Care managers in rural Japan: Challenges to interprofessional collaboration

Effective interprofessional collaboration for care managers is vital for the care of older people. This study’s aim was to inquire into the obstacles to interprofessional collaboration faced by care managers in rural areas of Japan. Forty-six care managers participated in group discussions and semi-structured interviews, and the qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Five themes related to obstacles emerged from the analysis regarding relationships with physicians, professional competency, relationships among other professionals, environmental constraints, and relationships with nonprofessionals. Other professionals’ unfamiliarity with the care manager’s role and a lack of mutual understanding, boundaries, and information sharing among medical professionals were also cited as issues.