The purpose of this study was to elucidate the development of diagnostic techniques based on pelvic examinations by midwives. Midwifery students and midwives performed pelvic examinations following eight patterns using a pelvic examination simulator. The diagnosis of the five components of the Bishop score and the content of other observations were then investigated and compared in four groups based on the number of delivery care cases: a student group, a group that had provided delivery care in 99 or fewer cases, a group that had provided delivery care in 100‒199 cases, and a group that had provided delivery care in 200 or more cases.

　The study participants were 24 midwifery students (37.5%) and 40 midwives (62.5%), among which, 17 were in the group that had provided delivery care in 99 or fewer cases, nine were in the group that had provided delivery care in 100‒199 cases, and 14 were in the group that had provided delivery care in 200 or more cases.

　The results showed that of the five components of the Bishop score, the rates of agreement in the diagnosis of “cervical effacement,” “cervical consistency,” and “cervical position” were significantly positively correlated with the number of delivery care cases that had been provided. These findings suggest that diagnostic techniques improve with accumulated experience. At the same time, the results also showed a tendency to become more inaccurate with regard to a diagnosis of “fetal station” as the number of delivery care cases increased. These results are similar to previous reports, indicating the need to elucidate the causes of these trends.

　In the present study, we used 7-item diagnostic criteria of oral hypofunction in adults to provide personalized guidance aimed to maintain and improve oral function. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to determine factors that influence knowledge of oral hypofunction and behaviors associated with oral health. The findings were used to develop strategies for dental hygienists to raise awareness about the prevention of oral hypofunction.

　Thirty subjects with an average age of 69.4 ± 9.02 years were included in the study. Among them, 4 patients (13.3%) were diagnosed with oral hypofunction. Reduced tongue‒lip motor function was the most common symptom (n=10, 33.3%). Results from the questionnaire revealed that the intervention was effective in improving knowledge of oral hypofunction (36.7 to 83.4%) and oral frailty (20.0 to 50.0%). However, the intervention decreased concerns about periodontal diseases and caries. We demonstrated that, while some improvements are still needed, the intervention was effective in improving knowledge about oral hypofunction and oral health status.

　This study aimed to clarify the relationship between difficulties in recruiting nursing staff at hospitals and the activities and measures currently performed to retain nurses in Chiba Prefecture. Additionally, suggestions for measures that can be taken at each hospital level were also obtained.

　A questionnaire survey was conducted on nursing managers and others at 286 facilities in Chiba Prefecture. Of the 169 respondents (collection rate 59.0%), 116 (70.8%) reported difficulties in recruiting nurses, while 69 (40.8%) reported difficulties in retaining nurses. “Receiving on-site training” (p=.009) was related to fewer difficulties in recruiting activities, while “preparation of nursing procedures and manuals” (p=.043) was related to fewer difficulties in retaining nurses. It was suggested that to reduce difficulties in recruiting nursing staff at hospitals, it is necessary to review whether the information required by job seekers can be effectively transmitted in recruiting activities and whether nursing manuals and support systems are effective measures for retaining nurses.

　Objective: To verify the effectiveness of preventive care classes conducted as pro bono by occupational therapists working in hospitals under the guidance of a university teacher for senior citizens living in apartment buildings.

　Methods: Occupational therapists implemented preventive care classes pro bono once a month over a period of three months for senior citizens living in apartment buildings. We conducted a group work-centered program on the themes of fall prevention, traffic safety, and preventive care / dementia prevention. Wilcoxon signed rank testing was performed to compare the SF-12 and preventive care (kaigo-yobo) checklists of continuously attended subjects before and after classes.

　Results: 11 subjects with an average age of 78.4 ± 8.3 attended classes continuously. Before and after attending preventive care classes, only the SF-12 role physical tended to increase significantly (p = 0.058).

　Discussion: The results suggested that preventive care classes for senior citizens living local apartment buildings may have affected the health-related quality of life role physical.

　To examine the significance and outcomes of experiencing volunteer activities while attending college， a survey was conducted to clarify the experience and learning gained by students from participating in volunteer activities. The subjects were six graduate students with experience of participating in volunteer activities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted， in which the graduate students were asked about their reasons for participating in activities， their experience and learning gained from the activities， and the impact of experience gained from activities on their current activities as a medical professional.

　The survey revealed that， in addition to understanding children as subjects under their care and learning how to interact with children， volunteer activities taught the students about the current state of pediatric medical facilities， the human environment， and the need for family support.

　With regard to the impact of volunteering on current activities as medical professionals， the graduate students mentioned that they became capable of actively engaging with children and developed a mentality of attempting to engage with patients according to the characteristics of each patient.

　Volunteer activities appeared to allow the graduate students to learn about children’ s characteristics and the situations in which families are placed， expand their understanding of patients in their current workplace as healthcare professionals， and also utilize their knowledge for family support.

　[Objective]A literature review was conducted with the aim of surveying clinical nursing research guidance and the relevant support research guidance that is required.

　[Methods] The online version of the Igaku Chuo Zasshi Japanese biomedical journal database was searched using the terms “clinical nursing research,” “guide,” and “support,” yielding　20 documents for analysis. The 20 documents were sampled from the viewpoint of i) the study regarding guidance for clinical nursing research and support and ii) a nurse providing support for research guidance seen as essential either by the nursing staff engaged in the study or supervisors within the institutions in question. Relevant passages were collected and collated in consideration of similarity of content.

　[Results and Discussion] Nurses required guidance support by institutional supervisors consisted of the hiring of research guidance personnel. Research guidance required by external supervisors consisted of support to learn the specialist knowledge for research as well as for training institutional supervisors. Despite difficulties, it is important for clinical nurses to continue to engage in research guidance that can be applied to clinical nursing research, accumulate study practices and results, and nurture a foundation for research for the purpose of also promoting clinical nursing research.

　This study aimed to clarify the situation of the attendance at off-the-job training of nurses working in small and medium-sized facilities by workplace and career stage and to examine the factors affecting their decision on whether to attend or not, based on a 2013 survey.

　Among the nurses who participated in the 2013 survey and were working at the facilities mentioned above at the time of the study, 758 answered the question on why it is difficult to attend the training and their important considerations in deciding whether to attend, using four response categories. Then, the participants were divided into two groups based on their responses to each item. A comparison of each group’ s proportion of those who attended off-the-job training was done using Fisher’ s exact test.

　In terms of workplace, about 30% of the nurses who attended off-the-job training were working in clinics or long-term care insurance facilities. Thus, it is important to increase the participation of nurses working at these facilities in off-the-job training. In addition, all the nurses who attended off-the-job training, except skilled nurses, tended to place more importance on the time than those who did not attend. Therefore, the time of the training or introducing online training should be considered to increase the proportion of nurses who attend.

　A literature survey was conducted to clarify the current situation of supporting job retention of foreign nurse, care worker candidates who are working in hospitals or care facilities in Japan.

　The articles to be analyzed were selected using two methods: (1) two retrieval systems, in which “hospital & foreigner” or “care facility & foreigner” were created and relevant articles were extracted from databases such as the Japan Medical Abstracts Society website, and (2) articles including keywords “hospital,” “care facility,” or ” foreigner” were extracted by overviewing a list of articles extracted by method (1). After narrowing the search to articles published after 2018, 15 articles were finally selected for analysis.

　From the 15 articles, the descriptions of the current situation of supporting job retention for foreign nurse, care worker candidates who are working in hospitals or care facilities were extracted and categorized according to similarity. It was demonstrated that multi-sided support has been provided for foreign nurse, care worker candidates, including provision of accommodation, support in learning the Japanese language, understanding their religion and culture, and encouraging them to perform a task.

　While the Health Inequalities Analysis Project in Chiba Prefecture report states the health issues in Chiba Prefecture differ by region increases in the proportions of elderly in the population are common across all regions. Extending healthy life expectancy is a major goal for Chiba Prefecture. In this study, we implemented and evaluated the "Health Promotion Program for the Community by Chiba Prefectural University of Health Sciences" (hereafter referred to as the "Hoi-Dai Health Program") created by our faculty members. In terms of satisfaction, more than 70% of the respondents answered "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" to the questions in our survey, suggesting that the Hoi-Dai Health Program can contribute positively to the health promotion of Chiba residents. Lifestyle changes attributable to the Hoi-Dai Health Program were 49.2% for improved eating habits, 13.8% for cognitive habituation, 64.6% for increased awareness of oral care, and 38.5% for increased exercise. In addition, 69.2% of the cafes were happy to be able to talk with students and teachers. Based on these results, we intend using this health promotion tool to improve the ability of faculty members and students to collaborate with other departments and to contribute positively to the wider community.

　This study examined learning in students, who participated in an experience-based learning program implemented by the Chiba Prefectural University of Health Sciences (CPUHS) based on an partnership agreement in collaboration with the Urban Renaissance Agency, namely the CPUHS Health Program, to prevent care dependency among community-dwelling old people, as a basis for establishing a better curriculum.

　In an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey to evaluate the outcomes, more than 90% of all students affirmatively responded to the following statements: “actively participating in the program” , “understanding the characteristics of target people” , “learning methods to appropriately manage target people while considering their conditions” , “actively communicating with target people” , and “learning methods to give consideration to and cooperating with other participants” . The answers to the free-description style questions also revealed that students developed awareness with broad perspectives, such as reviewing the overall structure of the program, in addition to making good use of their acquired expertise.

　The CPUHS Health Program still needs some improvements, but the results support it as an effective experience-based learning program.

　Currently, the Department of Dental Hygiene is conducting a multidisciplinary intervention study (implementation of a health promotion program) for the prevention of oral frailty, involving older people living in UR housing in Chiba City, with which our university concluded a collaborative agreement in 2017.

　In the health promotion program, dental hygiene students participated as volunteers to learn about professional collaboration and cooperation in health promotion and regional characteristics. As a result, older residents who participated in the program positively assessed the content of the program, implementation of the program in their area of residence, and interaction with university teachers and students. The students were able to have an opportunity to understand the characteristics of older people, learn how to respond appropriately to them, and actively interact with them. The students’ involvement in the program planning and operation also helped them learn the importance of professional collaboration and cooperation in health promotion.

　At the request of Chiba Prefecture, 10 teachers at the School of Nursing in our university were assigned, in shifts, to a mild COVID-19 infected patients at a residential care facility from April 20 to the end of May. Herein, we report on our activities, lessons learned, and issues raised.

　The tasks of the "healthcare group" of the regional secretariat to which the teachers at the School of Nursing were assigned, were as follows: (1) health management of residents, (2) medical consultation, (3) PCR-related work, (4) health management of staff, and (5) management of hygiene products. We worked while searching for realistic and efficient activities.

The lessons that we learned from the activities included the importance of quick restoration of the rights of individual residents that were reduced due to COVID-19 infection, alleviation of their anxiety, review and securement of hygiene products depending on the situation, implementation of reliable measures for infection prevention, health management of staff, and establishment of a long-term activity system. The issue raised were the need for the establishment of a systematic mental healthcare system for residents from an early stage, reduce staff anxiety about the risk of COVID-19 infection, remove social stigma, and prepare a situation where they can work safely.

　In response to a request from the Chiba Prefectural Government, our university dispatched nursing teaching staff to public health centers and accommodation facilities for people with mild symptoms within the prefecture to assist with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response activities. The present report describes practices and evaluation, focusing on the system to dispatch teaching staff from our nursing department.

　The dispatch duration was approximately two months, from April 13 to June 22, 2020, and 30 nursing teaching staff were dispatched. The system developed by the department consisted of the following: 1) development and dissemination of policies for dispatching teaching staff; 2) a psychological support system for the dispatched teaching staff; 3) information sharing on the cloud; and 4) burden reduction measures for the dispatched teaching staff.

　As for the evaluation of the system of activities, promptly disseminating our department’ s policies, holding briefing sessions, and arranging to share information on dispatch status on the cloud helped to relieve anxiety and reduce dissatisfaction among the teaching staff. However, there were teaching staff that had conflicts and experienced exhaustion due to factors such as psychological resistance, adjustments in their own family lives, and balancing dispatch assignments with academic duties. Issues related to the system’ s ability to take into account individual circumstances still remained.