Care of Preschoolers with Congenital Heart Disease by Kindergarten and Nursery Teachers in Japan.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the involvement of kindergarten and nursery school teachers with young children with congenital heart disease. The study was designed as a qualitative descriptive study. Interviews of kindergarten and nursery school teachers with experience in the care and education of young children with congenital heart disease were conducted, during which they described their experience. Verbatim transcripts of the interviews were prepared, and the content was categorized. The study participants were 11 kindergarten and nursery school teachers. Extracted from the content of the interviews of the study participants were 282 codes, 33 subcategories, 6 categories, and 2 major categories. In their responses, the teachers indicated that they had been "Providing care for the children while seeking ways to avoid special treatment in a group setting." In addition, they established a "Framework for school-parent cooperation in order to promptly accommodate the wishes of parents" of these children. The study showed that the kindergarten and nursery school teachers involved other pupils and monitored the condition of children with congenital heart disease to avoid special treatment of the children in the group setting. In addition, the teachers established a framework for cooperation between the school and parents. In the future, these findings will be used to create a nursing support model for the group life of young children with congenital heart disease.