The impact of the expanded health insurance coverage policy on healthcare spending: evidence from Korea.

Background: South Korea's National Health Insurance (NHI) system pursues universal health coverage, but it has not been able to alleviate patients' financial burden owing to limited coverage and a high proportion of out-of-pocket expenses. In 2017, the government announced a plan to strengthen universality by providing coverage for all unincluded services, expanding coverage, and alleviating household financial burden. We aimed to evaluate the effect of "Moon Care" with a focus on changes in health expenditures following policy implementation, and to provide empirical evidence for future policies to strengthen the NHI system's universality.

Effectiveness of artificial intelligence in detecting and managing depressive disorders: Systematic review.

Objectives: This study underscores the importance of exploring AI's creative applications in treating depressive disorders to revolutionize mental health care. Through innovative integration of AI technologies, the research confirms their positive effects on preventing, diagnosing, and treating depression. The systematic review establishes an evidence base for AI in depression management, offering directions for effective interventions.

Medical expenses and its determinants in female patients with urological disorder.

Background: The rising older adult population has led to an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases and medical expenses. Women tend to have a longer healthy life expectancy than men and are more likely to be exposed to urological disorders around the age of 50, resulting in substantial healthcare expenses throughout their lifetime. Urological disorders often require continuous treatment owing to their high risk of recurrence, contributing to an increased financial burden from medical costs.

The state of arts and health in the Republic of Korea.

Background: The field of arts and health has been growing rapidly in the Republic of Korea (ROK) as a means to solve social problems with the development of arts and health government programs to prevent mental disorders and improve quality of life. This study addresses the history, policy and funding scale, practices, and challenges of the arts and health in the ROK and provides a global overview of different countries to guide development procedures and communicate directions to relevant stakeholders.

Methods: Data were collected using various methods, including policy reports, grey literature, peer-reviewed articles, and open data provided by Statistics Korea.

Analyzing the Effectiveness of Data-Linked Projects for Health Promotion in Public Health Centers of South Korea.

Purpose: The purpose of this study lies in verifying the effectiveness of the health promotion project which the public health center at the local level conducted by systematically linking the health examination results from the Health Insurance Corporation. We intend to emphasize the importance of linking the health-related public data.

Methods: A survey was conducted to measure the effect of improving health behavior using EQ-5D-5L and demographic variables.

Factors influencing the health satisfaction of users of public health and medical institutions in South Korea.

Introduction: In this study, we investigated the health satisfaction levels of users of regional health and medical institutions in South Korea and the influencing factors.

Methods: We included randomly selected 300 people with experience in using health and medical institutions from panel data targeting the entire nation. We used questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) and sociodemographic characteristics to analyze the health satisfaction.

How to calculate the life cycle of high-risk medical devices for patient safety.

In this study, we analyzed Korean and foreign systems, focusing on high-risk medical devices that urgently need to be managed, and we present an life cycle calculation method for determining replacement time. A literature review was conducted to confirm the regulations of the medical device management system and life cycle by country, and a case analysis was performed to verify the replacement evaluation criteria of actual medical institutions. In addition, durability data from the Public Procurement Service, American Hospital Association, and Samsung Medical Center were used to calculate the life cycle of high-risk medical devices.

Factors associated with quality of life in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, 2009-2016.

This study analyzed the factors affecting the health-related quality of life of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) according to age. We also aimed to determine appropriate strategies to improve their quality of life. Data from the Korea Health Panel Survey (2009-2016) were used in this study.

Digital Health Care Industry Ecosystem: Network Analysis.

Background: As the need for digital health care based on mobile devices is increasing, with the rapid development of digital technologies, especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining a better understanding of the industrial structure is needed to activate the use of digital health care.

Objective: The aim of this study was to suggest measures to revitalize the digital health care industry by deriving the stakeholders and major issues with respect to the ecosystem of the industry.

Methods: A total of 1822 newspaper articles were collected using Big Kings, a big data system for news, for a limited period from 2016 to August 2021, when the mobile health care project was promoted in Korea centered on public health centers.

Comparative Analysis of Factors Affecting Quality of Community-Based Care Services in Korea.

Aging societies have an increased need for care services. To solve the problem of care, we suggest community care, through which medical services are provided that meet individual needs. Korea provides care services in advance of the community care project and implements quality control to improve the quality of these social services.

The usefulness of patient-specific 3D nasal silicone implant using 3D design and order form.

Purpose: The need for customized implants has continuously increased, but patient-specific silicone implants are not yet commonly used in the plastic surgery market. We sought to validate the effectiveness of a 3D customized nasal implant design in terms of design and lead time compared with a manually customized implant by a surgeon.

Materials And Methods: Based on the computed tomography (CT) findings of 15 patients who planned rhinoplasty, a surgeon wrote order forms reflecting the surgical plan and subsequently designed implants manually using epoxy on a 3D printed skull.

Healthy City Project: An application of data envelopment analysis.

Purpose: The importance of Korea's Healthy City Project has recently increased due to the growth of the elderly population and chronic diseases. Consequently, local governments are expanding the project to manage health at the local level; however, because local government resources are limited, efficient business operation is required. Thus, the purpose of this study is to present a plan for effective project management by developing a strategy for a Healthy City Project that is suitable for the scale of local governments.

Innovative Culture and Firm Performance of Medical Device Companies: Mediating Effects of Investment in Education and Training.

This research explored the mediating effect of investment in education and training relating to the innovative culture and organizational performance of medical device companies. We used the Human Capital Corporate Panel data provided by the Korea Vocational Competency Development Institute. In the industrial classification system of panel data, the industries related to medical devices were extracted and conclusively analyzed for 8629 workers and 368 companies.

Factors affecting revisit intention for medical services at dental clinics.

Recent changes in the medical paradigm highlight the importance of patient-centered communication. However, because of the lack of awareness of dental clinics and competency of medical personnel, the quality of medical services in terms of the communication between doctors and patients has not improved. This study analyzed the impact of health communication and medical service quality, service value, and patient satisfaction on the intention to revisit dental clinics.

How Should the Social Service Quality Evaluation in South Korea Be Verified? Focusing on Community Care Services.

The quality evaluation (QE) of social services tends to have a large variation in results depending on the object and method of service measurement. To overcome these limitations, an analysis of the internal consistency or validity of the social service QE index is necessary, but meta-research on this is insufficient. This study analyzes the internal consistency and validity of evaluation indexes based on the results of social service QE.

Quality of Life in Older Adults with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

The purpose of this study is to identify factors that affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of older patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and suggest ways to improve the same. Through this, we will improve the self-management practice of patients and promote the treatment of BPH in older patients. The 2015 Korea Health Panel Survey data were used in this study.

Unmet Medical Needs of Patients with Benign Prostate Enlargement.

This study aimed to analyze the factors affecting the unmet medical needs of patients with benign prostate enlargement (BPE) based on Andersen's behavioral model. The data were taken from the 2009-2016 Korea Health Panel Study and 3003 participants were used for analysis. "Unmet medical needs" was used as a dependent variable.

Relationship between Morbidity and Health Behavior in Chronic Diseases.

This study aimed to analyze the demographic characteristics and health behaviors related to chronic diseases and to identify factors that may affect chronic diseases. Data from the Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used, and 3795 adults aged above 40 years were included. The following demographic variables were obtained: sex, age, education, income, type of health insurance, and private insurance.

The Effects of Criminal Punishment on Medical Practices in the Medical Environment.

Recently, there have been cases in which doctors were criminally convicted for misdiagnosing a patient with constipation who then died of diaphragmatic hernia. The criminal punishment of doctors could create a side effect of reduced medical practitioners. This study analyzed the impact of medical disputes and deduced a plan to create a stable composition of the medical environment.

Does Health Promotion Program Affect Local Resident' Emotions?

Healthy cities continuously attempt to improve residents' health. Health is affected by psychological factors, such as happiness and emotions. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of healthy city program performance on individuals' emotions, as well as the correlation between healthy city program performance and emotions using personal happiness index as a parameter.

Strategies for Promoting the Medical Device Industry in Korea: An Analytical Hierarchy Process Analysis.

This study examines the medical device industry in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and identifies the key strategies and general directions for promoting this industry through analytical hierarchy process (AHP). It is based on discussions of the key issues with specialists such as doctors, medical device companies, hospital staff, professors, and government agencies in the medical device industry. A total of 18 responses were obtained from the survey, and an analysis was conducted on the results.

Can the Penile Cuff Test Predict the Outcome of Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate for Benign Prostatic Obstruction?

Objective: To determine whether the penile cuff test can predict surgical outcomes prior to Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate for benign prostatic obstruction.

Methods: Men scheduled to undergo Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate were enrolled in this study, and all patients underwent the penile cuff test prior to and 3 months after surgery. Patients were categorized as obstructed, nonobstructed, or uncertain by nomogram.