Differences in Patient Experience by Integrated Nursing Care Service Ward Use

Background: Korea is expanding the Integrated Nursing Care Service (INCS) to reduce the burden of inpatient caregiving.This study examined differences in patient experience associated with INCS ward use while accounting for disease group and other patient characteristics.Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed 8,195 survey responses from adults discharged from a tertiary hospital in Seoul between January 2023 and November 2025.Patient experience was assessed across six domains: nurses, physicians, medication and treatment, hospital environment, patient rights, and overall evaluation.High ratings were defined as domain scores at or above the median.Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between INCS ward use and high patient experience ratings after adjusting for disease group, sex, age, residence, length of stay, and number of admissions.Results: Patients in INCS wards had significantly higher mean scores than those in general wards across all six patient experience domains (p<0.001).After adjustment, INCS ward use was significantly associated with higher ratings in all domains.The largest odds ratios (OR) were observed for hospital environment (OR, 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65-2.01)and nurses (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.50-1.85),followed by overall evaluation (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.42-1.72),patient rights (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.32-1.62),physicians (OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.17-1.42),and medication and treatment (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.10-1.33).Disease group and other patient characteristics were also associated with patient experience in some domains.Conclusion: INCS ward use was associated with more positive patient experience across all six domains, particularly hospital environment and nursing care.These findings provide evidence supporting continued expansion of INCS and highlight the importance of evaluating service quality while accounting for patient characteristics.