An oral history of Japanese nursing: voices of five senior nurses who experienced nursing since the 1950s

The history of nursing cannot be considered separately from the history of women. In this study the public history of nursing and women was re-explored via the lived voices of five senior nurses in Japan. An oral history method using in-depth interviewing for data collection was used. Contemporary Japanese women's social position was constantly influenced by government policies from a historically androcentric society. Nursing, as a predominately female occupation, has also struggled with its position in society and in the hospital system. Data were categorised into five themes through the nurses' stories and analysed using feminist liberal theory. Findings from the current study showed that various elements of unequal opportunity to participate in society were an outcome of this history. Nursing in Japan appears to have been socialised without a relationship to feminism. Experiences of the participants in this study indicate a demand for the liberation of nurses as women. These participants wished nurses in Japan to focus on professionalism with an attitude which is independent of past androcentric policies and historical social inequities. With such an autonomous attitude, directions for nursing in Japan become constructive

Volunteer experiences in community housing during the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, Japan

The recovery phase of disasters is long term and the victims require intensive support. Experiences in disasters can be traumatic and affect people physically and psychologically. Recovery is not only about the rebuilding of infrastructure in the affected area but also about the rehabilitation of people and the rebuilding of their life. The importance of long-term mental health care after disasters has been emphasized in the literature and the authors’ volunteer participation during the Japanese Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995 reinforced its importance. This article reports on the authors’ experiences as health professional volunteers caring for dislocated people living in temporary housing after the earthquake, when kodokushi (death alone and, initially, unnoticed) and alcoholism claimed the life of some of these people

A literature review of disaster nursing competencies in Japanese nursing journals

Competencies is an important concept used for assessing health professionals’ capability to perform their role. By means of a literature review of Japanese professional journals this paper will investigate the competencies concept, particularly with relation to disaster nursing. The literature research was conducted using the database ichu-shi (ver. 4). All literature is written and published in Japanese and was published between 2001 and 2008. Due to an unfamiliarity of the term ‘competencies’ in Japanese, the key words were sought while deconstructing the meaning and concepts of ‘competencies’ into terms more recognisable in the Japanese context. Twelve key words: disaster, capability, education, practice, licensure, ability, function, prevention, response, planning, emergency, and disaster nursing were chosen as being most likely to find literature relevant to the English language concept of competencies. The searched articles were then written into the disaster nursing competencies review worksheet for analysis

Literature review of disaster health research in Japan: focusing on disaster nursing education.

This study summarizes current research trends and issues for disaster nursing in Japan. Evaluation was frequently the primary objective of studies. This literature search showed that a wide variety of disaster nursing studies came to the conclusion that research influences practice. Disasters affect not only the institutional setting within an acute hospital locale but also affects people in communities, with the nurses roles expected to expand to the area of disaster nursing. The Japanese nursing curriculum revision in 2009 will influence disaster nursing education, and it is expected that there will be a variety of future studies. Education in disaster nursing is an important hub to build up the capacity in the community. Further development in this area of study is expected to explore evidence-based methodology including the theoretical framework for disaster nursing

Scoping review of exploring the roles of primary care providers to increase disaster preparedness of vulnerable populations

Background: Primary care providers are well placed to improve disaster preparedness in communities. Their close position to their clients and understanding of theirhealth needs can be utilized to increase disaster preparedeness for vulnerable populations. However, there is still a lack of clarity about their roles and services in this area. The aim of this review was to explore the services provided by primary care providers in the context of disaster preparedness activities for vulnerable populations. Methods: Scoping review was performed with PubMed, Scopus and MEDLINE databases. Results: A total of 2193 articles were identified from the database screening and 22 full-text articles yielded for the final analysis. After thematic analysis was conducted, six themes were emerged. Conclusion: To utilise and maximise theprofessional roles of primary care providers effectively, there is a need to strengthen the expertise and involvement of providers in disaster risk management mechanisms and planning. In addition, there is a need for scientific research to explore the existing capabilities of primary care providers and to facilitate their existing ability to coordinate with disaster management agencies.</p

Spanish influenza of 1918–19: the extent and spread in South Australia

“This article is reprinted with permission of the Australasian Epidemiological Association”The 1918–19 Spanish influenza was the first pandemic for which official records were compiled in South Australia. This followed the recognition of the disease as notifiable under the Public Health Act and the establishment of a surveillance system by the then South Australia Central Health Board (a precursor to the current South Australian Health Department). This is the first paper to describe the Spanish influenza epidemic for South Australia from an epidemiological and geographical perspective. Notification numbers were retrieved from the South Australian Central Health Board meeting records. Data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and Epi™info 7 software to enable a geographical analysis. There were 8,839 influenza notifications: of these, 4,854 (55.0%) originated from metropolitan areas (Attack Rate 9.9 per 1,000 population) and 3,985 notifications (45.0%) originated from regional areas (Attack Rate 8.0 per 1,000 population). There was a lack of comprehensive epidemiological data due to the still developing surveillance system. This restrained more in-depth analysis of risk factors and geological spread

Australasian emergency nurses\u27 willingness to attend work in a disaster: a survey

Abstract not availablePaul Arbon, Jamie Ranse, Lynette Cusack, Julie Considine, Ramon Z. Shaban, Richard J. Woodman, Laura Bahnisch, Mayumi Kako, Karen Hammad, Belinda Mitchel

Strategies for Strengthening the Resilience of Public Health Systems for Pandemics, Disasters, and Other Emergencies

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize strategies for strengthening public health system resilience for pandemics, disasters, and other emergencies using a scorecard approach. METHODS: The United Nations Public Health System Resilience Scorecard (Scorecard) was applied across 5 workshops in Slovenia, Turkey, and the United States of America. The workshops focused on participants reviewing and discussing 23 questions/indicators. A Likert type scale was used for scoring with zero being the lowest and 5 the highest. The workshop scores were analyzed and discussed by participants to prioritize areas of need and develop resilience strategies. Data from all workshops were aggregated, analyzed, and interpreted to develop priorities representative of participating locations. RESULTS: Eight themes emerged representing the need for better integration of public health and disaster management systems. These include: assessing community disease burden; embedding long-term recovery groups in emergency systems; exploring mental health care needs; examining ecosystem risks; evaluating reserve funds; identifying what crisis communication strategies worked well; providing non-medical services; and reviewing resilience of existing facilities, alternate care sites, and institutions. CONCLUSIONS: The Scorecard is an effective tool for establishing baseline resilience and prioritizing actions. The strategies identified reflect areas in most need for investment to improve public health system resilience

Disaster preparedness of Hiroshima community health nurses: A mixed-method study

The number of natural disasters has increased globally as a result of climate change. Community nurses become frontline workers in disaster-struck areas, protecting their clients from harm and risk. The number of community-based healthcare providers in Japan has increased in recent years, along with the shift from cure-focused acute healthcare to home-based care settings. Many studies have investigated the preparedness and willingness to provide care in the aftermath of a disaster. However, there is still a dearth of knowledge on disaster preparedness among community-based healthcare professionals globally. This study investigated the preparedness of community nurses in Hiroshima, Japan, focusing on nurses providing home-based care. A mixed method design was employed, and data were collected through surveys and interviews. The survey results indicated a positive association between disaster experience and training, as well as training and the existence of a disaster plan. Further, participants reported that healthcare providers neglected the preparation of disaster plans due to time constraints and a lack of incentives; our results suggest that incentives may promote disaster preparedness

Governing nursing: curriculum as a rhetorical vehicle using South Australian nursing schools from the 1950s onwards as an illustrative case

This paper explores how governance processes for nursing curriculum in South Australia changed since the 1950s. The strategy used to undertake this analysis is through discourse analysis of nursing curriculum from the 1950s to recent times. An archive of curriculum data were collected from educational curriculum documents, historical records and government reports. Analysis of this textual data found changes in how curriculum governance occurred as this was increasingly transferred to the discipline of nursing throughout the period explored in this research. Curricula were found to be a rhetorical vehicle, carrying the beliefs and hopes of the nurse educators in their contents. Changes in the focus of the curricula also replicated changes in the locations and maturing of nursing in the higher education sector. Schools of nursing in universities in responding to both internal and external forces were made increasingly responsible as to curriculum content and structures. Historical analysis of South Australian nursing curricula shows changes common in Australia as it moved nurse education from hospital to the tertiary sector in the latter part of the 20th Century, to its contemporary shape as collaboration between profession, industry and discipline to produce nurses for the Australian workforce