Study on the Role of Visiting Nurses and Care Workers in Collaborate Care Services at Home Care Station

Abstract

On home health care, visiting nurses cooperate with other health care workers in taking care of the clients. In order to clarify the role of visiting nurses who work with other specialists in home health care, we analyzed the roles and performances of the nurses and the other health care workers in helping clients keep clean, solve their problems, and cope with emergencies, as those were the typical instances where the above professional people worked in cooperation. In the analysis, we considered the seriousness of the clients’ illnesses and/or disabilities, contents of care services, commitments of the clients’ family members, family support systems, and the background of visiting nurses and other nursing staff. Our survey subjects were visiting nurses and home care helpers who worked at home care stations in K City and its suburbs. We conducted individual face-to-face interviews in ten cases. As a result of the study, we have found out the following : the care provided by visiting nurses was focused on the clients’ physical health, as they worked with other health care workers : their role may be defined as that of a health care coordinator, owing to the fact that they convened meetings for other staff when necessary and they provided the other staff with necessary information and guidance to facilitate their cooperative work.