2024 Volume 73 Issue 3 Pages 231-242
The Japanese aging population is progressing at an unprecedented rate globally, while the working-age population is steadily declining, leading to a chronic shortage of manpower in the field of nursing care. Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has initiated efforts to improve productivity in the nursing care sector by formulating guidelines, conducting research projects, hosting workshops, and promoting initiatives aimed at enhancing productivity in the nursing care settings. While various measures can be considered to improve productivity, there is particularly high expectation placed on the utilization of technology, such as nursing care robots and ICT, to drive productivity enhancements. So far, national and local governments have primarily supported the introduction of technology into nursing care facilities focusing on the economic aspects, such as subsidies. However, in recent years, it has become evident that even though technology has been introduced, it is not effectively utilized in nursing care facilities. Therefore, this paper focuses on the )“Platform Project for Development, Verification, and Promotion of Nursing Care Robots, etc., for Improving Productivity in Nursing Care Settings (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)” started from fiscal year 2020 with the aim of supporting the introduction and utilization of technology and the development of technology. The paper explains the project’s content and examines several cases obtained from the efforts made so far. Specifically, it discusses initiatives where external supporters accompany the process of introducing and utilizing technology in nursing care settings and mechanisms where multiple specialized institutions and experts collaborate to support development companies. We hope that this paper will attract the attention of researchers in nursing care field, as well as many people working in nursing care facilities and development companies, and that it will contribute to improving the productivity in the nursing care settings.
