Effects of nurse-led child health service in child-care centers: A survey study

Abstract

There are relatively few initiatives to promote children's health and prevent disease in Korean child-care centers. The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of the nurse-led child health service in Korean child-care centers. A total of 9664 parents and 3892 teachers at child-care centers and 49 nurses completed self-administered questionnaires. Parent satisfaction, teacher satisfaction, and nurses' self-evaluation were surveyed. Case-management reports of children were collected over 5 years. Dental problems were ranked high among children across 5 years in the study. Most parents perceived nurse-led child health service as being useful. Overall, teachers' satisfaction scores were statistically significantly higher for home child-care centers compared to public or private child-care centers. Increasing the need for the nurse-led child health service was ranked the highest item by nurses, whereas the health management of teachers was ranked the lowest. The nurse-led child health service in Korean child-care centers induced positive outcomes, including the satisfaction of parents, teachers and nurses.