title: [Activities for laboratory medicine support after the Great East Japan Earthquake by the Japanese Society of Laboratory Medicine].
abstract: The Great East Japan Earthquake caused a tragic tsunami and resulted in serious damage to north region of Japan on March 11, 2011. The Japanese Society of Laboratory Medicine, JSLM launched an ad hoc Committee to support Laboratory Medicine affairs in the affected area. We expected that laboratory testing demands would increase during the weeks following the disaster. We decided to support the use of Point-of-Care Testing. Many POCT devices use battery-powered analyzers. This is definite advantage for their use in areas with limited access to power and water supplies. We contacted many companies about the possibility of providing POCT devices, IVD reagents and/or any laboratory supplies including disposable materials. Finally, forty companies agreed to support this project and we received list of reagents materials for more than one hundred IVD tests. We entered this information on our web site and continued to update it as additional support was received. Once a request of support was received, communication were made to confirm the amount of material, the method of shipping/receipt and if any specific training that would be required for its use at the testing site. Also, we dispatched volunteer Medical Technologists for eight weeks to assist in the laboratory work. Some of the crucial points in recruiting volunteer laboratory professions are expenses and accommodations. We prepared not only accommodations but also transportation methods and covered all expenses including insurance and meals. Our relief activities have shown that Laboratory Medicine and Medical Technologists are useful in disaster-affected area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kobe Tokiwa University, Kobe 653-0838, Japan. h-sakamoto@kobe-tokiwa.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Mitsuaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagasawa
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohana
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Ieharu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goda
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nokoshimatsu
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minowa
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suwabe
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shimetani
mesh_terms: D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055866:Earthquakes; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D012958:Societies, Scientific / Q000458:organization & administration*