Quality of Work Life among Public Health Nurses: A Survey Comparison between Thailand and Japan

Patcharee  KOMJAKRAPHAN; Kurumi  TSURUTA; Tamayo  HASAGAWA; Toshihiko  YANAGITA; Amy  HOMBU; Piyanuch  JITANOON; Karnsunaphat  BALTHIP

doi:10.48048/wjst.2020.4315

Authors

Patcharee KOMJAKRAPHAN Division of Community Nurse Practitioner, Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90112, Thailand
Kurumi TSURUTA Department of Community Health and Psychiatric Nursing, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Kiyotake-choMiyazaki 8891692, Japan
Tamayo HASAGAWA Department of Community Health and Psychiatric Nursing, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Kiyotake-choMiyazaki 8891692, Japan
Toshihiko YANAGITA Department of Adult Health and Gerontological Nursing, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Kiyotake-cho Miyazaki 8891692, Japan
Amy HOMBU Language Education Center, University of Miyazaki, Gakuen Kibanadai Nishi Miyazaki 8892192, Japan
Piyanuch JITANOON Division of Community Nurse Practitioner, Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90112, Thailand
Karnsunaphat BALTHIP Division of Community Nurse Practitioner, Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90112, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48048/wjst.2020.4315

Keywords:

Public health nurse, quality of work life, Thai-Japanese, comparison study

Abstract

Researchers from Thailand and Japan have initiated a collaborative project to compare the Quality of Work Life (QWL) among public health nurses. Thus, the QWL of registered nurses working in a community in Thailand was identified and compared with the Public Health Nurses (PHNs) in Japan. The purpose of which was to determine the similarities and differences between the two countries regarding their nurses’ quality of work life. The 42-item of Brooks’ survey of Quality of Nursing Work Life (QNWL) was translated and evaluated in Thailand and Japan. There were 102 Thai and 209 Japanese public health nurses completed the questionnaire.

Findings showed that the QNWL level of both Thai and Japanese PHNs were at moderate level. Thai nurses scored higher than Japanese nurses in overall scores. Thai reported significantly higher on work design dimensions (t = 9.12, p < 0.05). For both groups, three out of four dimensions were ranked in the same pattern in which home life/work life was recorded as the lowest. This was followed by work design and work context. However, Thai scored lowest on work world dimension, while Japanese scored highest on that dimension. Findings also showed significant association between country and age groups (χ2 = 20.01, p = 0.00, marital status (χ2 = 6.50, p = 0.01), education (χ2 = 70.05, p = 0.00), and dependent family members (χ2 = 128.16, p = 0.00). No significant association was noted between country and gender (χ2 = 0.37, p = 0.54), and between country and work experience (χ2 = 2.88, p = 0.23).The findings extended our understanding of the Public Health Nurse’s quality of work life that contributes to nursing in different cultural contexts through a rare direct comparison of Public Health Nurses between Thailand and Japan.

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