Abstract
Objectives : This research seeks to present the data needed for the development of coping strategy, following medical market opening by identifying dental hygienists' perspective and coping measures towards the opening. Methods : One hundred eighty-eight dental hygienists were targeted to identify their level of perception towards medical market opening, attitude towards medical market opening, question of whether they agree or not with the opening and reasons, and coping measures and benefits of the medical market opening. t-test, chi-square test and cross-tabulation analysis were used for the analysis Results : First, team leaders are more aware of the medical market opening and hold greater sense of crisis towards opening compared to the rank and file. Second, the reasons cited for agreeing with the medical market opening included improvement of medical services' quality and diversification of services. As for the reasons for disagreeing, they cited the increase medical expenses paid by public. Third, limitation of the hospital management technique was cited the most when it comes to the scope of Korean hospitals' management crisis, followed by the limitations of the diagnosis procedure, limitations of the medical services, limitations of the medical techniques and increase in the number of large hospitals, in the order cited. Fourth, team leaders perceive greater need to seek coping measures from the aspect of realizing medical insurance fee from the policy development, service and system level aspects when it comes to the coping measures depending on their ranks. Conclusions : Therefore, Dental Hygienist has a comparatively low awareness of medical market opening, coping measures need to be explored to cope with the medical market opening by ensuring the dissemination of accurate knowledge through the education on the fees for dental hygienist and seminars in relation to the medical market opening.