# A Mixed Methods Analysis of Medical Needs Following the Noto Peninsula Earthquake: Bridging the Gap Between Digital Narratives and Disaster Policy

## TL;DR

This study examines how medical needs evolved after the Noto Peninsula earthquake, highlighting staff burnout and the need for better disaster policies.

## Contribution

The novel approach combines qualitative and quantitative analysis of digital narratives to reveal temporal patterns in post-disaster medical needs.

## Key findings

- Three key medical needs were identified: material shortages, shelter hygiene/mental health, and staff exhaustion.
- Staff burnout peaked in February, one month after the earthquake, when external support began to decline.
- A mixed-methods approach revealed a temporal lag between infrastructure needs and staff support demands.

## Abstract

Introduction

The chronological shift in medical needs following major seismic events, particularly the exhaustion of local responders, remains under-researched. While acute physical damage is often well documented, the subacute phase presents unique challenges that are difficult to capture through traditional surveillance.

Objective

This study aimed to analyze medical needs operationally defined as thematic content derived from professional narratives, following the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, and to triangulate these qualitative insights with temporal trends in digital discourse by conducting a mixed-methods analysis of digital narratives found in YouTube videos.

Methods

An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was used. In the first (qualitative) phase, thematic analysis was conducted on 12 YouTube videos featuring medical professionals to extract in-depth experiences using MAXQDA 2024 (VERBI Software, Berlin, Germany). In the second (quantitative) phase, to examine the temporal prevalence of the identified themes, a trend analysis was performed on 300 videos uploaded between January 1 and December 31, 2024. Using the YouTube Data API, data were collected chronologically to visualize the monthly distribution of needs.

Results

The qualitative analysis identified three themes: (1) acute material shortages, (2) mid-to long-term shelter hygiene/mental health, and (3) exhaustion of local staff. The quantitative triangulation revealed a distinct temporal lag: while infrastructure-related content peaked in January (20 videos), content related to "Staff Support" (theme three) peaked in February (38 videos), one month after the earthquake.

Conclusion

This study quantitatively triangulated the "February Peak," a phenomenon in which local staff burnout peaks exactly when external support begins to wane. Future disaster plans must include explicit protocols for mandatory rest and the deployment of relief teams targeting the subacute phase (one to two months post-disaster).