Primary care physicians shortage: a Korean example

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Physician Workforce Analysis
• Healthcare Policy

Background:

• A primary care physician shortage in Korea can disrupt healthcare systems and confuse the public regarding access.
• Evidence suggests a notable deficit in primary care physicians within the Korean healthcare landscape.
• Estimating the required ratio of primary care physicians to all physicians is crucial for system organization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the demand for primary care physicians in Korea.
• To analyze the supply of primary care physicians relative to demand.
• To identify the gap between primary care physician demand and supply.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of nationwide health insurance claims data from the Korean National Medical Insurance Management Corporation (KNMIMC) from 1989-1998.
• Calculation of primary care expenditure and claims to estimate physician need.
• Comparison of the growth rate of primary care physicians versus the total physician population.

Main Results:

• The total number of physicians increased by 183% between 1989 and 1998.
• Primary care physicians (general physicians, family physicians, general internists, general pediatricians) increased by 169% during the same period.
• Demand for primary care physicians ranged from 58.6% to 83.7% of the total physician workforce, while supply was only 22.0%, indicating a substantial gap.

Conclusions:

• A significant disparity exists between the demand for and supply of primary care physicians in Korea.
• Achieving high-quality healthcare necessitates a balanced distribution of primary care physicians and specialists.
• Policy interventions may be needed to address the primary care physician shortage and meet national health service demands.