2022 Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 4-11
Objectives: To ascertain a self-assessment of the state of discharge support provided to older adults by nurses in integrated community care wards and to determine the personal factors and factors related to working conditions associated with the provision of that support.
Methods: Nine hundred and sixty-eight nurses at 47 facilities with integrated community care wards under the jurisdiction of the Tokai-Hokuriku Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare were anonymously surveyed using the Discharge Planning scale for Ward Nurses (DPWN).
Results: Responses were received from 587 nurses (response rate: 60.6%). Five hundred and eighty-four valid responses were received (valid response rate: 60.3%). The mean total score on the DPWN was 100.31 points. Multiple regression analysis with the total score on the DPWN as the response variable indicated that factors associated with the total DPWN score were: Motivation (β＝0.268, p＜0.001), “Being in” a leadership position (β＝0.099, p＜0.01), “Having experience” dealing with the families of older adults (β＝0.101, p＜0.05), “Having received” in-house training in discharge support (β＝0.091, p＜0.05), and “Having opportunities” to share information with other professionals besides discharge planning conferences (β＝0.093, p＜0.05).
Discussion: Increased motivation, training from and inculcation of attitudes by personnel in leadership positions, the systematic creation of conditions for nurses to share information with other professionals inside and outside of the hospital, and the creation of a system to facilitate participation in training will presumably help to improve the provision of discharge support to older adults by nurses in integrated community care wards.
