Knowledge about social resources and factors that affect it were studied in 2,651 hospital nurses of known ages and sexes. 1) Of the social resources, day care, short stay, high-cost illness insurance, and cash benefit for sickness were known to high percentages of nurses, but the lighthouse, medical rehabilitation services for the adults handicapped, the home care support center, and the program for providing daily necessities to the elderly were known to low percentages of nurses. 2) Research into treatment for Specific child chronic diseases and lighthouse were better known to nurses working in hospitals with medical consultation rooms. 3) The home helper service, day care, short stay, and the home care support center were better known to nurses working in hospitals with visiting nurse stations. 4) The high-cost illness insurance, prostheses supply and repair service, and transportation fare discounts for the physically handicapped were better known to nurses with experience of hospitalization. 5) The knowledge about all social resources was better in nurses with experience of providing welfare services or an educational background about welfare. Especially, the home helper service, day care, short stay, and home care support center were known to more than 50% of them.
The knowledge of hospital nurses about social resources appears to be affected by environmental factors including the presence of a medical consultation room and a visiting nurse station in the hospitals they are working in as well as personal factors such as experience and educational background concerning welfare and experience of hospitalization of nurses themselves or their families.
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