Objectives: We previously devised a model of interprofessional collaboration between home-visit nurses and home helpers with regard to administering medication. This study determined the usefulness of that model, refined it, and examined its functioning as a community of practice.
Methods: The model was implemented for two months with four groups of participants, each group consisting of a home-visit nurse, a home helper, and an individual receiving at-home care.
Results: When the intervention started, a relationship was established between visiting nurses and home helpers through an Understanding from Visiting Nurses and Home Helpers, a Common Understanding of the Relationship between Personnel Working at Different Facilities, and by Laying the Groundwork for Interprofessional Collaboration. After a month, there was Information Shared and Consolidated as visiting nurses and home helpers began Seeing each other as Vital Team Members, as part of the Common Understanding of the Relationship between Personnel Working at Different Facilities.
Discussion: In four of the six cases, medication was appropriately administered as a result of the model, and the model helped with the administration of medication. Moreover, the effects of the model included mutual learning, which worked as a community of practice.
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