• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.51-61
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• 2016

This study attempted to investigate how mass media marketing of a hospital influences patient volume. Additionally, the association of patient volume with exposure time and the type of mass media was examined. Data from a university hospital in Bundang (from January 2014 to November 2014) were used. Degree of physicians' mass media marketing was measured by the number of media exposure. Linear mixed model for repeated measures data was run to identify the associations between the number of media exposure and patient volume. First, the number of hospital physician's mass media exposure and new patients and the first visit patients were positively associated. Second, broadcasting media which has relatively significant in patient volume is TV programs such as cultural programs and news. Third, hospital physicians with higher ranks who were exposed to press media receive more patient appointment. Also, nonsurgical hospital physicians who were exposed to press media receive more patients. Fourth, medical treatment activities for hospital staff who hold the rank of Professor in case of making an appearance at press media have relatively increased. Hospital physician's media exposure, particularly TV programs, was significantly related to patient volume for outpatients.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.188-202
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• 1996

Telehealth is widely tested in the U.S.A and other developed countries. This system is expected to solve rural health problems reducing professional isolation. Some demonstration projects showed that the system can provide quality care in reasonable prices to rural residents. However, few study has been done on whether telehealth system can attract physicians by reducing professional isolation. The system is not available to most of the rural hospitals because the price for the equipment and telephone charges are not low enough. It is promising that the system cost and telephone charges are decreasing gradually. As time passes, rural hospitals will be more viable for the system. Satisfaction of the physicians and patients is a key factor for the implementation of the system. The physicians need to understand more about telecommunication and computer systems. After physicians are well-versed about the system, we can expect wide use of telehealth in rural areas. Effort for the confidentiality and standardization should be devoted to assure patient's privacy and compatibility of patient records and exam results. In Korea, two projects are being operated in Uljin and Kurye. A study evaluated the economic efficiency of the projects suggesting that increase of the number of patients up to three times of current number or decrease in hardware costs and telecommunication charges into two thirds of the current costs. The hardware and telecommunication charges are decreasing. Another area telehealth system can be applied is psychiatric accommodation facilities. Establishment of telehealth in the psychiatric facilities will increase the access of psychiatric care for patients and is expected to be economically efficient.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1-25
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• 2005

This study purports to investigate the determinants of patient satisfaction and intent to revisit at national university hospitals in Korea. A total of 8 independent variables for outpatients, 9 independent variables for inpatients, and an intervening variable of overall patient satisfaction were selected through literature review. The independent variables for outpatients contain the level of satisfaction with physicians, nurses, ancillary staff, administrative procedure, medical cost, physical environment, facility convenience. and health recovery. With regard to the independent variables for inpatients, the quality of ward services was added to those of outpatients. Each variable contains 3 to 8 items measuring the level of satisfaction with various aspects of the variable. The sample used in this study consisted of 879 outpatients and 821 inpatients. Data were collected with interview survey and analyzed using path analysis. The major findings of the study are as follows: 1) The following variables have significantly positive effect on the intent to revisit of outpatients: health recovery, overall satisfaction, satisfaction with physicians, and ancillary staff. 2) The following variables have significantly positive effect on the intent to revisit of inpatients: health recovery, satisfaction with nurses and physicians, overall satisfaction, and administrative procedure. 3) The following variables of admission procedure, satisfaction with ancillary staff, facility convenience, quality of ward services were found to have significantly positive effect only on the level of overall satisfaction, even though they do not have significant total effect on the intent to revisit. The results of the study indicate that national university hospitals in Korea should make an effort to improve the satisfactory level of patients with clinical outcome, services provided by physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff, and the quality of administrative procedure for enhancing the intent to revisit of patients.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.91-113
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• 2002

We report and analyze the Korean physicians' recent general strike over the implementation of the Separation of Prescribing and Dispensing Practice (SPDP) in which more than 18,000 private clinics and 280 hospitals participated. Utilizing game-theoretic models of bargaining we explain why the Korean physicians were so successful in organizing intense collective action against the government and securing very favorable policy outcomes. In particular, we highlight the role of distributional conflict among social actors in shaping the details of institutional reform. The introduction of the SPDP was a necessary first step in the overall reform of health care system in Korea. However, the SPDP was perceived to be a serious threat to the economic viability of their profession by the vast majority of Korean physicians who had long been relied on the profits from selling medicines to compensate for the loss of income due to the low service fee under the previous health care system. The strong political coalition among heterogeneous physicians enabled them to organize an intense form of collective action, the general strike. Thus, physicians were successful not only in dragging the government to a bargaining table, but also winning in the bargaining and securing an outcome vastly favorable to them. On the other hand, the lack of an overall reform plan in the health care policy area, especially the finance of the National Health Insurance and the need for maintaining an image as a successful reform initiator, motivated the government to reach a quick resolution with the striking physicians.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.211-228
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• 2013

Objectives : This report describes the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures of Collaborative Practice between Korean Traditional Medicine and Western Medicine for two dementia patients. Furthermore, through these cases, we suggest a model of collaborative practice between Korean traditional medicine and western medicine for the treatment of dementia. Methods : Two patients suffering from several symptoms related to dementia received collaborative practice between Korean traditional medicine and western medicine. Physicians of deparment which paient first visit interviewed patient and patient's guardians, discussed the symptoms and the status of the patient. Since then, the medical team made a differential diagnosis based on the results of brain imaging, hematology, urine test. and apprehended the status of dementia by the neuropsychological test. Korean traditional physicians examined the physical symptoms and identified the pattern of dementia in Korean traditional medicine. Following this, they decided on the method of acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping and herbal treatment. Western physicians decided on the type of medication after consideration of the patient's other medical conditions. Every intervention was decided by both Korean traditional physicians and western physicians after discussion. The medical team provided education on dementia and counseled the guardians. They also wrote the paper for using the long-term care insurance for the aged. Results : Two patients showed no improvement on the neuropsychologic and activity of daily living tests. However, the patients' subjective physical symptoms were improved. The collaborative practice between Korean traditional medicine and western medicine improved the patients' and guardians' satisfaction. Conclusions : Through these cases, we propose a model of collaborative practice between Korean traditional medicine and western medicine for dementia categorized diagnosis-test, treatment, prevention, management. More specifically, we supplement qigong and psychotherapy which was inadequate in these cases.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.159-172
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• 2005

Purpose: The Purpose of this study was to development a verbal abuse scale for operating room nurses in Korea. Method: To achieve the purpose of the study, a questionnaire was developed to interview 30 nurses and distributed to 761 nurses who working at 28 general hospital in Korea from september 7 to November 25, 2004. Item analysis and factor analysis were carried out to validate violence predicting scale. Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was used to test reliability of the scale. The data were analyzed by using SPSS/WIN 11.5 program. Result: As a result of the item analysis and factor analysis, 17 items were selected from the total of 30 items, and four factors were labeled as 'self esteem abuse by nurses(7 items)', 'self esteem abuse by physicians(6 items)', 'sexual abuse by physicians(2 items)', 'colleague abuse by physicians(2 items)'. Four factors were explained by 60.8% out of the total variance. The first factor explained 35.456%, second factor explained 12.401% and third factor explained 6.637%. And fourth factor explained 6.304%. Reliability of the factors were tested by Cronbach's Alpha coefficient and result was 0.885. Conclusion: The scale was identified to be a tool with a high degree of reliability and validity. Therefore, this scale can be effectively utilized for assessment of verbal abuse for operating room nurses by nurses and physicians in Korea.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.36-49
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• 2015

In Intensive Care Units (ICUs), where severely ill patients are treated, importance of reducing Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) cannot be overstated. One of the simplest and most effective actions against HAI is proper hand hygiene (HH) behavior of Health Care Workers (HCWs). However, compliance varies across different cultures and different job types of HCWs (physicians, residents and nurses). This study aims to understand determinants of HH behavior by HCWs' job types in Korea. Qualitative analysis was performed based on Reasoned Action Approach style interviews with staff physicians, residents and nurses across 7 teaching hospitals. We found that all HCWs strongly believe HH is important in reducing HAI. There were, however, job type-specific HH behavior modifying factors; staff physicians stated feeling pressure to be HH behavior role model. Residents identified Quality Improvement team that measured compliance as a facilitator; a notable barrier for residents was senior physicians not washing their hands, because they were afraid of appearing impudent to their seniors. Nurses designated their chief nurse as a key referent. All participants mentioned heavy workload and lack of access to alcohol-based sanitizer as situational barriers, and sore and dry hand as deterrents to HH compliance.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.71-91
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• 2009

To assess comparatively the administrative behavior of vaccination and satisfaction of physicians by the provision method according to the National Expanded Programme on Immunization (NEPI) between 2005 and 2006 Demonstration Project in Korea. A questionnaire was performed at 582 and 64 physicians in Daegu metropolitan city and Gunpo city on 2005 (a response rate of 39.3%, 45.3%, respectively). Also, we sampled 31, 56, and 28 physicians in Gangneung city, Yangsan city, and Yeongi county on 2006 (a response rate of 35.5%, 98.2%, and 60.7%, respectively). We analyzed these data set using descriptive analysis and $\chi^2$-test through SPSS for Windows (12.0). Most question categories in Daegu metropolitan city and Gunpo city on 2005 were higher than those in the 2006 Demonstration Project regions. These were 'preparing and signing informed consent to vaccination', 'doing physical examination before periodic immunization', 'searching past shot history and inputting the current shot record through the immunization registry management program by physician', 'filing a medical record', 'satisfying the impact of 2005 and 2006 Demonstration Project and achieving the expectation of this Project', and 'improving the immunization coverage rate', et al. In conclusion, we show that the attitudes and practices of physician should be more sensitive to free vaccination services by private clinics and hospitals than public health centers. In the near future, the government must consider the opinion of physicians in implementing the NEPI by the affordable method of the public-private dynamics.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.15-27
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• 2015

As patient satisfaction is a crucial component of improved health care outcomes, there is a need to evaluate the relationship between physicians' attitude and patients' satisfaction. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between patients' satisfaction and physicians' friendly and caring attitudes by using recent physician ratings by patients. Data from a cross-sectional survey using a convenience sampling was utilized to examine the relationship between physicians' attitudes and patients' satisfaction. The independent variable was the physician's attitude, and the dependent variables were patients' satisfaction with the physician and the office setting. A total of 273,994 patients it the US were included. The patients' average (standard deviation, SD) satisfaction with the physician was 78.08 (0.14), and the average (SD) satisfaction with the office setting was 78.62 (0.12) out of 100. Physicians' attitude was a significant predicting factor impacting the patients' satisfaction with the physician and the office setting (p < 0.001). To facilitate patients' satisfaction with healthcare, a continuous effort to develop physicians' ability to communicate in an empathetic manner should be undertaken so that patients perceive their physicians as empathetic.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.79 no.5
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• pp.247-253
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to summarize the results of a survey for physicians with specialties other than radiology about imaging studies of patients referred from other institutions. The survey was promoted through individual contacts or social network service and physicians who voluntarily responded to the survey were the subjects of the study. The questionnaire consisted of 11 questions about basic information and referrals about medical imaging. A total of 160 physicians from 30 specialties participated in the survey and 95.6% of the respondents worked in tertiary care center or general hospital. Patients were frequently referred with outside medical images. The most frequently referred imaging modalities were computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. However, radiological reports from outside institutions were rarely referred. Most physicians thought that reinterpretation for outside imaging is necessary to acquire a secondary opinion. In conclusion, considering that outside radiological reports are frequently missing and there are high demands on reinterpretation for outside imaging, guidelines for referral of radiological reports with medical imaging, basic elements of radiological reports, and reinterpretation need to be developed.