Factors Related to Nurse Staffing Levels in Tertiary and General Hospitals.
10.4040/jkan.2005.35.8.1493
- Author:
Yun Mi KIM
1
;
Kyung Ja JUNE
;
Sung Hyun CHO
Author Information
1. Department of Nursing, Seoul Health College.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Hospital;
Nurse;
Staffing
- MeSH:
Workload/economics;
Program Evaluation;
Personnel Staffing and Scheduling/*economics;
Nursing Staff, Hospital/economics/*supply & distribution;
Logistic Models;
Korea;
Humans;
*Hospital Charges;
*Health Policy;
Cross-Sectional Studies;
Bed Occupancy/economics;
Analysis of Variance
- From:
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
2005;35(8):1493-1499
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Adequate staffing is necessary to meet patient care needs and provide safe, quality nursing care. In November 1999, the Korean government implemented a new staffing policy that differentiates nursing fees for inpatients based on nurse-to-bed ratios. The purpose was to prevent hospitals from delegating nursing care to family members of patients or paid caregivers, and ultimately deteriorating the quality of nursing care services. PURPOSE: To examine nurse staffing levels and related factors including hospital, nursing and medical staff, and financial characteristics. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was employed using two administrative databases, Medical Care Institution Database and Medical Claims Data for May 1-31, 2002. Nurse staffing was graded from 1 to 6, based on grading criteria of nurse-to-bed ratios provided by the policy. The study sample consisted of 42 tertiary and 186 general acute care hospitals. RESULTS: None of tertiary or general hospitals gained the highest nurse staffing of Grade 1 (i.e., less than 2 beds per nurse in tertiary hospitals; less than 2.5 beds per nurse in general hospitals). Two thirds of the general hospitals had the lowest staffing of Grade 6 (i.e., 4 or more beds per nurse in tertiary hospitals; 4.5 or more beds per nurse in general hospitals). Tertiary hospitals were better staffed than general hospitals, and private hospitals had higher staffing levels compared to public hospitals. Large-sized general hospitals located in metropolitan areas had higher staffing than other general hospitals. Occupancy rate was positively related to nurse staffing. A negative relationship between nursing assistant and nurse staffing was found in general hospitals. A greater number of physician specialists were associated with better nurse staffing. CONCLUSIONS: The staffing policy needs to be evaluated and modified to make it more effective in leading hospitals to increase nurse staffing.
