Japanese public health nurses’ culturally sensitive disaster nursing for small island communities

Objective: To clarify the tacit knowledge of Japanese public-health nurses who administer culturally sensitive disaster nursing for small island communities. Design: Qualitative and inductive study. Sample: Eleven public-health nurses who provided disaster aid on one of six affected islands. Measurements: Semi-structured interviews, with qualitative analysis of data. Nursing actions that were based on consideration for islanders’ culture were categorized in terms of similarity. Results: Categories of culturally sensitive disaster nursing were identified for each disaster phase of the recovery process. These included confirming islanders’ safety and using existing interpersonal bonds to notify others (acute phase); assisting shelter management by facilitating the application of local rules and bonds (semi-acute phase); compensating for weakened neighbour-based relationships through public services (mid-term phase); and supporting the completion of necessary procedures by utilizing/adjusting islanders’ existing relationships with local government personnel (long-term phase). Cultural elements included interpersonal bonds and relationship, which emerged across phases. Conclusion: Public-health nurses should utilize culture not only to comfort islanders, but also to strengthen their sense of coherence and resilience as islander. They should also remember the nursing principle of compensating for a lack of self-care. To provide effective aid, the changes in cultural influences with recovery phases should be considered.

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Culturally Sensitive Disaster Nursing Focusing on Pacific Rim Island Countries: First Report on Japanese Public Health Nurses

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x19002413 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (s1) ◽

pp. s114-s114

Author(s):

Miki Marutani ◽

Nahoko Harada ◽

Mihoko Uebayashi ◽

Yukiko Anzai ◽

Kanae Takase ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Culturally Sensitive ◽

Pacific Rim ◽

Public Health Nurses ◽

Local Context ◽

Care Providers ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

First Report ◽

Disaster Victims

Introduction:Providing culturally sensitive disaster nursing is essential to enhance survivors’ resilience, especially in Pacific Rim island countries, which are home to 80% of the disaster victims of the world. Until now, most studies have focused on immigrant culture or language, and few have explored the idea of disaster nursing adjusted to the affected area’s culture.Aim:The study explores public health nurses’ (PHNs) tacit knowledge regarding culturally sensitive disaster nursing focusing on the Pacific Rim island countries. This first report is the result of the study that clarified how Japanese PHNs, as relief nurses, considered the local culture to provide care to survivors in Japan.Methods:Study participants were nine PHNs from seven prefectures, who provided care to survivors of natural disasters that occurred in 2011–2017 in Japan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with questions such as, “Which culture did you consider while providing care to survivors in each disaster phase?” Data were analyzed qualitatively and inductively and were sorted according to the four disaster phases. The study was approved by the ethical committee at the National Institution of Public Health.Results:In the acute phase, PHNs utilized close relationships between local residents and health care providers to collect information. They balanced local habits and the prevention of secondary health damage in the subacute phase; for example, balancing sanitation habits and prevention of contaminations. Additionally, they, as strangers to the community, played a role in alleviating tensions between residents under stress. During the recovery phase, they strengthened survivors’ attachment to the area.Discussion:PHNs dispatched from the outside of the affected areas must be culturally malleable to adjust their practice to the local context. Being strangers in an affected area can be advantageous if they utilize their position effectively.

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Public health nurses' experiences of supporting women to breastfeed in community settings in Ireland

Journal of Health Visiting ◽

10.12968/johv.2020.8.6.240 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 240-246

Author(s):

Sinead Dunne ◽

Anne Fallon

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Public Health Nurses ◽

Community Settings ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Key Factor ◽

Qualitative Descriptive ◽

External Sources ◽

Sources Of Support ◽

Duration Of Breastfeeding

Support is identified as a key factor in the promotion and duration of breastfeeding. This descriptive qualitative study sought to explore public health nurses' experiences of supporting women to breastfeed in Irish community settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a qualitative descriptive methodology. Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Following data analysis, three major themes emerged, which included: ‘To give them the best support’; ‘We need the help and support as well’; and ‘We've only a certain amount of time’. The findings reveal that public health nurses seek to provide the best support to breastfeeding women within the constraints of clinical practice. Although public health nurses perceive that they have internal and external sources of support, more is needed to enable them provide the best care for breastfeeding women in Ireland.

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Information-sharing ethical dilemmas and decision-making for public health nurses in Japan

Nursing Ethics ◽

10.1177/0969733014549879 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 533-547 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Chisato Suzuki ◽

Katsumasa Ota ◽

Masami Matsuda

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Decision Making ◽

Information Sharing ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Ethical Dilemmas ◽

Daily Practice ◽

Group Interview ◽

Public Health Nurses ◽

Consensus Method ◽

Structured Interviews

Background: Information sharing is one of the most important means of public health nurses collaborating with other healthcare professionals and community members. There are complicated ethical issues in the process. Research objectives: To describe the ethical dilemmas associated with client information sharing that Japanese public health nurses experience in daily practice and to clarify their decision-making process to resolve these dilemmas. Research design: Data were collected using a three-phase consensus method consisting of semi-structured interviews, self-administered questionnaires and a group interview. Participants and research context: We surveyed administrative public health nurses in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 administrative public health nurses, and the self-administered questionnaires were sent to all 899 administrative public health nurses. The group interview was carried out with eight administrative public health nurses. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval was granted by the ethics committee of the School of Health Sciences, Nagoya University, Japan (8-158, 9-130). Findings: Information-sharing ethical dilemmas occurred most often when clients’ decisions did not coincide with the nurses’ own professional assessments, particularly when they faced clinical issues that were inherently ambiguous. In their decision-making processes, nurses prioritised ‘protection of health and life’. Discussion: These findings suggest that, above all, they sought to address urgent risks to clients’ lives while upholding the principle of client autonomy as much as possible. In such cases, the nurses made decisions regarding whether to share information about the client depending on the individual situation. Conclusion: Public health nurses should protect the client’s health while taking into consideration their relationship with the client.

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Comparison of Two Evacuation Shelter Operating Policies and the Role of Public Health Nurses after the Great East Japan Earthquake: A Qualitative Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17228310 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (22) ◽

pp. 8310

Author(s):

Hiroko Mori ◽

Shuichi P. Obuchi ◽

Yasuhiro Sugawara ◽

Takeo Nakayama ◽

Ryutaro Takahashi

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Great East Japan Earthquake ◽

Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽

Public Health Nurses ◽

Theory Approach ◽

Personal Factors ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Small Organizations ◽

Emergency Situations

This study describes shelter operations by public health nurses (PHNs) in Kesennuma City, located near the epicenter of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011. The data were semi-structured interviews with 10 PHNs, 2 nutritionists, and 2 general administrators conducted from July 2013 to January 2014. All transcripts were analyzed using the constructivist grounded theory approach. We identified two operating methods for shelters: shelters stationed by PHNs in the Old City, and shelters patrolled by PHNs in the merged district. These methods were compared using four themes. In emergency situations, “operational periods,” a predetermined short term for a leader to perform his/her duties responsibly, could be adopted for relatively small organizations on the frontline. PHNs must not only attempt to operate shelters on their own but also encourage residents to manage the shelters as well. Moreover, human resource allocation should be managed independently of personal factors, as strong relationships between shelter residents would sometimes disturb the flexibility of the response. Even when a situation requires PHNs to stay in shelters, frequent collecting of information and updating the plan according to response progress will help to maintain effective shelter operations.

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Public health care nurses’ views of mothers’ mental health in paediatric healthcare services: a qualitative study

Primary Health Care Research & Development ◽

10.1017/s1463423615000055 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 16 (05) ◽

pp. 470-480 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Gunilla Borglin ◽

Johanna Hentzel ◽

Doris M. Bohman

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mental Health ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Public Health Care ◽

Public Health Nurses ◽

Routine Practice ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Mother And Child ◽

Nurses Perceptions

AimTo investigate public health nurses’ perceptions and experiences of mental health and of the prevention of mental ill health among women postpartum, within paediatric healthcare services.BackgroundAlthough maternal health following childbirth should be a priority within primary care, it is known that women postpartum do not always receive the support they need to adapt to and cope with motherhood. Research implies that postnatal problems lack recognition and are not always acknowledged in routine practice. Few studies have been presented on this topic or from the perspective of nurses.MethodsFor this study, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with public health nurses, and the transcribed texts were analysed through a process inspired by Burnard’s description of the four-step qualitative content analysis.FindingsThree categories – external influences on postpartum mental health, screening for and preventing postpartum mental ill health and paediatric healthcare services as a platform for support – were interpreted to reflect the nurses’ perceptions and experiences of mental health among women postpartum and of the prevention of mental ill health among women postpartum.ConclusionWe found that public health nurses can have an important role in supporting mothers’ mental health postpartum. Although caution is warranted in interpreting our results, the findings concur with those of other studies, highlighting that an equal care emphasis on both the mother and child can be an important aspect of successful support. Implementing person-centred care might be one strategy to create such an emphasis, while also promoting the mental health of new mothers. Public health nurses have a unique opportunity to support mothers’ transition into healthy motherhood, especially because they are likely to meet both mothers and children on a regular basis during the first year after birth.

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Dementia and elder abuse: Understanding public health nurses’ experiences

Journal of Nursing Education and Practice ◽

10.5430/jnep.v9n7p56 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 56

Author(s):

P.J. Cooke ◽

Mary Rose Day ◽

Helen Mulcahy

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽

Elder Abuse ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Professional Service ◽

Public Health Nurses ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Provider Group ◽

Community Dwelling Older People

Elder abuse (EA) within the population of community dwelling older people living with dementia is significantly more prevalent when compared with the population of older adults without cognitive impairment. Public Health Nurses (PHNs) in Ireland are a key professional service provider group in safeguarding vulnerable populations. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was utilized to explore the experiences of PHNs in identifying and addressing abuse, among community dwelling older adults living with dementia that was perpetrated by informal caregivers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with PHNs (n = 5) in Ireland that had in the previous 12 months dealt with a case of elder abuse involving an older adult living with dementia. Analysis of the data revealed three super-ordinate themes; identifying hidden abusive relationships; Complexity – ‘where do I start’; and Isolation. This study provides unique insights from PHNs relevant to safeguarding this particularly vulnerable group. Specific implications for practice and recommendations are presented.

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Nurses' practices at health basic units in a city in the south of Brazil

Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem ◽

10.1590/s0104-11692008000500015 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 889-894 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Taís Maria Nauderer ◽

Maria Alice Dias da Silva Lima

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Qualitative Research ◽

Health System ◽

Health Needs ◽

Public Health Nurses ◽

The South ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Porto Alegre ◽

Daily Care ◽

South Of Brazil

On Public Health, nurses can influence the care of the health needs of the population. The objective of this paper is to feature and understand the practices of nurses working at Health Basic Units. It is a qualitative research whereby semi-structured interviews were made with 15 nurses who work at Porto Alegre-Brasil. The treatment of the data was based on analysis of content of the thematic type. Outcomes indicate that the activities performed by nurses are influenced by the Health System and its limitations, especially the lack of nursing workers. Nurses are sought to solve problems that are not always related with their work, demonstrating the diversity of their practices. The conclusion is that the presence of nurses in the daily care and their articulating role contributes to change the realities of health.

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