Nursing Care Provided by the Family and the Roles of the Nurse in Lao P.D.R.

Abstract

Objective: To consider the ways of providing nursing care assistance through international cooperation in the Lao P.D.R. (Laos) by clarifying the division of roles between family and nurses as well as the difference in working years as a nurse.
Methodology: In May 2014, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 100 nurses in hospital A in Laos to find out the contents of care given by family and nurses. The questionnaire was prepared based on the survey for “Technical aspects for nursing care practices (nursing skills)” developed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2004) which was categorized into 69 items under 13 sections.
Results: 60 people responded to the questionnaire (60% effective response rate). Care given by the family mainly included elimination support, dietary support, bathing support, changing bed linen and clothing, maintaining good figure and giving bed baths. Care given by nurses mainly included items under assisting medical treatment. No significant difference was found in terms of working years as a nurse (comparison between more than 8 working years versus less than 8 years), for the items which more than 50% of nurses responded as the ‘nursing care to be provided by the family’. A significant difference was found in terms of working years as a nurse (p=0.02) among the group of nurses with more than 8 working years for assisting bathing which less than 50 % of nurses responded as the ‘nursing care to be provided by a nurse’.
Conclusion: Results from the questionnaire clarified that in Laos, nurses provide technical care such as assisting medical treatments, and the family supports some parts of care services needed for recovery. This indicates the importance of understanding nurses’ roles and responsibilities within the context of each country that may be different from Japan, when providing international cooperation for nursing.