Associate Professor Kyoko Yoshioka-Maeda, PhD, RN, PHN in Department of Community Health Nursing/Public Health Nursing
Associate Professor Kyoko Yoshioka and her research team conducted the first prospective self-reported time study to clarify how public health nurses (PHNs) allocate their working hours. With the cooperation of 121 PHNs from two municipalities and one prefecture in Japan, the team developed a time-recording system using the Kintone platform, collecting data on 9,502 person-days of daily activities.
The results showed that municipal PHNs spent more time on application paperwork, health examinations, and individual care coordination, while prefectural PHNs devoted more time to organizational management and travel. Additionally, managers tended to spend less time on direct care and more on administrative responsibilities.
This study is the first to quantitatively demonstrate differences in work patterns by administrative level and job position. The findings provide valuable insights for optimizing workforce allocation and promoting digital transformation to improve efficiency and enhance the quality of public health nursing services.
Access the full paper here: http://doi.org/10.1111/jan.70314