Correlation Between Diagnosis-Related Group Weights and Nursing Time in the Cardiology Department: Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Diagnosis-related group (DRG) payment has become the main form of medical expense settlements, and its application is becoming increasingly extensive. Objective: This study aimed to explore the correlation between DRG weights and nursing time and to develop a predictive model for nursing time in the cardiology department based on DRG weights and other factors. Methods: A convenience sampling method was used to select patients who were hospitalized in the cardiology ward of Beijing Chest Hospital between April 2023 and April 2024. Nursing time was measured by direct and indirect nursing time. To determine the distributions of nursing time based on different demographics, a Pearson correlation was used to analyze the relationship between DRG weight and nursing time, and a multiple linear regression was used to determine the influencing factors of total nursing time. Results: A total of 103 subjects were included in this study. The DRG weights were positively correlated with direct nursing time (r=0.480; P