Department features
These days, many foreign nationals travel to and live in Japan. In Fukuyama, contact with such patients is becoming increasingly common in daily medical practice. Moreover, the Japanese government’s Task Force for Global Reach of Japanese Medical Technology and Services encourages the acceptance of foreign patients, with a view to promoting the global spread of Japanese medical technology and services. However, foreign patients may face many hurdles in receiving treatment at medical institutions in Japan, including the language barrier, institutional issues, differences in customs, and so on.
In the past, the Fukuyama Medical Center did not have an adequate framework for accepting foreign patients, with the handling of each case left to the discretion of on-site staff members. To improve this situation and respond to the ongoing globalization of medical care, in April 2017 we established the International Support Department as a department to support our international medical care activities.
International Support Department functions
1) Enhancing the system for accepting foreign patients
• Introduction of interpretation tools
In 2018, we introduced a telephone medical interpretation system, mediPhone, which supports telephone interpretation in 12 languages. Around the same time, we started to use VoiceTra, a multilingual speech translation app, as a tool for interpreting simple daily conversations. In addition, there are three tablet terminals in the hospital that can be used for interpretation.
• Establishment of a support system for foreign patients
When a foreign patient is seen, an International Support Department staff member will go to support the medical staff.
• Multilingual displays in the hospital
In-hospital displays have been written in three languages: English, Chinese and Vietnamese.
2) Contributing to global healthcare and globalization of our medical staff through interaction with overseas hospitals, overseas training, and in-hospital training
To date, we have had instructor simulation training at the University of Hawaii, interacted with Rajavithi Hospital in Thailand, and observed to HIV/AIDS treatment in Kenya.
3) Strengthening the in-hospital system of cooperation
In order to supervise and centralize international-related operations in the hospital under the International Support Department, and to strengthen cooperation beyond occupational and departmental boundaries, we established the Center for the Promotion of International Cooperation in April 2018. Centered on the International Support Department, a total of 31 members, including two doctors, one doctor-in-training, three ACCES (AIDS treatment center) members, two Clinical Research Department members, one Clinical Trial Management Department member, two Nutrition Management Office members, two MEs (Medical Engineers) and two Rehabilitation Department members, regularly hold conferences to strengthen cooperation in the hospital. The International Support Department has started activities for the full-scale internationalization of the hospital. Hospital internationalization is a project that cannot be achieved without the cooperation of community members. We look forward to and appreciate your help.
