Clarification and standardization of empowerment processes by PHN for supporting and developing groups and communities

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We conducted the multi-dimensional researches, including literature reviews, interviews to experts, and nation-wide questionnaire surveys, in order to clarify empowerment processes by public health nurses (PHNs) for supporting and developing groups and communities. Major results were as follows:1. As for the group support activities by the PHNs working for municipality, empowerment processes were divided into three major sub-processes, i.e., 1) making strategies and forming groups, 2) encouraging groups to work voluntarily, 3) empowering groups to contribute communities. Detailed steps for the three sub-processes were clarified. Nation-wide questionnaire survey using these results confirmed that those processes extracted by this study are practical and significantly related to the expected outcomes.2. As for establishing the collaborative system between municipal and occupational health practices, PHNs working for municipality were revealed to play the important roles in making reliabl … More e relationships among the stakeholders and in coordinating their activities.3. As for empowering workplaces by occupational health nurses (OHNs) hired by employers, OHNs tried hard to find and motivate key persons by sharing health needs in the workplace and to support their voluntary initiatives for workplace health promotion (WHP). Activating a company occupational health committee seems effective for achieving a consensus on the direction of the measures for WHP.4. As for promoting healthy workplaces by OHNs from general health insurance societies (GHIS), three main support processes were identified, i.e., 1) collecting information, making strategies, and building a consensus in GHIS, 2) constructing reliable relationships, encouraging employees to conduct WHP activities voluntarily and giving them needed support, and 3) evaluating and prevailing the support activities.These studies illustrated the empowering process by PHNs and OHNs for groups and communities. Further research on this area will be useful for the progress of the qualified practices and for the effective promotion of healthy communities and workplaces. Less