Institute for Continuing Education

Home Healthcare Administration

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Describe the historical, social, and political factors that have shaped Korean culture and influenced the health beliefs and practices of Korean patients in the United States.
• Identify key Korean cultural values — including Confucian hierarchy, kibun, nunchi, jeong, and collectivism — and explain how these values affect patient-provider communication and healthcare decision-making.
• Explain the principles of traditional Korean medicine (Hanbang), including the concepts of ki (vital energy), yin-yang balance, and the role of hwa-byung (suppressed anger syndrome) in Korean health belief systems.
• Describe at least five traditional Korean folk remedies and herbal preparations that may be encountered in clinical settings, and assess their potential interactions with Western pharmaceutical treatments.
• Apply a culturally sensitive, rapid clinical assessment framework (the Korean Cultural Assessment Tool — KCAT) to gather essential information needed for care planning in acute and chronic care settings.
• Formulate at least three evidence-based strategies for establishing therapeutic rapport with Korean patients and their families, including approaches to communication, family inclusion, and decision-making.
• Recognize the cultural and language barriers that contribute to healthcare disparities among Korean Americans, and identify institutional and individual-level interventions to reduce those disparities.
• Assess the unique cultural considerations associated with mental health stigma, end-of-life care preferences, chronic disease management, maternal/child health, and geriatric care in Korean populations.
• Distinguish between the health practices of first-generation Korean immigrants and second-generation Korean Americans, and adapt care plans accordingly.
• Demonstrate an awareness of personal cultural biases and apply principles of cultural humility in cross-cultural clinical encounters with Korean patients and their families.

Course Information

The medical community universally recognizes long-term home oxygen as essential therapy for hypoxemic, chronic lung disease patients. Important scientific studies prove that chronically hypoxemic persons live longer when they receive oxygen continuously at home. In addition, most individuals with chronic lung disease gain even more when their home oxygen is portable.

Pulmonary rehabilitation experts tell us that patients are healthier and enjoy life more when they are active, mobile, and participating in daily activities. For patients needing oxygen, portable systems combine the proven benefits of continuous oxygen therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation: they live longer, require fewer hospitalizations, and enjoy a higher quality of life.

Most patients with portable systems also need a stationary oxygen source. They use the stationary source for most of the day, during sleep and wakeful rest. Some stationary systems can be moved with relative ease from room to room. Patients will then switch to portable oxygen for mobility when exercising, shopping, going to work, and even when traveling.