The New Radiation Emergency Medical System in Japan: Lessons from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant Accident

Abstract

various nuclear disaster, new concept and new comprehensive disaster medical system is necessary as well as effective utilization of pre-existing resources.Prehosp Disaster Med 2017;32(Suppl. 1):s3-s4 doi:10.1017/S1049023X17000371The New Radiation Emergency Medical System in Japan: Lessons from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant Accident Hitoshi Yamamura, Shinya Yaguchi, Katsuhiro Itoh Dept Of Disaster And Critical Care Medicine, Hirosaki University, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki Aomori/Japan Study/Objective: Our aim was to clarify the new radiation emergency medical system in Japan, and the related activities at our hospital after the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant accident. Background: The radiation accident at Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant occurred on March 11, 2011. After this accident, the Japanese radiation medical system was in a state of confusion because health care workers had no knowledge about radiation emergencies and there was no appropriate organization to handle the control of a radiation disaster. Methods: The Japanese government created two special radiation medical centers after the accident. First was a Radiation Disaster Medical Care and general Support Center comprised of four hospitals, with the role of coordinating the radiation emergency medical assistant teams, treatment of radiation exposure patients, and training of the hospital staff in Radiation Emergency Medicine (REM). Second was an Advanced Radiation Emergency Medical Support Center comprised of five hospitals with an advisory role in dispensing advice about professional REM dissymmetry for internal exposure, special training for professional research, and knowledge about REM. Our hospital was designated as a member of the above two centers, and we investigated our related activities. Results: Since our designation, we have rebuilt the REM system in our hospital. Our achievements mainly include education, the development of training contents for activities in our hospital, and lectures on REM for the hospital staff including the doctors, nurses, radiologists, laboratory technicians, and office employees. Hands-on training and lectures were given on REM for medical students. We have also participated in REM training on the national and prefatory levels. Conclusion: It is important for us to educate all of the health care workers in our hospital about radiation emergencies, and to train professional staff who are familiar with both general disaster medical care and radiation emergency medical treatment. Many hospitals train for protective equipment through large group lectures. Some institutions conduct handson training, but the educational contents and assessment tools are not standardized. PPE training is needed for all hospital personnel that has the potential to be in contact with patients. The number of hospital personnel mounts to more than 1,000, and it is very difficult to train everyone in a single place by few trained instructors. Therefore, it is important to train trainers to be competent in training PPE. Me...