2026 Volume 46 Pages 181-191
Purpose: This study aimed to organize the content of the employment support that pediatric outpatient nurses provide children with chronic illnesses as they transition to adulthood. Further, it sought to identify the challenges that these nurses face and the appropriate approaches for employment support.
Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive research design, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight nurses.
Results: The employment support provided by nurses was classified into 10 categories. It started with “disease explanations tailored to the patient’s level of understanding and development” and “recommendations for transition to self-management,” followed by “developing occupational readiness,” “training in consultation skills for employment support” and “encouraging patients to explain their illness and request adjustments to their working conditions.” For already employed patients, support included “confirmation of employment status and adjustments for continued employment.” Seven categories of challenges were identified, which were primarily related to “nurses’ insufficient knowledge and skills concerning employment support.”
Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of fostering disease understanding and self-management from childhood, along with providing disease-specific physical and psychosocial assessments and employment consultation support. There is an urgent need to help nurses recognize and address the issues faced by transition-age patients, as well as enhance the support handover framework for adult care departments.
