Association between Integrated Nursing Care Service Use and Patient Experience, Hospital Recommendation Intention

Background:The Integrated Nursing Care Service (INCS) provides 24-hour nurseled inpatient care, aiming to establish patient-centered care and improve healthcare quality.As the program expands nationwide, evaluating whether INCS truly enhances patients' perceived quality of care and behavioral intentions-such as satisfaction, trust, and willingness to recommend-is essential to justify policy continuity and further investment.Methods: This study analyzed data from 375 adult inpatients extracted from the 2023 Korean Medical Service Experience Survey, jointly conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.The dependent variables were overall satisfaction, intention to recommend the hospital, nursing service, and hospital environment, all measured on a 5-point Likert scale.The independent variable was utilization of INCS.Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine differences and associations.Results: Patients receiving care under INCS reported significantly higher odds of hospital recommendation (OR=1.80,95% CI=1.13-2.88).Within the nursing domain, responsiveness (OR=2.28,95% CI=1.42-3.71)and discharge explanation (OR=2.07,95% CI=1.29-3.37)were key contributors to satisfaction and behavioral intentions, defined as the intention to recommend the hospital.Among environmental factors, comfort (OR=2.42,95% CI=1.52-3.90),reduced nighttime noise (OR=1.87,95% CI=1.22-2.86),and physical privacy (OR=2.05,95% CI=1.28-3.32)significantly improved patient experience scores.Conclusion: These findings empirically demonstrate that nurse-led integrated care (in which registered nurses provide both nursing and caregiving services without family or private caregivers) improves both service experience and behavioral outcomes.INCS functions as an effective policy tool to enhance hospital quality and patient-centeredness. Expanding the program nationwide and establishing standardized ward operations are recommended to further strengthen patient trust, satisfaction, and overall quality of care.