Support of Home-visit Nurses to Coordinate the Appropriate Social Resources for Middle-aged Terminal Cancer Patients at Home

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify and suggest the support of home-visit nurses to coordinate social resources including healthcare, nursing-care, and welfare services for middle-aged terminal cancer patients at home depending on their needs.

Method: The study participants were six home-visit nurses working at four home-visit nursing stations in the capital region. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews as qualitative descriptive design and analyzed from the viewpoint of the experience and support of home-visit nurses. This study was approved by an ethical review committee.

Results: The areas of support of home-visit nurses in coordinating social resources for middle-aged terminal cancer patients at home were identified in five categories: “advising compromise proposal decision about social resources utilization for the satisfaction of both patients and families”；“selecting social resources depending on developmental stage or role conflict of the family”；“intermediating between multiprofessional professionals and patients and families appropriate to various patients and families”；“flexible application of social resources depending on range available for services”；“making patient’s and family’s wishes come true in a limited time by optimizing social resources.”

Conclusion: This study suggested the importance of coordination function introduced before discharge, promoting collaboration with social resources such as persons, organization, facilities or information working for health, medical and welfare, and developing new community care systems to address various potential needs of middle-aged terminal cancer patients who cannot utilize existing institutions or long-term care insurance services.