Abstract
The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of the home care death conference which visiting nurse stations and home care clinics provide.
Methods : Interviews of clinic physicians, clinic nurses and nurses of the visiting nurse stations were performed. Data were analyzed by a modified grounded theory approach.
Results : Interviews were performed on eleven eligible individuals. Fourteen concepts were elucidated. These were categorized into five core categories : “the home care death conference as a place of learning”, “the home care death conference as a place of healing”, “reconfirmation of the role of a condolence visit”, “building relationships face-to-face”, “limitations of the home care death conference”.
Conclusion : Participants reflected on home care death conferences in manner of two ways ; “the home care death conference as a place of learning” and “the home care death conference as a place of healing”. Participants were able to discuss condolence visits in the home death conferences. Building relationships face-to-face is potentially effective in making community care networks operate effectively.
