著者

柳原 清子 Yanagihara Kiyoko

出版者

Wellness and Health Care Society

雑誌

Journal of wellness and health care = Journal of wellness and health care (ISSN:24341509)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.44, no.1, pp.1-7, 2020-08-03

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"House/home" and "family" have become keywords once again during the current outbreak of COVID-19. Expectations are placed on "relationships" and "bonds" as well as "family nursing," which supports the resilience of the family to emerge from the crisis. This article describes what family nursing is, what kind of support it provides, and the latest family nursing practices. At the core of family nursing lies "family systems theory," according to which the family is a system, and patients, family members and health care providers are mutually influential members of an environmental system. Family nursing practice consists of taking an overview of individuals (patients), families, and society (the setting for healthcare) through systems thinking, and making adjustments to the system using circular communication. Recently, in medical fields including home care, conflict has frequently arisen between medical staff and the family; often, there is also intra-family conflict due to the reduced ability of the family to cope. A solution-oriented approach is effective in coordinating between health care providers and family members, and between family members themselves, including support in decision-making. The "Watanabe-style" family assessment/support model is based on this solution-oriented approach. The Watanabe-style assessment/support process involves: (1) narrowing down the goals to be solved "here and now" and the target people to approach, (2) grasping the context of each person, (3) distinguishing vicious circles from interactions, and (4) coordinating relationships through circular communication aimed at breaking the vicious circles. In family nursing in the age of COVID-19, it is important to provide support with a systematic and solution-oriented approach that enables the family to respond to environmental threats.