Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30056383›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2018

Balancing the risk of the evacuation and sheltering-in-place options: a survival study following Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident.

Yuki Shimada, Shuhei Nomura, Akihiko Ozaki, Asaka Higuchi, Arinobu Hori, Yuki Sonoda, Kana Yamamoto, Izumi Yoshida, Masaharu Tsubokura

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  6. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Yuki Shimada *Department of Neurosurgery, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Minamisoma, Japan.
Shuhei Nomura *Department of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Akihiko OzakiDepartment of Surgery, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Fukushima, Japan.
Asaka HiguchiMedical Governance Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Arinobu HoriHori Mental Clinic, Fukushima, Japan.
Yuki SonodaDepartment of nursing, Jyoban Hospital, Tokiwakai Group, Fukushima, Japan.
Kana YamamotoDepartment of Internal Medicine, Ohmachi Hospital, Fukushima, Japan.
Izumi YoshidaSemmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Masaharu TsubokuraDepartment of Internal Medicine, Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital, Fukushima, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe decision to evacuate or shelter-in-place is fundamental to emergency response, especially for a vulnerable population. While an elevated risk of mortality due to a hasty, unplanned evacuation has been well documented, there is little research on and knowledge about the health consequences of sheltering-in-place in disaster contexts. We compared hospital mortality in patients who sheltered-in-place (non-evacuees) after the incident with the baseline preincident mortality and articulated postincident circumstances of the hospital while sheltering-in-place.

participantsWe considered all 484 patients admitted to Takano Hospital (located 22 km South of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant) from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2016.

methodsSignificant differences in mortality rates between preincident baseline and three postincident groups (evacuees, non-evacuees (our major interest) and new admittees) were tested using the Bayesian survival analysis with Weibull multivariate regression and survival probability using the Kaplan-Meier product limit method. All the analyses were separately performed by the internal and psychiatry department.

resultsAfter adjusting for covariates, non-evacuees in the internal department had a significantly higher mortality risk with an HR of 1.57 (95% credible intervals 1.11 to 2.18) than the baseline preincident. Of them, most deaths occurred within the first 100 days of the incident. No significant increase in mortality risk was identified in evacuees and new admittees postincident in the department, which were adjusted for covariates. In contrast, for the psychiatry department, statistical difference in mortality risk was not identified in any groups.

conclusionsThe mortality risk of sheltering-in-place in a harsh environment might be comparable to those in an unplanned evacuation. If sheltering-in-place with sufficient resources is not guaranteed, evacuation could be a reasonable option, which might save more lives of vulnerable people if performed in a well-planned manner with satisfactory arrangements for appropriate transportation and places to safely evacuate.

Indexed as

Fukushima Nuclear AccidentRescue WorkAgedAged, 80 and overDisaster PlanningFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHealth Services ResearchHumansJapanMaleMental HealthMiddle AgedRadiation ExposureRisk AssessmentSurvival Rateepidemiologygeriatric medicinepsychiatrypublic healthrisk management

Identifiers

PMID30056383
PMCPMC6067355

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.