Shortened hospitalization periods result in an increase in discharged patients with a lack ofself -care agency and families with lower caring ability. The role ofoutpatient nurses becomes more important in such situations. In this study, to clarify the role played by outpatient nurses, we surveyed them about their actual situation ofhome care support and awareness of regional cooperation. Subjects included outpatient nursing managers ofgeneral hospitals with inpatient facilities publicized in Osaka Prefecture; for the survey, questionnaires were sent to them via mail. The questionnaire collection rate was 16.5%. Regarding issues related to outpatient nursing, insufficient manpower was the most frequent response. Although efforts to provide nursing care have been made, such as the use ofmedical professionals and the arrangement ofcertif ied nurses and specialized nurses, the actual situation was clarified with difficulty to ensure nursing quality such as working shifts of the staffs and arrangement standard. Reasons why nursing quality cannot be ensured included the following: readiness of the patient cannot be understood, time cannot be ensured because ofthe large non-nursing workload, and nursing volume cannot be determined. Although efforts such as arrangement of certified nurses and establishment of outpatient sections for nursing were found to ensure nursing quality, insufficient regional cooperation was clarified with issue of nursing cooperation inside hospitals. This situation was considered to be influenced by large nursing-related workload, such as shortened waiting time, concentrated treatments, and smooth functioning.