전남 도서지역 보건진료원 업무환경 개선방안

Improvement for Work Status of Community Health Practitioners in Island Areas

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the work status of community health practitioners in island areas. Methods: Participants in this study were 59 community health practitioners in primary health care posts located on islands in J Province. Data were collected during December, 2011 and analyzed using SPSS 17.0 program. Results: Characteristics of the majority of community health practitioners in the island areas was that they were over 50 years old, married, and had 10 years job experience, The population under their jurisdiction was less than 200 and they had an average of 6-10 patients/day and worked less than 10 hours/day. Health education and practice were the most common of task, and they had various types of paperwork to complete. They visited senior citizens living alone, managed medications, gathered health data for research, waited for night treatment of emergency patients, carried out health promotion programs, and visited seriously ill patients at home after work hours. Conclusion: Results of the study indicate that in order to improve the role and function of the primary health care posts and to boost morale, the practitioners opinions should be actively accepted by the community health practitioner association and competent government agencies.