Nurses' preferences for working in Uber-style 'Internet plus' nursing services: A discrete choice experiment.

BACKGROUND

China's 'Internet Plus' nursing services, which are Uber-style home care services with an 'online application, offline service' approach, have been evolving over the past five years. Registered nurses' preference for these Uber-style Internet Plus nursing services are crucial for improving human resource management and service efficiency, yet research in this area remains scarce.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore registered nurses' preferences for Uber-style Internet Plus nursing services and provide optimization recommendations from a supply-side perspective.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study utilising a discrete choice experiment.

SETTING(S): Two public tertiary hospitals located in Tianjin, China, which have implemented Internet Plus nursing services.

PARTICIPANTS

211 registered nurses who participated in Internet Plus nursing services.

METHODS

The survey was conducted anonymously using an online survey platform. Respondents were presented with choices between two alternatives, based on five key attributes: income, safety and security, patient and family cooperation, commute time, and service type. Mixed logit models estimated the stated preferences for attributes. Relative importance scores, willingness-to-pay estimates, and simulations of service-type uptake rates were calculated. Subgroup analysis and seemingly unrelated regression estimation were performed to examine heterogeneity in preferences.

RESULTS

A total of 3202 choice observations were generated. When sorted by the strength of preference, the five attributes related to registered nurses' choice of Uber-style Internet Plus nursing services, measured by their relative importance scores, are as follows: safety and security (30.89 %), income (27.41 %), patient and family cooperation (18.47 %), service type (11.96 %), and commuting time (11.27 %). Elevating safety and security from low to high levels has the same utility as a 31.81 % increase in monthly income, equivalent to 2586.14 yuan. Subgroup analysis showed that senior nurses place more value on safety and security than junior nurses (β = 1.421 vs.β = 0.725; P = 0.011), and unmarried nurses had a stronger preference for family and caregiver cooperation (β = 1.105 vs.β = 0.314; P = 0.023).

CONCLUSIONS

The strength and heterogeneity of registered nurses' preferences should be highlighted in the dispatch algorithms model of Uber-style Internet Plus nursing services, thereby enhancing the efficiency and humanity of Uber-style Internet Plus nursing services.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Registered nurses prioritise safety and security, acknowledging heterogeneous preferences in Uber-style Internet Plus nursing services.