Text Box: THE ROLE OF NURSES ON PEDIATRIC HOME CARE Kuwata H1, Ono K2, Jogahana H1, Murai S1 1 Nursing Course, School of Medicine, Gifu University, Japan 2 Shirayuri Visiting Nursing Station, Fukutomi Clinic, Japan Objective: One of the important problems for the care of handicapped children staying at home is the physical and mental support of mothers. Although the home care system in Japan has been gradually improved, the actual role of the nursing care at home is not well understood. So we interviewed nurses, who are taking care of handicapped children at home in order to investigate the essential roles of visiting nurses on the pediatric nurse care. Methods: We took interviews for the four nurses who engaged in home care. They were taking care of eight children at home in total. Moreover we asked them to complete a questionnaire. Results: We found the following problems in mother’s side; 1. Lack of knowledge on the effective rehabilitation. 2. Feeling of shame on going out of the house, which is characteristic to Japanese culture. 3. Physical fatigue, sleeplessness and anxiety. We found that the mother’s role is critical and the mother’s action is a key to determine the children’s QOL. Conclusion: Nurses must take care of mothers as well as children in order to reduce their physical and mental stresses. 2303