Essential Information and Applications for Home-Visit Nurses in Managing Heart Failure Patients in Home Care Settings

Abstract

Japan’s super-aging society has made developing a community-based integrated care system and expanding home-visit nursing urgent priorities. Home-visit nurses play a crucial role, particularly in caring for the increasing number of heart failure patients. However, challenges such as staff shortages and the need for advanced assessment skills persist. This study aimed to identify the information and applications required by home-visit nurses for heart failure patients and to explore the potential for remote support.

A web-based survey was conducted with 276 home-visit nursing stations in Prefecture A, yielding responses from 34 participants. Despite extensive experience, many nurses reported assessment-related anxiety during visits. They emphasized the need for immediate access to textual information, including “current medical history,” “past medical history,” and “medication details.” Additionally, nurses expressed strong demand for digital tools to assist in tasks such as “identifying abnormal respiratory and heart sounds” and “checking for drug side effects.” The necessity for external devices and video reporting functions for rapid decision-making was also highlighted.

These results underscore the importance of improving information accessibility, introducing digital support tools, and alleviating nurses’ assessment-related anxiety. Such advancements could significantly enhance the quality of home-visit nursing care, particularly for heart failure patients.