It is necessary to give hospitals and clinics certain money incentive such as medical insurance to spread the electronic medical record (EMR) systems. The additional charge for radiography digitalization is one of medical insurance to relate to medical information systems. In this study, we investigated the transition of number of the digitalization by using statistic data published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and found that the digitalization has been spreading rapidly since 1996, when the additional charge was increased, and the digital format of radiography was standardized in the end of the previous year. Additionally, we found that there are strong correlations between the total amount of the additional charge and the domestic market size of medical image network systems. Therefore it should be necessary to cause appropriate additional charges, and the standardization of the system, to spread the EMR systems to medical facilities.

 The purpose of the order entry system is to transfer the information from outpatient clinics or wards to the ancillary service divisions and to automate the accounting process. However, in some special procedures of radiological examination, automatic accounting had not been achieved because of its complicated rules. We accomplished this task, and reported the current performances and problems. The order information is transferred to the radiology information system and then the staffs of the radiological division change the action data to the one acceptable to the accounting rules, and enter the data about medicines, materials, films, etc. used for the examination. These data are transferred to the accounting system and calculate the billing. Work-load of the radiological technologists was saved by this system comparing with the previous paper base management. For the administrators of the division of radiology, it became easier to get the statistical data. In accounting section, 20.4% of the special examination, 1.4% of the total radiographic examination, needed correction, but work-load decreased obviously and shortened the waiting time for accounting process for outpatients. This system was effective not only for decreasing the work-load of accounting process, but also for recording the actual performance data in the electronic patient record system, thus paved the way for precise evaluation of the performance of the division of radiology.

 In Ehime, construction of the Virtual Private Network as the base of a medical information network and the ORCA network (Project Code “Online Receipt Computer Advantage”) is currently promoted. As the technology improvement on VPN related technology is so rapid, the fundamental definition for VPN is likely misled and confused. So we have classified VPN-related technology and network layer notion. We have inspected some inherent constraint and variance of IPv4 network architecture. Then we contrived the comprehensive methodology for provisioning VPN over any circumstance by introducing UDP encapsulation with IPsec, dynamic DNS server selection with DNS routing, and the avoidance of network address collision by applying NAPT with IPsec tunnel and distribution unique private network address. As a result, provisioning of medical information network is smoothly ongoing and gear up the prevalence of medical information network.

 Objective: To reveal consumer’s idea about drug information.

 Subjects and Methods: Study 1 was made by targeting general population males and females 15 to 65 years old. Extraction method was stratified bi-level extraction by resident registry. Survey method was Questionnaire left for resident by survey staff during home visit. Study 2 was made directly to 409 male and 422 female.

 Results: Collection rate was 45.7%. Study 1 revealed consumer’s idea about which information is most important about drug information, how drug information should be delivered. Study 2 revealed the perceptual difference between prescription drug, OTC, and Viagra.

 Since the use of information technology (IT) and evidence-based planning and performance have become national policy in healthcare and welfare, professionals in these fields are in need of appropriate IT skills. However, there have been no surveys to investigate the type and level of IT skills necessary for community nursing. Firstly, we surveyed directors of community health centers in areas where local governments were actively introducing IT, for awareness of this need. Since new community nurses tend to receive their training in colleges and universities, we also surveyed the opinions of teachers of community nursing science and nursing informatics or information science in colleges and universities, regarding the provision in college and university courses of opportunities for acquiring the various IT skills. The survey of health center directors and college and university staff revealed that computer literacy and basic information literacy were strongly endorsed as required skills for community nurses, and the acquisition of these skills was regarded as a necessary component of undergraduate education. Although the need for education in the understanding, management and operation of information systems, and in statistical methods for planning and evaluation of projects, was also acknowledged by health center directors, the necessity for including teaching of those skills in undergraduate and graduate courses was weakly recognized by college and university staff. Community nurses have little opportunity to acquire these capabilities, even in training after graduation. The present findings indicate that steps should be taken to ensure that opportunities are provided for community nurses to acquire practical skills in IT use, as an essential element in the promotion of active use of IT in community healthcare.