抄録
This study aimed to provide insights into, and clarify the structural factors behind, the dilemmas faced by
nurses, with a focus on the initial response activities of a disaster medical assistance team (DMAT) following the
Noto Peninsula Earthquake that occurred on January 1, 2024. The study participants were six nurses with over 8
years of nursing experience who had been deployed to a disaster area for the first time as members of a DMAT.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom based on a qualitative descriptive research framework.
From the interview content, 79 codes were extracted, leading to the identification of seven subcategories and the
following four categories: [A: Sense of helplessness due to the inability to establish treatment systems], [B: Sense of
futility toward the disaster situation with no prospects for recovery], [C: Difficulties in securing evacuation sites],
and [D: Lack of mental health support for medical staff affected by the disaster]. These categories corresponded to
the structural challenges in disaster medicine, namely “difficulty in evacuation,” “resource shortages,” “uncertainty
in recovery,” and “psychological burden.” In particular, these challenges were interlinked, highlighting the
limitations of support activities and the difficulties involved in medical response, and suggesting that they
significantly affected the mental health and continuity of the activities of medical personnel. These findings could
provide a foundation for improving the quality of disaster medicine by contributing to the development of
psychological support systems and educational programs for nurses as relief providers and help establish a
foundation for qualitative improvement in disaster medicine. Incorporating resilience-building into nursing
education could also promote the psychological well-being of health-care professionals and enhance their disaster
response capacity, thereby strengthening future disaster medical systems.
https://ror.org/02sps0775 
