• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.349-362
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose for this study was to identify the present working status and tasks of nurse administrators in response to requirements of expanding nurses' roles in hospitals. Methods: The design of the study was descriptive-exploratory. The participants were 338 registered nurses who were working in hospital administrative departments. The data were collected from January 17, to March 20, 2011, and analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results: The majority of nurse administrators worked in quality assurance departments while no nurse administrators assigned in finance/taxation departments. Duties of nurse administrators were developed as 117 tasks in 11 divisions. Conclusion: These results suggest that expanding nurses' roles require developing job descriptions, nursing curricula emphasizing hospital administration, positive relationships with other health professions and a supportive system.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between the nurse staffing level and the patient mortality using Korean National Health Insurance data. Methods: The data of 1,068,059 patients from 913 hospitals between 2015 and 2016 were analyzed. The nurse staffing level was categorized based on the bed-to-nurse ratio in general wards, intensive care units (ICUs), and hospitals overall. The x² test and generalized estimating equations (GEE) multilevel multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to explore in-hospital mortality and 30-day mortality after admission. Results: The in-hospital mortality rate was 2.9% and 30-day mortality after admission rate was 3.0%. Odd Ratios (ORs) for in-hospital mortality were statistically lower in general wards with a bed-to-nurse ratio of less than 3.5 compared to that with 6.0 or more (OR=0.72, 95% CI=0.63~0.84) and in ICUs with a bed-to-nurse ratio of less than 0.88 compared to that with 1.25 or more (OR=0.78, 95% CI=0.66~0.92). ORs for 30-day mortality after admission were statistically lower in general wards with a bed-to-nurse ratio of less than 3.5 compared to that with 6.0 or more (OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.73~0.94) and in ICUs with a bed-to-nurse ratio of less than 0.63 compared to that with 1.25 or more (OR=0.85, 95% CI=0.72~1.00). Conclusion: To reduce the patient mortality, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient number of nurses by improving the nursing fee system according to the nurse staffing level.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.321-332
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• 2013

Purpose: Korean health insurance extended application of the Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) payment system to tertiary and general hospitals from July, 2013. This study was done to develop a DRG fee adjustment mechanism applied to levels of nurse staffing to assure quality nursing service. Methods: Nurse stafffing grades among hospitals in Korea were analyzed. Differences and ratio of inpatient costs by nurse staffing grades in DRG fees and differences of DRG fee between tertiary and general hospitals were compared. Results: In 2013, nurse staffing grades in tertiary and general hospitals had improved, but other hospital nurse staffing grades remained at the 2001 level. Gaps of inpatient costs between first and seventh nurse staffing grades were over 10% in 4 out of 7 DRG diagnosis; However differences of DRG fee between tertiary and general hospitals were only 4.51% and 4.72% respectively. A DRG fee adjustment mechanism was developed that included nurse staffing grades and hospitalization days as factors of the formula. Conclusion: Current DRG fees motivate hospitals to decrease nurse staffing grades because cost reduction is bigger than compensation. This DRG fee adjustment mechanism reflects nurse staffing supply to motivate hospitals to hire more nurses as a reasonable compensation system.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2013

Purpose: Given the importance and impact of trust between nurse and pediatric patient on treatment adherence and nursing outcomes, this study was aimed to investigate how nurses perceive the trust between nurses themselves and children in a hospital setting using a qualitative research methodology. Methods: In depth interviews with 10 nurses working at pediatric units were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires, and data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Results: Main themes were categorized as attributes of nurse-child trust and influencing factors. Attributes of trust can be divided into definition and characteristics of nurse-child trust. Nurses perceived nurse-child trust were not coercive, and changeable mutual relationship needing time and effort, and helpful for child's hospital adaptation and child's participation for care. There existed facilitating factors and interfering factors in developing nurse-child trust. Conclusion: The findings of this study would help nurses who are caring children in a hospital setting re-shape their points of views on 'trust between nurses and children' in day to day practice. It is also hoped that these results contribute to develop nursing guidelines on trust building with children in hospital in future.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.195-202
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• 2004

Purpose: This descriptive study was conducted to project the number of nurse anesthetists needed in hospital settings, up to the year 2015. Method: Necessary data and information were collected from various funded reports, professional literature, web sites and personal visits to national and private institutions. The number of nurse anesthetists needed was projected after considering the total number of cases requiring anesthesia including deliveries, workload ratio for caesarean section to total number of deliveries, and percent of deliveries requiring and anesthesia. Result: The projected number of nurse anesthetists needed for hospital settings are as follows: 1. The number of registered anesthesia personnel in Korea in 2002 was 2,481 anesthesiologists and 543 nurse anesthetists but only 60% of anesthesiologists and 30% of nurse anesthetists (147) were actually practicing in the field of surgery. 2. By the year 2015, the total number of projected nurse anesthetists needed in hospital settings will be between 214 and 265. Conclusion: In order to match the supply to the need, the professional organizations should direct efforts towards enacting legislation. Educational systems should identify strategies to initiating an adequate number of nurse anesthetist programs at the master's level as well as standardizing curriculums across programs.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.96-108
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• 1994

Background: An appropriate use of hospital beds can improve productivity of hospital significantly. The authors' previous study revealed that approximately one third of Korean hospital bed days and one sixth of admissions were inappropriately used, when it was measured by Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol(AEP) and Delay Tool modified into Korean situation by the authors. This study aims to evaluate applicability of the instruments in a new hospital. More specifically the study aims to measure appropriateness of the instruments used by newly trained nurse reviewers at a new hospital setting. Methods: In order to evaluate applicability of these instruments, agreement rates of the scores recorded by newly trained nurse reviewers with by skilled nurse reviewer and also compared with the scores recorded by physician's implicit decision were assessed. Agreement rates were derived from concurrent application of AEP and Delay Tool to 52 admissions and 104 patient days from internal medicine, pediatrics, and general surgery of one university hospital. Overall agreement rate, specific nonacute agreement rate, and kappa statistics were used to indicate level of agreement. Results: Overall agreement rates on appropriateness between newly trained nurse reviewers and skilled nurse reviewer were 100% in admission and 98% in bed days. Overall agreement rates on reason for inappropriateness between newly trained nurse reviewers and skilled nurse reviewer were 96% in admission and 91% in bed days. Overall agreement rates between newly trained nurse reviewers and physician reviewer were 86% in admission and 87% in bed days. Conclusion: Results indicated that AEP and Delay Tool were applicable to a new hospital in detecting inappropriate utilization of beds and reasoning of the inappropriateness. These instruments could contribute to enhance efficiency of hospital use, through continuous monitoring of level of inappropriate hospital use at national or individual hospital level.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.97-107
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• 2000

In human societies, there are various organizations which are unique and have different roles. Among them, hospital organization are much more complex than other organizations because of their multitude of professional groups each with its own goals. To achieve its purposes, hospital should manage each professional group effectively. Hospital nursing organizations are the core positions in hospitals for patient care. Therefore nursing organizations have have efficient nurse managers to lead nurses for their own purposes. First- line nurse managers have special tasks for patients and nurses, which include to motivating, managing communicating with the people. So they should have high self-efficacy, which is the belief that one can successfully perform the behaviors in question. Self-Efficacy of first line nurse managers that asked them for leading their staff, and their tasks, is essential to bring about self-realization of staff nurses through motivation and job satisfaction, taking advantage of sound surrounding which is able to operate her staff nurses in order to function efficiently. But there were few studies on the topic in a hospital setting. This study was designed to measure first-line nurse managers' self-efficacy. The subjects for this Study were 167 first-line nurse managers randomly selected from 18 university hospitals in Korea. The Self-Efficacy was measured using 'The general self-efficacy scale' developed by Sherer and Maddux(1982). The data were collected through questionnaires and analysed using SAS program, frequencies, percentages and Pearson' correlation coefficients. The results of this study were as follows : 1. The average of first- line nurse managers' self- efficacy was 66.7. 2. The correlation between first-line nurse managers' self- efficacy and general characteristics(age, education, career) was not significant. From the above findings, this study can suggest the following : 1. Repeat studies are needed in various hospital settings. 2. First-line nurse managers must be trained with special programs for each nursing organizations' purposes.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.399-412
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• 1996

Even though Korean medical law stipulates that number of patients attended by a nurse is 2.5 for hospitalization and 30 for ambulatory care, the number of patients cared by a nurse per day is much greater than the standard prescribed by the medical law. Current nursing productivity of nurses is not desirable unless the quality of care considered. Moreover. nursing manpower staffing based on neither current nurses' productivity nor standard of medical law cannot respond properly to dynamic situation of the medical services. As for the nurse scheduling, the critical problem of it in the hospital is determining the day-to-day shift assignments for each nurse for the specified period in a way that satisfies the given requirements of the hospital. Nurse scheduling, however, involves many factors and requirements, manual scheduling requires much time and effort to produce an adequate schedule. Under these backgrounds, the necessity of more efficient management of nursing manpower occupying 1/3 of total hospital workers has been recognized by many nursing administrators. This study was performed to develop a system computerizing nurse staffing and scheduling based on the patient classification. As a preliminary step for the system development, nursing workload in a secondary hospital was measured from Sep. to Oct. 1994. On the grounds of this result, computerization of nurse staffing and scheduling was proceeded with three options. First one is based on the current medical law. Second one is based on the assigned number of nursing staff. And the last is based on the request by patient classification. Computer languages used in this study were MS Visual Basic 3.0 for the staffing and Access 2.0 for the scheduling, respectively. Prospective users may operate this system easily because icons and mouse are used for easier graphic user interface and reducing the need for typing efforts. This system can help nurse administrators manage nursing manpower efficiently and nurses develop quick and easy schedule generation and allow more time for the patient care.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.263-277
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• 2022

Purpose: This descriptive study examined the management status of the home health care visiting vehicles and the nurse bags, by the home health care center of hospitals (at the hospital level or higher) in Korea, and identified the relevant factors. Methods: Of 120 managers or home health care nurses from medical institutions at hospital level or higher that provide home nursing, 93 individuals participated in the study in July 2021. Results: Hospitals that followed standard guidelines were more likely to perform internal disinfection of home health care visiting vehicles, and distinguished between clean and contaminated areas inside the visiting vehicles. Further, hospitals that followed standard guidelines were more likely to use more barrier surfaces to protect the surfaces of nurse bags to prevent infection. In addition, hospitals supporting the washing cost of the interior of home health care visiting vehicles were more likely to conduct the washing, and hospitals supporting nurse bags were more likely to use barrier surfaces to protect the bags' surfaces. Conclusion: This study only investigated home health care centers at hospital level or higher. Therefore, to generalize the results of the study, it is necessary to conduct a qualitative study involving additional investigation of home health care visiting vehicles and nurse bags and interviews with nurses from all domestic home health care centers.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.173-182
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to identify the appropriateness and validity of the HIV/AIDS nurse counselor's job, and to propose the job description. Mixed method was used: nominal group interview was used as a qualitative research and a survey was used as a quantitative research. Three of the nominal group members evaluated the appropriateness of the duties and tasks. To identify the validity of the evaluated duties and tasks, importance, difficulty and frequency were surveyed by 14 nurses who were working at the hospital as a HIV/AIDS nurse counselors. For the HIV/AIDS nurse counselor, 7 duties and 35 tasks - infection control of the HIV/AIDS, counseling, client advocacy, development of the educational material, referral to the resources, referral services at the hospital, and self-improvement - were identified. Proposed job description will be used as a reference for the role position and the training curriculum of the HIV/AIDS nurse counselors who are working at the hospital.