Administrators' perceptions of Building a Collaborative System Among Homecare Nursing Agencies in Urban Areas in the Event of a Disaster

Abstract

Aim：To determine homecare nursing agency administrators' perceptions of building a collaborative system among homecare nursing agencies in urban areas in the event of a disaster.

Methods：Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six administrators, and the data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive methods.

Results：Five categories were identified in the perceptions of administrators who experienced barriers to collaboration but who were still working with a social mission, including “difficulty in building relationships due to diverse organizational structures and resource gaps,”“local offices being both rivals and communities,” and “fulfilling the social mission of home healthcare nursing while balancing between management and business,” as well as the perceptions of administrators who experienced barriers to collaboration under disaster. Five categories were generated in administrators’ perceptions regarding the promotion of collaboration in the event of a disaster, including “establishing a relationship of mutual support through normal home-visit nursing activities” and “establishing a system to support cooperation in a disaster.”

Conclusion：Amid complex relationships among offices, which involve both competition and cooperation, administrators recognized the need to fulfill the social mission of home healthcare nursing under disaster conditions. To build a collaborative system under disaster conditions, an organizational culture of mutual support must be fostered during normal times and a system developed to support collaboration under disaster conditions.