Nurses’ Satisfaction with and Demand for the National Cancer Patient Home-Care Pilot Program

Abstract

In December 2021, the “National Cancer Patient Home-Care Pilot Program” was launched in South Korea. However, there were medical institutions with low participation and where services were not provided. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the progress of, satisfaction with, and needs of nurses’ regarding a pilot program for home care of cancer patients with a stoma. Data were collected through a survey administered to nurses from November 13, 2022, to January 19, 2023; a total of 207 nurses responded. After excluding non-answers, 196 nurses were included in the final study population. The questionnaire sought information on the characteristics of the respondent, status of management of stoma patients, status of the home-care pilot program, satisfaction with the program, and needs of the nurses. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 196 nurses participated in the survey, of whom 42 nurses (21.4%) participated in the home-care pilot program. Thirty-five nurses (85.4 %) were satisfied with the home-care pilot program. Thirty nurses (71.4%) reported that implementation of home care had to be expanded and standards of care improved. To vitalize and expand the pilot program for home care for cancer patients with a stoma, better medical services must be provided by improving the medical fee standard. This will enable more patients and medical institutions to participate in the pilot program.