The Seamless Communication on a Rural Island in Japan: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

On remote islands, interprofessional collaboration is essential to support older adults who live at home, despite the limited number of healthcare professionals (HCPs). Therefore, it is important for HCPs to collect and share information about older adults with health problems. This study aimed to clarify how rural HCPs collaborate using limited resources to support older adults in remote islands. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 healthcare providers for older adults on Zamami Island of Okinawa, Japan. We performed a qualitative analysis using the steps for coding and theorization method. Four themes were extracted: “Collection and communication of information between residents”, “Communication of information from non-HCPs to HCPs”, “Sharing of information between HCPs”, and “HCPs taking action to initiate their approach”. Islanders take care of each other and know each other’s health status, while HCPs gather their health information. When necessary, HCPs on the island gain essential information regarding older adult patients from islanders not only through work, but also through personal interactions. Afterward, HCPs approach older adults who need health care. The human connections on this remote island serve as social capital and enable flexibility in both gathering information and seamless communication among islanders who also serve as informal resources that contribute support for older adults.

Rebuilding Social Capital through Osekkai Conferences in Rural Communities: A Social Network Analysis

“…For example, when an individual needs some resources, such as healthcare or better home conditions, their connections with others can determine their relationship with the needed resources, although they do not directly connect with those resources [18]. Eventually, people with various indirect relationships can reach the resources which they need, which could be described as the social capital used to enrich their lives [34]. Therefore, by participating in an Osekkai conference, as a social prescribing tool, the participants can increase their direct and indirect relationships with others, enriching the social capital in their community.…”

Elderly care in Nepal: Are existing health and community support systems enough

“…As shown by the experiences of more developed Asian countries, such as Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and other Western countries, the burden of care and support for older people should also be shared among different stakeholders at the community level as well as by the state. 8,9,10 Community-based approaches are found to improve overall social capital as well as communication and solidarity among the community members and are considered to last longer than other approaches. 27 Studies from Japan found that community-based approaches such as local self-governance approaches providing autonomy to local people to plan and implement community programmes (e.g.…”

“…As shown by the experiences of more developed Asian countries, such as Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and other Western countries, the burden of care and support for older people should also be shared among different stakeholders at the community level as well as by the state. 8,9,10…”

“…28 Especially in the rural and remote areas, improved community relationships provided the basis for improved social capital and communication that contributed to providing needed support for elderly people. 9 However, community-based structures or activities that are specifically made-up for elderly individuals to increase their health care access and general well-being and promote healthy ageing have not been well-developed in many communities of Nepal. 7 Especially in the rural areas of Nepal, because of the general lack of health care and increasing rate of migration of younger people, the importance of community structures and programmes to promote elderly care and well-being is higher.…”

“…Elderly care policies and programmes as well as their implementation and overall effectiveness, however, seem to vary widely between high-and low-income countries. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] For instance, the successful implementation and overall effectiveness of community-based approaches for healthy and successful ageing (such as to promote adequate savings and pensions, to provide subsidies for assisted living for needy groups) have been different between more developed and less developed countries. 5,6,9,10 In this view, elderly care policies, programmes and services differ among the countries, and the issues about the health and social care of elderly individuals should therefore be analysed and interpreted in relation to the surrounding socio-cultural context.…”