2024 Volume 33 Pages 132-140
This study aimed to elucidate the challenges home care nurses face in supporting school-age children with medical needs and their families, as well as the current state of the support provided. The study also examined the role of home care nurses in facilitating community integration of these children and their families. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine home care nurses, and the data were analyzed using qualitative and descriptive methods. The current state of support was divided into eight categories, including “cannot provide care alone or provide developmentally informed interaction even after studying” “having anxiety about, and difficulty with, practicing nursing by themselves relying only on their previous experience” and “rehabilitation and oversight becoming central to the children’s care as they grow.” Support challenges were divided into seven categories, including “increasing the role of health nurses in cooperating with special-needs schools and hospitals” and “securing enough human resources so that family members would not have to give up.” The findings of this study indicate that home care nurses fulfill an important role in supporting the family members of children with medical needs in their preparation for the developmental changes associated with the children’s life cycles. Home care nurses are also expected to serve as coordinators with a specialized perspective on school-age children, the period when children’s social involvement increases.
