Background: By applying the suggested criteria for needs-based chronic medical care and long-term care delivery system for the elderly, the current status of delivery system was identified and regional delivery systems were categorized according to quantity and quality of delivery system. Methods: National claims data were used for this study. All claims data of medical and long-term care uses by the elderly and all claims data from long-term care hospitals and nursing homes in 2016 were analyzed to categorize the regional medical and long-term care delivery system. The current status of the delivery system with a high possibility of transition to a needs-based appropriate delivery system was identified. The necessary and actual amount of regional supply was calculated based on their needs, and the structure of delivery systems was evaluated in terms of the needs-based quality of the system. Finally, all regions were categorized into 15 types of medical and care delivery systems for the elderly. Results: Of the total 55 regions, 89.1% of regions had an oversupply of elderly medical and care services compared to the necessary supply based on their needs. However, 69.1% of regions met the criteria for less than two types of needs groups, and 21.8% of regions were identified as regions where the numbers of institutions or regions with a high possibility of transition to an appropriate delivery system were below the average levels for all four needs groups. Conclusion In order to establish an appropriate community-based integrated elderly care system, it is necessary to analyze the characteristics of the regional delivery system categories and to plan a needs-based delivery system regionally.

Background: With the enactment of the Hospice, Palliative, Care, and Life-sustaining Treatment Decision-Making Act in February 2018, legal guidelines for physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) were presented. This study was conducted to analyze the association of writing POLST on the use of health care before death. Methods: The study analyzed the electronic medical records and POLSTs of 1,003 adult patients who died at a tertiary hospital located in Seoul from February 4, 2018 to February 4, 2019. Results: Of the deaths, 80% (n=804) completed POLST. Among patients who completed POLST before death, 51% (n=412) were written 1–7 days before death, and only 31% (n=246) were completed by patients themselves. 99% (n=799) decided to withdraw or withhold cardiopulmonary resuscitation. As a result of analyzing the effect of POLST on medical use before death, it was found that POLST and inpatient cost had a significant negative correlation, and POLST completion significantly reduced death in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, both inpatient costs and death at ICU increased when the POLST was completed by surrogate decision-makers rather than patients themselves. Conclusion The enactment of the Hospice, Palliative, Care, and Life-sustaining Treatment Decision-Making Act provided a legal basis for withdrawing and withholding meaningless life-sustaining treatment. By specifying the treatment to be received at the end of one’s life through the POLST, inpatient treatment costs and death at the ICU were decreased. However, the frequent decision-making by the surrogates and completion of POLST close to death may hinder the original purpose of the law.

Background/Aims: Drugs with anticholinergic properties (DAPs) are associated with adverse health outcomes in older patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the factors that determine the prescribing of more DAPs in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) in Korea. In addition, the current patterns of DAP prescription were explored using a novel platform, which can collect data from LTCHs. Methods: This was a Health-RESPECT (integrated caRE Systems for elderly PatiEnts using iCT) sub-study, which is a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, controlled trial. The Health-RESPECT platform was used to collect prescribed medication data of 466 patients (aged ≥ 65 years) from seven LTCHs. DAPs were identified using the Korean Anticholinergic Burden Scale (KABS). Physical frailty, cognitive function, functional status, and quality of life were evaluated. Results: Among 466 LTCH patients, 88.8% (n = 414) were prescribed DAPs, and the prevalence of high KABS (≥ 3) was 70.4% (n = 328). The drugs that contributed most to the total KABS were quetiapine (20.7%), chlorpheniramine (19.5%), tramadol (9.8%), cimetidine (5.8%), and furosemide (3.6%). Polypharmacy, higher body mass index, less dependence, better communication and cognitive functions, and poorer quality of life were associated with high KABS. Conclusions Although the patients with a high burden of DAPs were less dependent and had better cognitive and communication functions, they had poorer quality of life. DAP use in LTCH patients should be monitored carefully, and the risk/ benefit relationship for their use should be considered.

Background: Few studies have examined the performance of the public long-term care insurance (LTCI) from the perspective of geographic equity. This study investigated regional variations and associated factors in the supply and utilization of nursing home care within and also between Japan and Korea. Methods: A comparative dataset was developed by extracting data from 2013–2015 LTCI statistics yearbooks and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development regional statistics, as well as other comparable data in Japan and Korea. The unit of analysis was the prefecture in Japan and the province in Korea. We computed variation indices and conducted regression analyses for regional variations within each country and decomposition analyses to examine the variations between the countries. Results: The overall regional supply and use of nursing home care were higher in Japan, but the regional variations in Korea were larger than in Japan. In both countries, the nursing home supply was negatively associated with the proportion of older people with independent living. Nursing home use was also negatively associated with the supply of hospital beds and home care agencies in Korea; the relationship was the opposite in Japan, however. The country-based differences were more likely to be explained by differences in the distributions of the variables included in the analytical model than country-specific characteristics. Conclusion Regional-level nursing home supply and use were unequal in both countries, and the contributing factors were not the same. Policy efforts are needed to advance regional equality in long-term care (LTC) and collaboration between health and LTC institutions for frail older people, especially in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) is critical for maintaining the health and well-being of older people in community and also institutional settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the current status of PA and related individual and organizational factors among older nursing home residents with and without dementia. METHODS: This is a secondary data analysis study of a nationwide survey of 92 long-term care facilities in Korea, and the study sample includes older residents with dementia (n=753) and without dementia (n=480). The level of PA was measured by PA time and whether or not residents had an outdoor activity over the past 3 days. Multi-variate, multi-level analyses were conducted. RESULTS: More than half of the sample in both groups had no or less than 1 hour of PA. About one out of four older people in our sample had no outdoor activity over the past 3 days regardless of whether or not they had dementia. Among the people without dementia, several individual-level factors were associated with PA, including dependency for activities of daily living, social activity participation, and caregivers' belief in the functional improvement of residents. Unlike the non-dementia group, individual- and organizationallevel factors including staffing level and having the relevant equipment for PA were associated with PA among those with dementia. CONCLUSION: Study findings provide evidence on the lack of PA among older nursing home residents, and the importance of institutional capacity with regard to human resources and physical equipment for promoting PA among people with dementia, in particular. Policies and supports are needed to promote the implementation of healthy aging programs including PA for older nursing home residents. Such programs should be person-centered with consideration to the physical and cognitive status of individual residents.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aging ; Dementia ; Humans ; Korea ; Long-Term Care ; Motor Activity ; Nursing Homes ; Nursing ; Statistics as Topic

OBJECTIVES: Population aging has increased the burden of chronic diseases globally. mHealth is often cited as a viable solution to enhance the management of chronic conditions. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of mHealth interventions for the self-management of chronic diseases in Korea, a highly-connected country with a high chronic care burden. METHODS: Five databases were searched for relevant empirical studies that employed randomized controlled trial (RCT) or quasi-experimental methods published in English or Korean from the years 2008 to 2018. The selected studies were reviewed according to the PRISMA guidelines. The selected studies were classified using the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory conceptual framework. RESULTS: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria, 9 of which were targeted towards diabetes management, and 7 of which were RCTs. Other target diseases included hypertension, stroke, asthma, and others. mHealth interventions were primarily delivered through smartphone applications, mobile phones connected to a monitoring device, and short message services (SMS). Various self-management processes were applied, including providing social influence and support, and facilitating self-monitoring and goal setting. Eleven studies showed mHealth interventions to be effective in improving self-management behaviors, biomarkers, or patient-reported outcome measures associated with chronic diseases. CONCLUSIONS: While the number of identified studies was not large, none reported negative impacts of mHealth on selected outcomes. Future studies on mHealth should design interventions with a greater variety of targeted functions and should adopt more rigorous methodologies to strengthen the evidence for its effectiveness in chronic disease management.
Aging ; Asthma ; Biomarkers ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea* ; Medical Informatics ; Mobile Applications ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Self Care* ; Smartphone ; Stroke ; Telemedicine*

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze the impact of community health care resources on the place of death of older adults with dementia compared to those with cancer in South Korea, using public administrative big data. METHODS: Based on a literature review, we selected person- and community-level variables that can affect older people's decisions about where to die. Data on place-of-death and person-level attributes were obtained from the 2013 death certification micro data from Statistics Korea. Data on the population and economic and health care resources in the community where the older deceased resided were obtained from various open public administrative big data including databases on the local tax and resident population statistics, health care resources and infrastructure statistics, and long-term care (LTC) insurance statistics. Community-level data were linked to the death certificate micro data through the town (si-gun-gu) code of the residence of the deceased. Multi-level logistic regression models were used to simultaneously estimate the impacts of community as well as individual-level factors on the place of death. RESULTS: In both the dementia (76.1%) and cancer (87.1%) decedent groups, most older people died in the hospital. Among the older deceased with dementia, hospital death was less likely to occur when the older person resided in a community with a higher supply of LTC facility beds, but hospital death was more likely to occur in communities with a higher supply of LTC hospital beds. Similarly, among the cancer group, the likelihood of a hospital death was significantly lower in communities with a higher supply of LTC facility beds, but was higher in communities with a higher supply of acute care hospital beds. As for individual-level factors, being female and having no spouse were associated with the likelihood of hospital death among older people with dementia. CONCLUSION: More than three in four older people with dementia die in the hospital, while home is reported to be the place of death preferred by Koreans. To decrease this gap, an increase in the supply of end-of-life (EOL) care at home and in community-based service settings is necessary. EOL care should also be incorporated as an essential part of LTC. Changes in the perception of EOL care by older people and their families are also critical in their decisions about the place of death, and should be supported by public education and other related non-medical, social approaches.
Adult ; Certification ; Community Health Services* ; Death Certificates ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dementia* ; Education ; Female ; Hospices ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Long-Term Care ; Population Characteristics ; Spouses ; Taxes ; Terminal Care

PURPOSE: We evaluated the psychometric properties of a questionnaire on the acceptance of the quality improvement information system (QIIS) among long-term care workers (mostly nurses). METHODS: The questionnaire composes of 21 preliminary questions with 5 domains based on the Technology Acceptance Model and related literature reviews. We developed a prototype web-based comprehensive resident assessment system, and collected data from 126 subjects at 75 long-term care facilities and hospitals, who used the system and responded to the questionnaire. A priori factor structure was developed using an exploratory factor analysis and validated by a confirmatory factor analysis; its reliability was also evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 16 items were yielded, and 5 factors were extracted from the explanatory factor analysis: Usage Intention, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Social Influence, and Innovative Characteristics. The five-factor structure model had a good fit (Tucker-Lewis index [TLI]=.976; comparative fit index [CFI]=.969; standardized root mean squared residual [SRMR]=.052; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA]=.048), and the items were internally consistent(Cronbach's α=.91). CONCLUSION: The questionnaire was valid and reliable to measure the technology acceptance of QIIS among long-term care workers, using the prototype.
Health Information Systems ; Information Systems* ; Intention ; Long-Term Care* ; Psychometrics* ; Quality Improvement*

BACKGROUND: This study examined patient and hospital factors related to long-stay admissions in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) among older people in Korea. METHODS: We analyzed health insurance claims data, entitlement data, and institutional administrative data from the National Health Insurance Service databases between 2010 and 2012. At the patient level, we compared characteristics of patients staying in LTCHs for over 180 days (the long-stay group) with those staying in LTCHs for less than 90 days during a calendar year. At the hospital level, we examined the general characteristics and staffing levels of the top 10% of hospitals with the highest proportion of patients whose length of stay (LOS) was 180+ days (the hospitals with long-stay patients) and compared them with the top 10% of hospitals with the highest proportions of patients whose LOS was less than 90 days (hospitals with shorter-stay patients). RESULTS: The long-stay group accounted for about 40% of all LTCH patients. People in the group were more likely to be women, aged 80+, living alone, and experiencing more than two health conditions. Compared to the hospitals with shorter-stay patients, those with long-stay patients were more likely to be occupied by patients with behavior problems and/or impaired cognition, owned by corporate or local governments, have more beds and a longer period of operation, and deliver services with lower staffing levels. CONCLUSION: This study found long-stay older people in LTCHs and those in LTCHs with high proportions of long-stay older patients had several distinct characteristics compared to their counterparts designated in this study. Patient and hospital characteristics need to be considered in policies aiming to resolve long-stay admissions problems in LTCHs.
Cognition ; Female ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea* ; Length of Stay ; Long-Term Care* ; National Health Programs

Various microrobots are being studied for potential biomedical applications including targeted cell transportation, precise drug delivery, opening blocked blood vessels, micro-surgery, sensing, and scaffolding. Precise magnetic field control system is a coil system for wireless control of those microrobots for personalized and minimally invasive treatments. The microrobots for possible biomedical applications are fabricated by micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) technologies. In this review, fabrication technologies for scaffold and ciliary microrobots will be introduced and their control methods will be discussed. Various materials are being used for the fabrication of the microrobot such as SU-8, IP-Dip, IP-L, silicon, etc. The scaffold and ciliary microrobots are fabricated by SU-8, IP-Dip, and IP-L because these materials showed the maximum performance for three-dimensional (3D) microrobots using a 3D laser lithography system. All or part of the structures are coated with nickel and titanium layers after fabrication of the structures for magnetic control and biocompatibility, respectively, of the microrobots.
Blood Vessels ; Humans ; Magnetic Fields ; Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems ; Nickel ; Silicon ; Titanium ; Transportation