Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: On 11 March 2011, a massive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale hit northeastern Japan, triggering a 10-meter-high tsunami that engulfed the northeast coast of Japan. The number of deaths has reached 14,435 and the number of missing persons has been estimated at 11,601 (as of 27 April 2011). The total number of evacuees approximately 335,000 (as of 20 March 2011). There is concern about health conditions of the evacuees due to the insufficient infrastructure, medical services, lack of privacy and anxiety about the future. Medical support teams are also facing unusual medical demands such as infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder and radiation-related injuries.
Objectives: To define what types of medical information are needed for the workforces involved in this disaster and to improve the dissemination of information.
Methods: We searched the medical information services that had been provided via the internet for this disaster and counted the number of people who were accessing the databases.
Results: Cochrane Evidence Aid for earthquakes started to provide service on 12 March 2011. A Japanese translation of their information was prepared by Kyoto University School of Public Health and publicized on 13 March. The number of pages accessed increased sharply after the provision of the Japanese translation and the notice by an internet discussion group for medical personnel. UpToDate and DynaMed started to provide free access to Japanese medical personnel on 14 March. The most frequently accessed content was 'Treatment of radiation injury in the adult’ provided by UpToDate.
Conclusions: Although there are many useful evidence-based databases, almost all information is written in English, and is hard to use for non-native users of English. Translation and localization of databases and their dissemination are therefore also considered to be important factors for the timely provision of information.
Objectives: To define what types of medical information are needed for the workforces involved in this disaster and to improve the dissemination of information.
Methods: We searched the medical information services that had been provided via the internet for this disaster and counted the number of people who were accessing the databases.
Results: Cochrane Evidence Aid for earthquakes started to provide service on 12 March 2011. A Japanese translation of their information was prepared by Kyoto University School of Public Health and publicized on 13 March. The number of pages accessed increased sharply after the provision of the Japanese translation and the notice by an internet discussion group for medical personnel. UpToDate and DynaMed started to provide free access to Japanese medical personnel on 14 March. The most frequently accessed content was 'Treatment of radiation injury in the adult’ provided by UpToDate.
Conclusions: Although there are many useful evidence-based databases, almost all information is written in English, and is hard to use for non-native users of English. Translation and localization of databases and their dissemination are therefore also considered to be important factors for the timely provision of information.