Collaboration in Occupational Health Nursing: A Concept Analysis Review

Establishing collaboration with occupational health staff is essential to support workers and organizations in the field of occupational health. Accordingly, occupational health nurses (OHNs) have recognized the need to collaborate with other professionals, including non-health care professionals. This review aimed to examine the components of collaboration in OHNs.

This review was conducted using Walker and Avant's eight-step analysis method on 267 papers (174 in Japanese and 93 in English) identified through an extensive literature review.

Key attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents helped shape an operational definition of the concept of collaboration. Collaboration among OHNs is a process that integrates individuals, organizations, and systems. Further, OHNs are responsible for ensuring that employers and workers collaborate to actively promote and facilitate occupational health activities. In addition, OHNs assess the health status of individuals and organizations to determine whether collaboration is needed through the occupational nursing process. The quality and outcomes of collaboration are influenced by social trends and the health culture of each organization. Through collaboration with various stakeholders, OHNs contribute to making the workplace a better environment, improving labor efficiency, increasing worker productivity, and ensuring health and safety.

This review provides a comprehensive understanding of collaboration in occupational health nursing. Collaboration among OHNs is notably characterized by its "integration." OHNs can facilitate collaboration between employers and employees in occupational health activities, potentially benefiting both businesses and health care. The clarification of collaboration in this review has the potential to enhance OHN practices and guide future research.