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Kim YS, Kim J, Kim Y, Kang HT. Disparities in cause-specific mortality by health insurance type and premium: evidence from Korean NHIS-HEALS cohort study, 2002-2019. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:1577. [PMID: 38867237 PMCID: PMC11167746 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19088-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although one's socioeconomic status affects health outcomes, limited research explored how South Korea's National Health Insurance (NHI) system affects mortality rates. This study investigated whether health insurance type and insurance premiums are associated with mortality. METHODS Based on the National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening cohort, 246,172 men and 206,534 women aged ≥ 40 years at baseline (2002-2003) were included and followed until 2019. Health insurance type was categorized as employee-insured (EI) or self-employed-insured (SI). To define low, medium, and high economic status groups, we used insurance premiums at baseline. Death was determined using the date and cause of death included in the cohort. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze the association between insurance factors and the overall and cause-specific mortality. RESULTS The SI group had a significantly higher risk of overall death compared to the EI group (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval]: 1.13 [1.10-1.15] for men and 1.18 [1.15-1.22] for women), after adjusting for various factors. This trend extended to death from the five major causes of death in South Korea (cancer, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, pneumonia, and intentional self-harm) and from external causes, with a higher risk of death in the SI group (vs. the EI group). Further analysis stratified by economic status revealed that individuals with lower economic status faced higher risk of overall death and cause-specific mortality in both sexes, compared to those with high economic status for both health insurance types. CONCLUSION This nationwide study found that the SI group and those with lower economic status faced higher risk of overall mortality and death from the five major causes in South Korea. These findings highlight the potential disparities in health outcomes within the NHI system. To address these gaps, strategies should target risk factors for death at the individual level and governments should incorporate such strategies into public health policy development at the population level. TRIAL REGISTRATION This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Chungbuk National University Hospital (CBNUH-202211-HR-0236) and adhered to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (1975).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye-Seul Kim
- Department of Family Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, 776 1-Soonwhan-Ro, Seowon-Gu, Cheongju, 28644, Republic of Korea
| | - Joungyoun Kim
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Seoul, 163 Seoulsiripdae-Ro, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, 02504, Republic of Korea
| | - Yonghoon Kim
- Department of Biostatistics and Computing, Yonsei University Graduate School, 50-1 Yonsei-Ro, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Taik Kang
- Department of Family Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50-1 Yonsei-Ro, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
- Institute for Innovation in Digital Healthcare, Yonsei University, 50-1 Yonsei-Ro, Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
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Teo AKJ, Morishita F, Islam T, Viney K, Ong CW, Kato S, Kim H, Liu Y, Oh KH, Yoshiyama T, Ohkado A, Rahevar K, Kawatsu L, Yanagawa M, Prem K, Yi S, Tran HTG, Marais BJ. Tuberculosis in older adults: challenges and best practices in the Western Pacific Region. THE LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. WESTERN PACIFIC 2023; 36:100770. [PMID: 37547037 PMCID: PMC10398605 DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2023.100770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The Western Pacific has one of the fastest-growing older adult populations globally, and tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the foremost infectious causes of disease and death in the region. Older adults are at higher risk of TB due to immunosenescence, comorbidities, and increased institutionalisation. Atypical symptoms and reduced access to health services may delay care-seeking and TB diagnosis, while co-morbidity and increased risk of adverse drug reactions complicate TB treatment. Post-TB sequelae and socioeconomic challenges may decrease the quality of life after TB treatment completion. Despite their high disease burden and special challenges, there is a lack of regionally coordinated policies and guidelines to manage TB among older adults. Routine TB screening at aged-care facilities, age-friendly infrastructure and services, awareness of atypical TB features, integration of TB and non-communicable diseases services, and person-centred approaches to treatment support could improve TB management among older adults. Addressing these challenges and adopting the best practices identified should inform policy formulation and implementation. Funding This project was funded by 1) the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, with financial contributions from the Government of the Republic of Korea through the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Government of Japan through the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and 2) NUS Start-up Grant. The funders had no role in the paper design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin Kuo Jing Teo
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The University of Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases (Sydney ID) and the Centre of Research Excellence in Tuberculosis (TB-CRE), Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Fukushi Morishita
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
| | - Tauhid Islam
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
| | - Kerri Viney
- World Health Organization, Global Tuberculosis Programme, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Catherine W.M. Ong
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Seiya Kato
- Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan
| | - HeeJin Kim
- Korean National Tuberculosis Association, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuhong Liu
- Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Kyung Hyun Oh
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
| | - Takashi Yoshiyama
- Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akihiro Ohkado
- Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kalpeshsinh Rahevar
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
| | - Lisa Kawatsu
- Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Manami Yanagawa
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
| | - Kiesha Prem
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Siyan Yi
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
- KHANA Center for Population Health Research, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Center for Global Health Research, Public Health Program, Touro University California, Vallejo, CA, USA
| | - Huong Thi Giang Tran
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines
| | - Ben J. Marais
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The University of Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases (Sydney ID) and the Centre of Research Excellence in Tuberculosis (TB-CRE), Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Lee I, Kang S, Chin B, Joh JS, Jeong I, Kim J, Kim J, Lee JY. Predictive Factors and Clinical Impacts of Delayed Isolation of Tuberculosis during Hospital Admission. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12041361. [PMID: 36835896 PMCID: PMC9966369 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12041361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Delayed isolation of tuberculosis (TB) can cause unexpected exposure of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study identified the predictive factors and clinical impact of delayed isolation. We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of index patients and HCWs who underwent contact investigation after TB exposure during hospitalization at the National Medical Center, between January 2018 and July 2021. Among the 25 index patients, 23 (92.0%) were diagnosed with TB based on the molecular assay, and 18 (72.0%) had a negative acid-fast bacilli smear. Sixteen (64.0%) patients were hospitalized via the emergency room, and 18 (72.0%) were admitted to a non-pulmonology/infectious disease department. According to the patterns of delayed isolation, patients were classified into five categories. Among 157 close-contact events in 125 HCWs, 75 (47.8%) occurred in Category A. Twenty-five (20%) HCWs had multiple TB exposures (n = 57 events), of whom 37 (64.9%) belonged to Category A (missed during emergency situations). After contact tracing, latent TB infection was diagnosed in one (1.2%) HCW in Category A, who was exposed during intubation. Delayed isolation and TB exposure mostly occurred during pre-admission in emergency situations. Effective TB screening and infection control are necessary to protect HCWs, especially those who routinely contact new patients in high-risk departments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inhan Lee
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul 04564, Republic of Korea
| | - Soyoung Kang
- Department of Infection Control and Prevention, National Medical Center, Seoul 04564, Republic of Korea
| | - Bumsik Chin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul 04564, Republic of Korea
| | - Joon-Sung Joh
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul 04564, Republic of Korea
| | - Ina Jeong
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul 04564, Republic of Korea
| | - Junghyun Kim
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Hwaseong 18450, Republic of Korea
| | - Joohae Kim
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul 04564, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Yeon Lee
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center, Seoul 04564, Republic of Korea
- Correspondence:
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