Analysis of Media Trends and Social Perceptions on Nursing Law Legislation

Purpose: This study aimed to derive considerations for the enactment of nursing law by analyzing the trends and social perceptions of nursing law mentioned in major daily newspapers, cafes, and blogs. Methods: Main texts and comments that included nursing law as a keyword were collected from major daily news and online postings from January 2021 to August 2022. The data collected through web crawling were analyzed using a TousFlux program used for big data analysis. Results: During the period of study, the awareness level around nursing law enactment increased. In particular, public concern over nursing law enactment intensified due to the two political parties' policy pledges related to nursing law in January 2022 and the failure to introduce the nursing law to the national assembly judiciary committee in May 2022. Except in December 2021, public perception of nursing law enactment was generally favorable, with public opinion tilting more in favor of than against enactment. Conclusion: Public opinion should be considered when drafting and implementing the nursing law to make it easier for the people to understand what the law constitutes. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to and continuously promote the relationship between medical care and nursing in the nursing law system of developed nations. Lastly, nursing law enactment can enhance nurses' retention intention and provide a sense of efficacy to medical services.