Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the family health nursing practice performed by certified nurse specialists in the family (CNSF).
Method: A series of focus group interviews were conducted with 11 CNSFs working at advanced treatment hospitals, general hospitals, or sanatorium-type hospitals. Regarding the interview content, participants were asked to discuss their experiences openly, remembering details of their nursing practice performed as CNSFs. All their remarks were recorded as a verbatim report. Practice content was extracted as codes for analysis, focusing on the practice context. Codes were then categorized into subcategories according to groups to enhance abstraction levels; categories were generated by focusing on the similarities between all subcategories.
Results: A total of 106 codes, 15 subcategories, and four categories were extracted from the interviews with the three groups. The CNSF’s nursing practice categories were extracted as: “Coordinating organization/ community/social system and occupation types,” “Helping nurses to make an assessment and lead them to their goals,” “Resolving vicious cycles between medical and family systems,” and “Supporting stabilization of the whole family and self-care capacity enhancement.” The extracted categories indicated that the CNSF’s nursing practice was a systematic assessment of the family members and the organization, namely, an intervention focusing on adjusting various factors.