Analysis methods
We combined the results of the three datasets: Survey of
Institutions and Establishments for Long-term Care in
2011 (dataset 1), Information Publication System for
Long-term Care in 2012 (dataset 2), and FAX survey in
2014 (dataset 3).
Next, we performed a cluster analysis using dataset 1
to identify similarities between agencies regarding their
service delivery systems. Five types of home-visit nursing
agencies were identified. These five types were then further
analyzed by combining dataset 1 with datasets 2
and 3 to elucidate the detailed characteristics of each
agency type. Finally, we confirmed the validity of the five
types based on the results of the cluster analyses.
For all data analyses, we used SAS statistical software
(version 9.2).