TOP Research Sections Research Section for the Development of Nursing Care Strategies : Education/Training Method Development Project Core Competencies Required for Disaster Nursing *Core Competencies Required for Disaster Nursing *Nursing Training via Streaming Videos   Major topic Item Sub-items after revision I. Fundamental attitudes toward disaster nursing I-1. Ethical practice: Respect for human dignity and rights 1-1) Understand individual and different values and beliefs regarding life and death during disasters. 1-2) Protect human dignity and rights during disasters. 1-3) Understand what pertains to collection and protection of personal information. I-2. Professional responsibility and accountability (awareness of responsibilities as a professional during disasters) 2-1) Protect life, health and basic standards of living of self and family. 2-2) Be aware of one's own scope of responsibilities, and act with judgment expected of professionals. 2-3) Be aware of one's own knowledge/skills and level of authority during disasters, and act according to personal limits. 2-4) Understand the roles of people involved in relief activities during disasters, and act in coordination with them. I-3. Legal practice: Understanding & following laws and regulations 3-1) Understand international and domestic laws (laws, statutes, ordinances, etc.) regarding disasters. 3-2) Act in cooperation with disaster-relief-related organizations. I-4. Building supportive human relationships with understanding toward disaster victims' diversity and individuality 4-1) Understand the diverse backgrounds of disaster victims. 4-2) Create human relationships to support disaster victims. 4-3) Continue support that meets the changing needs of disaster victims. I-5. Supporting disaster victims' decision-making 5-1) Grasp information necessary to support decision-makings of disaster victims. 5-2) Support disaster victims so they can act based on decisions they make. II. Systematic assessment and provision of disaster nursing care II-1. Basic knowledge about disasters and assessment of disaster situations 1-1) Have basic knowledge regarding disasters. 1-2）Be able to give the definition of disaster nursing. 1-3) Be able to collect necessary information during disasters, and to assess care needs. II-2. Providing nursing care for initial relief 2-1) Be able to identify information needed by individual disaster victims and know how to acquire such information. 2-2) Understand the roles of organizations and act as a member of such organizations. 2-3) Have knowledge regarding emergency care to be administered immediately after disasters, and use basic nursing skills. 2-4) Understand the role of nursing in shelters after disasters and know how to support victims. 2-5) Interact with disaster victims with understanding regarding psychological impacts suffered from disasters. 2-6) Understand how to take care of bodies of the deceased during disasters. II-3. Providing nursing care in the mid- and long-term phases 3-1) Understand the conditions of mental and physical health, daily living and living environments of disaster victims in the mid- and long-term phases of disasters. 3-2) Understand care needs at shelters, temporary housing and permanent housing. 3-3) Understand care activities required for those with high care needs during disasters. 3-4) Understand what is involved in the maintenance of health in the mid- and long-term phases of disasters. 3-5) Have knowledge of care activities to help with drastic changes in living environments after disasters. II-4. Knowledge and practice for disaster preparedness 4-1) Understand disaster prevention measures of the prefecture. 4-2) Understand the system and preparations of universities in case of disasters. 4-3) Be personally prepared for disasters. II-5. Providing mental health care in times of disaster 5-1) Interact with disaster victims with understanding toward psychological impacts suffered from disasters. 5-2) Provide mental health care according to the mental and physical health and living conditions of disaster victims. 5-3) Recognize the importance and necessity of identifying those in need of support at an early stage and referring them to specialized organizations. II-6. Providing care for bereaved families 6-1) Interact with bereaved families. II-7. Maintaining care providers' own health 7-1) Secure one's own safety and establish living conditions. 7-2) Depending on the circumstances after disasters, take necessary measures to prevent secondary infection to oneself. 7-3) Be aware of one's abilities and work with knowledge of personal limits (take breaks as needed, etc., since it is common for people to overextend themselves during disasters). 7-4) Understand the importance of maintaining mental health of supporters themselves, and manage stress appropriately. III. Care provision for vulnerable people & their families III-1. Care for pregnant women, child-rearing mothers & their families during disasters 1-1) Understand the mental and physical responses to disasters of pregnant women and postpartum mothers, and provide support. 1-2) Gain a grasp of the current circumstance of disasters, and make adjustments to try to provide a good living environment for pregnant women and postpartum mothers. 1-3) Provide support after disasters regarding daily lives and health for pregnant women, postpartum mothers and newborns. 1-4) Understand the support needed for families of pregnant women and postpartum mothers who have become disaster victims. III-2. Care for children and their families during disasters 2-1) Gain a grasp of the impacts of disasters on children with consideration to the mental and physical characteristics of children, and provide support. 2-2) Adjust the surrounding environment so that children can return to their normal lives as much as possible, even during disasters. 2-3) Understand the necessity of coordinating resources and environments that support playing and learning for children. 2-4) Provide support for families of children who have become disaster victims. III-3. Care for chronic disease patients and their families during disasters 3-1) Understand health problems arising from disasters for people with chronic diseases, the impacts on their daily lives, and the support they need. 3-2) Understand medical management and support for medical visits after disasters. 3-3) Understand support for utilization of resources regarding convalescent periods after disasters. 3-4) Understand support needed for families of people with chronic diseases who have become disaster victims. III-4. Care for mentally and/or physically disabled persons and their families during disasters 4-1) Understand health problems arising from disasters for people with mental and/or physical disabilities, the impacts on their daily lives, and the support they need. 4-2) Understand medical management and support for medical visits after disasters. 4-3) Understand support for utilization of resources regarding convalescent periods after disasters. 4-4) Understand support needed for families of people with mental and/or physical disabilities who have become disaster victims. III-5. Care for elderly persons and their families during disasters 5-1) Prevent health problems and support healthy lifestyles of elderly persons with consideration to the mental and physical characteristics of the elderly. 5-2) Support elderly persons in need of support and/or nursing. 5-3) Support the families of elderly persons. III-6. Care for persons with mental illnesses and their families during disasters 6-1) Understand the impacts related to illnesses and health disorders caused by disasters, and the necessary support. 6-2) Understand the needs for medical management and support for medical visits after disasters. 6-3) Understand support needed for families of people with mental illnesses who have become disaster victims. 6-4) Understand support for utilization of resources regarding convalescent periods after disasters. IV. Care management in disaster situations IV-1. Understanding the local emergency management system, and the roles and functions of health services/medical services/nursing in the system 1-1) Understand the structure and mechanisms of organizations. 1-2) Understand the positions and roles of nursing staffs within organizations. IV-2. Sharing information appropriately during disasters 2-1) Recognize and distinguish important information during disasters. 2-2) Understand and utilize existing information sources and information sharing methods during disasters. 2-3) Understand the information network system in place. IV-3. Grasping local medical/health service needs during disasters 3-1) Aggregate information regarding medical and healthcare needs arising in disaster-stricken areas. 3-2) Aggregate information regarding support provided from outside as well as within the disaster-stricken areas. IV-4. Coordinating health/medical support activities in and outside disaster-stricken areas 4-1) Allocate medical/nursing support from outside as well as within the disaster-stricken areas to meet the needs of each area. 4-2) Provide information regarding provision of support to support teams from outside. IV-5. Building a system for supporting disaster victims' daily lives 5-1) Create teams of specialists to support disaster victims. 5-2) Build systems consisting of personnel involved with welfare, administration, NGOs, etc. for information sharing and exchanges transcending borders. 5-3) Support establishment of autonomous organizations of residents of disaster-stricken areas. 5-4) Create a system to support those in need of nursing/support. 5-5) Prepare a care system that meets the needs of disaster victims, such as conducting health consultations and making individual visits, to maintain and control the health of disaster victims. IV-6. Understanding and performing one's role within the institutions' emergency command system 6-1) Understand the disaster prevention plan & systems employed during disasters and the chain of command of the facility/organization of affiliation, and recognize one's own role during disasters. 6-2) Make necessary reports, communicate and keep records in coordination with disaster headquarters and other divisions. 6-3) Switch the mode of system and actions from normal to emergency. 6-3) Recognize the priority order of activities and arrange team structures to provide care under abnormal circumstances of shortages in manpower, resources and equipment (leadership). 6-4) Recognize the limits of care teams, and ask for help when needed. IV-7. Assessing care management during disasters 7-1) Understand the necessity of assessing care management during disasters. V. Professional Development V-1. Reporting nursing practice in times of disaster and developing knowledge relating to disaster nursing 1-1) Summarize experience and actual nursing practice during disasters and make a report (share with others). 1-2) Clarify issues to be addressed in nursing based on first-hand experience and nursing practices during disasters. 1-3) Make actions to challenge issues and resolve problems recognized through nursing practices during disasters. V-2. Acquiring knowledge and continuously developing one's own abilities 2-1) Recognize one's own weaknesses that need to be addressed, and continue making efforts to acquire new knowledge and skills to prepare for future disasters. 2-2) Understand the importance of practice drills to prepare for disasters, and actively participate.   Knowledge for pre-isaster/ preparedness phase Knowledge for emergency phase Knowledge for recovery/restoration phase Elderly Children Pregnant women / Child-rearing mothers Cancer patients Patients with chronic disease Mental health care Research Sections Outline of The 21st Century COE Program   Streaming videos on “Disaster Nursing” now available.