Emergencies in Long-Term Care Services for the Elderly in Korea: A Mixed-Methods Study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Emergency Medicine
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Long-term care services for the elderly face unique emergency response challenges.
• Assessing and enhancing emergency response capabilities is crucial for worker and patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore methods for improving emergency response abilities among long-term care workers.
• To identify differences in emergency situations and response capabilities between facility-based and home-based care.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative data on emergency incidences and self-reported abilities with qualitative insights into worker experiences.
• Analysis focused on comparing emergency situations and response capabilities across different long-term care service types.

Main Results:

• Care facilities reported a higher incidence of emergencies than home care services.
• A significant majority of facility-based workers (71.3%) perceived their emergency response abilities as low, compared to 44.2% of home care workers.
• Qualitative data revealed six emotional categories and 16 themes related to emergency challenges and solutions.

Conclusions:

• There are distinct differences in emergency incidence rates and coping abilities between facility-based and home-based long-term care workers.
• Developing and implementing service-type-specific emergency response management guidelines is recommended to address identified gaps.