Abstract
Purpose: To review the literature focused on program and project planning by Japanese public health nurses (PHNs), and to clarify what kind of research has been done in this field. Method: A search of the literature published between 2001 and 2013 was conducted by using the web of Japan Medical Abstracts Society and CiNii Articles. The researcher utilized five key words; 'PHNs,' 'program planning,' 'project planning,' 'policy-making,' 'public health, medical care and welfare plan.' Results: Forty one articles were identified. There were 21 qualitative studies, 18 quantitative research, articles and 2 literature reviews. The literature was divided into three categories; 'To clarify the necessity skills and abilities for developing projects and programs,' 'to cultivate the abilities to create new projects and programs in the educational field,' 'practical case report.' In spite of the rapid progress of the research, the way of assessing community health issues which were based on the PHNs' daily practice was not fully developed. Discussion: To improve their abilities to create new projects and programs, we need to develop a new assessment tool which prioritizes community health issues for the necessity of tackling public administration, and also to create a continuing educational program. The results showed that researchers verify the effectiveness of the new assessment methodology and the new educational program by using intervention study. The results also indicated that we need to develop a new teaching methodology for undergraduate students to help them understand PHN programs and projects planning more deeply.
