Abstract
Aiming at increasing the number of inpatients with terminally ill cancer to move home and receive home care, a nationwide survey was conducted to clarify factors for nurses in charge to consider of receiving home care on the inpatients with incurable cancer. Data were obtained using a questionnaire, which investigates the demographic and situational characteristics on the patient and family caregiver, in addition to the characteristics of the nurse in charge, the care unit, and the hospital. The correlated factors on the nurse's consideration of her patient's transfer to a home care setting were examined by a logistic regression analysis. Analyzed on the data of 464 cancer patients in 82 care units from 53 hospitals, seven factors were clarified, that is, patients and/or family caregivers having desire to transfer a home care setting, patients receiving longer terminal care on the unit, not receiving an oxygen therapy, being controlled pain by using morphine by mouth, nurses in charge consulting her superiors on receiving home care of her patients, and nurses vigorous submission of information to obtain the informed consent of patients. Our results may help healthcare professionals to plan the appropriate nursing support for more terminally ill cancer inpatients to receive home care.
