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Table 4 Themes and subthemes of RQ 2: Motivations to continue the disaster relief efforts in the evacuation centers

From: Disaster response among hospital nurses dispatched to evacuation centers after the Great East Japan Earthquake: a thematic analysis

Themes

Subthemes

Examples of codes

Carrying out the role of a nurse

Rewarding

I thought that I did help improve the evacuees’ health conditions by providing nursing care. (pI and III)

Providing healthcare services that met the needs of evacuees

In order to alleviate residents’ concerns as much as possible, all we can do was to listen to them in an accommodating manner (pIII, IV, and VII)

Evacuees just needed their listeners. (pI, II, V, VI, and X)

Acceptance by residents

Build a trusting relationship with residents

I was very happy when someone said, “I can talk to you easily because you are a nurse from my hometown and I can understand your dialect. (pI and IV)

Reduce residents’ anxiety

Some residents said, “Because we are from the same hometown, we can talk to each other and feel at ease.” (pII)

Strengths of human connections

Strengths of having a family together

My family members were with me, so I felt a little reassured (pI)

Strength of being with friends

I was helped by the staff who were working together (pII)

I felt more comfortable when I worked my teammates than when I was alone (pIII and IV)

The support of people in the shelter community

I have many good memories, such as festivals at evacuation centers (pII, VII, and VIII)

Evacuees did not mind the radiation accident. They accepted us and were kind and concerned about us (pI and III)

I evacuated to the area that suffered by the Chuetsu Earthquake in 2007. The residents were kind enough to say to us, “You are also victims of the earthquake, so please try to take care of yourselves emotionally”. (pIII and VII)