This study was conducted to find out the needs of Primary health service(P.H.S) programs and related factors among medical officers and NCOs(health service giver group).
This study was also designed to investigate the current status of general health and healthy behavior practices, patterns, utilization of troop medical center(T.M.C.). and needs of P.H.C programs of the soldiers in Army Divisions(health service receiver groups).
Therefore, the results could serve as basic information to improve health care programs corresponding to soldiers' needs in Army Divisions.
The self-reporting questionnaires used in previous similar studies were modified and used as a data collection tool.(cronbach'a= .738, = .843). The subjects in this study were a randomized sample of the 356 soldiers(health service receiver group), 108 medical officers and NCOs(health care giver group) in 6 Army Divisions. The data were collected through mail survey method from 1st July to 29th July in 2005 and analysed by utilizing various statistical tests, applied through SPSS 12.0 versions.
The results were as follows:
1. In the health care giver group, "The Needs of P.H.C programs" received an average score of 3.96(Medical NCOs), 3.79(Medical service corps), and 3.35(Military Doctors) on Likert's scale of 5, showing the scores in the highest levels for vaccination, health education, and mental health programs. The health care receiver groups showed the highest degree for rehabilitation therapy among the P.H.C programs.
2. Most of the health care receiver group answered that nursing officers are suitable people who performed significantly in the fields of non-smoking programs, health promotion education, sexual behavior related counseling, vaccination, rehabilitation therapy, and counseling related to women's health.
3. Most in the health care receiver group are concerned with health problems, and especially interested in muscular-skeletal diseases during military service. In reality, in general heatlh they rated themselves an average 3.21 on Likert's scale of 5.
4. In the health service receiver group, 76.3% had experienced in the P.H.C programs and 64.0% had experienced in medical service.
5. The optimum places which can be ideally covered by P.H.C programs are hospitals(42.6%*, 33.4%**) and the division clinic troops(34.3%*, 41.9%**). (The giver group *, The receiver group**)
6. The majority of the division T.M.C was burdened under the services of managing medical equipment and materials(34.3%), medical round(23.1%), health promotion education and counseling(32.2%), and in-patient service(20.4%).
As a conclusion, it is strongly recommended that each P.H.C program item at the Army Division level be reconsidered and reorganized based on each medical personnel‘s role performance, health receiver and giver group's preference.
We also need to take into account nursing officers' roles for improving the health service programs especially at the Division level.