Wen-Yi Chen

National Taichung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan

Abstract Title: On the relationship between the interdependence of nurse employment behaviors across different workplaces and the quality of inpatient care

Biography:

Wen-Yi Chen is a professor of health economics at National Taichung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. He holds a PhD in Applied Economics from Oregon State University. With over 60 publications in renowned journals, his current research explores the impact of population aging on the effectiveness of nurse workforce policies.

Research Interest:

Purpose: This study examines the relationship between the interdependence of nurse employment behaviors across various workplaces and the quality of inpatient care, with particular attention to the critical issue of nearly 40% of Taiwanese nurses expressing reluctance to join the nursing workforce. This reluctance contributes to the persistent shortage of nurses in hospitals, which in turn negatively impacts inpatient care quality.

Methods and Materials: Dynamic connectedness network analysis was employed to assess the interdependence within the nurse employment network across hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, other medical care institutions, and non-nursing labor markets. Annual data on nurse employment in these workplaces, as well as inpatient care quality, were sourced from multiple open databases administrated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan. The study covered the period from 1998 to 2022, resulting in 25 annual observations for analysis.

Results: The findings suggest that nurse employment in hospitals, other medical care institutions, and non-nursing labor markets (clinics and nursing homes) acts as a net transmitter (receiver) of employment flows. Furthermore, a higher degree of interdependence within the nurse employment network is associated with a decline in inpatient care quality. Specifically, the analysis confirmed the beneficial effects of hospital nurse employment and the detrimental impact of nurses' reluctance to join the workforce on inpatient care quality.

Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of increasing hospital nurse employment and providing incentives for nurses who have left the profession to reenter the workforce, in order to enhance inpatient care quality.

Keyword: Connectedness network analysis; Nurse Employment behavior; Inpatient care quality; Nurse shortage.