title: Care managers' views on death and caring for older cancer patients in Japan.
abstract: Care managers (CMs) have an important role in coordinating care for cancer patients who are in the end-of-life stage; however, little is known about their views of death and their experiences while caring for older cancer patients. This study was conducted to examine CMs' views of death and caring for older cancer patients in a home care setting in Japan. Convenience sampling was undertaken, and 35 offices from 43 approached services agreed to participate. The final valid sample included responses from 136 CMs (90.7%). Most CMs, including nurses, care workers, home helpers, and social workers in home care settings, experienced difficulty in managing the care of cancer patients in the end-of-life stage. Respondents reported a wide array of experiences with end-of-life care, care management, and seminar attendance, and their ages and Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) scores were associated factors. Moreover, multiple regression analysis indicated that better attitudes toward caring for the dying were positively associated with seminar attendance. These results suggest that CMs need education about palliative and end-of-life care in order to promote good home care for cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Professor, Nara Medical University, School of Nursing, 840 Shijo-Cho, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.affiliation: Certified Nurse in Palliative Care, Nara Medical University Hospital, Kashihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Emi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kanai
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Mie University, School of Nursing, Tsu, Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Kurashiki, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hattori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D017051:Hospice Care; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008503:Medical Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing*; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000523:psychology; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*