title: The meaning of occupational health among human resources professionals--a qualitative study.
abstract: The study findings provide clear rationale for employing occupational health nurses as specialists in understanding occupational health, particularly in the areas of information seeking (e.g., identifying health resources and best practices) and illness or disability management (e.g., managing complex cases and addressing psychosocial factors). Occupational health nurses can assist human resources professionals to direct their energies to administrative and cultural features within their organizations that impact the health of employees and that clearly fall within their realm of expertise (e.g., working to create a workplace climate of genuine concern for employees). Occupational health nurses can provide aggregate information on the health of the work force to strategically encourage, direct, and harness employer investments in workplace health. Finding ways to translate and communicate workplace health information so it is accessible and useable by employers to direct decision making is a key role for occupational health nurses.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blizzard
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D033262:Narration; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D016272:Occupational Health; D009785:Occupational Health Nursing; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010559:Personnel Management / Q000379:methods*; D024382:Professional Role; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012649:Self Concept; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology