General internists' perspectives regarding primary care and currently related issues in Korea.
Although primary care has been recognized as an essential element of the healthcare system, the primary healthcare of Korea has not been highly valued. Listening to the voices of physicians who are engaged in primary care should be the first step for improving the level of primary care in Korea. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey of general internists to investigate their perspectives regarding primary care, and which included the evaluation of current primary care, perception of the five, key attributes of primary care, and their opinions regarding the management system of chronic diseases. A total of 466 general internists' responses were used in this analysis. The results showed that primary care is considered to have an important role, according to general internists, although their evaluation of the overall status of primary care in Korea indicated that it is poor. The respondents also indicated that the functions of coordination and comprehensiveness in primary care, which can be integral for treating patients with chronic diseases, are most vulnerable. Given the high level of agreement regarding the need for a new medical management system for chronic diseases, based on physicians' autonomy and provided by clinics, establishing a policy encouraging the participation of general internists should be emphasized.
Public Health Medical Service, Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Jin Yong
0000-0002-7752-2697
JY
Lee
Department of Preventive Medicine, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
Sang Jun
0000-0001-5868-1679
SJ
Eun
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Minsu
0000-0001-9949-9224
M
Ock
Department of Public Health, The Graduate School of Konyang University, Daejeon, Korea.
Hyun Joo
0000-0001-5784-3576
HJ
Kim
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hyeon-Jeong
0000-0002-0822-2420
HJ
Lee
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Woo-Seung
0000-0003-0443-5901
WS
Son
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Min-Woo
0000-0002-4574-1318
MW
Jo
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology* / Q000639:trends; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000639:trends*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Chronic Diseases; Health Policy; Internal Medicine; Primary Care