Development of a computerized patient classification and staffing system.

Korean health care agencies are trying to find ways to survive amid strong competition within the health care industry and pressure to open health care market from abroad. One way to survive is to improve health care quality at present or reduced expenditure. Nursing is the largest manpower in health care agencies and plays an important role in determining quality of care through direct interaction with patients., thus, nursing manpower management is an essential part of survival strategies. If the nursing department can adapt to dynamic changes in the health care environment in terms of quality and quantity of service needed, health care agencies' quality and efficient management will be achieved at the same time. A computerized prototype patient classification and nursing staffing system was developed using Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0. This system allows a user to use GUI(Graphic User Interface) with an icon and a mouse. By applying this computerized system to clinical practice, nursing managers will receive accurate information regarding nursing manpower management at nursing unit level as well as departmental levels. Then nursing managers can achieve effective nursing manpower management, which will improve nursing care by allocating more nursing staff time to direct patient care.