Changes in Pain and Quality of Life and User Satisfaction among Older Adults with Limited Mobility Receiving Korean Medicine Home Visits through a Public Health Center-Public Hospital Collaboration: A Retrospective Chart Review in One District of Seo

Objectives: To describe participant characteristics, treatment patterns, and insurance-covered herbal medicine prescriptions in a Korean medicine home-visit program jointly operated by a public health center and a public hospital, and to evaluate user satisfaction and changes in pain and quality of life.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed records of adults referred to the program (Seoul, 2023-2025). Participants with ≥1 recorded clinical outcome were included; paired first- and final-visit values were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Outcomes included pain (Numeric Rating Scale [NRS]), quality of life (EQ-VAS, EQ-5D-5L), depression (5-item Geriatric Depression Scale), Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), and satisfaction.Results: Of 65 referred individuals, 63 received ≥1 home visit, and 48 participants with recorded outcomes were analyzed (mean age, 82.6 ± 5.8 years; 81.2% women; median, 4 visits). Low back pain (70.8%) and knee pain (43.8%) predominated. Acupuncture was provided to 95.8% and herbal medicine to 64.6%. NRS decreased from 6.22 to 4.93 (mean change, -1.28; 95% CI, -1.75 to -0.82; p<0.001); 26.1% achieved a ≥30% reduction. EQ-VAS increased from 46.6 to 55.2 (+8.7; 95% CI, 3.2 to 14.1; p=0.002), and the EQ-5D-5L index increased from 0.433 to 0.477 (p=0.009). Depression scores did not change significantly (2.60 to 2.45; p=0.572). On the PGIC, 15 of 20 participants (75.0%) reported improvement, mostly minimal (70.0%). Among respondents, 95.0% would use the service again, and 90.0% would recommend it.Conclusions: Collaborative Korean medicine home-visit care was associated with improved pain and quality of life and high user satisfaction. Prospective comparative studies with standardized safety assessments are needed.