Purpose
This study aimed to compare the health expenditure and unmet health care needs and factors associated with these, in single-person households pre- and post-baby boomer generation, and of baby boomers.
Methods
This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the 2016 Korea Health Panel Study, which was conducted to investigate the factors associated with health expenditures and unmet healthcare needs of single-person households through hierarchical multiple regression analysis.
Results
The subjective health status of a single household showed a significant interaction with pre-baby boomers (β=.16, p=.045) in health expenditure. Identifying as men (OR=1.59, p=.046) and subjective health status (OR=1.90, p=.001) were statistically significant in terms of unmet healthcare needs. However, there was no significant interaction between pre-baby boomers and unmet healthcare needs.
Conclusion
Baby boomers are the first to be prepared for their later years in the current aging society. Despite a stable financial status due to vital economic activities, social support for baby boomers is inadequate. The rights guaranteed to family members under the system centered around kinship should also be guaranteed to single-person households.

Citations

• The impact of physical functionality and activity level on the self-rated health status of older adults living alone: An analysis of the mediating effect of social engagement
  Dajung Ryu
  Geriatric Nursing.2025; 63: 464.     CrossRef

Purpose
This study aimed to examine the relationship between nursing care needs and nurse staffing in pulmonology units.
Methods
This was a descriptive study that used a retrospective design. In total, 2,622 patient medical records from a tertiary hospital were analyzed. Variables were collected from Clinical Data Warehouse and Electronic Medical Records.
Results
The study found a difference in nursing care needs and nurse staffing by shift among units. In unit A (general unit), nurses were assigned according to nursing care needs and the proportion of severe patients. However, in unit B (general unit), higher nursing needs could lead to an increase in the number of patients per nurse on night duty (r=.23, p<.001). In unit C (comprehensive nursing care service unit), the number of patients per nurse during the day increased as nursing needs increased. The higher the proportion of “greater than two points in nursing activities”, the higher the number of patients per nurse during the day (r=.13, p=.010) and evening (r=.12, p=.018). However, the higher the proportion of “greater than three points in activities of daily living”, the lower the number of patients per nurse during the night shift (r=-.28, p<.001).
Conclusion
Patients’ nursing care needs should be considered in the management of nurse staffing. We should develop a nurse staffing program that considers variation in daily nursing care needs to establish efficient staffing guidelines.