TY - JOUR
T1 - Measuring the efficiencies of visiting nurse service agencies using data envelopment analysis
AU - Kuwahara, Yuki
AU - Nagata, Satoko
AU - Taguchi, Atsuko
AU - Naruse, Takashi
AU - Kawaguchi, Hiroyuki
AU - Murashima, Sachiyo
PY - 2013/9/1
Y1 - 2013/9/1
N2 - This study develops a measure of the efficiency of visiting nurse (VN) agencies in Japan, examining the issues related to the measurement of efficiency, and identifying the characteristics that influence efficiency. We have employed a data envelopment analysis to measure the efficiency of 108 VN agencies, using the numbers of 5 types of staff as the input variables and the numbers of 3 types of visits as the output variables. The median efficiency scores of the VN agencies were found to be 0.80 and 1.00 according to the constant returns to scale (CRS) and variable returns to scale (VRS) models, respectively, and the median scale efficiency score was 0.95. This study supports using both the CRS and VRS models to measure the scale efficiency of VN service agencies. We also found that relatively efficient VN agencies filled at least 30 % of staff positions with experienced workers, and so concluded that this characteristic has a direct influence on the length of visits.
AB - This study develops a measure of the efficiency of visiting nurse (VN) agencies in Japan, examining the issues related to the measurement of efficiency, and identifying the characteristics that influence efficiency. We have employed a data envelopment analysis to measure the efficiency of 108 VN agencies, using the numbers of 5 types of staff as the input variables and the numbers of 3 types of visits as the output variables. The median efficiency scores of the VN agencies were found to be 0.80 and 1.00 according to the constant returns to scale (CRS) and variable returns to scale (VRS) models, respectively, and the median scale efficiency score was 0.95. This study supports using both the CRS and VRS models to measure the scale efficiency of VN service agencies. We also found that relatively efficient VN agencies filled at least 30 % of staff positions with experienced workers, and so concluded that this characteristic has a direct influence on the length of visits.
KW - Data envelopment analysis (DEA)
KW - Efficiency
KW - Nurse visiting
KW - Visiting nurse service
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883788611&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84883788611&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10729-013-9228-0
DO - 10.1007/s10729-013-9228-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 23462938
AN - SCOPUS:84883788611
SN - 1386-9620
VL - 16
SP - 228
EP - 235
JO - Health Care Management Science
JF - Health Care Management Science
IS - 3
ER -