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The Current Status and a Prospect of Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Korea

Article information

J Korean Med Assoc. 2006;49(11):983-989
Publication date (electronic) : 2006 November 30
doi : https://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2006.49.11.983
Son-Moon Shin, MD
Department of Pediatrics, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Korea. smshinmd@skku.edu

Abstract

Neonatal intensive care in Korea has improved remarkably since the 1990's, but there is still a shortage of facilities and equipments in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Only 61.7% of hospital beds needed for neonatal intensive care are available, the given area per bed is limited, and other facilities such as on-call rooms, interview rooms, closets are insufficient. Mechanical ventilators are not appropriately distributed to NICUs that are equipped to handle neonatal intensive care. The number of physicians for neonatal intensive care is by far too small, with the number of patients per physician being very high. The number of patients per nurse, too, is as high as 5.3 to 7.3, making it very difficult to provide adequate intensive care. All these are caused by the insufficient investment by the hospitals, which is due to the inadequate reimbursement from the health insurance. Therefore, government-driven efforts are necessary to bring the level of neonatal intensive care service up to par.

Keywords: Neonatal intensive care; Newborn; NICU

References

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Article information Continued

Copyright © 2006 Korean Medical Association

Table 1

Definitions of levels of neonatal care

Table 1

Table 2

Service areas of neonatal intensive care units (m3)

Table 2

*percentage of the recommended area of AAP & ACOG(5)

Table 3

Installed gas outlets per bed in neonatal intensive care units

Table 3

Table 4

Percentage of the prepared supporting service areas in neonatal intensive care units (%)

Table 4

Table 5

Number of infant ventilators in neonatal intensive care units

Table 5

Table 6

Distribution of hospitals by the number of infant ventilators(1999)

Table 6

Table 7

Medical doctors in neonatal intensive care units

Table 7

Table 8

Distribution of hospitals by the number of infant ventilators per resident(1999)

Table 8

Table 9

Nursing personnels in neonatal intensive care units

Table 9

Table 10

Distribution of hospitals by the number of infant ventilators and patients per nurse(1999)

Table 10

Table 11

Beds for neonatal intensive care by regions

Table 11

*one bed per 1,000 live birth