The history of family nursing knowledge development includes the use of family nursing practice units which, in addition to serving families, provide education and live supervision of advanced family nursing practice skills for graduate students and faculty and offer a rich context for family intervention research. These family nursing practice units/clinics have been established in Canada, Sweden, and the United States.
It has been challenging for a nurse to open a family nursing clinic in Japan. After much effort to develop knowledge through research and clinical experience, a new Family Nurse Consultation Service has now begun in Japan. Approval was received by the Institutional Review Board of Kobe University, but it is not affiliated with Kobe University. The clinic is operated by Hohashi Lab.
The family nursing practice offered at this new Family Nurse Consultation Service is influenced by the Concentric Sphere Family Environment Theory (CSFET) developed by Dr. Naohiro Hohashi and colleagues in 2005 and Family Care/Caring Theory (FCCT) also developed by Dr. Naohiro Hohashi and colleagues in 2012.
The CSFET-based Family Nurse Consultation Service is focused on family nursing practice. There are three representatives at the clinic: Dr. Naohiro Hohashi, Assistant Professor Shota Kakazu, and a student at the Master Course (Certified Nurse Specialist [CNS] in Family Health Nursing Program) Tomoko Hatayama.
This clinic is targeting families with a variety of presenting concerns:
- Families who have no idea whom to consult about family problems.
- Families who have difficulties having communication within the family.
- Families who are experiencing severe stress.
- Families who want someone to listen to their illness story.
The family nurse consultation service offers expertise to families about managing health care at home, families who are caring for adult members or children with chronic illness, single parent led families, and families with infants and toddlers. The clinic is open at 9:00-17:00 on weekdays and Saturday. The service is offered for free but by appointment only. The family nursing consultation can be offered either at Kobe University or in the family’s home. Efforts are currently being made to market the CSFET-based Family Nurse Consultation Service through the distribution of 5,000 brochures to local residents.
Naohiro Hohashi, PhD, RN, PHN, FAAN, Professor, Division of Family Health Care Nursing, Department of Nursing, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University. Website: https://nursingresearch.jp/
