Abstract
We conducted a survey among nurses who were working at the Fukushima Medical University Hospital at the time of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident to clarify the factors associated with their intention to leave their jobs during the radiation emergency. We asked 345 nurses (17 men and 328 women) about their intention to leave their jobs after the accident. We also asked about relevant factors including the participants’ demographic factors, living situation, working status, and knowledge of radiation health effects. We found that living with preschoolers (OR = 1.87, 95%CI: 1.02–3.44, p = 0.042), anxiety about life in Fukushima City after the accident (OR = 5.55, 95%CI: 1.18–26.13, p = 0.030), consideration of evacuation from Fukushima after the accident (OR = 2.42, 95%CI: 1.45–4.06, p = 0.001), consideration of the possible radiation health effects in children (OR = 1.90, 95%CI: 1.02–3.44, p = 0.042), and anxiety about relationships with colleagues in the hospital after the accident (OR = 3.23, p = 0.001) were independently associated with the nurses’ intention to leave their jobs after the accident. On the other hand, the percentage of nurses with knowledge on radiation health effects was relatively low among those who had the intention to leave the job and among those who did not have the intention to leave the job after the accident, with no significant differences between the two groups. Our results suggest the need for an education program for nurses regarding radiation health effects.
Highlights
The nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) following the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011
Did you live apart from your family after the accident? Did you feel anxiety about life in Fukushima City after the accident? Did you experience difficulties answering about radiation? Did you measure the ambient dose rate around your house after the accident? Did you think that the ambient dose rate around your house was relatively high after the accident? Have you thought about evacuating Fukushima since the accident? Have you hesitated to buy vegetables produced in Fukushima since the accident? Have you bought mineral water for drinking since the accident? Have you ordered your children not to play outside since the accident? Do you currently feel anxiety about radiation exposure?
We found that several demographic factors including age and tenure as a nurse were associated with nurses’ intention to leave the job (ITL) after the FNPP accident
Summary
The nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) following the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011. Nurses' Intention to Leave the Job Post-Fukushima same day, the governor of Fukushima Prefecture issued instructions for the evacuation of settlements within 2 km of the FNPP. At 9:23 p.m., the prime minister, in his capacity as directorgeneral of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters, ordered the evacuation of individuals within 3 km of the FNPP. He ordered all individuals within 10 km to remain sheltered indoors. On March 15, 2011, instructions were issued for all people living between 20 km and 30 km from the FNPP to find shelter indoors [1,2,3]. As of August 2014, 47,149 residents of Fukushima Prefecture remain evacuees in other prefectures [4]
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