Characteristics of and Factors Related to Nurses’ Decision-making Support for Transition to Home Care Settings for End-stage Cancer Patients

This study aimed to clarify the current status of and factors related to support by general ward nurses for transition to home care settings for end-stage cancer patients. A questionnaire was sent to 1,019 general ward nurses. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine related factors. The 17-item scale to evaluate nurses’ decision-making support for transition to home care settings was used as a dependent variable. A total of 653 valid responses were obtained (valid response rate: 64.0%). The following factors were correlated with decision-making support for transition to home care settings: “experience supporting transition to home care settings” (β=0.26), “professional autonomy in nursing: concrete judgment” (β=0.23), “professional autonomy in nursing: performance” (β=0.18), “learning experience with home care nursing” (β=0.13), “belief in an afterlife” (β=0.12), and “learning experience with family nursing (β=0.07)” (adjusted R2=0.27). The results suggest the practical abilities of nurses, i.e., relevant experience, knowledge, and views on death and dying are related to nurses’ decision-making support for transition to home care settings for patients with end-stage cancer.