Purpose
This study examined how nurse staffing and parental caregiving burden influence patient experiences in pediatric wards. Methods: The sample included 326 parents of pediatric patients at a tertiary children’s hospital. Nurse staffing was measured using parent-perceived staffing adequacy (4-point scale) and registered nurse hours per patient day (RN HPPD). Parent experiences were evaluated using the Child Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (Child HCAHPS), with items rated on 3-, 4-, or 11-point scales and subsequently converted to scores on a 0–100 scale. Parents also reported their caregiving burden experienced during their child’s hospitalization. Results: Among the Child HCAHPS domains, nurse–parent communication received the highest score, while lower scores were reported in child-specific domains, including teen involvement, quietness, and child comfort. Most parents (80.4%) stayed at the hospital either all or nearly all the time, and 63.5% perceived caregiving as burdensome. Commonly reported burdens included economic and work-related challenges, physical and psychological stressors, and responsibilities related to caring for other children. Higher levels of parent-perceived staffing adequacy and greater RN HPPD were significantly associated with better patient experiences. Conclusion: Improving nurse staffing may alleviate parental caregiving burden and improve patient and parent experiences in pediatric wards.

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

• Changes in Nursing Grades and Nurse Staffing Levels following the 2024 Revision of Nursing Management Fee Standards: A Focus on Tertiary Hospitals and Medical Institutions in Seoul
  Hyeyoung Choi, Kiyoung Kim, Su-Jin Cho, Suyong Jeong
  Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service Research.2025; 5(1): 58.     CrossRef

Purpose
To explore the relationship between nursing care needs and acuity based on the Korean Patient Classification System for Critical Care Nurses (KPCSC) and APACHE II, and to identify their prognostic value in predicting mortality.
Methods
A total of 617 patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit in a tertiary hospital from January 1 to June 30, 2021 were included. The correlation between KPCSC and APACHE II scores, and their predictive power regarding mortality were examined.
Results
KPCSC and APACHE II scores showed a significant, positive correlation (r=.32, p<.001). The KPCSC score was significantly correlated with 10 out of 11 KPCSC categories and 2 out of 3 APACHE II domains, whereas the APACHE II score had a significant correlation with all APACHE II domains and only 4 out of 11 KPCSC categories. Both KPCSC and APACHE II demonstrated moderate discriminatory performance in predicting ICU and in-hospital death, and their AUC values were not significantly different.
Conclusion
KPCSC, reflecting the severity of illness, predicted mortality as well as APACHE II. However, KPCSC was found to consider factors other than severity, such as patient dependency, which substantiates its value as an assessment tool for nursing care needs.

Citations

• Comparisons of nursing hours and nurse-to-patient ratios required for patients with mechanical ventilation, CRRT, and ECMO in intensive care units: A cross-sectional study
  Sung-Hyun Cho, Shin-Ae Kim, Eunhye Kim
  Intensive and Critical Care Nursing.2025; 89: 103982.     CrossRef
• Relationship between Nurse Staffing and Critical Nursing Activities in Intensive Care Units : Analysis of National Health Insurance Claims Data from 2009 to 2020
  U Ri Go, Sung-Hyun Cho
  Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing.2024; 17(2): 25.     CrossRef