Abstract
Despite the fact that advances in Japanese medical technology have saved lives in childbirth, the number of children requiring medical care due to some sort of disorder or disease continues to increase every year. Because children, unlike adults are still growing and developing, educational support and community support are required in addition to medical and nursing care. This study set out to analyze the role and function of coordinators by reviewing papers concerning support for children and families who need at-home medical care in Japan, so as to clarify the current situation and challenges pertaining to them. In terms of research design, the literature review made use of Igaku Chuo Zasshi (ICHUSHI-Web), Medical Online, and CiNii Articles. The keywords used were “medical care,” “children,” “at-home,” “coordinator,” and “community” (in Japanese). This resulted in the identification of 189 papers. Of those, 18 papers conforming to the objectives of this study were selected as targets for analysis. The following four groups were generated with regard to support for children in need of medical care: Support for parents and children as well as co-resident family members, Support for integrated healthcare networks, Educational support, and Support for challenges entailed by continuing to live at home. Focusing not only on mothers and children, but also on all co-resident family members provides a deeper understanding of at-home treatments and leads to smoother transition to at-home care. Also, cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary cooperation and collaboration with healthcare and welfare providers, communities, and government agencies is essential for continuing to provide support for children who require medical care at the society and community level. Care manager with the specialty of the child is necessary. Moreover, an educational approach can help families become aware of children’s developmental challenges and foster an awareness of roles within the family unit.
