| Jiyeong Seong | 3 Articles |
Purpose
To estimate the number of practicing nurses required to resolve staffing differences between capital and non-capital regions and analyze the relationship between regional differences in staffing and salary. Methods Using public data on population, patients, newly licensed nurses, practicing nurses, and annual salaries, regional differences were analyzed in newly licensed nurses per population, practicing nurses per population, practicing nurses per patient (i.e., staffing level), and salary. The number of additionally required practicing nurses was estimated by multiplying staffing differences by the number of patients in the lower-staffed region. Results During 2002~2022, 71,107 and 243,611 newly licensed nurses were supplied, while the number of practicing nurses increased by 91,886 and 88,070 in the capital and non-capital regions, respectively. The non-capital region had more practicing nurses per population, whereas the capital region had more practicing nurses per patient. In 2020, 31,330 practicing nurses were additionally required in the non-capital region. Salaries were higher in the capital region, and regional salary differences increased during 2011~2020. Regional salary differences were associated with regional staffing differences and the number of additionally required practicing nurses. Conclusion Government and health insurance policies are required to encourage hospitals in the non-capital region to improve staffing and salaries. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
Purpose
This study aims to propose revised inpatient nursing fee schedules that address three discrepancies between actual nurse staffing levels in general wards and the corresponding patient payment structures. Methods A total of 45 tertiary hospitals, 329 general hospitals, and 1,379 hospitals from publicly released data for 2021~2022 were analyzed. This analysis focused on three primary discrepancies between (1) the staffing grades under which patients were hospitalized and the corresponding grades for which they were charged; (2) the staffing grades determined by bed-to-nurse and patient-to-nurse criteria; and (3) the current differentiation rates of nursing fees and the expected differentiation rates based on the number of nurses required for each grade. Results The first discrepancy occurred in 8.9% of tertiary hospitals, 21.0% of general hospitals, and 26.0% of hospitals. The bed-to-nurse and patient-to-nurse grades differed by 2.23 and 2.29 grades on average in general hospitals and hospitals, respectively. The current differentiation rates were higher than the expected differentiation rates. New nursing fee schedules were suggested to resolve those discrepancies. Conclusion Nursing fees should be charged to reflect the staffing levels under which patients were cared for and proportionate to the number of nurses required to provide the corresponding staffing levels.
Purpose
This study examined patients’ call bell use and the relationship between call bell use and nursing care needs. Methods: Nursing staff was asked to report patients’ call bell use during 15 shifts over five days in integrated nursing care wards. Nursing care needs were measured using summary scores of nursing activities and activities of daily living (ADLs). The relationship between call bell use and nursing care needs was analyzed using a zero-inflated negative binomial regression model. Results: A total of 251 patients used call bells 235 times, with an average of 0.94 times per day. Only 72 patients (28.7%) used call bells once or more per day (range, 1~14 times), whereas the rest did not use call bells. Male gender, a high risk for falling, and a higher score on nursing activities were associated with a greater likelihood of using call bells. Pain and higher dependency on ADLs were associated with an increase in the frequency of call bell use. Conclusion: Patients' call bell use needs to be minimized by meeting their nursing care needs to improve patient safety and nursing performance. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
|
|
