• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.26 no.4 s.44
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• pp.661-671
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• 1993

In order to compare the geographical distribution of physician by level of medical care and specialty, a log linear model was applied to the annual registration data of the Korean Medical Association as of the end of December, 1991 which was supplemented from related institutions and adjusted with relevant sources. Those physicians in primary and secondary care institutions were not statistically significantly unevenly distributed by province-level catchment area. There were some differences in physician distribution among big cities, medium and small-sized cities, and counties; however, those physicians for primary care level were equitably distributed between cities and counties. Specialties for secondary care physicians were less evenly distributed in county areas than in city areas, and generalists are distributed more evenly in cities and counties than in big cities. There is a certain limitation due to underregistration in the annual physician registration to the Korean Medical Association; however, the geographical distribution of physicians has been improved quantitatively. It is strongly suggested that specialties and the level of medical care should be considered for further physician manpower studies.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.17-41
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• 1992

During the month of October, 1990, 676 practicing physicians in Taegu City were surveyed by mail questionnaires about their general characteristics and the reasons why they chose Taegu as a practice location and 331 out of them responded completely. Collected data were analyzed to provide basic reference data for future health manpower policy which intends to solve the problem of geographical maldistribution of physicians, The major findings are as follows: For the question asking why Taegu area is favored, following lists are as the order of their magnitude of the reasons replied by more than 20% of the respondents: 1) Taegu is a foundation of life until now(81.3%) 2) Better educational environments are available for their offsprings(73.7%) 3) They can have intimate relationship with acquaintances or friends sharing same or similar interests(61.0%) 4) Due to characteristics of their specialty, metropolitan seems to fit better(52.0%), 5) They graduated from the medical school in Taegu(49.8%) 6) Never thought of selecting practice location in other area than Taegu without any specific reasons(45.9%) 7) Intelligent communications are available with other physicians(39.9%) 8) More opportunities to participate in social life, such as medical, or alumni association etc., can be given(33.2%) 9) No specific knowledge or relationships with other area are available(32.6%) 10) They finished internship or residency training in Taegu area(31.4%) 11) Facilitation of transferring patients including emergent patients can be obtained (30.8%) 12) Continuing medical educational programs are available(29.9%) 13) Sufficient medical demands are provided because of the large population(28.1%) 14) More chances to be grown up as a medical professionals can be achieved(25.7%) 15) More leizure time can be utilized for cultural activities(23.9%) 16) They had experiences to work in hospitals or facilities in Taegu area(23.3%) 17) Medical facilities of fellow physicians or alumni can be used(20.5%) In addition, 37% of female physicians answered that their spouse strongly influenced them to choose Taegu, and 33.3% of physicians with age of thirty replied that parents did so. Physicians of specialty in radiology, clinical pathology, anatomical pathology, and anesthesiology considered that patients from other hospitals and medical facilities would be referred often to them and that less competition seemed to be expected in their specialty (30.8%). In contrast, general practitioners anticipated that larger population would increase the medical demand(62.5%). 28.6% of medical practitioners who graduated medical schools in other are than Taegu and 22.0% of medical practitioners who were trained in hospitals of other area than Taegu were influenced to choose Taegu by their spouses. In consideration of above findings, we may conclude that long term and rational manpower policies should be implemented to solve the problem of geographical maldistribution of physicians as well as short term physician-inducing policies, and they have to be incorporated with equitable community development.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.5-8
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• 1981

This study concerns itself with the development of a new model of comprehensive health service for rural communities of Korea. The study was conceived to resolve the problems of both underservice in rural communities and underutilization of valuable health manpower, namely the nurses, the disenchanted elite health personnel in Korea. On review of the current situation, the greatest deficiencies in the Korean health care system were found in the availability of primary care at the peripheries of md communities, in the dissemination of knowledge of disease prevention and health care, and in the induction of and guidance for active participation by the clientele in health maintenance at the personal, family and community level Abundant untapped health resources were identified that could be brough to bear upon the national effort to extend health services to every member of the Korean Population. Therefore, it was Postulated that the problem of underservice in rural communities of Korea can be structurcturally resolved by the effective mobilization and organization of untapped health resources, and that. a primary care Nursing Service System offers the best possibility for fulfillment of rural health service goals within the current health man-power situation. In order to identify appropriate strategies to combat the present difficulties in Korean rural health services and to utilize nurses and other health personnel in community-centered health programs, a search was made for examples of innovative service models throughout the world. An extensive literature survey and field visits to project sites both in Korea and in the United States were made. Experts in the field of world health, health service, planners, administrators, and medical and nursing practitioners in Korea, in the United States as well as visitors from other Asian countries were widely consulted. On the basis of information and inputs from these experts a new rural health service model has been constructed within the conceptual framework of community development, especially of the innovation diffusion Model. It is considered especially important that citizens in each community develop capacities for self-care with assistance and supports from available health professionals and participate in health service-related decisions that affect their own well-being. The proposed model is based upon the regionalization of health care planning utilizing a comprehensive Nursing Service System at the immediate delivery level The model features: (1) a health administration unit at each administrative level; (2) mechanisms for community participation; (3) a continuous source of primary health care at the local community level; (4) relative centralization of specialty care and provision of tertiary or super-specialty care only at major national metropolitan centers; and (5) a system for patient referral to the appropriate level of care. This model has been built around professional nurses as the key community health workers because their training is particularly suited and because large numbers of well-trained nurses are currently available and being trained. The special element in this model is a professional nurse-guided, self-care facilitating primary care Community Nursing Service System. This is supported by a Nursing Extension Service as a new training and support structure. (See attached diagrams). A broad spectrum of programs was proposed for the Community Nursing Service System. These were designed to establish a balance of activities between the clinic-centered individual care component and the field activity-centered educational and supportive component of health care services. Examples of possible program alternatives and proposed guidelines for health care in specific situations were presented, as well as the roles and functions of the key health personnel within the Community Nursing Service System. This Rural Health Service Model was proposed as a real alternative to the maldistributed, inequitable, uncoordinated solo-practice, physician-centered fee-for-service health care available to Koreans today.