Purpose: This study compares the relationships between duties, job demands and the over-commitment of home care nurse resources in a prefecture of Japan. Method: A survey methodology using the Japanese version of the 2005 effort compensation imbalance model questionnaire of which 1,749 were distributed for visiting nurses at 260 offices in A prefecture. Results: 420 questionnaires in the 445 responses were valid. (25.4% recovery rate). As for the type of employment, managers were 77 (18.3%), full-time 216 (51.5%), and part-time’s 127 (30.2%). In the job demand score and the over-commitment score, the manager’s was significantly higher than full-time or part-time’s. Managers were also higher than the national average. In addition duties and in each type of employment, we considered that the correlations between the job demand score and the over-commitment score were positively related. Conclusions: It was found that managers have a higher health risk than full-time or part-time’s employees. Since all the results of the managers were high, the need was suggested to have a support system and consultation system for the organization and managers.

Objective: A survey was conducted to clarify the awareness of work engagement (WE) activation among nursing university faculty members. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to nursing faculty members randomly extracted from universities in the Tokai and Kinki regions, and 132 participants who provided free descriptions of WE were included as subjects in the study. The qualitative integration (KJ method) was used to analyze 217 labels. Results: According to [Social system: legal compliance and factual investigation], WE appears to be activated by a combination of [Working conditions: Staffing and labor consideration with an emphasis on work-life balance], [Fair evaluation: 360-degree evaluation that is not biased toward bird’s-eye view research results], [Understanding nursing education: Understanding the labor spent on nursing education], [An easy-to-function workplace: Education for teachers and the creation of an environment that transcends job positions without harassment], [Construction and independent labor: autonomous health maintenance and positive work performance], and [Attribution: attachment to the university and feelings of nurturing students] by the faculty members. Discussion: It appears that The activation of WE requires resources at each level: social rules, organizational governances, job resources, and personal resources.

Purpose: This study aims to identify the frequency and type of difficulties encountered by occupational health nurses, which occur when they share employees’ personal health information. Methods: A self-administered mail questionnaire survey was conducted from September to October 2017 among 1,793 members of the Nursing Division of the Japanese Society for Occupational Health, and the Japanese Academy of Occupational Health Nursing. Descriptive statistics were calculated and the association with attributes was verified. An open-ended question was analyzed according to the content analysis. Results: The response rate was 23.8% and number of valid respondents was 384 (21.8%). Those who experienced difficulties “often” accounted for 27.6% of the respondents, and those reporting difficulties “sometimes” accounted for 54.9%. The most frequent tasks and situations, which resulted in difficulties involved measures related to mental health, and situations involving working with those who “did not understand the scope of necessity in occupational health activities.” Additionally, the length of employment at the workplace was associated with the probability of experiencing these types of difficulties. Discussion and Conclusion: This study shows that most respondents experienced some difficulties related to sharing employees’ personal health information. In cases where job accommodations were required, ethical difficulties would often arise because of assisting in the fulfillment of safety considerations and group interests, while simultaneously recognizing the necessity to obtain the individual employee’s consent. It was suggested that mutual understanding between occupational health nurses and employers may reduce these difficulties.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify the perceptions of company representatives and nurses regarding the “need for involvement” and “ability” of occupational health nurses in companies. Methods: A web-based survey was distributed to company representatives and occupational health nurses (primarily registrants from the recruitment agency—Company A). For each of the 15 types of work of occupational health nurses, the results were presented from four perspectives: (1) the perceptions of company representatives regarding the necessity of involvement, (2) the perceptions of occupational health nurses regarding the necessity of involvement, (3) the perceptions of company representatives regarding ability, and (4) the perceptions of occupational health nurses regarding ability. Results: A total of 104 company representatives and 80 occupational health nurses were analyzed. As a part of the results, comparison between the perceptions of company representatives and occupational health nurses regarding the necessity of involvement in correspondence with the injured and sick showed relatively higher levels of perception among company representatives than among occupational health nurses. Conclusion: Five hypotheses were derived from the results of this study regarding perception differences between the two groups. Future studies are needed to verify whether these hypotheses are supported by results obtained from company representatives and occupational health nurses throughout Japan.

Objective: To clarify the relationship between the lifestyle and quality of life (QOL) of smokers and non-smokers working for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in the Kanto area. Methods: An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted and consisted of the Diagnostic Inventory of Health and Life Habit (DIHAL2) and WHO QOL 26. Results: Responses were obtained from 160, and 156 (male: 74; female: 82; mean age: 36.0±12.6) without missing data were analyzed. Smokers’ scores lower than non-smokers for meal regularity as an aspect of lifestyle and those for money-earning opportunities and information technology acquisition opportunities as environment-related domains of QOL. Discussion: It is necessary to continue to conduct surveys on smoking countermeasures for workers belonging to small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, in order to clarify the actual state of lifestyle and QOL.