In Japan, 7% of the population aged 65 to 74, 30% of those aged 75 to 84, and 60% of those aged 85 and over are using visits. Although the background of the Japanese government’s expansion of visiting medical care is dark and dark, it cannot be denied that the visiting medical system is essential to establish community care, which has emerged as an alternative to the aging population. Even if the COVID-19 pandemic passes, the worry of ‘care for the elderly’ remains. Ominami Family Clinic has been providing visiting treatment since it opened in 1985. I talked to Tsuyoshi Kanatani, the head of the department, and Kawahara, the director of the nursing department.
Please briefly introduce Ominami Family Clinic.
One full-time physician is the small intestine. There are 4 full-time and 4 part-time nurses, and 2 full-time and 3 part-time office workers. There is one employee who picks up the elderly who come to outpatient treatment (by car). Our clinic is also a clinic that trains family doctors (family medicine specialists). On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, trainees who are being trained at Tachikawa Mutual Hospital come to our clinic to see patients. At this time, an instructor who guides the trainees comes along. In other words, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, there are three doctors, including the director. In the morning, three examination rooms are opened for outpatient treatment, and in the afternoon, patients take turns visiting.
Who is eligible for visiting treatment? Is there an age limit?
There are many elderly people, but in principle there is no age limit. The basic premise is that outpatient treatment is impossible. There are many patients with chronic diseases, terminal cancer patients, and dementia patients. There are cases where people go to our clinic and switch to visiting treatment due to difficulty in mobility, and there are cases where they are hospitalized in a large hospital and then receive treatment as they are discharged.
What is the case for patients who are not elderly but receive visits?
Some people suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and there were people who had severe diabetes because it was called “hikikomori.” There are also people with disabilities. There is a thirteen-year-old child among the patients who visit our clinic. Although he receives professional treatment regularly at a large hospital, he visits for daily health care. It is equipped with a ventilator, etc., so it sterilizes devices that are attached to the body.
Is there anything important to Ominami Family Clinic when it comes to visiting treatment?
I want to say ‘team medical’. When going out to visit, doctors, nurses, and staff from the general affairs department form a team of three. The office staff is not just driving or counting money. The patient’s living environment, family relationship, and economic situation are identified. You cannot stay in the same house for long if you visit the doctor. Average about 10 minutes. It is very important to compress and secure patient information in advance. It continuously communicates with the helpers (caregivers) who go out for ‘visiting care’ and the care managers (social workers) who manage the patients. For example, there are times when a doctor who has visited a doctor gives an opinion saying, ‘I wish this service would be added to this person’s long-term care insurance’.
How much does the patient pay for visiting treatment?
The patient bears 10% of the total cost. Twice a month, the basic price is 8,000 yen (about 80,000 won).
[세계의 코로나 대응, 현장을 가다]
1. Japan
– Japan’s effort and reflection to save its neighbors www.EPN.co.kr/48618
– Establishment of community care through team medical care www.EPN.co.kr/48619
2. Sweden
– What was different about Sweden’s Corona strategy? www.EPN.co.kr/48670
– Why did Sweden open schools www.EPN.co.kr/48671
– “You must not forget that you are living life” www.EPN.co.kr/48672
– A way of coordinating life between work, childcare, and family www.EPN.co.kr/48673
3.UK
– How the UK is coping with disaster inequality www.EPN.co.kr/48728
– “Pandemic has exposed and amplified inequality” www.EPN.co.kr/48729
– 500m along the River Thames, a wall filled with red hearts www.EPN.co.kr/48777
– The gap filled by the independent scientific advisory group www.EPN.co.kr/48779
– “The media should invest in professional knowledge” www.EPN.co.kr/48771
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