Proposals for related academy cooperation on the establishment of an assistance service for allergy patients in times of disaster

Abstract

Background: Allergic diseases are diverse, and each disease is treated by different specialists. Consequently, the cooperation of doctors from various departments is necessary to appropriately respond to allergic diseases in disaster situations. Furthermore, collaboration with government entities, pharmacists, nurses, nutritionists, patient groups, and related companies is essential for eliciting more appropriate responses. Here, we identified and analyzed existing problems and accordingly developed proposals for establishing a collaborative approach to respond to allergic diseases in disaster situations.

Methods: To identify existing problems, we conducted interviews with relevant academic societies and organizations and collected questionnaire data from relevant government entities, patient groups, and disaster medical staff. Based on these results, we devised proposals for establishing a more collaborative approach.

Results: We found that although each organization had been individually conducting activities, there had been no collaborative effort and that differences in prioritizing which diseases to address were evident among the academic societies. There was also a lack of awareness of activities being conducted and an evident demand for a unified assistance service.

Conclusions: As a solution, we propose establishing a unified assistance service, whereby specialists will respond to the contents of electronic forms. Initially, the target group will be patients, and it will later expand to ideally incorporate relevant government entities and disaster medical stuff. Careful consideration is necessary when deciding on its location and how to implement and operate the service.