Prerequisites for Effective Implementation of Telemedicine: Focusing on Current Situations in Korea

Lee, Hyeoi-Yun; Lee, Ji-San; Kim, Jeongeun

Second, a search of services for illnesses that impose high levels of burden on households is necessary. Among the national healthcare expenditures, households pay 37.7%, which is 1.9 times higher than the OECD average of 19.5% [8] . Therefore, an increase in the proportion of public healthcare expenditure and a reduction in the proportion of self-pay must be achieved by seeking a telemedicine system that is suited to the severity and duration of costly illnesses, such as circulatory diseases and malignant neoplasms [9] , and by expanding pilot projects that reflect the characteristics of the local community through public healthcare facilities. Furthermore, current projects organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which account for a large proportion of the budget, such as antismoking campaigns, nutrition education, and education on adult disease prevention [10] , are areas that have the highest influence on the prevalence of illnesses and on public health; therefore, preferential applications of telemedicine should be considered.