J Korean Community Nurs.
1996 Dec;7(2):203-215.
A Study of Activities and Demand on Welfare Nursing in Korea
Abstract
- Social security is concerned with ensuring all citizens maintain basic needs, community health nursing maintains and promotes health for all community members. Lately, This new area of community health nursing, concern social welfare has increased.
The objectives of this study are, first, to analysis the activities of nurses at community social welfare institutes, second, to estimate nursing demand for social welfare areas. The study methods used were as literature review, an analysis of statistical data and case study etc. The analytical framework also included a demand analysis of nursing manpower in community social welfare areas.
The major results are as follows;
1. Employees which work at social welfare institutes number 55,464, nursing manpower (including nurse aids) number 1,458 and this is 3% of the total employees. Within nursing manpower, nurses number 780, nurse aids number 670.
2. The rates of nurses among total employees were high in institutes for mental disorders and institutes for the age.
3. The salary level of nurses was lower than average and the rates of retirement showed a roughly middle level in welfare institutes.
4. The satisfaction level of nursing services was high, and it is the trend that nurses substitute for nurse aids which retire at social welfare institutes.
5. Nurse demand that follows legal criteria is 2,221, but only 35% are working. It is therefore insufficient from the minimum of 733 to a maximum 1433.
6. The sufficiency rates by institution were high at institutes for vagrants, aged and the handicapped.
In conclusion, the conditions are of nurses which are working in with the social welfare institutes are poor. Also the number of nurses compared rates of demand were in surplus. But, the basic direction of welfare policy is universal-preventive and provision of the family and of community centered service, and nursing service demand in the social welfare institute will increase continuously, we predict. Therefore, we will need a positive plan such as the development of an inservice education program and the construction of an information collection system etc.