Fact-Finding Survey on the Activities of Certified Nurse Specialists in Chronic Care Nursing

<p>Objective: To determine the activities of certified nurse specialists(CNS)in chronic care nursing and to examine future issues.<br>Methods: An anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with 178 CNS in chronic care nursing whose names and affiliations are available on the Japanese Nursing Association website. Descriptive statistics were calculated based on participants’ responses to 18 questions regarding fundamental attributes and activities.<br>Results: A total of 94 CNS responded to the survey and 74 CNS were analyzed. The mean number of years of work experience of the CNS was 6.3 years. About 86.5% were affiliated with hospitals, 88.0% worked in outpatient departments, hospital wards, or both, and 56.7% worked irregularly or with the number of times was unknown.<br>CNS activities averaged 40.9% in “practice,” 13.7% in “consultation,” 11.4% in “coordination,” 6.6% in “ethics coordination,” 17.1% in “education,” and 10.3% in “research.”<br>Conclusions: Owing to the nature of chronic illnesses, patients must cope with repeated remissions and exacerbations; this could be why outpatient clinics and hospital wards for chronic illnesses were the places where most CNS were active. The high percentage of “practice” results from “practice” being a central role of CNS. In contrast, the small percentage of “ethics coordination” was because of nurses’ lack of awareness of ethical issues, suggesting that collaboration with nursing managers could be beneficial.<br> </p>