Difficulties and its Factors for Acceptance of Victims Contaminated with Radioactive Materials, from the Experience in Civil Protection Virtual Practice

Abstract

Purpose: [A] hospital in Aomori Prefecture is a disaster base hospital and positioned as one of the secondary radiation medical institutions. The Civil Protection Virtual Practice to deal with dirty-bomb case has been conducted in Aomori Prefecture in 2013. Then [A] hospital participated in this practice by using the current manual. A number of problems such as lack of practicality of the current manual, insufficiency of acceptance system for contaminated victims were revealed in this training. In this study, the nursing staffs who participated in the Civil Protection Virtual Practice were interviewed to reveal the difficulties and its factors for accepting victims contaminated with radioactive materials.

Methods: Seven nurses from [A] hospital who participated in the Civil Protection Virtual Practice that took place in Aomori Prefecture, in November 2013 were interviewed. They were interviewed for such as preparations for the training, roles in the training, impressive things, good things, bad things and anxieties during the training. Furthermore flaws of the current manual and proposes for the improvement of the current manual were asked. By recording the interviews, descriptions about difficulties and its factors for acceptance of victims were extracted, summarized and encoded. Descriptions were compared by considering the similarity and dissimilarity of contents and categorized.

Results: As difficulties for acceptance of victims contaminated with radioactive materials, two categories consisting of eight subcategories ([to be unfamiliar situation] [predictable confused situation]) were extracted. Also, as factors for difficulties of the acceptance of victims contaminated with radioactive substances, two categories consisting of six subcategories ([realistic and effective system has not been established] [lack of knowledge, technique, and educational system]) were extracted.

Discussion: If we think about actual scenario of accepting victims contaminated with radioactive materials, the lack of established systems including proper environment and supplies, and the lack of knowledge and technique in staffs for the prevention of radioactive contamination and its expansion must be serious problems. Therefore the construction of systems including proper environment and supplies, acquirement of enough knowledge and technique by staffs though periodic seminars and trainings are crucial. In the end establishment of systems for the worst case is required.