Current status of neonatal intensive care units in Korea.
10.3345/kjp.2008.51.3.243
- Author:
Son Moon SHIN
1
Author Information
1. Department of Pediatrics, Cheil General Hospital & Women's Healthcare Center, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. smshinmd@hanmail.net
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Neonatal intensive care;
Newborn;
NICU
- MeSH:
Humans;
Infant, Newborn;
Insurance, Health;
Critical Care;
Intensive Care Units, Neonatal;
Intensive Care, Neonatal;
Investments;
Korea;
Ventilators, Mechanical
- From:Korean Journal of Pediatrics
2008;51(3):243-247
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Neonatal intensive care in Korea has improved remarkably since the 1990s, but there is still a shortage of facilities and equipment in NICUs. Only 71.1% of the beds needed for neonatal intensive care are available. Mechanical ventilators are not appropriately distributed to the NICUs that are equipped to handle neonatal intensive care. The number of doctors is far too small, making the number of patients per doctor very high. Nurses, too, need to take care of 7.7 patients per nurse, making it very difficult to provide adequate intensive care. All this is caused by insufficient investment by the hospitals, which, in turn, is caused by inadequate reimbursement from health insurance. Therefore, a government-sponsored effort is necessary to bring the level of neonatal intensive care up to par.
