Characteristic Duties of Critical Care Nurses in Japan: A Time-Study Comparison with Neurology Ward Nurses

Background: The importance of the acute phase in hospitals has been increasing. While administering high-level critical care, the working styles of critical care nurses, the types of clinical care they provide, and the way in which they prioritize tasks, remain unclear. Aim of this study was to elucidate the characteristic duties of critical care nurses through a comparison with neurological ward nurses. Methods: We recorded the duties of critical care nurses and neurology ward nurses (10 each) using a time-study design. Duties were measured separately by action, classified using a classification table, and differences between the two groups were compared. Results: No differences in the number of actions were observed between the two groups. The top five items that required the most time for critical care nurses were, “Movement”, “Administration and oxygen management”, “Handover process/Doctor’s rounds”, “Preparation for entry and exit management of patients”, and “Bed bathing (for bedbound patients)”. Of the 195 items, significant differences between the groups were noted for 34 items, while the duties of critical care nurses were best characterized by bed bathing (for bedbound patients), changing position, confirmation of infusion tubes, handover process/doctor’s rounds, and preparation for entry and exit management of patients. Conclusion: A characteristic of critical care nurses is that they must remain near patients and perform tasks while moving only a short distance. Moreover, the promotion of tasks while communicating with physicians is presumed to play a role in the promotion of team medicine. Furthermore, much time was spent caring for patients in bed, and a lot of time was devoted to the preparation and finalizing of treatments and care, suggesting the possibility that more time can be spent on caring for patients through a revision of duties.

Corroborative Activities and Recognition Between Community Comprehensive Care Unit’s Nurses and Care Managers in Supporting Discharge of Elderly from Hospital - A Secondary Publication

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the collaborative activities and mutual recognition between community comprehensive care unit nurses (Ns) and care managers (CM) in supporting the discharge of the elderly from the hospital. Methods: A total of 300 nurses working in community comprehensive care wards and 360 care managers working in B City in A Prefecture were surveyed using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Results: The highest percentage of responses regarding necessary collaborative activities with multiple professions in supporting hospital discharge were the same for Ns and CMs. The items regarding practice with the highest percentages were “relationship as a team” for Ns, and “user-centered awareness” for CM. While these professionals were willing to share information about their patients’ lives after discharge, the percentage of those explaining their expertise was low. It is thought that collaborative activities focusing on these aspects would lead to more appropriate discharge support.

Criteria for Determining the Need for Admission of People with Dementia to Dementia Nursing Wards of Psychiatric Hospitals in Japan

Purpose: This study aims to establish criteria to determine the need for admission of people with dementia to dementia nursing wards of psychiatric hospitals—based on the experience of nurses working in dementia nursing wards. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses who had worked in dementia nursing wards of psychiatric hospitals for more than 3 years, to collect data related to the “condition at the time of admission and the process of hospitalization of dementia patients”. Data were analyzed using the content analysis approach. Focusing on “What is the condition of patients with dementia admitted to the dementia nursing ward?”, we created codes according to similarities in the meaning, and classified these into categories where they were evaluated to fully fit in. Results and Discussion: The analysis yielded 4 categories, and 44 codes. The four categories are as follows: [Appearance of a state where self-control is difficult] which expresses a state where behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) have appeared, and the remaining three categories [Insufficient support provided], [Appearance of symptoms that make living difficult], and [Appearance of physical symptoms that require treatment] express the states that may trigger the appearance of BPSD. These show that the appearance of BPSD is a criterion for determining hospitalization. By providing support to prevent the states described in the 44 codes, nurses may help people with dementia avoid being hospitalized in dementia nursing wards in psychiatric hospitals.