Work

Collaborative nursing practices supporting home-based living for people living with cancer and dementia: A modified grounded theory study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Objective: As the number of people living with cancer and dementia increases with population aging, effective collaboration between hospital-based and home-visiting nurses is essential to support meaningful home-based living. However, little is known about how nurses collaboratively manage the instability arising from the concurrent illness trajectories of cancer and dementia. This study aimed to elucidate the collaborative nursing practices that support home-based living for people living with cancer and dementia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 nurses working at cancer treatment hospitals or home-visiting nursing stations between May and December 2025. Data were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. Results: The core category was "Recalibrating life continuity while living with cancer and dementia," which represented a case-centered and continuous process underlying all categories. The six categories were: (1) Team building for high-quality geriatric oncology nursing; (2) Reconstructing the patient's intention; (3) Reorganizing the care system to sustain home-based living; (4) Anticipating interactions between cancer- and dementia-related symptoms and sharing management strategies; (5) Preventing or mitigating functional decline with disease progression; and (6) Caring for families experiencing dementia-related ambiguous loss and cancer-related losses. Conclusions: The findings highlight case-centered collaboration across care settings as a dynamic process for addressing the complex vulnerabilities associated with the coexistence of cancer and dementia. The proposed model conceptualizes how nurses adapt collaborative practices in response to changing patient and family needs while orienting care toward continuity of life at home.

Source: Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing

DOI: 10.1016/j.apjon.2026.101048

Authors: Ayumi Takao, Ikumi Iida, Hiroko Sakuma, Hiromi Sakuda

Institutions: Osaka Metropolitan University, National Cancer Center Hospital, Kansai Medical University Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Interprofessional Education and Collaboration

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,980