This study aimed to record the experiences of childbirth and postpartum care of postpartum women and gain an in-depth understanding of their experiences of Korean medicine-based postpartum healthcare. The investigator conducted a 60–90-min interview with the 8 participants (mean age 34 years), and the comments were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The two major themes emerging from the participants’ comments were: “experience and awareness of childbirth and postpartum care” and “experiences of the Korean medicine-based postpartum program”. The first theme was analyzed in four primary categories: (1) experiences of breakdown of the body and mind; (2) impossibility of postpartum care without help; (3) experiences of relentless effort for recovery; and (4) experiences of body and mind recovery. The second theme was analyzed in four primary categories: (1) participation with vague expectations; (2) experiences of the effects of managing postpartum symptoms; (3) the need for a comprehensive Korean medicine management for postpartum women; and (4) suggested improvements for the Korean medicine-based postpartum program. Mothers recognized the importance of Korean medicine treatment during the postpartum period for the management of Sanhupung symptoms and postpartum care and reported the benefits of body warming, Sanhupung prevention, pain reduction, and sense of psychological stability.

Background: The postpartum period is the most critical period in the mother’s and child’s lives, and integrative medical approaches, including Korean medicine, are preferred for promoting postpartum recovery and managing postpartum symptoms. The socially disadvantaged class is known to be more vulnerable to postpartum depression, obesity, and bleeding, and the National Medical Center is undertaking Korean medicine-based postpartum health management projects for the socially disadvantaged mothers. However, clinical evidence and research data on integrative medicine-based postpartum care to expand the scope of these postpartum programs to help these women are lacking. Aim: To investigate the barriers, benefits, and limitations of integrative medical postpartum health management programs for the socially disadvantaged mothers and investigate the experiences of this population. Methods: A qualitative research methodology is used, and a semi-structured, open-ended interview will be conducted. The interview will be conducted among 10 or fewer participants, with each interview session lasting for 60–120 min. Data will be analyzed using grounded theory framework proposed by Strauss and Corbin. Significance: This study will shed light on the users’ experiences and benefits, unmet needs, and limitations of Korean medicine-based postpartum management programs for the socially disadvantaged mothers. The findings will be useful for the improvement of postpartum care programs and used as foundational data for the protocols of quantitative studies in the future.

Background Workplace-based learning (WPBL) has emerged as an essential practice in healthcare education. However, WPBL is rarely implemented in traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) due to the passive attitude of teachers and possible violation of medical laws that limit the participation of trainees in medical treatment. In this study, we implemented WPBL in the clinical clerkship of acupuncture and moxibustion medicine at a single College of Korean Medicine and discuss future improvements. Methods During the clerkship, each senior student was assigned an inpatient at the university hospital. WPBL was conducted as follows: patient presentation by the supervisor, interaction with the patient at the bedside, preparation of medical records, oral case presentation, and discussion with feedback. The student performed a physical examination and review of systems as a clinical task. In addition, six doctors of Korean Medicine (DKM) who are currently practicing after three years of WPBL were interviewed to investigate the real-world effects and unmet needs of WPBL in their workplaces. Results Two major themes identified from the interview were: “the experience of novice DKMs with TKM practice” and “Status Quo TKM education.” The five subcategories were: “Clinical competency priorities vary according to the TKM workplace,” “Difficulties faced by DKMs immediately after graduation,” “WPBL experience,” “Necessary but difficult to implement real patient learning,” and “Unmet needs for clinical clerkship in TKM.” Conclusion The present study suggests that WPBL may contribute to achieving various competencies of DKM. Since most DKMs are employed in clinics after graduation without receiving training in hospitals, WPBL plays an essential role in TKM education, and real patient learning in TKM primary clinics should be increased. However, the voluntary participation of patients, which requires the active participation of teachers, is necessary for the implementation of WPBL.

Background: Since 4 major diseases and geriatric diseases require consistent management, individuals with any of these diseases cannot live alone and need caregivers’ assistance. Given these characteristics, an integrative medical service model for 4 major diseases and geriatric diseases was developed in Korea, currently. Dementia, one of the typical geriatric diseases, requires caregivers’ assistance from the beginning because of its enormous burden. Thus, it is necessary to provide an integrative medical service that can improve the quality of life (QoL) for both patients and caregivers. Therefore, this study aims to collect various feedback by applying an integrative medical service, which was developed to improve the QoL in patients with dementia and their caregivers, to a single case, and to modify and improve the integrative medical service model based on the results. Method/design: The integrative medical service program, which was developed to improve the QoL in patients with dementia and their caregivers in Korea, will be used for a patient-caregiver pair. This is an observational study with quantitative and qualitative feedback from various viewpoints. The program will be conducted in 8 sessions (twice a week, within 120 minutes). The patient will receive both Western and Korean medicine, and an integrative service will be provided to improve cognitive rehabilitation and QoL. Feedback collected at each session will be reflected on the program of the subsequent session. Results: This study will then modify and improve the program with feedback and provide integrative medical services to a patient with dementia and caregiver. Discussion: Patients with dementia need a program that would help them maintain cognitive function, and caregivers need a program that would improve their QoL by reducing the caregiving burden. This study is unique because the developed program is performed after modification based on feedback from the previous session. Accordingly, the patient and caregiver can check which program is the most satisfactory and helpful in improving their QoL. We expect that this study can modify the integrative medical service model to the optimized patient-based model. This study can also be used as basic data for a clinical pathway development study that applies the modified model to medical institutes.