Challenges and Responses of Psychiatric Visiting Nurses in Promoting Collaboration with Care Managers : Using Interviews with Psychiatric Visiting Nurses

Abstract

With the aim of clarifying the challenges and responses that psychiatric visiting nurses are facing in promoting collaboration with care managers in supporting older people with mental disorders, interviews were conducted involving 6 psychiatric visiting nurses from 3 psychiatric visiting nursing stations, and the obtained data were analyzed using a qualitative and inductive approach. As the results, the following 4 core-categories were extracted : [older people requiring both mental and physical care which has been provided by family members], [care managers’ lack of ability to support the lives of older people with mental disorders], [dilemma in which collaboration does not progress in the community], and [visiting nursing is a bridge between home care and disability support]. In the provision of psychiatric visiting nursing intervention for older people with physical care needs who have untreated psychiatric disorders and have been cared for only by their family members for many years, it was indicated that: the collaboration is difficult due to care managers’ lack of knowledge on patients with mental illness and mental disorders and skills to observe them ; that care managers do not understand the role of psychiatric visiting nurses ; that there are some issues related to long-term care insurance in promoting support ; and that psychiatric visiting nurses are considering to proactively promote collaboration among multiple professions.