Korean Journal of Health Promotion

Kang, Lee, and Kim: Knowledge and Attitude of Health Care Providers for Korean National Health Examination

Original Article: Published online: December 28, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15384/kjhp.2017.17.4.252; Knowledge and Attitude of Health Care Providers for Korean National Health Examination; Seo Young Kang, Jung Ah Lee, Young Sik Kim; Department of Family Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.; Corresponding author: Young Sik Kim, MD, MPH, PhD. Department of Family Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88 Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul 05505, Korea.
Tel: +82-2-3010-3811, Fax: +82-2-3010-3815, youngkim@amc.seoul.kr; Received October 27, 2017 Accepted December 14, 2017; Copyright © 2017 Korean Society for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

Background: Current National Health Examination (NHE) in Korea provides health examination to the public throughout the entire life course; however, management after NHE is not sufficiently delivered. In this study, we investigated knowledge and attitude of health care providers in order to revise result forms and counseling manual of NHE.

Methods: We recruited 30 doctors, who undergo NHE, and conducted survey from January 7, 2016 to January 26, 2016. Participants answered questionnaires regarding difficulty of explaining each items of result forms, difficulty of counseling each items of NHE, and ways of improvement. Furthermore, we conducted in-depth interview regarding pros and cons of NHE and improvements needed.

Results: The average Likert score for difficulty of explaining items of result forms was lowest (3.8/5.0 points) for blood test due to its graphic format. Difficult counseling items were mental health, mild cognitive impairment and dementia, and healthcare for the elderly. The proportions of doctors, who often counsel these items, were less than 40%. In the in-depth interview, health care providers suggested that examinees' knowledge for result forms decreases because it is hard to interpret, and management after NHE should be improved by undertaking NHE in primary health care facilities.

Conclusions: The graphic format of blood test result form should be revised into readable format, and contents of counseling manual for mental health, mild cognitive impairment and dementia, and healthcare for the elderly should be improved. Financial support for doctors should be provided, and NHE should ultimately be reinforced in primary health care facilities.

Key words: National health programs; Health personnel; Counseling

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Table 1

Basic characteristics of the study participants

Values are presented as number (%).

Table 2

Mean Likert scores for difficulty to explain the results of GHE and difficulty of counseling LTPHE

Abbreviations: GHE, general health examination; LTPHE, Life turning point health examination.

Values are presented as mean±standard deviation.

Table 3

Proportions of doctors, who counsel lifestyle modification after health examinations

Values are presented as number (%).

^aFor life turning point health examination, “I do counsel” include the answers with “always” and “most of the time,” and “I don't counsel” include the answers with “average,” “mostly not” and “never.”