The effects of long-term care hospitals’ nurse staffing level on patient outcomes: Differences according to region

초록

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the differences in nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes in long-term care hospitals by region and to identity the effects of nurse staffing level and registered nurse proportion on patient outcomes. Methods: A secondary analysis of national data that included general characteristics of hospitals and long-term care hospitals’ evaluation results from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Services was conducted, and 1,205 hospitals were selected. Results: Results showed that the mean number of patients per nursing staff and registered nurse proportion were 4.27 and 0.43, respectively. The differences in long-term care hospitals’ evaluation results and nurse staffing levels according to region were significant. A logistic regression analysis showed that the number of patients per nursing staff affected the probability of the patient experiencing a decline in daily life activities, as well as a decline in the outcomes of patients who were non-dementia; registered nurse proportion affected the outcomes of patients with dementia. Conclusion: The findings suggest that implementing policies to improve long-term care hospitals’ nurse staffing level and registered nurse proportion is important. Ensuring mandatory registered nurse staffing levels based on the severity of patients’ diagnoses is also necessary. © 2020 Korean Academy of Nursing Administration

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