• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.475-487
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• 2022

Background: Use of opioids for chronic intractable pain is increasing globally, and their proper use can improve patients' quality of life. In contrast, opioid use disorders, such as abuse or addiction, caused by prescribing opioids, are a worldwide issue. This study aimed to understand current opioid prescribing patterns and pain physicians' experiences with opioid use in South Korea. Methods: Pain physicians in 42 university hospitals in South Korea were asked to complete anonymous questionnaires regarding opioid prescriptions. Results: A total of 69 surveys were completed. Most pain physicians started prescribing opioids at a pain score of 7/10 and aimed to reduce pain by 50%. Most physicians (73.1%) actively explained the prescribed medications and possible side effects, and 61.2% of physicians preferred the prescription interval of 4 weeks. Immediate-release opioids were the most popular treatment for breakthrough pain (92.6%). The most common side effect encountered by physicians was constipation (43.3%), followed by nausea/vomiting (34.3%). Of the physicians, 56.5% replied that addiction and misuse prevalences were less than 5%. However, the most concerning side effect was addiction (33.0%). Conclusions: The survey results showed that the prescribing patterns of pain physicians generally followed Korean guidelines. Physicians were most interested in the safety and effectiveness of opioid prescriptions. They were most concerned about respiratory depression and abuse or addiction. A significant number of physicians agreed that the NHIS regulations needed improvement for patient convenience and safe and effective treatment, though there were pros and cons of the NHIS restrictions on prescription conditions.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2011

Drug Utilization Review (DUR) is known to play an important role to improve appropriateness of drug prescriptions. This retrospective, observational study was conducted to compare prescription patterns after installation of Computerized DUR Program (Drug Information Framework-$Korea^{TM}$) (Jan-Mar 2008; After) to before DUR program (Jan-Mar 2007: Before). 8 physicians affiliated in the S University Hospital were enrolled in the study and their 3 months' prescription data were analysed for drug prescription trends and DUR conflict events per 7 DUR screening modules (drugdrug interaction, therapeutic duplication, allergy, dosing, disease contra-indication, geriatric contra-indication, pediatric contra-indication). Average rate of DUR modules usage in 2008 (After) were 0.72. Average number of prescription drug per patient were reduced from 5.6 (Before) to 3.8 (After), and DUR program seemed to effect positively on physician's prescription related decision process. Overall DUR conflict events occurred by 8 physicians for 3 months were 17,923 Before and 20,057 After DUR program, and DUR conflict events per prescription were 2.8 Before and 2.9 After, respectively. Therapeutic duplication (37%), geriatric contra-indication (34%) and dosing (18%) were high ranked DUR conflicts. As the study was not sufficient to show a consistent trend to reduce DUR conflicts After, another study to confirm it's effectiveness would be recommended. This study would be of help to develop awareness of DUR program to healthcare providers.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.70-87
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to identify health care providers' perceptions about the goal achievement and benefit/loss caused by the separation policy of drug prescribing and dispensing after the policy implemented on July 1, 2001. Uslng stratified sampling method based on the administration area, Ku, 315 physicians and pharmacists were sampled from the rosters of physician and pharmacist association in the city of Busan on 2001. There were 122 and 115 responses from physician and pharmacist sample, respectively. 78.3% of physicians and 50.4% of pharmacists evaluated that the goal of the policy was not achieved. Moreover, 75.3% of physicians and 40.7% of pharmacists did not support the policy. Most physicians and pharmacists considered preventing the citizens with drug abuse and misuses as the most important benefit derived from the policy. However, physicians and pharmacists concerned over raising health care cost that could be patients' burden. The most important physicians' benefit derived from the policy was free choice of all possible medicine that might result in effectiveness of medication. In physicians' the most important loss, most physicians worried about that breaking traditional patient and physician relationship might cause physicians' authority in treating diseases to be damaged. Pharmacists considered the most important policy benefit as hiked social status resulted from enforcement of profession due to the policy whereas they considered the most significant loss as expected financial problems of small pharmacies compared to that of large pharmacies or pharmacies adjacent to hospitals. In the current problems of the policy, physician and pharmacists blamed the government for inadequate preparations of the policy implementation. Physicians and pharmacists also considered citizens' mature attitudes toward the policy as a crucial success factor.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2011

Objective: To examine the drug use (prescribing) pattern of serious drug-drug interactions (DDIs, contraindicated drug interactions) using real world data. Prescription patterns were examined in terms of dispensing types. Method: Retrospective drug utilization review (DUR) study was performed. One hundred and six datasets of serious DDIs (DDI pairs) were determined among DDI datasets that Ministry of Health & Welfare announced for the DUR system from 2004 to 2005. Electronically transacted ambulatory patients' prescription database to Health Insurance Assessment and Review Services (HIRA) from July, 2005 to June, 2006 was collected with personal information deidentified and analyzed in terms of types of dispensing as a contributing factor. Results: After prescription data analysis per each patient, total number of DDI cases using 95 DDI pairs was 5,511, which accounted for 2.6 cases per patients. DDI cases between two drugs from each of community pharmacy dispensing- type prescription were considerable (63% vs. 24% in those from each of in-institutional dispensing-type prescription and vs. 13% in those from a community pharmacy dispensing-type prescription and an in-institutional dispensingtype prescription). Conclusions: DDI cases from different prescribers were found to be significant. Thus, the concurrent DUR process between prescriptions from different physicians and institutions should be implemented for the safe drug use.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.152-161
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• 2014

Background: According to the reports of the World Health Organization 20% of world population suffer from pain and 33% of them suffer to some extent that they cannot live independently. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which was conducted in the emergency department (ED) of Valiasr Hospital of Arak, Iran, in order to determine the causes of delay in prescription of analgesics and to construct a model for prediction of circumstances that aggravate oligoanalgesia. Data were collected during a period of 7 days. Results: Totally, 952 patients participated in this study. In order to reduce their pain intensity, 392 patients (42%) were treated. Physicians and nurses recorded the intensity of pain for 66.3% and 41.37% of patients, respectively. The mean (SD) of pain intensity according to visual analogue scale (VAS) was 8.7 (1.5) which reached to 4.4 (2.3) thirty minutes after analgesics prescription. Median and mean (SD) of delay time in injection of analgesics after the physician's order were 60.0 and 45.6 (63.35) minutes, respectively. The linear regression model suggested that when the attending physician was male or intern and patient was from rural areas the delay was longer. Conclusions: We propose further studies about analgesics administration based on medical guidelines in the shortest possible time and also to train physicians and nurses about pain assessment methods and analgesic prescription.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.89-108
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• 1997

The purpose of this study is to investigate drug information sources which influence physician's prescriptions, and to compare the differences of drugh information sources between private practitioners and hospital physicians. In addition, the ultimate goal of this study is to provide better quality of drug information for both groups of physicians through the professional drug information system. 264 physicians, including general practitioners and all types of specialists who were working in hospitals and private clinics in Taejon and Chungnam area, participated in this study which was conducted by mail. The results are summarized as follows ; 1. Both physician groups received drug informations mainly from medical journals, but there were differences in secondary sources of drug information. Namely, hospital physicians got drug information from annual meetings and textbooks, and private practitioners got it from detail men and colleagues. 2. Drug effect was the first consideration for drug selection in both physician groups. But, in the 2nd consideration, private practitioners concerned about the price, insurance and rebates, but hospital physicians were not. 3. Only 9.2% of the private practitioners satisfied with the sufficiency of drug information, whereas 22.0% of hospital physicians satisfied with it. The most insufficient area of information was drug interaction in both groups and 91.9% of the physicians suggested that a professional drug information system should be introduced. 4. Both physician groups had contacted with detail men frequently. However, it was rare for them to contact with a pharmacist. This phenomenon was more severe in the case of private practitioners. 5. Neither physician groups knew very much about drug informatio centers. However, they would be willig to participate if a professional drug information system were established. Also, they indicated that the information most required was drug interaction.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.37-48
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• 2023

Background: Commensal bacteria play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and probiotics have been used as treatment options. We aimed to explore the current use of probiotics and factors associated with their prescription in patients with IBD. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on a single hospital-based cohort. Patients were eligible if they were ≥18 years old, visited the IBD clinic as an outpatient more than twice during the study period, and had a confirmed diagnosis of IBD. Patients were divided into two groups based on the prescription of probiotics. Clinical assessments were compared between the two groups. Results: In total, 217 patients were enrolled in this study. In patients with Crohn disease (CD), moderate or severe abdominal pain; prior use of methotrexate (MTX), iron, thiopurines, or biologics; history of IBD-related surgery; and stool frequency were independently associated with the prescription of probiotics. In patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), moderate or severe abdominal pain, hematochezia, stool frequency, and moderate or severe physician global assessment score were independently associated with the prescription of probiotics. Conclusion: Increased disease activity may be associated with fewer prescriptions of probiotics in patients with IBD. However, physicians prescribed probiotics to control symptoms, such as abdominal pain and increased stool frequency in patients with UC and CD, and hematochezia in patients with UC. Additionally, the use of MTX and iron, and a history of IBD-related surgeries were associated with more frequent probiotic prescriptions in patients with CD.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.347-352
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• 2011

Health insurance review & Assessment service (HIRA) has enforced cutting the drug costs when physicians prescribe split extended release drugs, starting from December, 2010. The objective of this study is to analyze extended release and enteric coated drugs on pharmaceutical reimbursement list in Korea, and to investigate the impact and barriers of the health insurance review on splitting extended-release formulation drugs. By using the ingredient code, extended release and enteric coated formulations make up 7.8% of all drugs in April, 2011. The most frequently used drugs are agent affecting circulatory and digestive system. From the extended release and enteric coated formulations (n=112), 34.8% (n=39) were not available in other dosage forms. According to questionnaire survey for 169 pharmacists (response rate: 73.8%), the rate of splitting and crushing of extended release and enteric coated drugs decreased. When pharmacists correct physician's prescription errors, the biggest problem was lack of other dosage forms. So it is necessary to develop variety of other dosage forms, and computerized checking system for splitting extended-release drugs. It is also important to inform physicians and patients in regard to the problems of split prescription of extended release and enteric coated drugs.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.20-44
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• 2004

The National Health Insurance Expenditure has been increased rapidly since the introduction of the separation of prescription and dispensing in 2000, and this trend of rapid growth in overall spendings rate has been observed predominantly among medical practitioners. This study was conducted to investigate the growth rate and distributional changes in private medical practitioners' expenses from 1999 to 2002 and its determinants using the National Health Insurance claims data. The total increasing rate of all medical practitioners' expenditure paid by the National Health Insurance between 1999 and 2002 was $41.71\%$, which exceeding that of general hospitals by $20\%$p. But the income distribution among each practitioner was improved as the changes in Gini coefficient(from 0.40 to 0.38) and decile distribution ratio(from 0.25 to 0.29) during the same period showed. However, this improvement in distributional patterns is not enough since even in 2002 it turned out that the highest $10\%$ income group earned 33times more than the lowest $10\%$ income group did. Also, higher Gini coefficient was observed in larger cities and some department like plastic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology. The major causes of this differentials in medical practitioners' expenses were factors related to medical demand like proportion of old population, residential economic status in a given area. In addition, providers' economic incentives also played an important role in determining their income distribution. The large income differentials among physicians may imply a skewed distribution of patients and thus long waiting time, inefficient utilization of resources and potential inadequate quality of care. In this sense, unreasonable distributional gaps should be reduced, so effective measures as well as ongoing monitoring would be necessary to correct current distributional problems.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.484-494
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• 2000

Objective : To evaluate the relative benefits and the costs associated with the introduction of the new pharmaceutical provision called 'Mandatory Prescription System' which separates the role of physicians from that of pharmacists with respect to the prescription and dispensation of from the perspective of consumers (i.e., patients). Methods : The costs of the system were measured by considering both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs included additional payments for ambulatory care and dispensing fees that occurred under the new system. indirect costs consisted of transportation expenses and costs related to time spent for physician consultation, waiting for the prescriptions to be filled, and extra traveling. Benefits identified in this study were the reduction of drug misuse and overuse, and the overall decrease in drug consumption among the Korean population. Sensitivity analysis was peformed for the inclusion of benefits for outpatients of hospitals, price elasticity, and increased fees for established patients. Results : The net benefit was estimated to be about minus 1,862 billion won and the benefit-cost ratio was 0.478. This indicates that the costs of 'Mandatory Prescription' outweigh its benefits, relative to the previous system. The sensitivity analysis results for all the variables considered in this study consistently showed the benefit-cost ratio to be less than 1. Conclusion : The results of this study suggest that implementing Mandatory Prescription System in Korea might be inefficient from the consumer's perspective. The results of this study do not coincide with the results of previous studies, presumably because of the differences in study design and in which items of costs and benefits were considered.