The aims of this study were to explore the trends in research on support for the siblings of children with diseases/disabilities and discuss future challenges related to this topic. A literature review of articles published between 2010 and 2019 was conducted using the Japan Centra Revuo Medicina Web ver. 5 electronic database. Fourteen articles meeting the study objective were subjected to analysis. Study subjects were predominantly nurses and only three articles included the siblings of children with diseases/disabilities themselves as the study participants. Two studies examined the support provided at neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Qualitative inductive analysis revealed the following four categories of research content: implementation and evaluation of a specific intervention for the siblings; current state of provision of sibling support by nurses and other health care professionals; research regarding the information provided to the siblings by their parents; and effects of sibling visits recognized by mothers. Improvement of active and direct support for the siblings of children with diseases/disabilities, facilitation of sibling visits to NICUs, and exploration of siblings’ reactions to those interventions are potential topics of future research.

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Aim: This study aimed to verify the usefulness of an end-of-life care (EOLC) pathway to aid in advanced care planning for elderly assisted living residents that would ensure their EOLC wishes were respected. Methods: An EOLC pathway was developed that would be easily understood among the general public. We conducted a mail survey with 132 facilities, located in a core city in Gunma prefecture. The self-administered questionnaire assessed whether the EOLC pathway items had been implemented, and whether they were considered to be necessary. Results: Thirty-five facilities responded; 23 agreed to participate and were included in the analysis. Eighteen facilities had experience providing EOLC, while eight had developed EOLC manuals. Ten facilities did not have full-time nurses on staff. Pathway items that scored 90% or above for both implementation and necessity, were “confirmation of sex and family” and “confirmation of who should be responsible for making decisions when necessary.” Over 60% of respondents regarded all pathway items to be necessary, and 20 facilities indicated that it would be useful, confirming a need for the pathway. Discussion: Although the pathway’s usefulness was verified to a certain extent, further evaluation of its use in assisted living settings is necessary.

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This study aims to identify the research trends in Japan concerning sleep in cancer patients. Using Japan Medical Abstracts Society Web (ver. 5), 15 sources were selected out of the results obtained from searching the keywords “cancer” and “sleep”, and “cancer” and “insomnia”, together with the terms “patient” and “nursing”. Once the publication year, study design, subjects, measurement indicators, and measurement period were categorized based on content similarity, their frequencies were calculated. Moreover, the objective and main results were categorized as the main research content based on content similarity. Eight studies (the highest number of studies) were published between 2010 and 2018. They included twelve relevant exploratory research studies and three causal hypothesis-testing studies. With regard to number of research subjects, there were six studies using 20 subjects or less were the most numerous, with three postoperative cases and one case each of chemotherapy and chemo-radiotherapy. Measurement indicators used included four physiological indicators and 16 psychological indicators. Regarding the research content, nine were categorized as “Evaluation of sleep in cancer patients,” three as “Evaluation of sleep in healthcare professionals and cancer patients,” and three as “Intervention in the sleep of cancer patients.” The results of this study suggest that in addition to sleep evaluation in patients undergoing medical treatment or those under home care, there is a need to understand the experiences of patients and health care professionals with sleep-related problems for a better understanding of sleep in cancer patients and to promote more interventional studies.

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Purpose: This study examines the current situation, advantages and disadvantages of bedside handovers compared to nurse station handovers, and discusses future issues for bedside handovers. Method: A total of 19 nurses from Hospital A who were experienced both in bedside and nurse station handovers participated in a self-administered questionnaire survey. Results: Responses were received from 16 nurses. Regarding bedside handovers, all participants replied affirmatively to the following two items: the nurses can accurately understand the patient's condition and risks exist for leaking personal information when conducting handovers in a room with multiple patients. Discussion: In bedside handovers, observation by multiple nurses leads to reliable sharing and information transmission. However, issues exist concerning the risk of leaking personal information.

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This study clarified the course of illness and the difficulty of care for a patient with amyotrophic sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington's disease (HD). The patient (Mr. A) was a man in his 60s. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with Mr. A's wife and one visiting nurse. Mr. A was diagnosed with ALS in 201X and diagnosed with HD immediately afterwards. After respite admission, his medical condition deteriorated remarkably. He was hospitalized emergently for aspiration pneumonia, but died soon after. The period from diagnosis to death was 9 months. Mr. A's feelings felt by his wife and the visiting nurse were categorized as follows: [Shock of diagnosis and no way to help having two intractable diseases], [Fluctuating feelings regarding decision-making for symptom management], and [Psychological pain and unstable feelings], [Anxiety about heritability]. In addition, the following 4 categories of care difficulties were identified: [Difficulty regarding the nature and treatment of two diseases], [Difficulty of accepting his intention to refuse a gastrostomy], [Increased care burden], and [Complex procedures for receiving designation to receive subsidies for medical expenses related to intractable diseases]. For patients with both ALS and Huntington, it is necessary to focus on ALS, which is a rapidly progressing disease, while assessing the status of both diseases and providing information to the patient and his/her family to support decision making for the timely symptom management. It is important to reduce the burden of family care.

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This case is a single case where Mr. A with chronic heart failure gains self-efficacy through a successful experience and leads to behavioral modification. Patients with heart failure need to acquire health behaviors such as water management throughout their lives to prevent disease progression. Self-efficacy is a psychosocial factor related to individual behavior, and it is said that it is a predecessor of behavioral self-confidence, recognition of potential, and target behavior. Mr. A (80-year-old male) with chronic heart failure has been in the hospital for 20 years, and this is the 12th hospitalization. Mr. A was hospitalized three times in half a year, and medical doctors and nurses educated the need for water restriction, but reported that self-care behavior could not be continued. The author, nurse MM, visited to confirm Mr. A's medical condition and medical treatment, but listened to Mr. A's narrative rather than confirming his self-management. MM built a trusting relationship by respecting Mr. A, rather than focusing on only the problems focused by health professionals. In addition, he and we set goals that respect the background of life, such as linking Mr. A's life and difficulties. And by using a method that can be executed when returning home, he was able to gain successful experiences. Such support increased Mr. A's self-efficacy and encouraged behavior modification.

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