• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.173-179
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• 2021

Background: In Korea, the length of stay and medical expenses incurred by medical aid patients are increasing at a rate faster than the national health insurance. Therefore, there is a need to create a management strategy for each type of hospitalization to manage the length of stay of medical aid patients. Methods: The study used data from the 2019 National Health Insurance Claims. We analyzed the factors that affect the length of stay for 186,576 medical aid patients who were hospitalized for more than 31 days, with a focus on the type of hospitalization in long-term care hospitals. Results: The study found a significant correlation between gender, age, medical aid type, chronic disease ratio, long-term care hospital patient classification, and hospitalization type variables as factors that affect the length of hospital stay. The analysis of the differences in the length of stay for each type of hospitalization showed that the average length of stay is 291.4 days for type 1, 192.9 days for type 2, and 157.0 days for type 3, and that the difference is significant (p<0.0001). When type 3 was 0, type 1 significantly increased by 99.4 days, and type 2 by 36.6 days (p<0.0001). Conclusion: A model that can comprehensively view factors, such as provider factors and institutional factors, needs to be designed. In addition, to reduce long stays for medical aid patients, a mechanism to establish an early discharge plan should be prepared and concerns about underutilization should be simultaneously addressed.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.157-166
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing fall-prevention behaviors of nurses working in long-term care hospitals. Methods: Participants included 147 nurses working in 10 long-term care hospitals in B city. Data were collected from September 20-October 12, 2016. SPSS/WIN 21.0 was used for analysis with t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. Results: It was found that attitude toward fall (r=.29, p<.001) and patient safety culture (r=.25, p=.002) had a significant positive correlation with fall-prevention behaviors of nurses working in long-term care hospitals. The factors influencing fall-prevention behaviors in participants were clinical career and patient safety culture (β=.21, p=.012), contributing to 19% of the total variance in fall- prevention behaviors. Conclusion: The findings showed that systematic delivery of differentiated fall prevention education is preferred to nurse's clinical career as a private factor to improve fall-prevention behaviors of nurses in long term care hospital. Particularly, it is imperative to conduct periodical and practical fall-prevention education for nurses to prevent career discontinuity. An independent report system and open communication system as well as a scheme that can disseminate patient safety culture in individual departments to implement patient direct nursing are required to encourage patient safety culture in organizations.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.112-129
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• 1996

Background : A small number of high cost patients usually spend a larger proportion of scarce health resources. Aged, long-term care and readmitted patients usually belong to these high cost patient group. Among others, long length of stay and readmission can be reduced by checking its cause, and these are the areas needed most of quality improvement activity. Characteristics of high cost medical users between health insurance program and medical assistance program were reviewed. Methods : The inpatient claims of health insurance and medical assistance program were analyzed. Patients were divided by 6 groups; long-term, mid-term, short-term, readmitted, cancer and aged. We defined high cost patients as those who had spent one and half million won and over per 6 months. Characteristics of high cost patients for each group were reviewed. Results : medical assistance patients used much more resources than the insured members in the average hospital cost per case but less in daily hospital cost. The former had a longer length of stay and had much heavier diseases. Major diseases of both group were cancer, diseases of circulatory system and chronic degenerative diseases. Gallstone and schizophrenia were more in the insured program. However, pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma were more common among the medical assistance patients. Early readmission before 2 weeks were 28-30% of the total readmission. Readmission rate in the malignat neoplasm and renal failure were 80% and more. Q.A program should be installed to prevent unnecessary readmissions. Conclusion : Almost 30% of early readmissions and admissions due to complications and long length of stay should be reviewed carefully to keep cost down and to enhance the quality of hospital care.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2012

This study was conducted to assess improvements in nutritional status following the application of nutrition education to elderly patients in a long-term care hospital. The study was carried out from January to May 2009, during which a preliminary survey, a pretest, the application of nutrition education, and a post-test were applied in stages. The number of subjects at pretest was 81, and the number of participants included in the final analysis was 61 (18 men, 43 women), all of whom participated in both the nutrition education program and the post-test. The survey consisted of general demographic items, health behaviors, dietary behaviors, the Nutrition Screening Initiative checklist, and nutrient intake assessment (24 hour recall method). The nutrition education program lasted for four weeks. It included a basic education program, provided once a week, and mini-education program, which was offered daily during lunch times. The survey was conducted before and after the education program using the same assessment method, although some items were included only at pretest. When analyzing the changes in elderly patients after the nutritional education program, we found that, among subjective dietary behaviors, self-rated perceptions of health (P<0.001) and of depression (P<0.001) improved significantly and that dietary behavior scores also improved significantly (P<0.001), while nutritional risk levels decreased. In terms of nutrient intake, subjects' intake of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C all increased significantly (P<0.001). These results indicated that nutritional education is effective in improving the nutritional status of elderly patients. We hope that the results of this study can be used as preliminary data for establishing guidelines for nutrition management tailored to elderly patients in long-term care hospitals.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.4048-4055
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the awareness of biomedical ethics of long-term care hospital nurses. A survey research was conducted in this study with 183 nurses that worked for over five months at long-term care hospitals located in Gwangju and Jeonnam region. Using SPSS 21.0 program, collected data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, independent t-test and one-way ANOVA. $Scheff{\acute{e}}$ test and Pearson's correlation analysis were also used for post hoc test. In terms of the awareness of biomedical ethics of the research participants, it was at an above average level. Among the sub-categories of biomedical ethics, awareness of right of life of fetus and awareness of artificial abortion showed most meaningful correlation. It would be necessary to provide bioethics education to new nurses or university students majoring in Nursing at related organizations or college of nursing to help them establish ethical values to seek patients' well-being.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.231-240
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the relationship of the perception of patient safety culture, knowledge of standard precaution and performance of standard precaution among long-term care hospital nurses. Participants were 134 nurse in long-term hospital. Data were collected with structured questionnaires from January 2 to June 4, 2018. Data were analyzed by SPSS/WIN 21.0 program for descriptive statistics t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe's test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The perception of patient safety culture were significantly correlated with knowledge of standard precaution(r=.192, p=.027), performance of standard precaution(r=211, p=.014). Therefore, in order to enhance the perception of patient safety culture and performance of standard precaution of long-term care hospital nurses, it would be necessary to enable health-care associated infections by themselves by cultivating standard precaution knowledge through systemic education and by enabling the establishment of affirmative patient safety culture.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.249-260
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• 2023

Purpose: The study aimed to examine the effects of nurse staffing levels on patient outcomes in long-term care hospitals in South Korea using path analysis. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of national data, which included the 2021 hospital assessment results of long-term care hospitals from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Data collection was performed between June 19 and June 27, 2023. The study sample consisted of 1,215 hospitals, and we analyzed the data using SAS 9.4 and Mplus 8 software. Results: The average numbers of patients per registered nurse, certified nursing assistant, and nursing staff, including both registered nurses and certified nursing assistant, was 10.00, 7.43, and 4.00, respectively. Path analysis revealed that the number of patients per registered nurse had direct effects on improvements in activities of daily living and indirect effects on indwelling catheterization, pressure ulcer improvement, and weight loss. The number of patients per certified nursing assistant had direct effects on new pressure ulcer development and pressure ulcer improvement, with no indirect effects. The number of patients per nursing staff had direct effects on pressure ulcer improvement and no indirect effects on other patient outcomes. Conclusion: The findings suggest that establishing policies to evaluate staffing levels of registered nurse and certified nursing assistants separately is necessary in order to improve registered nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes in long-term care hospitals.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.371-380
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• 2011

This study was to address changes on hospital-based home care utilization after long-term care insurance(LTCI) was launched. National electronic data information(EDI) on hospital-based home care from Health Insurance Review Agency in 2007.7~2008.6(prior to LTCI) and in 2009(posterior to LTCI) was analyzed. After the launch of long-term care insurance, 40 hospital-based home health care agencies(HHCA) were diminished and regions not having any HHCA were increased from 53% to 59%. Hospital-based home care utilization was decreased in the elderly(clients 13.4%, visits 20.9%) as well as non-elderly(clients 3.5%, visits 3.9%). It is presumed that diminished HHCAs result in decreased accessibility to hospital-based home health care for non-elderly. The clients, visits, and reimbursed cost per agency were not changed. It is presumed that small agencies were closed already. The total reimbursed cost per agency in 2009 was 121,850,000 won. Results suggest that the government has to give support to open more HHCA to increase the accessibility for non-elderly. Also, hospital-based home care services utilization has to be monitoring regularly.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.272-283
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• 2016

Purpose: This is a comparative study using secondary data from the Korean national long term care (LTC) insurance. Methods: Visiting nursing (VN) service users (n=666) and non-users (n=4,375) were extracted and compared in terms of medical expenditures, length of hospitalization, and annual number of ambulatory care visits to investigate effects of VN services in LTC. Results: Total health care expenditures were compared between the two groups and it was found that VN service users spent about $ 1700 than non-users for their medical costs between 2009 and 2011. The average length of in-hospital stay for VN service users was 19.4 days shorter than that of non-users. However, using VN services did not significantly influence the annual number of ambulatory care visits. Conclusion: The study has found that VN services are effective ways of providing community-based LTC services. We recommend LTC policy makers to further utilize VN services to deliver cost effective health care services.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.1
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• pp.100-114
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• 2024

Background: Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) improves the survival of patients with hypoxemia due to chronic respiratory diseases. The clinical outcomes of LTOT are strongly associated with patient adherence. To improve the adherence of patients, physicians have focused on the efficacy of LTOT. However, poor adherence may stem from patients' perceptions of LTOT. Herein we evaluated patients' perceptions of LTOT affecting adherence. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey study using descriptive, open, and closed-ended questionnaire. Patients using oxygen therapy (OT) or requiring it but avoiding OT responded to the questionnaires at three university hospitals. Results: Seventy-nine patients responded to the questionnaires. The number of patients using home and portable OT was 69 (93%) and 37 (46.3%), respectively. Patients with good adherence were 22 (30.1%). Among patients with good adherence, 90.9% used oxygen according to physicians' prescriptions whereas only 37.3% of those with poor adherence followed physicians' prescriptions (p<0.01). The reasons for avoiding using home OT were fear of permanent use (50%), unwanted attention (40%), and lack of symptoms (40%). They avoided portable OT because of unwanted attention (39%), heaviness (31.7%), and lack of symptoms (21.6%). Conclusion: Patients on LTOT had the perception of the misunderstanding the effects of OT and of psychosocial barriers to initiate or use LTOT. Considering these findings, health professionals need to provide effective education on the purpose of LTOT to improve patient adherence to OT and provide sufficient support for the management of psychosocial barriers in patients using LTOT.