Mapping Community Priorities for Local Medical Centers: An Importance-Performance Analysis Study of Residents’ Perceptions in Large Cities, Non-Large Cities, and Rural Areas in South Korea

TL;DR

This study explores how residents in different regions of South Korea prioritize the roles of local medical centers, revealing the need for region-specific healthcare policies.

Contribution

The study introduces region-specific insights into the perceived importance of Local Medical Center functions, advocating for tailored healthcare strategies.

Findings

Residents in non-large cities prioritize unmet healthcare needs and operational efficiency.

Rural residents emphasize post-discharge care coordination due to aging and chronic disease.

Large city residents focus on safety-net roles, while all regions agree on public health and infectious disease control.

Abstract

Background: Policymakers in Korea are calling for Local Medical Centers (LMCs) to address regional healthcare disparities by expanding their roles beyond safety-net functions yet often overlook local community perspectives. Methods: Face-to-face survey data collected in 2022 from 2057 adults residing in Chungcheongnam-do were analyzed in this study, using Importance–Performance Analysis to assess how residents of large cities, non-large cities, and rural areas prioritize nine LMC functions. Results: While all valued public health policy and infectious disease control amid COVID-19, notable regional variations appeared: non-large city residents prioritized unmet healthcare needs and operational efficiency, rural respondents emphasized post-discharge care coordination due to aging and chronic disease, and large city residents focused on safety-net roles. Staff training and medical innovation ranked lowest across regions. Conclusions: The results highlight the inadequacy of one-size-fits-all policies and the importance of regionally tailored, resident-informed strategies for equitable public health in Korea.

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