Opportunities and challenges of integrating genetics education about human diversity into public health nurses' responsibilities in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Many genetic tests are now available due to evolution by the Human Genome Project. However, the growing use of genetic testing and screening may not only lead to improvements in public health and health promotion, but also trigger grave ethical, legal, and societal concerns. The involvement of community healthcare providers is expected in the future because they have direct contact with the residents through their health programs. The aims of the current study were to clarify how public health nurses perceive the relationship between genetics and professional duties and to identify opportunities and challenges of integrating genetics education into their professional duties. METHODS: In 2017, data were collected through a focus group interview. Content related to the 'presence or absence of health consultation related to genetic issues as part of actual job duties' and 'training for handling genetic-related health consultations' was extracted. Entire sentences were coded and categorized based on similar semantic content. RESULTS: Public health nurses had difficulties in recognizing genetic issues in public health activities. In some cases, genetic contents were included in conversation and consultation with the general public. Through the professional education and experiences, public health nurses needed specialized education, post-graduation studies and mentoring about genetics. CONCLUSIONS: Public health nurses whose professional duties do not directly relate to genetics were exposed to genetics-related episodes on a regular basis without their awareness. The provision of accurate information and knowledge related to genetics by public health nurses would also provide an opportunity for clients to be informed about their latent genetic risks. Hence, there is a need for practical resources, the establishment of collaboration networks, and the development of professional organizations for public health nurses.

Analysis of the Training Effect of a Nursing Undergraduate Course on the Management of Radiation-Related Health Concerns-A Single Group Experiment.

After the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident, demands regarding nursing staff's management of nuclear disasters have increased. This study aimed to evaluate a basic training program to teach undergraduate nursing students on how to deal with public anxiety following a nuclear disaster. We analyzed the data of 111 third-year nursing students attending a Japanese university. We set attainment goals in three domains (cognitive, affective, psychomotor) regarding their acquisition of consultation techniques for radiation-related health concerns. We compared pre- and post-class response scores on a knowledge test and calculated word frequencies in health consultation scenarios. The pre-class mean score was 12.2 out of 27 points and the post-class mean score (directly after the course) was 21.0, a significant increase (p < 0.001). The mean level of attainment in each of the three domains increased significantly from pre-test to post-test (p < 0.001). The variety and number of words in the health consultations also increased. Students attained the program goals for radiation-related health concerns in all domains. During disasters, there is a great need for nursing staff to administer physical and mental care to the public. This program was evaluated to be one wherein nursing staff can acquire fundamental knowledge about radiation in a short time.

Identifying the challenges to successfully teaching about genetic diversity among Japanese junior high school students.

OBJECTIVES: Creating a diverse and inclusive symbiotic society is specified in the sustainable development goals. In a symbiotic society, support for those who need, it is called "reasonable support." However, it is unclear in the classroom that many children understand "reasonable" as a consideration to support children with special needs. The aim of this study is to identify the actual understanding of junior high school students and the challenges related to genetic diversity through school health teachers in readiness for developing a symbiotic society. METHODS: A focus group interview was conducted for five school health teachers working in public junior high schools to identify the perspectives of their feeling about the current understanding of children in regard to genetics and diversity. Participants were recruited who agreed to engage voluntarily in this research. A qualitative descriptive design was used in this study. RESULTS: The results of the analysis revealed three categories consisting of 67 codes and 10 subcategories. Three categories were identified: I-understanding the heterogeneity and diversity of children's ambivalent minds; II-limitation of school health teachers' involvement in genetics and diversity-related issues; and III-importance for children to understand heterogeneity and diversity to build life skills. CONCLUSIONS: School health teachers remarked on the limitations of learning and teaching genetics and diversity. They paid attention to the flexibility of a child. It suggests that the purpose of genetic education is to develop children's life skills with the flexibility to live in the future. There is a need to consider new genetic education for school health teachers and students to learn about diversity.