2013 Volume 22 Issue 1 Pages 56-63
The purpose of this study was to clarify the difficulties experienced by nurses at day care centers when undertaking child healthcare activities and examine the tasks and issues they face to further promote their activities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 nurses working at accredited day care centers in A Prefecture. Qualitative inductive analysis was performed using Berelson's content analysis method. Analysis yielded five core categories of difficulties in the activities of nurses at day care centers: "unable to establish identity as a nurse at the day care center," "not satisfying learning needs to improve expertise," "difficulty communicating with parents and guardians," "not establishing an organized way or system for undertaking child healthcare activities," and "work environment not equipped to carry out child healthcare activities." In order for nurses to be further motivated to carry out their activities, the findings demonstrate the need to create learning environments that enable them to make decisions and give advice with confidence. In addition, in order to improve nurses' working environments to promote their child healthcare activities, the findings suggest that networks in and outside day care centers be established.
