Household characteristics of persons with complex care needs in the community: A preliminary study.
Kyoko Yoshioka-Maeda, Hitoshi Fujii
PMID 33318838WHAT IT FOUND
In 155 Japanese households, 30.3% had an elderly person with a single child; mental illness and economic distress were the most common overlapping issues, and 72.3% of households had unresolved primary health issues.
Key findings
01In records from April 2018 to July 2019, 155 households containing 227 persons were studied, and the most common household type was an elderly person with a single child, 47 households (30.3%).
02Mental illness was reported in 112 households (72.3%), economic distress in 41 households (26.5%), and 72.3% of households had unresolved primary health issues.
03Only three household types were tested for length of care period, and single-person households of people aged 65 or older took less time to resolve problems (estimate 110.2, p = .029).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included 155 households in one municipality, so the results may not apply elsewhere. No sample size was calculated, and only three household types were compared for length of care period. The data came from a national monthly reporting format that was not validated. The format did not record education or the exact support provided, and some support depended on staff tacit knowledge. This was a descriptive registry study, so it cannot show that any care approach caused faster resolution.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. Funding was not stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 110.2 estimate as evidence that a care approach shortens the time to resolve problems. The study was descriptive, tested no intervention, and analysed only three household types for time.