J Agric Med Community Health.  2011 Mar;36(1):36-46.

The Experience and Competence of Physicians Who Provide Emergency Health Care at Public Health Sub-Centers on Remote Islands in Korea

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea.
  • 2Korea Health Industry Development Institute, Korea.
  • 3Department of Nursing, Shingyeong University, Korea. haneek95@hanmail.net
  • 4Department of Preventive medicine, College of Medicine, Konyang University, Korea. skqw@konyang.ac.kr

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
To investigate the experience and competence of physicians providing emergency medical services at public health sub-centers on remote Korean islands.
METHODS
This study enrolled 79 doctors who work at public health sub-centers on remote Korean islands. Data were collected in December 2009 via self-administered e-mail questionnaires. The response rate was 44.3%.
RESULTS
Emergent situations occurred at most (58.68%) of the public health sub-centers that were surveyed in December 2009. An average of 1.92 cases required treatment by public health physicians. Only 20.25% of the physicians were specialists in emergency medicine, while the remainder were general practitioners (GPs) without clinical experience as emergency doctors. We also found that the physicians we surveyed had insufficient knowledge of emergency medical care. At some health centers only one doctor was available, and there was no medical team in holiday, although most of the physicians indicated that the ideal number of doctors per center was two or three. In cases of emergency, patients were often sent to the mainland by ship without receiving first-aid treatment. The public health sub-centers lacked the necessary medical equipment to save lives in emergencies and lacked escort systems for emergency patients.
CONCLUSIONS
The Korean government should address the importance of providing emergency care in remote areas. Health administrators should provide suitable manpower, medical equipment, guidelines for emergency medicine, and education for public health physicians on remote islands.

Keyword

Emergency medical service; Health services accessibility; Public health doctor

MeSH Terms

Administrative Personnel
Delivery of Health Care
Electronic Mail
Emergencies
Emergency Medical Services
Emergency Medicine
General Practitioners
Health Services Accessibility
Holidays
Humans
Islands
Korea
Mental Competency
Public Health
Ships
Specialization
Surveys and Questionnaires
Full Text Links
  • JAMCH
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr