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What Was the Role of Nurses During the 2011 Great East Earthquake of Japan? An Integrative Review of the Japanese Literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2014

Mayumi Kako ,
Jamie Ranse ,
Aiko Yamamoto  and
Paul Arbon
Mayumi Kako*
Affiliation:
Disaster Research Center, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
Jamie Ranse
Affiliation:
Disaster Research Center, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Aiko Yamamoto
Affiliation:
University of Hyogo, Hyogo, Japan; Research Institute of Nursing Care for People & Community, Hyogo, Japan; WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing in Disaster and Health Emergency Management, Hyogo, Japan
Paul Arbon
Affiliation:
Disaster Research Center, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia
*
Correspondence: Mayumi Kako, RN, PhD, MACN Flinders University School of Nursing and Midwifery GPO Box 2100 Adelaide Adelaide, South Australia 5001 E-mail mayumi.kako@flinders.edu.au
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Abstract

Background

An earthquake and tsunami hit the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. Nurses were actively involved in the health response to this disaster and, subsequently, many authors have reported on the role nurses played in these efforts in Japanese nursing professional journals.

Aim

To describe the role of nurses who assisted in the 2011 Great East Earthquake of Japan by reviewing Japanese literature and reporting the findings in English.

Method

This research used an integrative literature review methodology. Manuscripts were obtained from the Japanese database Ichushi Ver. 5 (Japan Medical Abstracts Society, Tokyo, Japan). A total of 44 manuscripts were identified and included in a thematic analysis.

Results

Three main themes were identified: (1) nursing roles, (2) specialized nursing roles, and (3) preparedness education. Nurses fulfilled different roles in the period after the disaster (ie, as a clinician, a communicator, a leader, and a provider of psychosocial support). Additionally, the specialized nurse role was identified, along with the need for preparedness education to support the nurse's role in a disaster.

Conclusion

The understanding of the role of nurses in disasters is expanding. There is a need to further explore the roles of specialized nurses in disasters. Further disaster education opportunities should be available as a part of continuing education for all nurses. Radiation aspects of disaster assistance should be included in disaster education programs where there are radio-nuclear hazards present in the environment.

KakoM , RanseJ , YamamotoA , ArbonP . What Was the Role of Nurses During the 2011 Great East Earthquake of Japan? An Integrative Review of the Japanese Literature. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(3):1-5.

Keywords

disasterliterature reviewnursingrole
Type
Comprehensive Review
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , June 2014 , pp. 275 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2014 

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