June 10, 2025
Sophia University
Keio University
Hiroshima University
[Key Points]
Daily information sharing between nursing and care staff was found to lead to the early detection of changes in residents' health status.
Nurses contributed to early detection by fulfilling three roles: "Preparation" (understanding residents' usual condition and medical history), "Evaluation" (confirming conditions through reports from care staff and their own observations), and "Judgment" (risk assessment based on past cases and clinical experience).
In elderly care facilities with limited medical resources, nurses emphasized 10 signs as important indicators of changes in residents' health status, including "abnormal body temperature," "abnormal respiratory status," and "decreased level of consciousness."
A research group led by Assistant Professor Hirofumi Okawara of the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Human Sciences, Sophia University, in collaboration with Professor Hiroki Fukahori and Assistant Professor Yuriko Mashida of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, Keio University; Associate Professor Sachiko Matsumoto of the Saitama College of Nursing, Japanese Red Cross; Lecturer Katsumi Nasu of the Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University; and Professor Ardith Z. Doorenbos of the College of Nursing, University of Illinois Chicago, conducted an interview survey with 23 nurses working in elderly care facilities in Japan. The study clarified the nursing roles (nursing practices) for early detection of changes in residents' health status.
In this study, the researchers used a method known as constant comparative analysis to analyze text data, examining how nurses perceive changes in residents' health status as "something unusual" through daily observation and information sharing with care staff, and how they subsequently make judgments and respond. The results revealed that nurses detect abnormalities early through the practices of "Preparation" (understanding residents' usual condition and medical history), "Evaluation" (confirming conditions through reports from care staff and their own observations), and "Judgment" (risk assessment based on past cases and clinical experience). Furthermore, 10 major symptoms and conditions that nurses emphasize as signs of changes in health status were identified, including "abnormal body temperature," "difficulty eating," "abnormal respiratory status," "decreased level of consciousness," "decreased activity," "changes in facial expression or complexion," "irritability," and "weight loss." These findings are expected to contribute to the development of future educational programs and the creation of systems to promote collaboration between nursing and care staff.
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