IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i6p3343-d769388.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Environment Encouraging COVID-19 Response at Public Health Centers and Future Challenges in Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Eri Osawa

    (Department of International Health and Collaboration, National Institute of Public Health, Saitama 351-0197, Japan)

  • Hiroko Okuda

    (Department of Health Crisis Management, National Institute of Public Health, Saitama 351-0197, Japan)

  • Kyoko Koto-Shimada

    (Department of Community and Global Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan)

  • Akira Shibanuma

    (Department of Community and Global Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan)

  • Tomoya Saito

    (Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan)

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the implementation of public health measures globally. The health department of local governments has played a critical role in confronting COVID-19. In Japan, public health centers (PHCs) are focal points for COVID-19 response. Understanding the response to COVID-19 in local areas is critical to ensure adequate preparation for future emergencies. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to clarify how the COVID-19 operations by PHCs in Japan were managed and facilitated at the beginning of the infection spread, and their future challenges. We designed a case study that included two PHCs with a population of approximately 400,000 in Japan. Semi-structured focus group interviews with public health nurses from these two PHCs were conducted in September and October 2020. The data were analyzed using chronological time-series analysis. The switch to crisis response was encouraged by the business continuity plan. Their operations for the prevention of COVID-19 in the community were facilitated by the existing network. Further, strengthening the knowledge and skill regarding infectious disease control and management skills during infectious disease-related health emergencies were recommended. It is important to ensure that the environment facilitates emergency response and that people-and-community-centered health promotion activities are conducted, during an emergency situation, with more innovative action and leadership.

Suggested Citation

  • Eri Osawa & Hiroko Okuda & Kyoko Koto-Shimada & Akira Shibanuma & Tomoya Saito, 2022. "The Environment Encouraging COVID-19 Response at Public Health Centers and Future Challenges in Japan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-10, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3343-:d:769388
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3343/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/6/3343/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dutta, Anwesha & Fischer, Harry W., 2021. "The local governance of COVID-19: Disease prevention and social security in rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    2. Katarzyna Czabanowska & Ellen Kuhlmann, 2021. "Public health competences through the lens of the COVID‐19 pandemic: what matters for health workforce preparedness for global health emergencies," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(S1), pages 14-19, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tomohiro Ishimaru & Shoichi Shimizu & Ayaka Teshima & Koki Ibayashi & Mihoko Arikado & Yoko Tsurugi & Seiichiro Tateishi & Makoto Okawara, 2022. "The Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Health Emergency and Disaster in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-13, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Faruq Abdulla & Zulkar Nain & Md. Karimuzzaman & Md. Moyazzem Hossain & Azizur Rahman, 2021. "A Non-Linear Biostatistical Graphical Modeling of Preventive Actions and Healthcare Factors in Controlling COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-14, April.
    2. Nan Li & Muzi Chen & Difang Huang, 2022. "How Do Logistics Disruptions Affect Rural Households? Evidence from COVID-19 in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Tajeddini, Kayhan & Gamage, Thilini Chathurika & Tajdini, Javad & Qalati, Sikandar Ali & Siddiqui, Faiza, 2023. "Achieving sustained competitive advantage in retail and consumer service firms: The role of entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial bricolage," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Małgorzata Dudzińska & Marta Gwiaździńska-Goraj & Aleksandra Jezierska-Thöle, 2022. "Social Factors as Major Determinants of Rural Development Variation for Predicting Epidemic Vulnerability: A Lesson for the Future," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-24, October.
    5. Soonman Kwon & Eunkyoung Kim, 2022. "Sustainable Health Financing for COVID‐19 Preparedness and Response in Asia and the Pacific," Asian Economic Policy Review, Japan Center for Economic Research, vol. 17(1), pages 140-156, January.
    6. Huixia Zou & Shaowei Li & Huiyuan Zou & Wei Sun & Yingnan Niu & Chengqun Yu, 2022. "Livelihood Sustainability of Herder Households in North Tibet, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-14, April.
    7. Krauss, Judith E. & Artur, Luis & Brockington, Dan & Castro, Eduardo & Fernando, Jone & Fisher, Janet & Kingman, Andrew & Moises, Hosia Mavoto & Mlambo, Ana & Nuvunga, Milagre & Pritchard, Rose & Ribe, 2022. "‘To prevent this disease, we have to stay at home, but if we stay at home, we die of hunger’ – Livelihoods, vulnerability and coping with Covid-19 in rural Mozambique," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    8. Shelli Israelsen & Andrea Malji, 2021. "COVID-19 in India: A Comparative Analysis of the Kerala and Gujarat Development Models’ Initial Responses," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 21(4), pages 397-418, October.
    9. Laura Arnold & Lisa Kellermann & Florian Fischer & Sophie Gepp & Franziska Hommes & Laura Jung & Amir Mohsenpour & Dagmar Starke & Jan M. Stratil, 2022. "What Factors Influence the Interest in Working in the Public Health Service in Germany? Part I of the OeGD-Studisurvey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-32, September.
    10. Kerstin Sell & Franziska Hommes & Florian Fischer & Laura Arnold, 2022. "Multi-, Inter-, and Transdisciplinarity within the Public Health Workforce: A Scoping Review to Assess Definitions and Applications of Concepts," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-23, September.
    11. Jianing Li & Jie Fan & Ling Zhu & Xiaohua Wu & Chunyu Luo & Wei Wang, 2023. "Construction of vaccination network and influencing factors: a case study of Chongqing, China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    12. Peng Cui & Yi Liu & Xuan Ju & Tiantian Gu, 2022. "Key Influencing Factors and Optimization Strategy of Epidemic Resilience in Urban Communities—A Case Study of Nanjing, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-20, August.
    13. Qi, Haozhi & Ma, Lijun & Peng, Pin & Chen, Hao & Li, Kang, 2022. "Dynamic connectedness between clean energy stock markets and energy commodity markets during times of COVID-19: Empirical evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    14. Enns, Charis & van Vliet, Nathalie & Mbane, Joseph & Muhindo, Jonas & Nyumu, Jonas & Bersaglio, Brock & Massé, Francis & Cerutti, Paolo Omar & Nasi, Robert, 2023. "Vulnerability and coping strategies within wild meat trade networks during the COVID-19 pandemic," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    15. Mishra, Pulak & Das, Pinaki & Ghosh, Soumya Kanti & Dandapat, Akash & Dasgupta, Soumita, 2024. "Agriculture-livestock-forestry nexus and household income diversification: Experiences from selected villages of West Bengal, India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    16. Bandyopadhyay, Simanti & Kabiraj, Sujana & Majumder, Subrata, 2023. "Subnational governments and COVID management," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    17. Hassad de Andrade, Liz & Moreira Antunes, Jorge Junio & Araújo de Medeiros, Antônio Mamede & Wanke, Peter & Nunes, Bernardo Pereira, 2022. "The impact of social welfare and COVID-19 stringency on the perceived utility of food apps: A hybrid MCDM approach," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PB).
    18. Florian Fischer & Julia Wicherski & Myriam Tobollik & Timothy McCall, 2022. "Experiences Shared by the (Future) Public Health Workforce during the COVD-19 Pandemic in Germany: Results of a Survey on Workload, Work Content, and Related Challenges among Students and Young Profes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-16, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:6:p:3343-:d:769388. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.