A Study on the Status of the Visiting Health Care Services at the Public Health Centers in Gangwon Province

강원도 보건소 방문보건사업실태와 업무분석

  • 안양희 (연세대학교 원주의대 간호학과) ;
  • 김성실 (한림대학교 의과대학 간호학과) ;
  • 양순옥 (한림대학교 의과대학 간호학과) ;
  • 이성은 (관동대학교 의과대학 간호학과)
  • Published : 2005.09.30

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to 1) identify the current management status of the Visiting Health Care Services (VHCS) and 2) to analyze the workload of the staff in the VHCS located in the Public Health Centers (PHCs) in the urban and rural areas. Method: A descriptive research design and a prospective, time and motion research design were used. A total of 18 PHCs in Gangwon Province participated in this study. A questionnaire and semi-structured observational sheet were utilized. A total of 650 self report records of the work load from the VHCS personnel were collected for a 10 day period at each of the 18 PHCs. A descriptive analysis was then done. Results: The major results were as follows. 1) The VHCS staff (nurses and nurse aids) was being assigned additional work such as maternal health care, chronic disease care, mental health care and health promotion on top of their VHCS duties. 2) The average number of home visits per client during the past year was 5.8. More specifically, the clients in the severe dependent group received an average of 27.1 visits, those clients in the moderate dependent group received 14.0 visits those clients in the slightly dependent group received 5.0 visits and those clients in the self-care group received 1.6 visits. 3) The time required for the work duties of the VHCS staff totaled 488 minutes per day. The percentage of time for home visits was only 17.4%, and this didn't include travel time. Conclusion: The main problems of VHCS were identified as a lack of personnel and a lack of time for the home visits. Strategies that are directed at the construction of a better infrastructure for VHCS are needed.

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