed integration process actually occurred or not. If not, what were the constraints in producing an effective integration process. Summary of Findings; A) Program effects and impact 1. Effects on FP use: During this 2 year action period, FP acceptance increased from 58% in 1981 to 78% in 1984 in both the study and control areas. This increase in both areas was mainly due to the new family planning campaign driven by the Government for the same study period. Therefore, there was no increment of FP acceptance rate due to additional input of MW to the on-going FP program. But in the study area, quality aspects of FP were somewhat improved, having a better continuation rate of IUDs & pills and more use of effective Contraceptive methods in comparison with the control area. 2. Effects of use of MCH services: Between the study and control areas, however, there was a significant difference in maternal and child health care. For example, the coverage of prenatal care was increased from 53% for 1981 birth cohort to 75% for 1984 birth cohort in the study area. In the control area, the same increased from 41% (1981) to 65% (1984). It is noteworthy that almost two thirds of the recent birth cohort received prenatal care even in the control area, indicating that there is a growing demand of MCH care as the size of family norm becomes smaller 3. There has been a substantive increase in delivery care by medical professions in the study area, with an annual increase rate of 10% due to midwives input in the study areas. The project had about two times greater effect on postnatal care (68% vs. 33%) at delivery care(45.2% vs. 26.1%). 4. The study area had better reproductive efficiency (wanted pregancies with FP practice & healthy live births survived by one year old) than the control area, especially among women under 30 (14.1% vs. 9.6%). The proportion of women who preferred the 1st trimester for their first prenatal care rose significantly in the study area as compared to the control area (24% vs 13%). B) Effects on Interactive Linkage 1. This project made a contribution in making several useful steps in the direction of service integration, namely; i) The health workers have become familiar with procedures on how to work together with each other (especially with a midwife) in carrying out their work in FP/MCH and, ii) The health workers have gotten a feeling of the usefulness of family health records (statistical integration) in identifying targets in their own work and their usefulness in caring for family health. 2. On the other hand, because of a lack of required organizational factors, complete linkage was not obtained as the project intended. i) In regards to the government health worker's activities in terms of home visiting there was not much difference between the study & control areas though the MW did more home visiting than Government health workers. ii) In assessing the service performance of MW & health workers, the midwives balanced their workload between 40% FP, 40% MCH & 20% other activities (mainly immunization). However, $85{\sim}90%$ of the services provided by the health workers were other than FP/MCH, mainly for immunizations such as the encephalitis campaign. In the control area, a similar pattern was observed. Over 75% of their service was other than FP/MCH. Therefore, the pattern shows the health workers are a long way from becoming multipurpose workers even though the government is pushing in this direction. 3. Villagers were much more likely to visit the health sub-center clinic in the study area than in the control area (58% vs.31%) and for more combined care (45% vs.23%). C) Organization factors (admistrative integrative issues) 1. When MW (new workers with higher qualification) were introduced to HSC, it was noted that there were conflicts between the existing HSC workers (Nurse aids with less qualification than MW) and the MW for the beginning period of the project. The cause of the conflict was studied by an anthropologist and it was pointed out that these functional integration problems stemmed from the structural inadequacies of the health subcenter organization as indicated below; i) There is still no general consensus about the objectives and goals of the project between the project staff and the existing health workers. ii) There is no formal linkage between the responsibility of each member's job in the health sub-center. iii) There is still little chance for midwives to play a catalytic role or to establish communicative networks between workers in order to link various knowledge and skills to provide better FP/MCH services in the health sub-center. 2. Based on the above findings the project recommended to the County Chief (who has power to control the administrative staff and the technical staff in his county) the following ; i) In order to solve the conflicts between the individual roles and functions in performing health care activities, there must be goals agreed upon by both. ii) The health sub·center must function as an autonomous organization to undertake the integration health project. In order to do that, it is necessary to support administrative considerations, and to establish a communication system for supervision and to control of the health sub-centers. iii) The administrative organization, tentatively, must be organized to bind the health worker's midwive's and director's jobs by an organic relationship in order to achieve the integrative system under the leadership of health sub-center director. After submitting this observation report, there has been better understanding from frequent meetings & communication between HW/MW in FP/MCH work as the program developed. Lessons learned from the Seosan Project (on issues of FP/MCH integration in Korea); 1) A majority or about 80% of the couples are now practicing FP. As indicated by the study, there is a growing demand from clients for the health system to provide more MCH services than FP in order to maintain the achieved small size of family through FP practice. It is fortunate to see that the government is now formulating a MCH policy for the year 2,000 and revising MCH laws and regulations to emphasize more MCH care for achieving a small size family through family planning practice. 2) Goal consensus in FP/MCH shouBd be made among the health workers It administrators, especially to emphasize the need of care of 'wanted' child. But there is a long way to go to realize the 'real' integration of FP into MCH in Korea, unless there is a structural integration FP/MCH because a categorical FP is still first priority to reduce the rate of population growth for economic reasons but not yet for health/welfare reasons in practice. 3) There should be more financial allocation: (i) a midwife should be made available to help to promote the MCH program and coordinate services, (in) there should be a health sub·center director who can provide leadership training for managing the integrated program. There is a need for 'organizational support', if the decision of integration is made to obtain benefit from both FP & MCH. In other words, costs should be paid equally to both FP/MCH. The integration slogan itself, without the commitment of paying such costs, is powerless to advocate it. 4) Need of management training for middle level health personnel is more acute as the Government has already constructed 90 MCH centers attached to the County Health Center but without adequate manpower, facilities, and guidelines for integrating the work of both FP and MCH. 5) The local government still considers these MCH centers only as delivery centers to take care only of those visiting maternity cases. The MCH center should be a center for the managment of all pregnancies occurring in the community and the promotion of FP with a systematic and effective linkage of resources available in the county such as i.e. Village Health Worker, Community Health Practitioner, Health Sub-center Physicians & Health workers, Doctors and Midwives in MCH center, OBGY Specialists in clinics & hospitals as practiced by the Seosan project at primary health care level.

  • PDF