No abstract available.
Calcinosis ; Calcium ; Calcium Gluconate ; Gluconates ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn

OBJECTIVES: Consumer Health Informatics is an increasingly important research area within health informatics, however, it is as yet not a well recognized discipline. The purpose of this study was obtaining consensus on a definition and description of Consumer Health Informatics among members of health informatics related society in Korea and the United States. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENT: The Consumer Health Informatics? Working Group's "Survey of Definitions of Consumer Health Informatics" was administered via the World Wide Web in English and Korean. RESULTS: Differences found between two groups were opinions on the definition of Consumer Health Informatics and in recognition of importance for related disciplines. CONCLUSION: Visions and recommendations for the future of Consumer Health Informatics are provided.
Consensus ; Informatics* ; Internet ; Korea ; Medical Informatics ; United States

The author's affiliation should be corrected.

OBJECTIVE: This study attempted to analyze and to give a concrete form of u-Health concept which has very broad and diverse definitions until now, because of the newness of the concept. METHOD: Q method was adopted to unravel the concept, and 50 Q-statements were selected and rated by 48 P-samples, and the resulting data were analyzed by factor analysis of SPSS. RESULT: Six factors were drawn as to Potentiality, Functionality, Technology, Integrity, Futuristic and Consumer-centered. The concept u-Health was defined as "Futuristic functional healthcare service which is consumer-centered and has enormous potentiality utilizing technology". CONCLUSION: Based on the definition, u-Health should be expanded and extended crossover the boundaries of disciplines and professionals to make it the real fruition of "Consilience".
Delivery of Health Care

The authors and their affiliation are incorrectly listed in the article. Also, the Acknowledgments section of the above article incorrectly omitted.

This study was performed to survey the nursing researchers' practical need of the development and service of nursing research articles database. Currently, we have no on-line database for the Korean nursing research articles except for the abstracts of the Doctoral and Master' s dissertations via PC Internet Service Provider' s service and research database service by RICH(Research Information Center for Health) in Korea. This study also has aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the innovative strategy of data collection using internet. It was found that the Korean nursing research results database served via internet or CD-ROM format is quite necessary for the Korean nursing researchers. The completed, electronically accumulated responses database has revealed to have the following advantages; It saved considerable time and was cost-effective and very efficient method for data collection. The investigator did not have to spend countless hours or budget funds for numerous calls and letters that typically are necessary for the survey. The investigator did not have to budget funds for release time or research assistants to actually collect and coding the data. Electronic data collection occurs at the user' s convenience, and also could be used as an anonymous communication medium when feasible.
Anonyms and Pseudonyms ; Budgets ; CD-ROM ; Clinical Coding ; Data Collection ; Electronic Mail* ; Financial Management ; Humans ; Information Centers ; Internet* ; Korea* ; Nursing Research* ; Nursing* ; Research Personnel

PURPOSE: We wanted to further analyze the qualities that influence Korean medical students on their decision to choose each of the specialized areas of medicine. METHODS: We were able to obtain questionnaires from 394 students of Y University, School of Medicine. The students rated the various influential factors for specialty selection by using a five-point Likert scale. RESULTS: The factors found to influence the selection of popular specialties were gender, grades/scores, lifestyle attributes, and residency issues. Patient contact, lifestyle attributes, prospects, income prospects, and health care policies were significantly rated factors for choosing clinical-oriented specialties. For the selection of Medical specialties, gender, income, social responsibilities, income prospects, and malpractice insurance costs were the influential factors. Gender, 3rd year students, social responsibilities, prospects, income prospects, and society's views on medical profession affected the students' decisions to choose the major specialties. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of our study, we can conclude that gender and income prospects are some of the most significant factors affecting a student's selection of a specialty. These results suggest reform and improvement for a more stable health care policy and management strategies.
Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Insurance ; Internship and Residency ; Life Style ; Malpractice ; Social Responsibility ; Students, Medical* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: Patients are becoming more active in communicating with doctors, forming e-communities, and participating in decision-making process of their treatment plans. However, only a few studies have examined how digitalized healthcare affects patients' and doctors' attitudes towards medical care services and deliverance structure, and the problems that might stem from these changes. In this study, we 1) explored the current changes in patients' healthcare utilization patterns and delivery structures, 2) examined the emerging behaviours and awareness of the participants, and 3) proposed how to prepare for such changes. METHODS: Face-to-face interviews and a group discussion with both Korean and US experts on consumer health informatics were conducted. Interview guidelines were developed based on reviews of recent studies on consumer health informatics. RESULTS: While the American scholars had larger expectations about the scope of the changes in the health care system induced by the digitalization of healthcare, compared to the Korean scholars, the interviewees and group discussion participants from both countries all agreed on the changes in medical environment and the increasing importance of medical information. The changes induced by the digitalization of healthcare were categorized as follows: (1) in the structure and location of healthcare service delivery, (2) in the doctor-patient communication methods, and (3) in the role of patients and increasing emphasis in empowerment. CONCLUSION: We expect that digitalized healthcare will continue to affect the doctor-patient relationship and change the deliverance structure. In order to better prepare for the fundamental paradigm shift in the healthcare system and increase the benefits to society of these changes, continuous and concerted policy efforts to protect the privacy and security of private information, alleviate the digital divide, and secure the quality of digitalized clinical knowledge will be required.
Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Informatics ; Power (Psychology) ; Privacy

OBJECTIVE: To define the healthcare information industry in order to propose a developmental direction for the industry, classify and analyze the healthcare information industry business models, and propose strategic guidelines for development of the healthcare information industry. METHODS: A survey was conducted to investigate the private companies that provide healthcare information. For in-depth investigation of the study subjects, they were categorized based on their means of service provision. Open colloquium participation requests were extended to the representative companies, and five open-colloquiums were held. Additional data were obtained through a structured questionnaire investigating the problems and complaints, followed by a discussion on strategies and future plans. RESULTS: Through a review of previous research on internet business model classification, four major model classification systems were chosen and the healthcare information business models were classified. Based on the composite opinions derived from the participating companies, policy guidelines were proposed. CONCLUSION: It is important to cooperate with experts from each field under governmental supervision and help the general public appreciate the value of healthcare information, thereby achieving the industrialization and development of the health information provision business.
Commerce ; Delivery of Health Care ; Internet ; Organization and Administration ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Industrial Development

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this research are to survey the consumers' opinions about the health information privacy, to understand the consumers' privacy.protective behaviors out of the concern about the privacy breaches, to know the consumers' recognition about the constitution of the health information privacy law, to know the consumers' willingness to share their personal medical information. METHODS: The questionnaire was developed and conducted by the California HealthCare Foundation on "National Consumer Health Privacy Survey" was translated into Korean and reviewed by the authors to conform to the Korean situation. We collected data from 335 on.line survey responses. RESULTS: Consumers concerned about the privacy of their personal health information. Consumers are unfamiliar with health information privacy law. Consumers think that the paper medical records are more secure than electronic medical records. Not so many Korean consumers practice the privacy.protective behaviors even though they worry about the misuse of the health information. However, consumers will share their personal medical information with limited others such as family members and physicians involved in their care. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the consumers answered that the information could be shared when necessary, however, the ownership and the right to decide the disclosure should belong to patient, and patient should be allowed to access their own information with certain degree of regulation.
California ; Constitution and Bylaws ; Consumer Health Information ; Delivery of Health Care ; Disclosure ; Electronic Health Records ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Medical Records ; Ownership ; Privacy* ; Surveys and Questionnaires