초점집단면접을 통해 확인한 의료소비자의 전문병원에 대한 인식

Abstract

Background: Since 2011, 112 specialty hospitals that have been approved by the government have been operating in Korea. However, healthcare consumers generally did not differentiate between government-designated specialty hospitals and self-proclaimed ones. This study was to estimate the healthcare consumers’ awareness of specialty hospitals using focus group interviews (FGIs). Methods: This study examined healthcare consumers’ knowledge, understanding, and attitudes toward specialty hospitals using a qualitative research method in October 2021. The study used FGIs with seven participants who had visited hospitals in the last 12 months for diseases or symptoms associated with specialty hospitals. All interview processes were recorded and transcribed as participants responded. The transcription was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Despite the lack of a clear distinction between government-designated and self-proclaimed specialty hospitals, the interviews showed that participants trusted and had a positive attitude toward specialty hospitals. Participants suggested that in order to increase public awareness and understanding, the government should focus its public relations efforts on promoting governmentdesignated specialty hospitals. Conclusion: Despite the fact that the policy for designating specialty hospitals was implemented over a decade ago, there remains a lack of distinction between government-designated and self-proclaimed specialty hospitals among healthcare consumers. Nevertheless, healthcare consumers had a positive attitude toward specialty hospitals. Thus, it is suggested that the government focuses its public relations efforts on improving awareness of governmentdesignated specialty hospitals among healthcare consumers. Such efforts could reduce the number of patients in Korea’s tertiary hospitals.