Content of Nursing Management Practices of Head Nurses Engaged in International Relief for the Japanese Red Cross Society

Abstract

Objective: To elucidate the content of nursing management practices of head nurses engaged in international relief work for the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven head nurses who had worked in international relief for the Japanese Red Cross Society. The interview data were analyzed qualitatively and descriptively.

Results: This study identified head nurses’ nursing management practices, including embodying the Red Cross philosophy, making decisions as a manager of a humanitarian organization, effectively using limited resources, ensuring staff safety and responding to contingencies in unusual environments, respecting the diversity of beneficiaries and staff and building relationships with them, assisting staff to acquire and improve their knowledge and skills in international relief work, and engaging in self-management.

Conclusion: The head nurses embodied the Red Cross philosophy by building relationships with beneficiaries and staff, assisting staff to acquire and improve their knowledge and skills in international relief work, and maximizing limited resources in nursing management practice. They also ensured staff safety, responded to contingencies in unusual environments, and made a range of managerial decisions. Furthermore, self-management was fundamental to nursing management practice.