Risk Communication Strategies for Home-Visit Nursing Agencies during Pandemics

Researchers at Sapporo Medical University have conducted a study to explore the experiences of risk communication among managers of home-visit nursing agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to understand how agency managers handle risk communication, which is crucial for service continuity. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 managers of home-visit nursing agencies in City A, Japan, between December 2021 and October 2022. The interviews explored managers' experiences across six domains, and the data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis.

Key Takeaways:

• The study found that managers developed multilayered risk communication practices in response to infodemic challenges, including establishing systematic information management processes and implementing individualized communication strategies.
• Managers established trust with clients and families through stepwise risk communication and collaborated with staff within their own agency through coordinated risk communication.
• The study revealed that managers developed organizational crisis management frameworks to sustain home-visit nursing services during the pandemic.
• Key recommendations for practical initiatives include establishing information management systems, systematizing communication strategies tailored to specific stakeholders, and developing organizational crisis management frameworks.
• The study highlighted the importance of risk communication in home-visit nursing agencies during pandemics, emphasizing that effective communication is crucial for service continuity.
• The researchers concluded that their findings can inform the creation of risk communication strategies for home-visit nursing agencies during pandemics.

Statistics:

• The study included semi-structured interviews with 10 managers of home-visit nursing agencies in City A, Japan, between December 2021 and October 2022.
• The interviews explored managers' experiences across six domains: home-visit nursing activities, information management, communication with clients and staff, inter-organizational communication, behavioral influence, and emergency preparedness.
• The study revealed that managers established systematic information management processes and implemented individualized communication strategies, which involved 5 main categories: 'Challenges of the infodemic and coping strategies,' 'Stepwise risk communication based on trust with clients and families,' 'Collaborative risk communication with staff within one's own agency,' 'Coordinated risk communication with other organizations,' and 'Organizational crisis management to sustain home-visit nursing services.'

Sources:

• Experiences of risk communication among managers of home-visit nursing agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative descriptive study. BMC Nursing, 2025;24(1):1024. PubMed ID: 32634567.
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• BioMed Central - www.biomedcentral.com/
• BMC Nursing - www.biomedcentral.com/bmcnurs/
• Sapporo Medical University - South 1 West 17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Japan.