Abstract
On remote islands, interprofessional collaboration is essential to support older adults who live at home, despite the limited number of healthcare professionals (HCPs). Therefore, it is important for HCPs to collect and share information about older adults with health problems. This study aimed to clarify how rural HCPs collaborate using limited resources to support older adults in remote islands. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 healthcare providers for older adults on Zamami Island of Okinawa, Japan. We performed a qualitative analysis using the steps for coding and theorization method. Four themes were extracted: “Collection and communication of information between residents”, “Communication of information from non-HCPs to HCPs”, “Sharing of information between HCPs”, and “HCPs taking action to initiate their approach”. Islanders take care of each other and know each other’s health status, while HCPs gather their health information. When necessary, HCPs on the island gain essential information regarding older adult patients from islanders not only through work, but also through personal interactions. Afterward, HCPs approach older adults who need health care. The human connections on this remote island serve as social capital and enable flexibility in both gathering information and seamless communication among islanders who also serve as informal resources that contribute support for older adults.
Highlights
In an aging society, home care is essential to prolong the lives of older adults who desire to live at home or where they are used to [1]
Interprofessional collaboration is especially essential in rural areas because more effective and efficient health care are necessary in remote locations, for populations with a higher ratio of older adults, and in places with limited medical and human resources [6], where older adults cannot access medical facilities [7]
As a result of the steps for coding and theorization (SCAT) analysis, we extracted 13 concepts, which were categorized under four themes (Table 1)
Summary
Home care is essential to prolong the lives of older adults who desire to live at home or where they are used to [1]. Interprofessional collaboration is especially essential in rural areas because more effective and efficient health care are necessary in remote locations, for populations with a higher ratio of older adults, and in places with limited medical and human resources [6], where older adults cannot access medical facilities [7]. This is provided comprehensively by healthcare professionals (HCPs), which include doctors and nurses who manage the medical aspect, care managers and homecare workers who support patient welfare, and public
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