The number of children with conditions requiring rehabilitation in Korea rose nearly 31 percent over five years, while the number of medical institutions providing pediatric rehabilitation services fell nearly 18 percent, a study found.
The study also revealed wide regional disparities in access to care, highlighting the need to improve the healthcare delivery system, researchers led by Professor Hong Seung-bin of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital said.
The team published its findings in the Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine, the journal of the Korean Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine.
The researchers analyzed the number of children with 28 conditions requiring pediatric rehabilitation from 2019 to 2023. The total increased from 188,663 to 246,699 during the period. In particular, the number of children diagnosed with developmental delays more than doubled, from 47,587 to 96,149, the study found.
In contrast, the number of medical institutions providing pediatric rehabilitation services declined from 608 in 2019 to 500 in 2023, a decrease of 17.8 percent.
Access varied widely by region. In 2023, the proportion of patients...