Research on Supports for Those Who Require Special Care to Prevent Disuse Syndrome in Disasters and Disaster-related Death Using Telemedicine

Introduction:In Japan, natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons are extremely frequent. It is predicted that Tokyo Inland earthquakes will occur within the next 30 years. Disuse syndrome and Disaster-related deaths have increased in disasters. It has been reported that Disuse syndrome and Disaster-related deaths are particularly prevalent among those who require special care. Therefore, it is necessary to consider support for them in the future disaster. Telemedicine has become increasingly popular in recent years. Previous researches using telemedicine have reported that it is useful for rehabilitation and management of chronic diseases. This study aimed telemedicine would be useful to prevent Disuse syndrome and Disaster-related deaths.Method:The subjects were physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the subjects on how telemedicine could be used to assist them. The data were analyzed using Krippendorff's content analysis.Results:The research interviewed medical staff including physical therapists and occupational therapists with knowledge about disaster medicine. Thirteen categories of problems with telemedicine were identified, including problems with infrastructure and operation by the elderly. Eight categories of support that could be provided were generated that were common to all rehabilitation professionals, two categories for physical therapists, two categories for occupational therapists, and five categories for speech therapists.Conclusion:This study examined what kind of support can be provided using telemedicine to prevent Disuse syndrome and Disaster-related deaths. Common support by rehabilitation professionals included instruction in exercises and prevention of economy class syndrome. It was suggested that speech therapists could provide oral swallowing exercises and support for those with dysphagia. However, the handling of communication devices by the elderly, and the interaction of medical personnel were cited as problems. In response to these issues, there was a possibility to support the victims by collaborating with remote and local medical professionals.