Health Policy Manag.  2021 Sep;31(3):328-334. 10.4332/KJHPA.2021.31.3.328.

Factors Related to Unmet Medical Care Needs in Adult Diabetes Patients in Korea

• Jang HY
• Han MA
• Park J

• KMID: 2525756
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2021.31.3.328

Abstract

Background
This study was conducted to investigate factors related to unmet medical needs of medical care in adult diabetes patients and to suggest factors related to unmet medical in Korea.
Methods
This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES) 2014–2017. The subjects of the study were conducted on patients with unmet medical needs experience among the patients and analyzed using the IBM SPSS ver. 25.0 program (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).
Results
Overall, 10.9% of patients had unmet medical needs. Being female, less educated, and lower medical aid were related to unmet medical needs. And subjects with poor subjective health and higher stress level were more likely to report unmet medical needs.
Conclusion
Although comprehensive health insurance coverage, 10.9% of people with diabetes experienced unmet healthcare needs. The results of this study suggest that socioeconomic factors such as low education and medical aid were associated with unmet medical needs.

Keyword

Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys; Related factors; Unmet medical needs; Diabetes