J Korean Med Sci.  2015 May;30(5):523-532. 10.3346/jkms.2015.30.5.523.

General Internists' Perspectives Regarding Primary Care and Currently Related Issues in Korea

• Lee JY
• Eun SJ
• Ock M
• Kim HJ
• Lee HJ
• Son WS
• Jo MW

• KMID: 2155463
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2015.30.5.523

Abstract

Although primary care has been recognized as an essential element of the healthcare system, the primary healthcare of Korea has not been highly valued. Listening to the voices of physicians who are engaged in primary care should be the first step for improving the level of primary care in Korea. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey of general internists to investigate their perspectives regarding primary care, and which included the evaluation of current primary care, perception of the five, key attributes of primary care, and their opinions regarding the management system of chronic diseases. A total of 466 general internists' responses were used in this analysis. The results showed that primary care is considered to have an important role, according to general internists, although their evaluation of the overall status of primary care in Korea indicated that it is poor. The respondents also indicated that the functions of coordination and comprehensiveness in primary care, which can be integral for treating patients with chronic diseases, are most vulnerable. Given the high level of agreement regarding the need for a new medical management system for chronic diseases, based on physicians' autonomy and provided by clinics, establishing a policy encouraging the participation of general internists should be emphasized.

Keyword

Internal Medicine; Primary Care; Health Policy; Chronic Diseases

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Attitude of Health Personnel
Chronic Disease
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Physicians/*psychology/trends
Practice Patterns, Physicians'/*trends
Primary Health Care/*trends
Republic of Korea
Surveys and Questionnaires

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