Radiation risk communication education in practice
Risk communication refers to achieving mutual understanding of risks through the exchange of information and opinions among individuals or groups. Doing so requires numerous abilities, including those for collecting information and identifying risks quickly via listening and verbalizing skills for understanding and conveying information. Further roles of a risk communicator can be considered to be those of improving people’ s ability to adapt to risks through communication of information and providing opportunities to participate in risk-related decision-making. However, at present no system has yet been established for the training of radiation risk communicators – namely, human resources able to provide support with regard to the risk of radiation. For this reason, we plan to implement education intended to help students master the communication skills needed for communicating the risks of radiation.
Professionals such as public health nurses, midwives, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, certified care workers, certified social workers, and educators are expected to play active roles as radiation risk communicators.
Awareness-raising
Lectures are being planned and held in order to raise awareness among the general public.
FY2013
- Lecture: Current status of recovery from nuclear-accident evacuation, and issues faced by professionals
- Lecture: Deployment of risk communication at the Nagasaki University-Kawauchi Village Reconstruction Promotion Base
- Lecture: Risk communication called for today
FY2014
- Lecture and symposium: Disaster risk communication
- Lecture: Radiation risk communication from the group to the individual
- Lecture: What is called for in radiation risk communication today?
- Workshops, etc.
Educational program development
Moving ahead with development of educational program
Educational program in the School of Health Sciences
- Risk communication exercises in practical education (teaching program)
- Establishment of new courses in general education program now under consideration
Educational program for current instructors and others
- Preparations now underway toward applying for a program to be included in the teacher’s credential renewal course (to begin in FY2014)
Development of implementation structure
Instructors are being dispatched to various training/drill sites to develop an implementation structure.
FY2013
- International Seminar in Global Leadership Training Program in Disaster Nursing
- FMU-IAEA International Academic Conference
- 2013 Annual Conference of the Japan Association on Radiological Protection in Medicine: Radiation Exposure and Risk Communication
- 35th Forum on the Safe Use of Medical Radiation: Radiation Education for Medical Practitioners Needed in the Aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident
- Radiation communication training provided mainly for school personnel participating in Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology aid programs, PTAs, fire-department personnel, and others
- Risk communication course
- 17th EAFONS (East Asian Forum of Nursing Scholars) etc.
- FY2013 Joint Exercises for Civil Protection in Aomori Prefecture
