2023 Volume 27 Issue 1 Pages 84-92
This study aimed to conceptualize the nature of interprofessional support felt necessary from the perspective of other professionals collaborating with home care helpers (“care helpers”) in the provision of home care. Moreover, it identified observations that other professionals could obtain from care helpers to facilitate collaboration. A total of 45 home care team members, including 13 professionals, participated in semi-structured interviews, and the data were analyzed using the KJ method.
The nature of interprofessional support is based on a “search” for [the preferred method of information sharing by other professionals] and [arrangements for the transfer of important information throughby care helpers]. Based on this, while there are [expectations from other professionals for care helpers], “confirmation” from a medical perspective is desired for care helper information in light of [the way helpers deal with information] and [the influence of care helpers on users]. Thus, “suggestion” of specialized knowledge was mentioned as [a need for educational support for care helpers]. Thirty-one observation items were identified as areas in which other professionals could promote cooperation with care helpers, including diet and medication.
