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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Junko Omori, RN, PHN, DNSc¹, Toshie Miyazaki, PHN, RN, MS², Maki Umeda, PHN, RN, MS¹, Kiyomi Asahara, PHN, RN, PhD¹, Yumiko Momose, RN, PhD³, Noriko Kato, PHN, RN, MS⁴, Masako Sakai, RN, PHN, MS¹, and Hiroko Nagae, RN, PHN, MS¹. (1) Community Health Nursing, St.Luke's College of Nursing, 10-1, Akashi-cho,Chuo-ku, Tokyo,Japan, 104-0044, Japan, +81-3354-6391, junko-omori@slcn.ac.jp, (2) School of Nursing, Toho University, 4-16-20, Omori-Nishi, Ota-ku,Tokyo, 143-0015, Japan, (3) Grerontological Nursing, Aichi Prefectural college of Nursing &Health, Tohgoku,Kamishidmi, Moriyama-ku,Nagoya, 463-8502, Japan, (4) Health Service Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 1-2-2 kasumigaseki, chiyodaku,Tokyo, 100-8916, Japan

Introduction: A public health nurse (PHN) is a professional that is obliged to promote health of the people through collaboration with interdisciplinary team members in health and welfare organizations. PHNs sometimes encounter conflicts with administrators who work in the same organization. Our purpose was to clarify the coping patterns of Japanese PHNs in conflict with administrators. Methods: Sixty-six PHNs who worked at the health and welfare departments of municipalities in a prefecture responded to a questionnaire that included open-ended questions about how conflicts with administrators are dealt with. The described data were analyzed using content analysis. Results: Almost half of PHNs acknowledged having had these conflicts. Analysis of the behavioral characteristics of PHNs who dealt with these conflicts revealed the following patterns: “forcing their own opinions” (11.1%), “trying to gain agreement by suggesting evidence” (22.2%), “creating ways out together through mutual adjustments” (18.5%), “devising the middle course” (18.5%), “having no alternative but to accept administrators' opinions” (18.5%) and “suspending dilemma for the present” (11.1%). Most of those patterns indicate that PHNs tend to favor consensus. Conclusions: In the socio-cultural context of the Japanese, PHNs often prefer a harmonious resolution to conflict with the administrators. It is an important purpose of PHNs in Japan to continuously seek mutual support, problem-solving help, and understanding from community and team members to promote community health.

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