Other Titles

Factors Influencing Korean Hospital Nurses' Geriatric Nursing Performance: Focusing on Nursing Professionalism and Work Intensity [Poster Title]

Abstract

Purpose: The global aging population has increased the demand for competent geriatric nursing care in acute hospital settings (Espinel-Jara et al., 2025, OCED, 2025). This study aimed to identify factors influencing geriatric nursing performance among Korean hospital nurses, focusing on nursing professionalism and work intensity, which would inform strategies for improving care quality.

Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted with 144 nurses from medical and surgical wards, intensive care units, and emergency units in three general hospitals in South Korea. Participants had at least six months of clinical experience and provided direct care to patients aged 65 years or older. Data were collected from June to July 2025 using structured self-administered questionnaires Instruments included the Korean version of the Older Patients in Acute Care Survey (Kim, Jung, & Han, 2017) to assess geriatric nursing performance, the Nursing Professionalism (Yeun, Kwon, & Ahn, 2005; Han, Kim, & Yun, 2008), and the Nursing Work Intensity Scale for Clinical Nurses (Seol, 2022). Data were analyzed with SPSS 31.0 using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple regression analysis.

Results: The mean geriatric nursing performance score was 3.39±0.56 (out of 5). Geriatric nursing performance positively correlated with nursing professionalism (r=.34, p< .001) and work intensity (r=.24, p=.004). Multiple regression showed that work intensity (β=.280, p< .001), professionalism (β=.302, p< .001), and work unit (medical ward β=.346, surgical ward β=.355; reference=emergency units) significantly predicted performance, explaining 27.6% of the variance.

Conclusion: Nursing professionalism and work intensity significantly influenced geriatric nursing performance. Nurses with stronger professional values and responsibility demonstrated higher commitment to quality care, and higher perceived work demands were linked to greater engagement in geriatric nursing care. Also, nurses in medical and surgical wards outperformed those in emergency units.

Implications for Practice: Enhancing professionalism through education and mentorship can improve nurses’ competence in caring for older adults. Understanding work intensity and unit-specific contexts can help hospitals design supportive workflows and tailored training strategies, ultimately strengthening geriatric nursing performance in acute care settings.

Notes

References:

Espinel-Jara, V. M., Tapia-Paguay, M. X., Tito-Pineda, A. P., López-Aguilar, E. C., & Fernández-Cusimamani, E. (2025). Humanized and community-based nursing for geriatric care: Impact, clinical contributions, and implementation barriers. Nursing Reports, 15(8), 302.

Han, S. S., Kim, M. H., & Yun, E. K. (2009). Factors affecting nursing professionalism. The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education, 14(1), 73-79.

Kim, J. M., Jung, H. E., & Han J. W. (2017). Validity and reliability of Korean version of older patients in acute care survey. The Korean Society of Health Service Management, 11(3), 91-104.

Lee, H., Gu, M., & Sok, S. (2023). The effects of Nurses' perception of the older adults and work stress on nursing competency of nurses who care for older adult patients at general hospital. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2095.

Long, J., Li, Y., Chen, W., Wu, X., Fu, R., Dong, L., Huang, Y., Yi, D., Xu, Z., Cheng, Y., Tan, Q., Zhang, L., & Ding, F. (2024). Geriatric nursing competence of clinical nursing staff at different hospital levels in Chongqing, China: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 11(4), 439–446.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2025). The economic benefit of promoting healthy ageing and community care. OECD Publishing.

Seol, E. J. (2022). Development of a nursing work intensity scale for clinical nurses [Doctoral thesis, Keimyung University]. Keimyung University, Daegu, South Korea.

Yeun, E. J., Kown, Y., & Ahn, O. W. (2005). Development of an instrument for nursing professionalism. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing, 35(6), 1091–1100.

Description

This study examined how nursing professionalism, work intensity, and unit type influence geriatric nursing performance among Korean hospital nurses. Findings highlight that fostering professional values and addressing unit-specific demands can improve care quality for older adults.

Author Details

Yoen-Ju Kang, BSN; Eunji Seo, PhD; Jiyeon Ha, PhD; Minkyung Kang, PhD

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Poster

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Descriptive/Correlational

Research Approach

Quantitative Research

Keywords:

Acute Care, Competence, Gerontologic Nursing, Professionalism, Korea

Conference Name

37th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Conference Year

2026

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2026-07-30

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Factors Influencing Geriatric Nursing Performance Among Korean Hospital Nurses

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Purpose: The global aging population has increased the demand for competent geriatric nursing care in acute hospital settings (Espinel-Jara et al., 2025, OCED, 2025). This study aimed to identify factors influencing geriatric nursing performance among Korean hospital nurses, focusing on nursing professionalism and work intensity, which would inform strategies for improving care quality.

Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted with 144 nurses from medical and surgical wards, intensive care units, and emergency units in three general hospitals in South Korea. Participants had at least six months of clinical experience and provided direct care to patients aged 65 years or older. Data were collected from June to July 2025 using structured self-administered questionnaires Instruments included the Korean version of the Older Patients in Acute Care Survey (Kim, Jung, & Han, 2017) to assess geriatric nursing performance, the Nursing Professionalism (Yeun, Kwon, & Ahn, 2005; Han, Kim, & Yun, 2008), and the Nursing Work Intensity Scale for Clinical Nurses (Seol, 2022). Data were analyzed with SPSS 31.0 using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple regression analysis.

Results: The mean geriatric nursing performance score was 3.39±0.56 (out of 5). Geriatric nursing performance positively correlated with nursing professionalism (r=.34, p< .001) and work intensity (r=.24, p=.004). Multiple regression showed that work intensity (β=.280, p< .001), professionalism (β=.302, p< .001), and work unit (medical ward β=.346, surgical ward β=.355; reference=emergency units) significantly predicted performance, explaining 27.6% of the variance.

Conclusion: Nursing professionalism and work intensity significantly influenced geriatric nursing performance. Nurses with stronger professional values and responsibility demonstrated higher commitment to quality care, and higher perceived work demands were linked to greater engagement in geriatric nursing care. Also, nurses in medical and surgical wards outperformed those in emergency units.

Implications for Practice: Enhancing professionalism through education and mentorship can improve nurses’ competence in caring for older adults. Understanding work intensity and unit-specific contexts can help hospitals design supportive workflows and tailored training strategies, ultimately strengthening geriatric nursing performance in acute care settings.