Abstract

Objective: To check the status of traditional Korean medical doctors’ medical services amid the continual increase in the number of traditional Korean medicine clinics. Methods: A survey of traditional Korean medicine clinics based on questionnaire sheets mailed to 4,200 out of 10,895clinics, of which 465, or 11.0%, responded, in the June 1, 2008 to December 9, 2008 period. Results:1. 65.6% of the traditional Korean responding clinics are doing business in a rented space; 92.1%of them are one-person institutions; 24.4% of them, i.e., the largest group of those surveyed, operate in a space sized 41 (123㎡)~50 pyeong (150㎡). The number of sick beds installed in their facilities comes to 7.9 on average. 2. Concerning support staff, 190 of them (or 40.9%), i.e., the largest group of those surveyed, employ two people in this capacity. They generally comprise assistant nurses (48.7%) and others (47.6%). 3. The size of the space used by the clinics is showing a tendency to increase. The number of sick beds and support staff, including assistant nurses, reached a peak in 2006, and has been on the decrease since then. 4. The average number of on-days comes to six days a week among 92.6% of those surveyed. Their average daily service hours come to 9 hours and 33 minutes (from 9:17 am to 6:50 pm). 5. Per-patient service time: 14 minutes on average; per-patient acupuncture time: 18.8 minutes; per-patient moxa cautery time: 10.1 minutes per-patient; boil-cupping time: 5.7 minutes; per-patient physical treatment: 28 minutes. Conclusion: Periodical studies should be carried out concerning desirable ways of developing traditional Korean medicine clinics with the focus on the facilities, doctors’ service hours, and types of service.