Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to describe the learning needs of nurses who support the discharge of elderly cancer patients after their classification as palliative care patients (hereinafter, elderly patients). From October 2017 to February 2018, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eighteen nurses. We asked nurses, “what is the content you would like to learn to support elderly patients?” We focused specifically on four nurses who supported the discharge of elderly patients, analyzed the data gathered from the interviews inductively, and described the categories that were generated. Further, research began following approval from the Research Ethics Review Committee. As a result of the analysis, two categories related to the learning needs of nurses were found: “collaboration with professionals supporting home care and the social security system” and the “need for paradigm shifts in home care.” Additionally, three categories concerning the method of learning were found, which were “strengthening home care,” ”fostering knowledge accompanying the accumulation of experience in discharging support,” and “feedback on results for supporting discharge.” Discharging elderly cancer patients to their home is influenced by family factors, such as the presence or absence of a caregiver, or patient factors such as the presence or absence of medical care. It became clear that nurses wished to learn about the changing value of home care rather than the factors mentioned above.