• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.93-105
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• 1999

Recently, Korean health care industry managers are paying more attention to customer oriented service, the rationalization of business administration, and quality control of service to adjust their business to outer environment since IMF bailout program. They are focusing on the cost reduction through remodeling the size and structure of man power, viz. labor flexibility. Nurses are not free from this juncture and contingent nurses are increasing fast. This article intends to verify the actual condition of two types of contingent nurses -part-time nurses and internship nurses-and to compare their job satisfaction to provide basic resource for efficient management of nurse man power. The concrete goals of this article are; Firstly, to verify the actual condition of their employment. Secondly, to compare their job satisfaction. And Thirdly, to the relation between employment condition and job satisfaction. To accomplish these research goals, a statistical survey was executed, in which 384 questionnaires - 66 for manager nurses, 318 for contingent nurses-were given to nurses working at 66 general hospitals-which have at least 100 beds-in Seoul. Among them, 121 questionnaires-of 28 general hospitals-were returned. Then, the data coded and submitted to mean, standard deviation, T-test, variance analysis (ANOVA), correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis with SAS program. The research results of the contingent nurses are followings: 1. Two types of contingent nurses shows similar age spans: they are mostly 21 - 30 years old and unmarried. But internship nurses have high level of educational career. Part - time nurses spread at general beds, out -patient part, intensive care part, operation part, etc, but internship nurses work mostly at general beds. 2. Two groups shows difference in actual employment condition: average employment career of part -time nurses is 7.0 months but internship nurses' is 2.0 months: average duty-on days per month of part - time nurses are 23.7 days but internship nurses' are 24.8 days. But there are little difference in average working time per day: 7.7 hours for part -time nurses and 0 hours for internship nurses. 3. The average wage per month for part -time nurses is 836,026 won but for internship nurses is 557,428 won-66.7% of part-time nurses'. Both groups are enjoying little additional pay. 4. Both groups are getting job not so much through advertisement of newspaper or hospitals as through acquainted person or college. 5. Both groups show very high level of job satisfaction: 3.2195 for part -time nurses and 3.2881 for internship nurses. But they show very low satisfaction on payment level compared with other categories and two groups show meaningful difference(P<.0001). 6. The multiple regression test reveals the factors related with job satisfaction: wage level, working part(OR or ICU), age, job career, and motive of contingent job-taking('because I can take care of family duties at the same time') influence positively: motive of contingent job-taking('because I can work regularly without alternation') influences negatively.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2019

Purpose: The time lag between the decision to initiate continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and its actual initiation remains a major barrier in our intensive care units. We developed a CRRT pop-up chart on EMR for managing CRRT machines. Methods: This study measured time interval between the decision to prepare the CRRT machine and the actual use of the machine before and after using a CRRT pop-up chart. This study conducted a questionnaire of the medical staff to assess the changes in the quality of CRRT preparation. Results: A total of 95 patients on CRRT is analyzed. The time to find an available CRRT machine is decreased by 24.6%. The time to move a CRRT machine to the patient's bedside is decreased by 55.8%. Medical surveys of 44 nurses gave the following results. 1) The time to apprehend machines for 1 to 3 minutes is improved from 29.5% to 81.8%, and the time to apprehend machines over 3 minutes is decreased from 70.5% to 18.2%. 2) The number (6-all) of known machine locations is improved from 22.7% to 63.4%. 3) Interruption of a nurse's work due to telephone calls asking for the possession of movable CRRT equipment also is improved. Scores of 1-4 are improved from 15.9% to 41%. Scores of 5-7 are reduced from 52% to 15.9%. Conclusions: CRRT pop-up chart is shortened the time lag of CRRT machine preparation, reduced the nurse's phone workload and helped to improve the quality of CRRT care.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.28-41
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• 2003

Background : Because unplanned readmissions to intensive care unit(ICU)might be related with undesirable patient outcomes, we investigated the pattern of and reason for unplanned ICU readmission to provide baseline data for reducing unplanned returns to ICU. Methods : The subjects included all patients who readmitted to ICU during the same hospitalization at a tertiary referral hospital between January 1st and June 30th 2002. Quality improvement(QI) nurse collected the data through medical records and a medical director reviewed the data collected. Results : 1) The average unplanned ICU readmission rate was 5.6%(gastroenterology 14.6%, pediatrics 12.7%, pulmonology 11.9%, neurosurgery 6.3%, general surgery 5.3%, chest surgery 3.9%, and cardiology 3.3%). 2) Among the unplanned readmissions, more than 50% of cases were from patients older than 60 years, and the main categories of diagnose at hospital admission were neurologic disease(29.9%) and cardiovascular disease(27.6%). 3) Of unplanned ICU readmissions, 41.8% had recurrence of the initial problems, 44.8% had occurrence of new problems. And 9.7% required post-operative care after unplanned operations. 4) The most common cause responsible for unplanned ICU readmission were respiratory problem(38.3%) and cardiovascular problem(14.3%). 5) About 40% of unplanned ICU readmission occurred within 3 days after ICU discharge. 6) Average length of stay of the readmitted patients to ICUs were much longer than that of non-readmitted patients. 7) Hospital mortality rate was much higher for unplanned ICU readmitted patients(23.6%) than for non-readmitted patients(1.5%) (P<0.001). Conclusions : This study showed that the unplanned ICU readmitted patients had poor outcomes(high morality and increased length of stay). In addition study results suggest that more attention should be paid to patients in ICU with poor respiratory function or elderly patients, and careful clinical decisions are required at discharged from ICU to general ward.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.280-292
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• 2016

This descriptive survey assessed knowledge of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses regarding compliance with infection control for six kinds of multi-drug resistant organisms to assist in development of effective intervention strategies. Participants included 210 nurses working in the ICUs of general hospitals who completed a structured questionnaire. The results showed that the nurses' knowledge level and infection control compliance was 10.54 and 3.39 for MRSA; 11.25 and 3.69 for VRE; and 9.60 and 3.49 for CRGNB, respectively[ED highlight - consider providing additional information to describe what these values indicate.]. Knowledge regarding MRSA infection control differed significantly based on age, clinical experience, and experience as a trainee, while compliance with MRSA infection control differed based on age. Knowledge regarding VRE infection control was significantly different based on academic qualification level, experience as a trainee, and whether guidelines existed, while compliance with VRE infection control differed based on academic qualification level and the presence of an isolation environment. Knowledge regarding CRGNB infection control differed significantly based on academic qualification level and experience as a trainee, while compliance with CRGNB infection control differed based on the presence of an isolation environment. Thus, intervention strategies should include education programs for enhancing ICU nurse' knowledge regarding strategies for creating isolation environments.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.151-159
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• 2022

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the performance and need of professional nursing care among nurses in a neurosurgery department at a tertiary hospital. Methods: This study used a descriptive design using a questionnaire with 77-item. The participants were 58 nurses with more than 3 years of clinical experience in both the neurosurgery intensive care unit and ward at a tertiary hospital in Gangwon province. Data collection was conducted from January to February of 2021. The performance and need for each workforce were analyzed with the mean and standard deviation, and the effectiveness of the difference between the performance and the need were analyzed with a paired t-test using SAS 9.4. Results: The recognition for work performance level was in order of direct nursing activities (3.20±.54), consultation and coordination (3.18±1.15), education (2.55±.85), administration (1.92±.86), and research (1.57±.89). The recognition for need level was in order of consultation and coordination (3.95±.83), education (3.91±.87), direct nursing practice (3.83±.55), research (3.49±.87), and administration (3.45±.54). The results showed a statistically significant differences between work performance and need (p<.001). Conclusion: It is required to hire professional nursing personnel who can bridge the gap between the performance and need of professional nursing workforce in a neurosurgery department at a tertiary hospital. A professional nurse may be a good alternative.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.1340-1351
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• 2006

Purpose. To determine and compare the perception among nurses and doctors of the roles and tasks of critical care advanced practice nurses (APNs) in order to establish standardized and formally agreed role criteria for such critical care APNs. Method. This study measured and analyzed the necessity of each of the roles and tasks of critical care APNs, as perceived by nurses and doctors, through a survey of 121 participants: 71 nurses in 7 intensive care units (ICUs) at a general hospital in Seoul, and 50 doctors who used ICUs. Data collection utilized a questionnaire of 128 questions in the following fields: direct practice (79), leadership and change agent (17), consultation and collaboration (15), education and counseling (11), and research (6). Results. Both the nurses' and the doctors' groups confirmed the necessity of critical care APNs, with doctors who frequently used ICUs indicating a particularly strong need. As for the priority of each role of critical care APNs, the nurses considered direct practice to be the most critical, followed by education and counseling, research, consultation and collaboration, and leadership and change agent. The doctors also considered direct practice to be the most critical, followed by education and counseling, consultation and collaboration, research, and leadership and change agent. There was a statistically significant difference between how the two groups regarded all the roles, except for the consultation and collaboration roles. As for the necessity of each role of critical care APNs, the nurses considered research to be the most necessary, followed by education and counseling, consultation and collaboration, leadership and change agent, and direct practice. The doctors, on the other hand, considered education and counseling to be the most necessary, followed by research, consultation and collaboration, leadership and change agent, and direct practice. The responses of the two groups to all the roles, except for education and counseling roles, were significantly different. Conclusion. Nurses and doctors have different perceptions of the roles and tasks of critical care APNs. Thus, it is necessary for the combined nursing and medical fields to reach an official agreement on a set of criteria to standardize for the roles and tasks of critical care APNs.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.245-254
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to examine predictive validity of Critical Care Non-verbal Pain Scale (CNPS) and develop criteria for pain assessment using CNPS with critically ill patients who have communication problems. Methods: Data were collected from intensive care units at three major general hospitals in Seoul and Kyunggi province. During each observation, a nurse assessed pain severity using CNPS ratings (range 0-9) at four treatment stages: at rest, during central catheter dressing change (nonpainful procedure), position change and suctioning (routine painful procedures). Patients also assessed their pain using a self-report 4-point VRS-4. Results: There were significant differences between the four treatment stages except between "at rest" and "nonpainful procedure". Strong correlations were found between CNPS and VRS-4 for "at rest" (r=.552, p<.001), central catheter dressing change (r=.505, p<.001), position change (r=.709, p<.001), and suctioning (r=.662, p<.001). ROC curve analysis of CNPS based on 3 point on VRS-4 showed the cutoff point was 3 for CNPS, the starting point for pain management with 73% sensitivity, 92.2% specificity, 73% positive predictive value, and 92.8% negative predictive value. Conclusion: Results indicate that CNPS is a valid tool for measuring pain in critically ill patients with communication problems and 3 point should be the standardized pain treatment point.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.94-106
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• 2022

Background: The efforts to build more "people centered," "patient centered" health system has been emerging all over the world. Aligning with it, the Korean government is conducing the survey called "Medical Service Experience Survey (MSES)." There are critics, however, that MSES is not scrutinizing the medical experiences of patients in various healthcare settings. For this reason, this study aims to perform an empirical analysis of the differences in answers of patients responding to various healthcare settings. Methods: There are two steps in this study. First, explanatory analysis is conducted to compare the tendency of statistical concentration on questionnaires by divided healthcare settings. Second, confirmative analysis is carried out to evaluate the construct validity, reliability, and discriminant validity of the questionnaire in each healthcare setting. The raw data of MSES, which was conducted in 2020 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Korea and the Korean Institute for Health and Social Affairs is used. Results: As a result of exploratory factor analysis for all outpatients, the items were classified into four factors statistically: "doctor experience," "nurse experience," "outpatient service experience," and "patient satisfaction." It was confirmed that the reliability of all factors extracted was secured. However, for patients who visited hospitals, questionnaires related to personal privacy, such as "experiences on medical staffs considering physical exposure" or "experiences related to personal information exposure," were answered in conjunction with items of "nurse experience." Besides, patients responded that administrative elements of medical services, such as "experiences of comfort in medical institutions" and "experiences of satisfactory administrative services," were related to the items of "nurse experience." The answers of patients who visited traditional medical hospitals and clinics about "doctor experience" and "nurse experience" were not discerned statistically, and the answers to "doctor experience," "nurse experience," and "medical institution experience" were entangled with the responses of patients who visited dental hospitals and clinics. On the other hand, as a result of the confirmatory factor analysis, it was found that the inquiries of MSES generally had intensive validity. Conclusion: The collection of objective and scientific data is the prominent component to enlighten the patient-centered healthcare system alongside with change of the worldwide paradigm of measuring the healthcare system performance as follows the transition of perspective of health care from provider-centered to patient-centered. This study empirically shows that the patient experience can vary as the healthcare settings. Furthermore, to make an advance in measuring the experience of patients with medical services, this article proposes the deliberate consideration of the different kinds of healthcare settings and articulate design of the survey.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.736-747
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to explore public opinion on workplace bullying in the nursing field, by analyzing the keywords and topics of online news comments. Methods: This was a text-mining study that collected, processed, and analyzed text data. A total of 89,951 comments on 650 online news articles, reported between January 1, 2013 and July 31, 2018, were collected via web crawling. The collected unstructured text data were preprocessed and keyword analysis and topic modeling were performed using R programming. Results: The 10 most important keywords were "work" (37121.7), "hospital" (25286.0), "patients" (24600.8), "woman" (24015.6), "physician" (20840.6), "trouble" (18539.4), "time" (17896.3), "money" (16379.9), "new nurses" (14056.8), and "salary" (13084.1). The 22,572 preprocessed key words were categorized into four topics: "poor working environment", "culture among women", "unfair oppression", and "society-level solutions". Conclusion: Public interest in workplace bullying among nurses has continued to increase. The public agreed that negative work environment and nursing shortage could cause workplace bullying. They also considered nurse bullying as a problem that should be resolved at a societal level. It is necessary to conduct further research through gender discrimination perspectives on nurse workplace bullying and the social value of nursing work.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.44-55
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• 2001

Background : This study aimed at identifying the effect of the standardized protocol on lowering the incidence of the ventilator associated pneumonia(VAP). Methods : The standard protocol focusing on decreasing VAP was made and applied at 5 ICUs (Medical ICU, surgical ICU, Respiratory ICU, Neonatal ICU, Pediatric ICU) in a university affiliated tertiary hospital, from April 1, 2000 to Oct 31, 2000. The protocol involved 3 parts : hand washing, the suctioning method and ventilator circuit management. All the nursing personnel received intensive education which was consisted of lecture, video film and demonstration. 176 nurses reported the performance of handwashing pre and post intervention. And randomly selected 15 nurses were observed by charge nurse and the handwashing practice was analyzed pre and post intervention. The incidence of VAP was compared with the former year incidence. Results : The self reported frequency of hand washing increased. In the direct observation of handwashing, the frequency, time, thoroughness of hand washing during 8 hours day duty was found to be improved. The frequency was increased from 1.1 time to 4.1 times; the time was improved from 1.7 seconds to 5.7 seconds and the thoroughness of the washing practice was from 0.2 times to 3.0 times respectively (p<0.001). The incidence of VAP decreased from at a rate of 15.63 number of case per 1,000 ventilator-day (April 1~August 31, 1999) to 7.23 number of case per 1,000 ventilator-days(April 1~Oct 31, 2000)(P<0.001). Conclusion : We developed the protocols which included hand washing, the suctioning method, and ventilator circuit management. Through the implementation of the protocol, the performance of hand washing improved and the VAP incidence rate in ICU was decreased.