Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this study was to describe the detailed experience of healthcare professionals who assisted out-of-hospital delivery immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake in order to increase awareness and preparedness of nursing professionals for out-of-hospital deliveries in future large scale disasters.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted between October 2013 to March 2014 for three healthcare professionals (a midwife, a public health nurse, and an emergency paramedic), who assisted out-of-hospital delivery immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Based on descriptions of those subjects about their experience, common terms were analyzed using inductive methods.
Results
There are nine common terms among these healthcare professionals who have managed safely and exactly out-of-hospital delivery immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Those were "hesitation and emotional conflicts" at first due to sudden encounter of assisting delivery, "determined to assist a delivery", "involvement of people around them", "their personal experience of handling delivery", "proper judgment of the labor progress", "appropriate procedures against the risks of infection, bleeding, and hypothermia", "rapid adaptation of using household utensils as alternative tools", "talking to a woman in labor to comfort her" and "normal delivery which they only catch the babies".
Conclusion
These healthcare professionals had managed safely and exactly out?of-hospital delivery immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake, even if the jobs were different. Results indicated we have to prepare to accept the out-of-hospital delivery in future large scale disasters. Through this study, we were able to make sure that the risk assessment, communication, resourcefulness etc. were basic cares for the women in labor.
