title: The clinical utility of makeshift beds in disaster shelters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Strong earthquakes have been reported to increase the incidence of diseases. One reason for these increases may be the stress from the poor living environment for evacuees in disaster shelters. To reduce stress, makeshift cardboard beds were introduced in shelters in the Ishinomaki region, one of the areas heavily damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake, 4 months after the earthquake. The study was performed to determine whether use of the beds offered a reduction in the disease burden.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood pressure and blood D-dimer values, often used as diagnostic tests for venous thrombosis, were checked. The timed Up & Go (TUG) test, which assesses functional mobility; a questionnaire survey about symptoms (cough, insomnia, and lumbago); and an SF-8 health survey, a health-related quality of life survey, were also administered before and 1 month after introducing the beds.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood pressure measurements, TUG test results, and questionnaire survey scores improved significantly 1 month after the introduction of the beds. Also, evacuees with higher blood D-dimer values tended to show improvement, suggesting that the beds may have had a good effect on persons with underlying venous thrombotic disorders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Makeshift beds of cardboard could be very useful in disaster shelters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comprehensive Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nara
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Japanese Red Cross Ishinomaki Hospital, Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinsaku
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamada
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuhiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Comprehensive Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hongo
mesh_terms: D001512:Bedding and Linens / Q000600:supply & distribution / Q000639:trends; D003441:Crowding / Q000523:psychology; D064891:Disaster Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D004190:Disasters; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D055866:Earthquakes; D060447:Emergency Shelter; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012924:Social Conditions; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology