Importance of nurses’ knowledge about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome (MCS) at emergency department

International Conference on Nursing & Emergency Medicine

December 02-04, 2013 Hampton Inn Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Nami Imai

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome (MCS) is a syndrome with physical and psychological symptoms which are occurred by chemical substances in living environment. MCS emerges when a person re-exposes same chemical substances after exposed highly-concentrated toxic chemicals or low-concentrated but for a long term. In developed countries with serious environmental pollution, MCS patients are estimated by researchers about 10 percent of populations. MCS has two signature symptoms that are called "the Switch Phenomenon" and "the Spreading Phenomenon". "The Switch Phenomenon" is that MCS patients have various symptoms as one emerging after another disappearing. "The Spreading Phenomenon" is that MCS patients' symptoms increase one after another. Many physicians misdiagnosed these symptoms as menopausal discomforts, aging phenomenon, cerebral accident, the labyrinthine syndrome and allergic syndrome out of ignorance. Therefore, MCS patients have many complaints against physicians and nurses. The psychosocial aggravate factors of MCS are a lack of MCS patients' consciousness about the disease and a lack of physicians' knowledge about it, poor social understanding about MCS and a lack of social support for MCS patients. Especially, in Japan, MCS patients have been losing their houses which are foundational places of their life, careers which are economic bases and their family and friends which are bases of human life, by MCS which is caused by Sick Building Syndrome. Therefore, MCS patients need to get holistic supports and nurses fit for the role to support MCS patients. There is no risk to misdiagnose MCS as other disease even at emergency department if every nurse has right knowledge about MCS. Nurses can alleviate MCS patients' symptoms by providing information to improve living environment. Moreover, nurses can popularize knowledge of MCS health hazards and their preventive measures. Therefore, nurses must become aware of the fact that their roles are significant and wide-ranging.

Biography :

Nami Imai was a registered nurse experienced in surgical unit and emergency unit at Mie University Hospital in Japan. She received her doctorate from Osaka University, Japan in 2005. Her teaching experience is in the areas of human anatomy and structure, basic nursing concepts, nursing theory and nursing process and Environmental Health Nursing (EHN). She is managing to the Nursing Counseling Room (NCR) in the city of Tsu, Mie, Japan from 2006.Her research interest are pattern of behavior of sick building syndrome (SBS) and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) patients, expansion of nursing with SBS and MCS, establish EHN.