OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to explore customer royalty and the related factors. METHODS: 900 households(a 1% sample) were randomly selected from the total population of K city located in Kangwon province. An interview survey was performed with using a structured questionnaire for the subjects(923 persons) who had used medical service during the year before the survey, and the survey was done September, 2002. RESULTS: When comparing the relating factors related with customer royalty according to the sociodemographic characteristics, the older group showed a significantly higher level of recognition for service quality, service reputation, internal customers.attitudes and switching cost. The lower income group showed a higher level of recognition for service quality, service image and switching cost. The lower educated group showed a higher level of recognition for service reputation, service image and internal customers.attitudes. The higher educated group showed a higher level of recognition for perceived risk, and seeking variety. In addition, the expert group or the service and manufacturing workers group showed a higher level of recognition for service involvement. On multiple regression analysis, internal customers' attitudes, service image, service reputation, service quality, switching cost, and substitutability showed significant relations with customer loyalty. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that customer loyalty was significantly influenced by service factors like internal customers' attitudes, service image, service reputation, and service quality, and by market factors like switching cost, and substitutability. The results of this study can be used as a baseline for developing strategies to create and keep customers with high loyalty.
Adult ; Consumer Participation ; Female ; Health Care Surveys ; *Health Services ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Patient Satisfaction ; *Urban Population

PURPOSE: This study aims to compare and investigate the differences in beliefs with regard to the cause of illnesses, medial skepticism, and attitudes toward medical care between medical, Oriental medical, and nonmedical students. METHODS: To this end, we used a structured questionnaire and collected self-reported data from a sample of 667 respondents. RESULTS: First, their beliefs on the causes of illness were markedly different, depending on their specialty. Compared with students from other specialties, Oriental medical students ranked host factors, environmental factors, and natural factors as the highest causes of illness. -the former group regarded supernatural factors as a more influential cause of illnesses compared with the latter. Among Oriental medical students and nonmedical students-who were also subdivided into the aforementioned groups-the upper-grade group regarded host factors as a higher cause of illness than the lower-grade group. Second, Medical skepticism also differed depending on specialty. Compared with the medical students, Oriental medical students were more likely to have high confidence in "overcoming illnesses", "home remedies", "self-decision in treatments", and "understanding their own health". In subdividing medical and Oriental medical students according to grade we observed that the senior group had more confidence in home remedies than the junior group. Third, In an analysis of the students attitudes toward medical care, we found that nonmedical students had the highest score in the "care-oriented" and "cure-oriented" attitude categories. In the overall results, the care-oriented category ranked highest for the nonmedical students, followed by Oriental medical students and medical students; the cure-oriented category ranked highest for nonmedical students, followed by medical students and then Oriental medical students. CONCLUSION: Based on our results, we conclude that these differences between specialties should be reflected in medical curricula to bridge the gap between patients and doctors in medical education with regard to the causes of illness and attitudes toward medical care.
Curriculum ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Medicine, Traditional ; Students, Medical

PURPOSE: This study aims to compare and investigate the differences in beliefs with regard to the cause of illnesses, medial skepticism, and attitudes toward medical care between medical, Oriental medical, and nonmedical students. METHODS: To this end, we used a structured questionnaire and collected self-reported data from a sample of 667 respondents. RESULTS: First, their beliefs on the causes of illness were markedly different, depending on their specialty. Compared with students from other specialties, Oriental medical students ranked host factors, environmental factors, and natural factors as the highest causes of illness. -the former group regarded supernatural factors as a more influential cause of illnesses compared with the latter. Among Oriental medical students and nonmedical students-who were also subdivided into the aforementioned groups-the upper-grade group regarded host factors as a higher cause of illness than the lower-grade group. Second, Medical skepticism also differed depending on specialty. Compared with the medical students, Oriental medical students were more likely to have high confidence in "overcoming illnesses", "home remedies", "self-decision in treatments", and "understanding their own health". In subdividing medical and Oriental medical students according to grade we observed that the senior group had more confidence in home remedies than the junior group. Third, In an analysis of the students attitudes toward medical care, we found that nonmedical students had the highest score in the "care-oriented" and "cure-oriented" attitude categories. In the overall results, the care-oriented category ranked highest for the nonmedical students, followed by Oriental medical students and medical students; the cure-oriented category ranked highest for nonmedical students, followed by medical students and then Oriental medical students. CONCLUSION: Based on our results, we conclude that these differences between specialties should be reflected in medical curricula to bridge the gap between patients and doctors in medical education with regard to the causes of illness and attitudes toward medical care.
Curriculum ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Medicine, Traditional ; Students, Medical

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effects of resilience on posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation and whether depression mediates the relationships between resilience and posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation. METHODS: A total of 115 firefighters participated in the study. Data were collected via the Life Events Checklist, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Dissociative Experience Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Structural equation modeling and path analysis were applied to estimate the relationships between resilience, depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and dissociation. RESULTS: Greater resilience was associated with lower posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation, and the relationship between them was fully mediated by depression. CONCLUSIONS: Specific aspects of depression may help explain the relationships between resilience and posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation. Tailored prevention programs and treatments based on resilience and depression may prevent posttraumatic stress symptoms and dissociation in firefighters and improve treatments outcomes among firefighters with posttraumatic stress symptoms and/or dissociation.
Checklist ; Depression* ; Firefighters* ; Humans