【Background】 In evacuation shelters set up when a disaster occurs, it is important to understand information on the regular medications and allergies of evacuees in order to provide appropriate support. We have developed an NFC (Near Field Communication) version of the ICE “In Case of Emergency” tag that registers information such as allergy history, medications, and medical history to an NFC chip using an Android terminal for use in a citizen’s emergency. Now, we have also developed a personal computer (PC) application that reads and aggregates the information registered on the NFC. 【Objective】 To investigate whether ICE tags are useful in reception training at an evacuation shelter. 【Method】 A questionnaire survey was conducted in which members of the public participating in an evacuation shelter opening drill were asked to experience reception using the NFC version of the ICE tag and to rate their impressions on a three-point scale. 【Results】 Among the respondents, 90.3% answered “yes” to the question “Do you think ICE tags are useful” because of the effect of shortening reception time and the ability to understand the whole situation. 【Conclusion】 The use of ICE tags at evacuation shelters is considered to contribute to reducing reception time and to the administrators’ overall understanding of the evacuation shelter.

【Background and Objectives】 In response to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) has established standards for disaster relief team activities during a nuclear disaster and conducted training based on these standards. However, discrepancies have emerged between Japan’s nuclear disaster prevention system and JRCS standards. Our standards examined radiation protection measures applicable to all Health/Medical/Welfare Activity Teams involved in nuclear disasters. 【Outline of the new guidelines】 (1) Operations are prohibited in warning areas. (2) Exposure doses should be less than 20 mSv in principle and less than 50 mSv as a maximum, but efforts should be made to minimize exposure doses. (3) Pregnant individuals will not be dispatched. (4) Individuals exposed to doses exceeding 1 mSv will receive health monitoring. (5) Dispatch organizations should provide regular education and training to personnel during normal times. 【Summary】 Current JRCS standards emphasize safety and may unduly restrict relief efforts. Although the upper limit of radiation exposure has been raised, we strived to balance safety and activities by providing training in advance, safety management during activities, and health management after activities. We expect these guidelines apply to the JRCS and all Health/Medical/Welfare Activity Teams.

【Purpose】 This study investigated the effect of embalming (EM) on the bereaved families of those who died from COVID-19. 【Method】 We conducted a questionnaire survey with 14 bereaved families of those who had died from COVID-19 and underwent EM, by focusing on EM and the involvement of medical researchers. 【Results】 The response rate was 71%, with all households giving a high evaluation to “holding the funeral with viewing of the body after EM,” while 90% answered that they would consider EM “if a family member were to die from a similar infection in the future.” However, 80% affirmed that “explanations provided by medical researchers” alleviated their anxiety. 【Conclusion】 Funerals that allow family members and relatives to view the body of the deceased one last time as a consequence of an EM process, have a beneficial effect on the bereaved families’ grieving process, and explanations by medical researchers help to reduce anxiety about COVID-19. These findings suggest that funerals that allow the embalmed body to be viewed and touched, along with medical researchers’ involvement, could aid the grief care support system that is necessary to cope with emerging infectious diseases.

In Japan, evacuations resulting from hospital fires have never involved Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). In this case, a hospital fire necessitated the evacuation of approximately 260 people, including inpatients and staff, from the hospital because of the fire. The fire broke out in the operating room of Hospital A, which is in the same medical district as our hospital. We were requested to dispatch DMAT. When the DMAT arrived on the Hospital A, the inpatients had already been evacuated to public facilities near the hospital. We were instructed to coordinate their transportation of inpatients at the facilities. We could not contact the fire department’s on-site command headquarters, and the situation of the damage was unclear. There were no injuries from the fire on the evacuation. The fire was only a minor incident, the damage to the hospital was less severe than expected. In consideration of the need to reduce the hospital’s operational burden and the remaining oxygen supply, nine critically ill patients were transported to hospitals within the city. The other patients were returned to the hospital, and our operation was concluded. In this case, the evacuation of inpatients was completed approximately an hour after the fire was detected, and patient transportation began approximately two hours. The brief period between the fire’s start and the evacuation emphasizes the cooperation with the fire departments, overall situational awareness, and sharing information.

Although only disaster-management hospitals were previously required to develop a business continuity plan (BCP), recently, even other types of facilities (medical institutions and nursing facilities) have been required to develop a BCP. However, facilities with individualized institutional BCPs could face limitations when the entire region experiences reduced medical response capacity. Therefore, for the resolution of these problems, the Sapporo City Medical Association Higashi ward branch and five acute-care hospitals (Sapporo Higashi Tokushukai Hospital, Kin-ikyo Chuo Hospital, Sapporo Teishinkai Hospital, Tenshi Hospital, and Higashinaebo Hospital), located in the Sapporo Higashi ward, organized the Sapporo Higashi ward regional cooperation for BCP development Conference by acute 5 hospitals (HBC5) to formulate a “Cooperative BCP.” Herein, we describe the implementation of this initiative.

【Background】 Medical equipment used on injured or sick people during an earthquake disaster cannot be reused unless it is sterilized to prevent infection. Therefore, in places without sterilization facilities, it is difficult to continue medical care. The idea was that if we could transport sterilization equipment to where it was needed and run it on power from electric vehicles (EVs), medical care would be possible to continue. 【Objective】 This study clarifies whether it is possible to operate a sterilization device without trouble using an EV and a portable external power supply. 【Method】 Medical equipment was sterilized by supplying power from the EV to the sterilization device via the portable external power supply. 【Results】 Electricity was supplied by the EV and the portable external power supply, and the sterilization device worked without any troubles. At that time, both chemical and biological indicators reacted well. 【Discussion】 It seems that the sterilization device can be operated by an EV and a portable external power supply in the event of a disaster.

【Background and Purpose】 As a disaster base hospital, we are required to respond quickly in the event of a disaster. In the emergency room, we have taken countermeasures by creating action cards for use in the event of an earthquake or fire. However, in recent years, there has been a wide variety of disasters, such as storm and flood damage and CBRNE. Responses tailored to the scale of each disaster are required. Furthermore, to address the fact that many staff members are not accustomed to the working style of our hospital’s emergency room, we reviewed the action cards. 【Results and Discussion】 We developed a multi-stage action card system that starts with “initial response cards” at the time of all disasters, and then selects cards according to disaster type and scale. A questionnaire evaluation was conducted after the tabletop training of this system; 92% of participants received a good evaluation of four out of five. Even in an emergency room such as ours, where a large number of staff work fluidly, this trial of the multi-stage action cards illustrated the possibility of constructing a smooth initial response system.