Inpatient Service Use by Type of Health Coverage Scheme in South Korea: A Secondary Analysis of National Data

Author(s):  
Jeonghyun CHO ◽  
Eunmi LEE

Background: Healthcare utilization has progressively increased, especially among Medical Aid (MA) beneficiaries in South Korea. Recently, the focus of MA policy is shifting to long-term inpatient management. We aimed to identify the factors associated with inpatients’ medical service use among MA beneficiaries compared to National Health Insurance (NHI) beneficiaries. Methods: This secondary data analysis study used raw data collected from 2012 to 2014 by the Korea Health Panel Study, which is a national health survey conducted annually. Data from 3,869 participants were analyzed: 3,621 NHI beneficiaries and 248 MA beneficiaries. Multiple regression analysis and difference and slope difference tests were performed. Results: Age, education level, marital status, living with family, employment, disability, and unmet medical needs significantly influenced the length of hospital stay. Living with family, employment, disability, chronic illness, and unmet medical needs significantly influenced hospitalization costs. MA beneficiaries had longer hospital stay than did NHI beneficiaries (F=5.99, P=0.003); however, there was no difference in hospitalization costs. Among those with low education, longer hospital stay length was more frequent among MA beneficiaries. Conclusion: A future intervention model for MA inpatients should consider their service use patterns and characteristics. Most importantly, healthcare education should be provided according to MA patients’ education level to enable patients to make informed health-related decisions. An effort is needed to change the current hospitalization system by encouraging patients to utilize local community care service and by expanding community care and in-home healthcare services.  

Author(s):  
Hye-Young Jang ◽  
Young Ko ◽  
Song-Yi Han

This study was conducted to identify the effects of social networks on unmet medical needs among older adults with limited instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) who live in a community. This study analyzed data from 2281 older adults with limited IADL from the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, X2 tests, t-tests, and logistic regression analysis. About 73.0% of the subjects were female and 15.8% of the subjects had experienced unmet medical needs. The predictors of unmet medical needs according to gender are as follows: annual household income, participation in social activities, and physical support for male subjects and annual household income, number of chronic diseases, living alone in a household, living with others in a household, frequency of contacting close friends, and emotional support for female subjects. The findings of this study will be utilized as a basis for establishing relevant measures to enable older adults to receive proper medical services by heightening the understanding of the gap between medical service use and the medical needs of older adults with limited IADL.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 334
Author(s):  
Eunmi Lee ◽  
Sunkyung Cha ◽  
Geun Myun Kim

We investigated the effect of predisposing, enabling, need factors, and health behaviors on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with multimorbidity according to Andersen’s model. This study is a secondary analysis of population-based cross-sectional surveys. Data from 328 patients with multimorbidity (≥3 co-occurring chronic diseases) from the 6th/7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were analyzed using logistic regression. Patients ≥65 years, without private insurance, with poor subjective health, unmet medical needs, and/or limited activity were more likely to experience mobility problems. Self-care problems were more likely among those without private insurance and/or with limited activity. Patients lacking living security, with poor subjective health, limited activity, and/or who smoked were more likely to experience problems performing usual activities. Pain/discomfort was more likely among females, Medicaid beneficiaries, and patients with limited activity and/or with poor subjective health. Patients with poor subjective health, limited activity, and/or unmet medical needs were more likely to experience anxiety/depression. The investigation of HRQoL in multimorbidity should consider predisposing, enabling, need factors, and health behaviors. Interventions addressing movement restrictions and personalized care based on HRQoL domains should be prioritized.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Alexie Mayor ◽  
Adélaïde Chesnay ◽  
Guillaume Desoubeaux ◽  
David Ternant ◽  
Nathalie Heuzé-Vourc’h ◽  
...  

Respiratorytract infections (RTIs) are frequent and life-threatening diseases, accounting for several millions of deaths worldwide. RTIs implicate microorganisms, including viruses (influenza virus, coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)), bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus anthracis) and fungi (Pneumocystis spp., Aspergillus spp. and very occasionally Candida spp.). The emergence of new pathogens, like the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, and the substantial increase in drug resistance have highlighted the critical necessity to develop novel anti-infective molecules. In this context, antibodies (Abs) are becoming increasingly important in respiratory medicine and may fulfill the unmet medical needs of RTIs. However, development of Abs for treating infectious diseases is less advanced than for cancer and inflammatory diseases. Currently, only three Abs have been marketed for RTIs, namely, against pulmonary anthrax and RSV infection, while several clinical and preclinical studies are in progress. This article gives an overview of the advances in the use of Abs for the treatment of RTIs, based on the analysis of clinical studies in this field. It describes the Ab structure, function and pharmacokinetics, and discusses the opportunities offered by the various Ab formats, Ab engineering and co-treatment strategies. Including the most recent literature, it finally highlights the strengths, weaknesses and likely future trends of a novel anti-RTI Ab armamentarium.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bookyoung Kim ◽  
Kyung-Bok Son

Abstract Background Since the influx of international immigrants to South Korea (Korea) in the 1980s, the number of immigrants married to native Koreans has increased substantially over the last 30 years. This study aims to provide recent evidence on the self-rated health of immigrant women married to native men and raising children. We evaluated the self-rated health of immigrant women sorted by their country of origin and elucidated factors that affect their self-rated health. Methods Data were obtained from the 2015 Korean National Multi-Cultural Family Survey. From the survey, a total of 6960 Korean-Chinese, Han-Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Filipino women were identified and a series of logistic regressions was conducted to elucidate factors that affected the self-rated health of immigrant women. Results The majority of immigrant women in Korea perceived that they are healthy. However, the self-rated health of immigrant women varied by country of origin. Korean-Chinese and Japanese immigrants are less likely to perceive that they are healthy compared with Filipino and Vietnamese immigrants. We identified several factors at the individual, household, and community levels and found that the majority of them are likely to be ethnic dependent. However, satisfaction with husband and experience of unmet medical needs presented consistent results in the five ethnicity groups. Conclusions Programs that strengthen spousal relationships and policies to enhance access to healthcare could be prioritized options to improve the self-rated health of immigrant women in Korea.


2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (suppl 1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Carvalho Malta ◽  
Regina Tomie Ivata Bernal ◽  
Margareth Guimarães Lima ◽  
Silvânia Suely Caribé de Araújo ◽  
Marta Maria Alves da Silva ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To assess whether sex, education level, and health insurance affect the use of health services among the adult Brazilian population with chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCD). METHODS Data from a cross-sectional survey were analyzed, the National Health Survey (PNS). Frequency of use of services in the population that referred at least one NCD were compared with the frequency from a population that did not report NCD, according to sex, education level, health insurance, and NCD number (1, 2, 3, 4, or more). The prevalence and prevalence ratios were calculated crude and adjusted for sex, age, region, and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS The presence of a noncommunicable disease was associated with increase in hospitalizations in the last 12 months, in 1.7 times (95%CI 1.53–1.9). Failing to perform usual activities in the last two weeks for health reasons was 3.1 times higher in NCD carriers (95%CI 2.78–3.46); while the prevalence of medical consultation in the last 12 months was 1.26 times higher (95%CI 1.24–1.28). NCD carriers make more use of health services, as well as women, people with higher number of comorbidities, with health insurance, and higher education level. CONCLUSIONS NCD carriers make more use of health services, as well as women, people with higher number of comorbidities, with health insurance, and higher education level.


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