Korean J Fam Pract. 2018; 8(4): 607-615  https://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2018.8.4.607
Current Status of Having a Usual Source of Care and Its Associated Factors in Korean Adults with Hypertension
Chung Kang, Jae-Ho Lee*, Dae-Kyun Kim, Clara Lee, Jee-Hye Oh
Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
Jae-Ho Lee Tel: +82-2-2258-6288, Fax: +82-2-2258-2907 E-mail: jaeholee@catholic.ac.kr ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5184-7437
Received: July 6, 2017; Revised: August 30, 2017; Accepted: September 3, 2017; Published online: August 20, 2018.
© The Korean Academy of Family Medicine. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: There has been rising interest in chronic disease management worldwide. Hypertension is one of the major chronic diseases that requires a usual source of care (USC) in primary care. This study was conducted to analyze the current status of having a USC for Korean adults with hypertension.
Methods: We used the 2013 Korea Health Panel data. The study population comprised adults aged 18 years or older with hypertension (n=2,633).Sociodemographic variables by types of USC, usual places by types of medical institution, and primary care attributes by types of usual places were analyzed using bivariate analyses. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to define sociodemographic factors associated with having a regular doctor (RD) controlling for health status. Cross-sectional weights were applied to all analyses.
Results: Those having a USC comprised 66.2% (40.0% for RDs). Private local clinics were the most frequent type of usual place (63.3%). Those who responded positively to comprehensiveness and coordination comprised 75.2% and 29.7%, respectively. The longitudinal relationship between RDs and patients was 7.7 (±5.3) years. Compared to those with 6 years or less of education, those with 7–12 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05–1.67) and those with 13 years or more (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.08–2.12) of education were associated with an increased probability of having a RD.
Conclusion: The percentage of Korean adults with hypertension having a RD is very low. Even those having a RD experience poor coordination, healthcare policies to improve coordination, as well as promote having a RD, are necessary for effective hypertension management in Korea.
Keywords: Primary Health Care; Hypertension; Health Policy; Chronic Disease; Korea
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