Abstract
The role of nursing has been gradually diversified and enlarged to meet the requirements of both the society and nurses in action. Although the establishment of the Day of Nursing and the Week for Nursing in Japan in 1991, with a view to publicizing problems involved in nursing, was an important step to arouse national interest in nursing and to make Japanese people think about its proper role, it is also the case that the rapid development of medical tests, treatment, medicaments and equipment has multiplied the work of nurses in supporting medical activity, and made it difficult to set aside enough time to care for patients. In this situation cooperation within each medical team, especially from doctors,is urgently needed in order to provide such standards of care as required by patients and their families. The problem of 'medicine and nursing' is considered here from this aspect, by going over difficulties nurses encounter in today's medically advanced situation.
