Disaster medical network for the patients with intractable disease-experiences of two large earthquakes

Abstract

Anti-disaster measures along with disaster medicine aims at reducing loss of property and life and facilitating grief work of the suffered people. In contrast the care system for patients with intractable disease has the same aim. According to the experiences of two large earthquakes including Chuetsu (2004) and Chuetsu-oki earthquake (2007), earthquake-resistant buildings are necessary for maintaining hospital function as well as reviving community after occurrence of large earthquake. A list of patients living with ventilator and their individual care plan designed for disaster need to be prepared to transport each patient to the hospital at appropriate timing, when electricity and visiting nurse care system are damaged. Satellite telephone is very useful for communicating with such patients and medical teams because telephone connection is limited to only the specific calling number just after occurrence of earthquake.