Challenges in interprofessional collaboration faced by visiting nurses caring for children with medical complexity on home mechanical ventilation

Abstract

 This qualitative descriptive study aimed to identify challenges in interprofessional collaboration faced by visiting nurses caring for children with medical complexity on home mechanical ventilation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine visiting nurses from a home nursing station in Tokyo who had at least 3 years of experience providing home nursing care for children with medical complexity on home mechanical ventilation. The challenges the nurses faced were classified into five categories : (1) differing perceptions of what it means to take a safety-first approach in daily home life, (2) difficulty sharing information quickly and reciprocally, (3) difficulty with their role as a coordinator, (4) challenges in communicating nursing care related to pediatric mechanical ventilation to other professionals, and (5) uncertainty about how to approach interprofessional collaboration in the pediatric home health setting. These results suggest that successful interprofessional collaboration may require a system for rapid and reciprocal information-sharing that also includes the patient’s family, a framework for providing guidance and support to visiting nurses, home nursing stations with specialized knowledge and experience, and a practice model created by a Certified Nurse Specialist.