Eunhee Jung, Eunhye Kim, Suryang Seo, Sunyoung Lee, Sora An, Hyejin Kim, Ye Seul Kim, Youjin Kim, Mijeong Park, Hyoun-Joong Kong, Saram Lee, Yeong Joo Hong, Minho Jung
Received January 21, 2026 Accepted June 12, 2026 Published online July 23, 2026
Purpose This study aimed to identify latent profiles of shift-work nurses according to perceived health, fatigue, and recovery levels and to examine differences across profiles in work-related outcomes, including sleep quality, work-life balance, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. It also examined whether patterns associated with participation in a shift-work improvement pilot project differed by latent profile.
Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study included 120 shift-work nurses working in pediatric wards at a tertiary hospital in South Korea. Data were collected from January 14 to 24, 2025. Latent profile analysis was performed using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale. Differences in outcomes by latent profile membership and pilot-project participation status at the time of data collection were examined using two-way analysis of covariance, with age included as a covariate.
Results Three latent profiles were identified: Healthy-Recovery (20.8%), Moderate (41.7%), and Burnout-Vulnerable (37.5%). Significant differences among profiles were observed in sleep quality (F=37.37, p<.001), work-life balance (F=50.86, p<.001), job satisfaction (F=12.29, p<.001), and turnover intention (F=12.11, p<.001). A significant interaction between latent profile membership and pilot-project participation was observed for job satisfaction (F=4.77, p=.010, partial η²=.078). Pilot-project participation was associated with significantly higher job satisfaction only in the Healthy-Recovery profile (p=.005).
Conclusion Associations between pilot-project participation and work-related outcomes differed according to nurses’ health, fatigue, and recovery profiles. These findings indicate that heterogeneity among shift-work nurses should be considered when interpreting work-related outcomes and designing tailored support strategies.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to provide foundational knowledge on nursing tasks performed on patients with COVID-19 in a nationally-designated inpatient treatment unit. Methods This study employs both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative method investigated the content and frequency of nursing tasks for 460 patients (age ≥ 18y, 57.4% men) from January 20, 2020, to September 30, 2021, by analyzing hospital information system records. Qualitative data were collected via focus group interviews. The study involved interviews with three focus groups comprising 18 nurses overall to assess their experiences and perspectives on nursing care during the pandemic from February 3, 2022, to February 15, 2022. The data were examined with thematic analysis. Results Overall, 49 different areas of nursing tasks (n = 130,687) were identified based on the Korean Patient Classification System for nurses during the study period. Among the performed tasks, monitoring of oxygen saturation and measuring of vital signs were considered high-priority. From the focus group interview, three main themes and eleven sub-themes were generated. The three main themes are “Experiencing eventfulness in isolated settings,” “All-around player,” and “Reflections for solutions.” Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to ensure adequate staffing levels, compensation, and educational support for nurses. The study further propose improving guidelines for emerging infectious diseases and patient classification systems to improve the overall quality of patient care.
Citations
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Purpose This study aimed to investigate the influence of social capital on the depression of older adults living in rural areas. Methods Data sets were obtained from the 2019 Korea Community Health Survey. The participants were 39,390 older adults over 65 years old living in rural areas. Indicators of social capital included trust, reciprocity, network, and social participation. Depression—the dependent variable—was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Hierarchical ordinal logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with depression after adjusting the data numbers to 102,601 by applying the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE). Results The independent variables—indicators of social capital—exhibited significant association with the depression of older adults. The odds ratios of depression were higher in groups without social capital variables. Conclusion To reduce depression, we recommend increasing social capital. Factors identified in this study need to be considered in older adult depression intervention programs and policies.
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