Abstract
The purposes of this research are to reveal the current situation of collaboration between visiting nurse service station (VNSS) and hospital for patients' smooth discharge from hospital, and clarify the relationship of characteristics of VNSS to the status of collaboration. A questionnaire was mailed to all 3578 VNSS; 1,188 VNSS were returned and used as the subjects of analysis (valid response rate: 33.2%). Regular visit to hospital was done by 468 VNSS, and among them, 219 went round to each ward in the hospital regularly, 171 attended the conference about patients hospitalized in the hospital regularly, and 145 attended ward meeting about hospitalized patients regularly. Those VNSS established by medical corporation, affiliated to hospital or geriatric health services facility, having system for emergency visit, and having more full-time nurses did more regular visits to hospital than other VNSS. Activity of discharge planning inside the hospital was done by 295 VNSS. Most of them were doing discharge planning at the request of hospital, however some VNSS visited the hospital regularly or arranged for the personnel in the hospital to carry out discharge planning. The VNSS computing the extra pay for high-care patients, having more full-time nurses and doing home-visit to medically dependent patients, did more frequent discharge planning activities than other VNSS. It is necessary to make clarify the cost and effect of these activities and discuss the most desirable status of the collaboration between VNSS and hospitals.
