PURPOSE
This study was done to analyze the trend of theory application in articles published in the Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration (JKANA) over the last 10 years.
METHODS
Four hundred and eighty-five articles were reviewed to determine the scope of theory-applied research. General characteristics, study design and keywords classification by nursing meta-paradigm were analyzed using established analysis framework.
RESULTS
Twenty-four articles (4.9%) were identified as theory-applied research publications. More than half of the articles (54.2%) stated that a theoretical framework was used; the number of theories used in the 24 articles was 27 including nine nursing theories. The majority of the studies were conducted in hospital settings. In the keyword classification by nursing meta-paradigm, 28 environment-related keywords were identified but only 7 keywords were related to health.
CONCLUSION
The results show that theory application in Korean nursing administration research is very limited. It is necessary to create a positive educational environment for graduate students to learn about nursing theories as well as theories from other disciplines. In addition, different levels of nursing theories should be continuously developed in the field of nursing administration.

Citations

• The Application of Theories in Research on Advance Care Planning (2010~2022): A Scoping Review
  Jeongwon Shin, Sujin Lim, Hwain Kim, Kyunghee Lee, Heejung Jeon
  Korean Journal of Adult Nursing.2024; 36(1): 1.     CrossRef
• Essential Role of Theory in Nursing Research for Advancement of Nursing Science
  Soyoung Yu, Ju-Eun Song
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing.2021; 51(4): 391.     CrossRef
• Effects of Nurse-Led Intervention Programs Based on Goal Attainment Theory: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
  Bom-Mi Park
  Healthcare.2021; 9(6): 699.     CrossRef
• Trend Analysis of Theory-based Research Published in Asian Oncology Nursing
  Hye-young Lee, Min-Kyeong Kim, Won-jin Seo, Min-jin Lee, Ye-rin Heo, Sanghee Kim
  Asian Oncology Nursing.2019; 19(1): 1.     CrossRef

PURPOSE
This study was done to propose an improvement in the Nursing Fee Differentiation Policy to alleviate polarization of nursing staffing level among hospitals and to rectify the confusion of legally mandated standards between the Korean Medical Law and National Health Insurance Act.
METHODS
The policy regulation was reconstructed related to nurse staffing standards and nurse-to-patients ratios. Data on nurse staffing grades were obtained from database of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) for the third quarter of 2010 for 44 tertiary hospitals, 274 general hospitals, and 1,262 hospitals. A break-even analysis was used to estimate financial burden of the revised policy improvement proposal. An industrial engineering method was used to calculate Nurse-to-Patients ratios per shift.
RESULTS
Twelve tertiary hospitals were downgraded. 74 general hospitals and 102 hospitals were upgraded after application of the regulation. Finances for total hospitalization expenditures changed from -3.55% to +3.14%.
CONCLUSION
The results indicate that the proposed policy would decrease polarization between tertiary hospitals and small hospitals, and would not put a major strain on the finances of the Korean National Health Insurance. Therefore, it is suggested that government stake-holders and many interest groups consider this policy proposal and build a consensus.

Citations

• Analysis of the Adequacy of Nurse Staffing Level through the Estimation of Nursing Activity Hours and Implementation of Focus Group Interviews in a Tertiary Hospital: Using a Mixed-Method Design
  Hyun-Joo Kim, Sun-Hee Lee, Jai-Jung Lee, Sun-Suk Seong, Hee Yang, Hyang-Yuol Lee
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing.2024; 54(2): 237.     CrossRef
• Impact of a financial incentive policy on Korean nurse staffing
  Y. Kim, J. Kim
  International Nursing Review.2015; 62(2): 171.     CrossRef