The perceptions and experiences of North Korean refugee doctors concerning the burden of non-communicable diseases in North Korea

This study examines the perceptions and experiences of refugee doctors from North Korea concerning the NCDs burden in North Korea. Methods: Focus group discussions were conducted with 10 refugee doctors from North Korea who had been recruited through snowball sampling. Results: North Korean refugee doctors participating in this study indicated that NCDs are the highest priority diseases, that North Koreans did not appear to have a high level of understanding and knowledge of NCDs, that economic breakdown was the primary cause of the NCDs burden, and that a high priority should be assigned to targeting NCDs in North Korea. Discussion: Although the North Korean refugee doctors were medical professionals, they faced serious challenges accessing and managing patients with NCDs. South Korea needs to prepare for a potentially large number of people with NCDs should a freer movement of peoples occur between the two countries.
Source: Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice - Category: Rural Health Authors: Source Type: research