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Radiation Emergency Medical Preparedness in Japan: A Survey of Nuclear Emergency Core Hospitals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 February 2022

Takashi Nagata Open the ORCID record for Takashi Nagata [Opens in a new window] ,
Takuro Arishima ,
Yoshihiro Yamaguchi ,
Nobuyuki Hirohashi ,
Toshiro Usa ,
Arifumi Hasegawa ,
Hiroyuki Hanada ,
Naoyuki Yamamoto ,
Tadashi Okamoto  and
Tomohiko Akahoshi
...Show all authors
Takashi Nagata*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences School of Medicine, Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
Takuro Arishima
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and General Internal Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyooka, Japan
Yoshihiro Yamaguchi
Affiliation:
Department of Trauma and Critical Care Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Nobuyuki Hirohashi
Affiliation:
Department of Radiation Disaster Medicine, Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
Toshiro Usa
Affiliation:
International Hibakusha Medical Center, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan
Arifumi Hasegawa
Affiliation:
Department of Radiation Disaster Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
Hiroyuki Hanada
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan
Naoyuki Yamamoto
Affiliation:
Nuclear Safety Research Association, Tokyo, Japan
Tadashi Okamoto
Affiliation:
Ginza Partners Law Office, Tokyo, Japan
Tomohiko Akahoshi
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences School of Medicine, Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
Masahiko Hamada
Affiliation:
Shigematsu Works Co Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
Takeru Abe
Affiliation:
Advanced Emergency and Critical Care Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, Yokohama, Japan
Makoto Kikukawa
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Education, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
Hiroyuki Nakao
Affiliation:
Department of Disaster Medicine and Management, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
Hitoshi Yamamura
Affiliation:
Osaka Nakawakachi Emergency and Critical Care Center, Osaka, Japan
Tetsuya Sakamoto
Affiliation:
Teikyo University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Makoto Akashi
Affiliation:
Tachikawa Faculty of Nursing, Tokyo Healthcare University, Tokyo, Japan
Akihito Hagihara
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan
*
Corresponding author: Takashi Nagata, Email: nagata.takashi@kyudai.jp
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Abstract

Objective:

Based on experiences following the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear power plant accident in 2011, Nuclear Emergency Core Hospitals (NECHs) were designated as centers for radiation disaster management in Japan. This study aimed to investigate their current status and identify areas for improvement.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2018. Demographic data were collected by a questionnaire with free text responses about attitudes toward NECHs. Considerations regarding risk communications during a radiation disaster were analyzed using qualitative text mining analysis.

Results:

A total of 36 hospitals participated in this study. Only 31% of NECHs anticipated a radiation disaster. The importance of business continuity plans and risk communications was shown. Text analysis identified 7 important categories for health care workers during a radiation disaster, including media response, communications to hospital staff, risk communications, radiation effects on children, planning for a radiation disaster in the region, rumors, and the role in the region.

Conclusion:

The radiation disaster medical system and NECHs in Japan were surveyed. The importance of risk communications, planning for a radiation disaster in each region, and the role in the region are identified as issues that need to be addressed.

Keywords

Fukushima Nuclear AccidentCommunicationEmergency PreparednessHospital Bed Capacity
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e78
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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