Prospects for regional medical care vision in the post-COVID-19 era

Abstract

[Background and Objective] The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the shortage of hospital beds in Japan, which has many hospital beds. This is the result of past healthcare policies and hospital responses. Based on the historical background of healthcare policies and the situation of hospitals at the time of formulating the regional medical care vision in 2017, this paper presents the prospects of the regional medical care vision in the post-COVID era.

[Methods] Using individual records of Hospital Report and Survey of Medical Institutions in 2017, we analyzed the direction of adjustment for the four ward and bed functions of the regional medical care vision, divided into four categories (acute care hospital group, care-mix hospital group, Long-term care facility group, outpatient facility group).

[Results] To realize the regional medical care vision, it is considered most realistic to become a hospital that provides convalescent care by reducing the number of outpatient facilities and converting “acute care beds” to “convalescent care beds”.

[Conclusion] In the post-COVID era, it is important to adjust the future outlook of outpatient facility groups as part of the regional medical care vision.