Ji Young Lim

A Review of the Present State and Future Policy Alternatives for Home Visit Nursing Services in Korea

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to describe the current state of home visit nursing services in the Korean context and to suggest future policy directions. DESIGN First, the three home visit nursing services that have developed in Korea are compared using the analytic framework provided by Gilbert and Terrell in 2012. The framework is based on four dimensions of social welfare: users, services, source of funds, and service delivery process. Second, we perform a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat analysis to suggest comprehensive and constructive home visit nursing service policies for the future. RESULTS Specifically, we advocate the creation of an organization that steers the central government to operate an integrated management organization to distribute services and reduce redundancy for preventing the waste of both medical and state financial resources. This study also recommends the development of educational programs to improve the quality of services and service evaluation criteria for the objective assessment of those services. CONCLUSIONS These policy guidelines may prove useful both for Korea and for other countries that intend to prepare or revise their home visit nursing service systems.

Nurses' Educational Needs Assessment for Financial Management Education Using the Nominal Group Technique

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to identify the financial management educational needs of nurses in order to development an educational program to strengthen their financial management competencies. METHODS Data were collected from two focus groups using the nominal group technique. The study consisted of three steps: a literature review, focus group discussion using the nominal group technique, and data synthesis. RESULTS After analyzing the results, nine key components were selected: corporate management and accounting, introduction to financial management in hospitals, basic structure of accounting, basics of hospital accounting, basics of financial statements, understanding the accounts of financial statements, advanced analysis of financial statements, application of financial management, and capital financing of hospitals. CONCLUSIONS The present findings can be used to develop a financial management education program to strengthen the financial management competencies of nurses.

The effects of community-based visiting care on the quality of life.

This study explored factors contributing to the quality of life of community-based home visiting care service users in Korea through a two-level multilevel model. The community health care center’s organizational factors including the total number of visiting nurses and visiting nurses’ rehire rate were treated as covariates. For participant’s individual factors (Level 1), only subjective health status and the presence of cerebral vascular disease significantly explained the quality of life. Visiting nurses’ demographic factors (Level 2) were not statistically significant. However, the total number of visiting nurses and visiting nurses’ rehire rate were significant. Therefore, to increase an elderly adult’s quality of life through community-based home visiting care services, a community health care center’s organizational factors should be considered in addition to patient characteristics. This result may prove useful not only for Korea but also for other countries that intend to reform their community-based home visiting care services.

A model of adaptation for families of elderly patients with dementia: focusing on family resilience

ABSTRACT Objectives: We constructed a model explaining families’ positive adaptation in chronic crisis situations such as the problematic behavior of elderly patients with dementia and attendant caregiving stress, based on the family resilience model. Our aim was to devise an adaptation model for families of elderly patients with dementia. Method: A survey of problematic behavior in elderly patients with dementia, family stress, family resilience, and family adaptation was conducted with 292 consenting individuals. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: The communication process, family stress, and problematic behavior of elderly patients with dementia had direct and indirect effects on family adaptation, while belief system, organization pattern, and social support had indirect effects. Specifically, family stress and more severe problematic behavior by elderly patients with dementia negatively influenced family adaptation, while greater family resilience improved such adaptation. Conclusion: Interventions aiming to enhance family resilience, based on the results of this study, are required to help families with positive adaptation. Such family programs might involve practical support such as education on the characteristics of elderly persons with dementia and coping methods for their problematic behavior; forming self-help groups for families; revitalizing communication within families; and activating communication channels with experts.