Ethical behavior and support model in health care service processes among community-dwelling elderly and their families

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K10963
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 58080:Gerontological nursing and community health nursing-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Principal Investigator: Saito Emiko 東京都立大学, 人間健康科学研究科, 教授 (90251230)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 神崎 由紀 山梨大学, 大学院総合研究部, 教授 (80381713) ; 呉 珠響 東京医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (80511401)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 地域包括ケア / 高齢者 / 新型コロナウイルス感染症 / 倫理

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics, difficulties in making ethical decisions, and ethical issues in providing support to older adults and their families through COVID-19 expansion. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted to nurses at Community General Support Centers in Tokyo. Approximately sixty percent of the respondents indicated that they had ethical dilemmas, and the situations in which they found it difficult to make ethical judgments were often related to older adults themselves. Duties that were difficult during the COVID-19 expansion (N=158) were "Coordination of hospitalization of infected users" (70.2%), "Support for users and their families who are suspected of abuse associated with behavioral restrictions" (60.1%), and "Accompanying older adults who were not feeling well to medical examinations" (59.4%).

Free Research Field

公衆衛生看護学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の意義は、COVID-19拡大による地域包括支援センター看護職の高齢者と家族への支援の特徴と倫理的判断の困難さ、倫理的課題を明らかにしたことである。感染拡大時の地域包括ケアでの業務状況や困難さ、倫理的判断と倫理的課題を可視化することは、社会的にも意義がある。今後も様々な新興感染症が増加することが予測されており、本研究の結果は、健康危機状況下での地域包括ケア提供体制を検討するための知見の一つとなると考える。