Objective: To identify the factors related to failed peripheral venipuncture from the perspective of the situation that nurses had a difficulty.

Methods: Ten nurses who were experienced in peripheral venipuncture participated in the group interview. All participants were allocated to two groups. A semi-structured interview was conducted with each group. The findings were analyzed qualitatively from the viewpoint of the situation of difficult or failed venipuncture.

Results: The mean experience of nurse was 9.9±6.1 years and the mean experience of peripheral venipuncture was 5.4±3.7 years. The situations led to difficult or failed venipuncture were categorized into four groups; “cannot have confidence in venipuncture”, “low flexibility of choosing the best vein”, “being unable to calm down”, and “no support system for venipuncture”.

Conclusion: This study shows that nurses cannot keep themselves from imaging failing venipuncture when they face difficult veins. Moreover, nurses may conduct venipuncture without concentrating on it under the several conditions. These factors may lead failure of venipuncture conducted by nurses. In order to increase success rate of venipuncture, we need to improve the venipuncture techniques for difficult vein and to create environment for concentrating on venipuncture.

The sense of control of high school students is an important psychological resource for successfully adapting to the challenges and changes of this period, and personal development of it is an important issue for health education and school health. In this study, a scale to measure high school students’ sense of control has been developed and was examined the psychometric properties, i.e. validity and reliability, of a novel six-item scale. Following the definition by Rothbaum et al., the scale comprises three items representing a sense of “problem-focused” control (primary control) and three representing “self-focused” control (secondary control). We collected data from 2,514 students who responded to anonymous self-administered questionnaire surveys conducted at six high schools in Fukushima, Miyagi, and Tokyo, 2012-2016. We then used these data to perform exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, as well as subsequent statistical examinations. We found the goodness-of-fit indices of the two-factor measurement model were satisfactory (root mean square error of approximation = 0.081, comparative fit index = 0.962, standardized root mean residual = 0.037) and the reliability coefficients of the scale were acceptably high (α = 0.86, ω = 0.86). We also confirmed evidence on associations with external variables that was consistent with findings in earlier studies. Accordingly, the scale’s construct validity and reliability were generally satisfactory. Future research should examine the relationship with other variables concerning high school students and study the construct validity of the scale with regard to how it can contribute to students’ health and academic performance.

This study aimed to reveal dietary difficulties among vulnerable people affected by the Kumamoto Earthquake. We analyzed 148 copies of assessment sheets for special need diets recorded by the members of Japan Dietetic Association-Disaster Assistance Team dispatched to the damaged areas and summarized their complaints by life stage and symptoms. A total of 432 people were grouped into four life stages; three lactating woman, three infants, 13 1-to-6 year-old children, and 282 elderly people. The two most complaints by the elderly were “low in vegetables” (17.6%) and “meal is hard” (14.4%). It is often pointed out the shortage of vegetables in the shelter meals, but because elderly people usually eat more vegetables than in other ages, it is possible that they may feel a lack of vegetables strongly during a disaster. According to the analysis by symptoms, hypertension (41.0%) was the most prevalent followed by constipation (21.7%), diabetes (19.7%), and difficulty in eating and swallowing (11.1%). They were frequently observed symptoms among elderly people and also reported in the Great East Japan Earthquake. It was suggested that dietary difficulties among vulnerable people could be caused by lacks of information about special needs diets and food distribution system as well as diets low in vegetables.