A Study for Dietetic Practitioner's Job Analysis: labor Time Spent and Staffing Need Indices

Cho, Mi Ran; Koo, Chung Min; Lee, Hei Ok; Choue, Ryo Won

Abstract

This study was designed to analyze the dietetic practitioner's job in the over 600-ed hospitals in korea and to assess their labor time spent and staffing need indices. The actual time spent and expected labor time spent on dietitians' activities were investigated and the proper dietic staffing needs in the hospitals was also calculated. A job analysis questionnaires were developed and mailed to 20 hospitals. Completed questionnaires were received form 12 hospitals for a response rate of 60%. The followings are summary of the results. 1. The jobs dietitians at the hospitals were classified into the following 7 areas, direct patient care, indirect patient care, therapeutic patient care, education & counseling, meeting & research, delay & movement, and administration & food services. 2. The actual time spent on dietetic practice was 48.6 hours and expected labor time spent was 99.2 hours, Therefore, the proper time required to conduct classified jobs was 2.1 times higher than the time spent. Especially, the time required for performing clinical nutrition services including direct patient care, indirect patient care, therapeutic patient care was significantly higher than the time needed. 3. The average times required for the direct patient care was 1334.6min, for the indirect patient care was 796.3min, for the therapeutic patient care was 1634.5min, for the education & counseling was 265.2min, for the meeting & research was 366.7min, for the delay & movement was 327.3min, and for the administration & food services was 1170min. The staffing need indices was 12.3. As a conclusion, the standardized job descriptions for the dietitian to carry out their job at the hospital should be established. And the clinical dietitians as nutrition professionals have to be recruited to provide systematically hospitalized patients with medical nutrition therapy at each hospital.