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academies
March 04-05, 2019 | London, UK
European Nursing Congress
Journal of Intensive and Critical Care Nursing | Volume 2
Team management in operating hospitals following the earthquake-triggered nuclear accident in
Fukushima: How did nurse managers handle their strained teams?
Yukie Takemura
1
, Keiko Kunie
1
, Yoshie Takahashi
1
and
Hiroko Sato
2
1
University of Tokyo, Japan
2
Fukushima Medical University, Japan
Purpose:
Fukushima prefecture experienced radioactive
contamination due to the nuclear power plant accident after
the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. We studied hospitals
that were near, yet outside the evacuation zone in which
they remained operational. The present study aims to clarify
how nurse managers managed the staff, who experienced
considerable fear.
Methodology:
We conducted semi-structured interviews with
eight nurse managers at four hospitals. The transcripts were
analyzed qualitatively.
Findings:
We revealedcommon intentions fromnursemanagers
during each phase. 1) Managing the situation in which the staff
evacuated one after another. Nurse managers realized that
they were left behind in a potentially dangerous area. It was
shocking to them that some nurses left their jobs, but they
responded carefully in order to avoid further evacuation while
also ensuring the staff’s rights to evacuate. 2) Paying careful
attention to alleviate the suffering of those who stayed. They
were aware of the anxiety and anger of those who stayed. To
relieve the staff, they spent time with the staff, expressed their
gratitude, and provided paid leave so that they could cope with
their own suffering. The team experienced a sense of unity by
helping each other to overcome difficulties. 3) Handling and
rebuilding their strained teams. After confirming safety, the staff
who had evacuated began to return. Nurse managers sensed
the following: lack of forgiveness among thosewho stayed, guilt
among evacuees, and change in staff relationships. To rebuild
the strained team, they remained neutral while engaging
closely with each member, created a permissive atmosphere
by penalizing the evacuees, and arranged opportunities for
the staff to confide their experiences. Although work appeared
to proceed smoothly, they were unsure about the staff’s
intentions.
Conclusion:
Team management under unprecedented danger
is quite difficult, and lessons can be gathered from this specific
experience.
Speaker Biography
Yukie Takemura, RN, PHN, Certified Nurse Administrator, Ph.D. is an associate professor of
the Department of Nursing Administration, Graduate School of Medicine, the University of
Tokyo. She worked at hospitals as a director of the nursing department prior to her current
position. She desires to develop systems and methodologies to bring out the potential of
nursing and healthcare organizations to contribute to the well-being of not only patients
but also workers. With this aim, she has been working to clarify complex organizational
phenomena and identify key factors for effective organizational management and
development. The current study is part of a project that aims to develop a multiple case
study method in the field of nursing administration. Using this method, she sought to
describe organizational phenomena at hospitals in Fukushima after the earthquake-
triggered nuclear accident with her colleague. Her research concerns also include support
programs for nurse managers.
e:
yukitake-tky@umin.ac.jp