The objective of this study was to investigate yogo teachers' experiences of collaboration with public health nurses in order to identify effective processes that enhance collaboration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six yogo teachers in city A during June through August 2008, and analyzed using qualitative methods.
The results demonstrated that there were nine steps in the collaboration process between yogo teachers and public health nurses: stage 0 (foundation building for collaboration planning), stage 1 (sharing health-related tasks that require collaboration), stage 2 (presence of facilitators), stage 3 (formation of cross-organizational collaboration), stage 4 (securing cooperative agencies needed to develop projects : operating organizations), stage 5 (development and adjustment of project plans and methods), stage 6 (implementation), stage 7 (activities to maintain projects), and stage 8 (adaptation into health (education) plans). It was determined that the stages did not work independently of each other, but sequentially, which led to effective collaboration.
These findings suggest that the revitalization of existing organizations is essential to enhance collaboration. In addition, this study clarifies that the yogo teacher as a public administrative professional can play an important key-person role in developing successful collaborations. Because this study uses data obtained only through yogo teachers in city A, the findings have limitations. Based on this study's results, additional comparative studies and studies of public health nurses are needed to further investigate the nature of effective collaboration.
