요양병원 간호인력 배치수준이 환자결과에 미치는 영향에 관한 경로분석 = Path Analysis of the Effects of Nurse Staffing on Patient Outcomes in Long-Term Care Hospitals

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

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.