Role expectations of nurses in health service facilities for the elderly

In order to investigate nurses' roles in health service facilities for the elderly in Japan, questionnaires were mailed to institutional managers, nurse managers and care work leaders of all registered facilities. Among 2244 facilities, responses were received from 479. Role expectations of nursing personnel were largely similar among the managers of the three fields. They regarded medical treatment, medication administration, health status monitoring and general care management as within the domain of nursing, whereas they regarded environmental regulation, recreational activities and rehabilitation as less suited to nursing personnel. Although there was basic agreement, care work leaders were more likely to expect nursing personnel to participate in matters of personal care, and nurse managers were more likely to view matters related to admission/discharge, which were actually shared with support counselors, as belonging to the domain of nursing. Role expectations of nursing personnel will change especially at the margins of other professions, as the other professions develop.