Visiting Nurses’ Perception of Remote Death Diagnosis by Physicians Using Information Communication Technology

Abstract

Objective: To elucidate the relationship between the sense of self-confidence and anxiety of visiting nurses regarding remote death diagnosis by physicians using information communication technology (ICT) and the confidence of nursing skills used for remote death diagnosis, and so on, and consider the issues for the spread of remote death diagnosis.

Methods: Anonymous self-administered questionnaires were administered to nurses at 1,785 visiting nursing stations in Japan. After a simple tabulation, the relationship of perception of death diagnosis to the end-of-life care system, the confidence of nursing skills used for remote death diagnosis, and so on, was examined.

Results: A total of 325 participants provided valid responses (18.2%). In regard to the perception of death diagnosis, 176 participants (54.2%) responded that they did not believe physicians could diagnose death remotely using ICT, and the most cited reason was “the family would not accept it.” The perception of death diagnosis was related to the confidence in physical observations, as well as awareness of guidelines for diagnosing death and Article 21 of the Medical Practitioners’ Act.

Conclusions: For visiting nurses to acknowledge that physicians can remotely diagnose death using ICT, it is suggested that information regarding the death diagnosis should be obtained and physical observation skills improved.