Objectives　To assess the improvement of the menus by the meal providing system in emergency shelters, we reanalyzed the data obtained from the dietary survey at emergency shelters in the Miyagi Prefecture one month after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.

Methods　We performed secondary use of the dietary survey conducted by the Miyagi prefectural government. In total, 386 emergency shelters participated in the dietary survey of one day in April 2011. We examined the meal providing system (the frequency of meals per day, the frequency of mass feeding for evacuees per day, and menu creators) and the menus at each emergency shelter (260). We classified menus into the following five groups: staple foods, main dishes, side dishes, dairy products, and fruits, and calculated the frequency of provision per day.

Results　There was no emergency shelter that provided zero or one meal per day. Compared with the emergency shelters that provided two meals per day, shelters that provided three had a significantly higher provision frequency of staple foods. However, there were no significant differences in the provision frequencies of the other four food groups between the shelters with two or three meals per day. In emergency shelters with a higher frequency of mass feeding for evacuees, the provision frequency of four food groups (staple foods, main dishes, side dishes, and fruits) was significantly higher compared to shelter with a lower frequency of mass feeding for evacuees. Furthermore, in the emergency shelters where dietitians created menus, the provision frequency for two food groups (dairy products and fruits) was significantly higher compared to shelters without dietitians.

Conclusion　A high frequency of mass feeding for evacuees resulted in a high provision frequency of main dishes, side dishes, and fruits, which can be limited in supply after a disaster. Also, in the emergency shelters where dietitians created menus, the provision frequency of dairy products and fruits was higher than in those without dietitians. These results suggested that diets in the emergency shelters may be improved by mass feeding and the involvement of dietitians.

Objective　Floor plan sketches (FPSs) are schematic representations of floors in a home. FPSs display information gathered from observations and interviews on people's way of dwelling. To elucidate the effects of utilizing FPSs in case reviews assuming a community care meeting attended by multidisciplinary professionals, we conducted reviews of hypothetical cases created for experimental purposes.

Methods　Two hypothetical cases (Cases 1 and 2) were developed, and each case was reviewed with and without FPSs. Two groups (Groups A and B) were created, each consisting of five health care and welfare professionals involved in actual case reviews. Group A reviewed Case 1 without FPSs followed by Case 2 with FPSs, while Group B reviewed Case 2 without FPSs followed by Case 1 with FPSs. Case conferences and group interviews conducted after the completion of these reviews. Based on the verbatim transcripts of the reviews and interviews, we investigated differences between case reviews with and without FPSs with regard to the time required for the review and the number and contents of participants' comments.

Results　Review content could largely be divided into two categories: (1) the living conditions and support for the case subjects and their families, and (2) their homes and their way of dwelling at home. These categories were common to case reviews both with and without FPSs. In discussions about the homes and ways of dwelling, however, confirmation of the locations of rooms consumed a large amount of time in case reviews without FPSs. In case reviews with FPSs, discussions were more specific and included details such as room usage and paths by which residents move. The mean time required for a review was 41 minutes per case (range: 36 to 44 minutes), which did not greatly differ based on whether or not FPSs were used. Participants made more comments and seemed to interact more actively with each other when they had the FPSs than when they did not. The impressions of participants were that FPSs allowed the visualization of the case subjects and their families in their homes and fostered a greater feeling of familiarity with the case.

Conclusion　The use of FPSs in case reviews reduces the time spent on information sharing and allows more detailed review contents. Furthermore, FPSs enhance the ability to imagine the daily lives of case subjects and their families, thereby potentially broadening assessments in case reviews.