Hankyoreh Establishes 'Korea Patient-Centered Awards,' First Ceremony Set for Year-End [Healthy Hankyoreh]

Hankyoreh is launching the 'Korea Patient-Centered Awards,' the nation's first initiative to recognize and promote patient-centered care. This move aligns with a global shift in healthcare towards prioritizing patient experience and quality of life over traditional provider-centric models. The upcoming Patient Basic Act, set to take effect next April, further solidifies the importance of patient rights and safety in national health policy.

While global organizations like the WHO and OECD, along with major medical institutions in the US and Europe, already incorporate patient experience into quality assessments, South Korea lacks a standardized framework to evaluate how well companies and institutions are implementing patient-centered practices. Hankyoreh's awards aim to fill this gap, setting benchmarks and encouraging the widespread adoption of best practices across the healthcare ecosystem.

The awards will be judged on three criteria: Listen, Innovate, and Accompany. This comprehensive evaluation will assess how patient input influences decision-making, improvements in healthcare accessibility and treatment experience, and post-treatment support for patients' daily lives. The judging panel comprises experts from academia, patient advocacy groups, and the industry, including prominent figures from Yonsei University College of Medicine, Dongguk University College of Medicine, and the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Industry Association.

Initially focusing on the pharmaceutical and bio sectors, the awards plan to expand in the future to include hospitals, medical device companies, digital healthcare providers, and wellness services. Selected cases will be highlighted through feature articles, TV interviews, policy seminars, and published white papers. Since launching its health-focused section, 'Healthy Hankyoreh,' in September 2024, the publication has amplified patient voices, and this awards program seeks to create a virtuous cycle where patient-centered organizations are recognized and their successful models are disseminated throughout the medical community.