• Title/Summary/Keyword: Health workforce

Search Result 194, Processing Time 0.024 seconds

Changes in the Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Disaggregated Analysis by Region and Hospital Type in Korea

  • EunKyo Kang;Won Mo Jang;Min Sun Shin;Hyejin Lee;Jin Yong Lee
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
    • /
    • v.56 no.2
    • /
    • pp.180-189
    • /
    • 2023
  • Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a global shortage of medical resources; therefore, we investigated whether COVID-19 impacted the quality of non-COVID-19 hospital care in Korea by comparing hospital standardized mortality rates (HSMRs) before and during the pandemic. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed Korean National Health Insurance discharge claim data obtained from January to June in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Patients' in-hospital deaths were classified according to the most responsible diagnosis categories. The HSMR is calculated as the ratio of expected deaths to actual deaths. The time trend in the overall HSMR was analyzed by region and hospital type. Results: The final analysis included 2 252 824 patients. In 2020, the HSMR increased nationwide (HSMR, 99.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 97.7 to 101.0) in comparison to 2019 (HSMR, 97.3; 95% CI, 95.8 to 98.8). In the COVID-19 pandemic zone, the HSMR increased significantly in 2020 (HSMR, 112.7; 95% CI, 107.0 to 118.7) compared to 2019 (HSMR, 101.7; 95% CI, 96.9 to 106.6). The HSMR in all general hospitals increased significantly in 2020 (HSMR, 106.4; 95% CI, 104.3 to 108.5) compared to 2019 (HSMR, 100.3; 95% CI, 98.4 to 102.2). Hospitals participating in the COVID-19 response had a lower HSMR (HSMR, 95.6; 95% CI, 93.9 to 97.4) than hospitals not participating in the COVID-19 response (HSMR, 124.3; 95% CI, 119.3 to 129.4). Conclusions: This study suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively impacted the quality of care in hospitals, especially general hospitals with relatively few beds. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to prevent excessive workloads in hospitals and to properly employ and coordinate the workforce.

Characteristics of Work-related Fatal Injuries Among Aged Workers in Republic of Korea

  • Jungsun Park;Jong-shik Park;Younghoon Jung;Minoh Na;Yangho Kim
    • Safety and Health at Work
    • /
    • v.15 no.2
    • /
    • pp.158-163
    • /
    • 2024
  • Objectives: The present paper aimed to examine whether an aging workforce is associated with an increase in work-related fatal injuries and to explore the underlying reasons for this potential increase. Material and methods: Aged workers were defined as those who were at least 55 years old. Work-related fatalities were assessed in aged and young workers who were registered with the workers' compensation system in 2021 in the Republic of Korea. Total waged workers, based on raw data from the Local Area Labor Force Survey in 2021, were used as the denominator to estimate the work-related fatality rates. Results: Most work-related fatalities in the aged workers occurred among individuals working in the "construction sector" (58.9%), those with "elementary occupations (unskilled workers)" (46.1%), and those with the employment status of "daily worker" (60.8%). The estimated incidence (0.973/10,000) of work-related fatalities among aged workers was about four times higher than that (0.239/10,000) among younger workers. "Falling," "collision," "struck by an object," and "trip and slip" were more frequent types of work-related fatalities among aged workers relative to young workers. The category of "buildings, structures, and surfaces" was a more frequent cause of work-related fatalities among aged workers than among young workers. Conclusions: Aged workers had a higher incidence of work-related fatalities than young workers. Frequent engagement in precarious employment and jobs, coupled with the greater physical vulnerability of aged workers, were likely causes of their higher level of work-related fatal injuries.

A Study on the Development of the Safety Culture Inspection Standards and Process in Korea Railway (우리나라 철도안전문화 측정기준 및 프로세스 개발 연구)

  • Lee, Jong-Seock;Han, Kee-Youl;Heo, Nam-Gyu;Kim, Chan-Soo
    • Proceedings of the KSR Conference
    • /
    • 2011.10a
    • /
    • pp.2548-2556
    • /
    • 2011
  • The safety culture of an organization is the product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies, and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organization's health and safety management. A good safety culture includes effective, appropriate safety management systems; strong safety leadership & commitment from management; participation and involvement of the workforce; and organizational learning and continuous improvement. This paper will introduce the safety culture inspection standards and process in Korea Railway. The main purpose is to get a better understanding of safety culture and to develop measuring tool. First of all we developed the composition factor of safety culture and the question set. And we prepared the base of computerization of safety culture measurement by developing of evaluation standards and weighted value.

  • PDF

Correlations between Professional Autonomy, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intention of Nurses Perceived by Nurses and Physicians: Focus on Medium-sized Hospitals (간호사와 의사가 지각하는 간호사의 전문직 자율성과 직무만족 및 이직의도와의 관계 : 중소병원을 대상으로)

  • Lee, Hye-Kyung;kwon, Sung-Bok
    • The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
    • /
    • v.13 no.4
    • /
    • pp.83-94
    • /
    • 2019
  • Objectives: This study examined the degree of professional autonomy of nurses as perceived by nurses and doctors, as well as the relation between professional autonomy, job satisfaction, and turnover intention of nurses. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted with 292 nurses and 121 physicians working in 10 small- and medium-sized hospitals with located in G Metropolitan City. Results: The difference in the level of nurses' professional autonomy as perceived by nurses and physicians was found to be significantly higher in nurses than in physicians. Professional autonomy and job satisfaction were significantly and positively correlated; professional autonomy and turnover intention were significantly and negatively correlated; and job satisfaction and turnover intention were also significantly and negatively correlated. Conclusions: Various efforts to increase nurses' professional autonomy and the development of effective workforce management programs to prevent turnover should be actively conducted to address the problems of small- and medium-sized hospitals facing a shortage of nurses.

Strategy for a Successful Introduction of Surgical Hospitalist System in Korea (외과계 입원전담전문의 제도의 성공적인 도입을 위한 전략 방안)

  • Jung, Yoon-Bin;Jung, Eun-Joo
    • Quality Improvement in Health Care
    • /
    • v.27 no.1
    • /
    • pp.51-57
    • /
    • 2021
  • As expectations for medical service have increased recently, the interest in medical quality improvement and patient safety has increased. In addition, as part of efforts to improve the training environment of the residents, the working hours of the residents are reduced which means that the medical workforce is expected to change significantly in the future. As a result, in hospital care of surgical patients, it is inevitable to change the patient care system by surgeon-residents to the new system. For this, the introduction of a surgical hospitalist system is proposed as an alternative. This article is an introduction to the process of introducing a surgical hospitalist system in a single institution and describes in detail the considerations This is the first case of the introduction of surgical hospitalist in Korea. Through this case, we intend to lay the groundwork for the successful implementation of the surgical hospitalist in Korea.

Effect of Nursing Organizational culture, Organizational Silence, and Organizational Commitment on the Intention of Retention among Nurses: Applying the PROCESS Macro Model 6 (간호사의 재직의도에 대한 간호조직문화, 조직침묵과 조직몰입의 영향: PROCESS Macro model 6 적용)

  • Han, Sujeong
    • Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
    • /
    • v.31 no.1
    • /
    • pp.31-41
    • /
    • 2022
  • Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effects of organizational culture, organizational silence, and organizational commitment on the intention of retention as perceived by nurses Methods: The research model was designed on the basis of the PROCESS Macro model 6 proposed by Hayes. The participants were 142 nurses from general hospitals. Measurements included the scales of organizational culture, organizational silence, organizational commitment, and intention of retentione. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, and Hayes's PROCESS macro method for mediation. Results: Retention intention showed a significantly positive correlation with relationship-orientated culture (r=.32, p<.001), innovation-orientated culture (r=.30, p<.001), and organizational commitment (r=.48, p<.001). However retention intention showed a significantly negative correlation with organizational silence (r=-.42, p<.001). Furthermore, organizational silence and commitment had a mediating effect on the relationship between organizational culture and intention of retention. Conclusion: The impact of organizational culture on intention of retention in general hospitals was mediated by organizational silence and organizational commitment. Considering the mediating effects of organizational silence and organizational commitment on the relationship between nursing organizational culture and retention intention, a strategy should be developed to enhance organizational commitment and weaken organizational silence by strengthening related and innovative nursing culture.

The Influence of Care Stress for Older Patients, Self-perceptions of Aging, Aging Anxiety on Retirement Preparation in Nurses (간호사의 노인간호 스트레스, 노화인식, 노화불안이 노후준비에 미치는 영향)

  • Kang, Sujin;Yeom, Hye-Ah
    • Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
    • /
    • v.30 no.4
    • /
    • pp.175-185
    • /
    • 2021
  • Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of care stress for older patients, self-perceptions of aging, and anxiety about aging on preparation for retirement in clinical nurses. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in which participants were 222 nurses who had at least six months of work experience and were involved in caring for older patients in the last six months at the work site. Data were collected from August to September, 2020 using an online survey questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS/WIN 25.0 program. Results: The mean level of preparation for retirement in the participants was moderate (3.21 out of 5 points). Among the sub-domains of preparation for retirement, financial preparation had the lowest score. Self-perceptions of aging and aging anxiety were significant predictors for retirement preparation in nurses, accounting for 16% of the variable's total variance. Conclusion: A greater level of preparation for retirement was associated with a positive perception of aging and a decreased level of aging anxiety in the clinical nurses. Further research should focus on exploration of specific determinants of financial preparation for retirement and development of intervention strategies for improving preparation for retirement in the nursing workforce.

Defining the Scope of the Internet of Things with a Particular Focus on Its Role in Healthcare: A Review Paper

  • Abdulaziz Alomari;Ben Soh
    • International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
    • /
    • v.23 no.4
    • /
    • pp.187-197
    • /
    • 2023
  • Today's world is experiencing rapid technological advancement like never before. The ever-changing technology space has overwhelmed citizens with a substantial load of information, which has made it difficult for them to keep up with the technology awareness. This review paper is written to provide information about the Internet of Things in a way that technical along with nontechnical individuals can understand the definition, historical evolution, components, and scope of IoT technology. Relevant literature published between January 2009 and February 2023 was included in this paper. The applications of the Internet of Things in healthcare have been a special focus of this paper as IoT has massive potential in this field and healthcare professionals often face significant issues in keeping their technology knowledge up to date. Moreover, some of the most common issues associated with IoT introduction in healthcare are also discussed in the paper along with some suitable recommendations. Although, IoT can significantly transform our lives and can introduce convenience and efficiency, particularly in the healthcare sector. However, its adoption in healthcare is still a major task due to various challenges presented by the health workforce. Thus, in-depth empirical research is suggested to assist the IoT technology transition.

Features and implication of new physical activity guidelines (새 신체활동기준의 동향과 함의)

  • Koh, Kwang Wook
    • Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
    • /
    • v.35 no.5
    • /
    • pp.17-24
    • /
    • 2018
  • Objectives: After many national physical activity guidelines have established, recent changes are deep and rapid. So the major features and implication to reverse worsening Korean physical activity indicator is desprate but related knowledge and informations are few. So review of recent features and implications of new physical activity guidelines have made. Methods: National physical activity guidelines of advanced countries were searched through snowballing methods. Major features were described according to the nation. Implication were drew through discussion for Korean realitiy. Results: New Australian physical activity and sedentary behaviour guideline explicitly included sedentary behaviour. The age in the guideline expanded to early years. Canada also presented 24-hour movement guidelines to early years. The second generation of the physical activity guidelines reflects the extensive amount of new knowledge. New aspects include discussions of additional health benefits related to brain health, additional cancer sites, and fall-related injuries; immediate and longer term benefits for how people feel, function, and sleep; further benefits among older adults and people with additional chronic conditions; risks of sedentary behavior and their relationship with physical activity; elimination of the requirement for physical activity benefits to occur in bouts of at least 10 minutes; and tested strategies that can be used to get the population more active. Conclusions: The most important message from the new guidelines is that the greatest health benefits accrue by moving from no, to even small amounts of, physical activity. Multiple studies demonstrate that the steepest reduction in disease risk occurs at the lowest levels of physical activity. People need to understand that even small amounts of physical activity are beneficial and that reductions in the risk of disease and disability occur by simply getting moving. So various evidence based proven strstegies are needed in Korea including workforce training.

Shift Work and Occupational Stress in Police Officers

  • Ma, Claudia C.;Andrew, Michael E.;Fekedulegn, Desta;Gu, Ja K.;Hartley, Tara A.;Charles, Luenda E.;Violanti, John M.;Burchfiel, Cecil M.
    • Safety and Health at Work
    • /
    • v.6 no.1
    • /
    • pp.25-29
    • /
    • 2015
  • Background: Shift work has been associated with occupational stress in health providers and in those working in some industrial companies. The association is not well established in the law enforcement workforce. Our objective was to examine the association between shift work and police work-related stress. Methods: The number of stressful events that occurred in the previous month and year was obtained using the Spielberger Police Stress Survey among 365 police officers aged 27-66 years. Work hours were derived from daily payroll records. A dominant shift (day, afternoon, or night) was defined for each participant as the shift with the largest percentage of total time a participant worked (starting time from 4:00 AM to 11:59 AM, from 12 PM to 7:59 PM, and from 8:00 PM to 3:59 AM for day, afternoon, and night shift, respectively) in the previous month or year. Analysis of variance and covariance were used to examine the number of total and subscale (administrative/professional pressure, physical/psychological danger, or organizational support) stressful events across the shift. Results: During the previous month and year, officers working the afternoon and night shifts reported more stressful events than day shift officers for total stress, administrative/professional pressure, and physical/psychological danger (p < 0.05). These differences were independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and police rank. The frequency of these stressful events did not differ significantly between officers working the afternoon and night shifts. Conclusion: Non-day shift workers may be exposed to more stressful events in this cohort. Interventions to reduce or manage police stress that are tailored by shift may be considered.