The dynamics of the healthcare environment are changing rapidly. The methods and contents to provide healthcare information should be essential when people with various needs for healthcare choose services and facilities for health care. In this paper, the current status of healthcare information and “Medical Function Information Provision System” will be discussed. Also, future applications of “Internet of Things” and “Cloud Service” for nursing information in the home care will be suggested.

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 The dementia patients sometimes wander about in the city or the building at night. So, the probability of their having an accident is increased. Furthermore, care receivers have an accident when they climb off a bed. And, the prevention of the wandering about at night is a heavy load for the caregiver because they can’t take an adequate sleep. Therefore, we developed a system for recognition of the patient’s getting out of bed using Kinect. In this study, we set up Kinect several meters away from a bed. We extract bed frame from depth value using Kinect. In addition, we estimate the subject state from change of depth value on bed frame. We need to set up value of bed size and distance between Kinect and bed for to extract bed frame without being affected by object around the bed. This system can recognizes the subject state of “Getting out of Bed”,“Lying”,“Sitting” and “Danger of Falling”. And, we could confirm that the system work without fault in the case of bed cover and pillow using.

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 Elderly patients with diabetes have difficulties mastering self-monitoring of blood glucose（SMBG）procedures due to declines in dexterity and cognitive function. SMBG devices that require less dexterity and simpler procedures are needed for these patients. We developed a blood collection assistance device for use on a new SMBG device. The purpose of this study was to examine the optimum depth of puncture, load intensity of compression on the area surrounding the puncture site, and the number of compressions needed to get enough blood for 11 elderly volunteers. We found our device could lead to stable bleeding of more than 0.8μL, the amount required for SMBG in general, if the surrounding area of the punctured spot was compressed using 14.7 N loading for 5 seconds and for two compressions. This assistive device might be useful if it could be mounted on an SMBG device.

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 Most elderly people experience roughening of the skin surface and dryness with aging. Consequently, we must ensure that their skin remains adequately moisturized. However, it is difficult to evaluate the effect of skin care in bedridden elderly people who may have difficulties with communication. Therefore, there is a need for an evaluation index that can objectively evaluate dry skin recovery. This prospective cohort study aimed to assess the usefulness of digital image analysis as a quantitative indicator of the effectiveness of dry skin care in elderly patients. Elderly inpatients in a long-term care facility, and with dry skin on their forearm were recruited to the study. The intervention comprised applying a moisturizer cream to dry skin on the forearm once daily for 2 weeks. Skin hydration, and skin morphology were compared before and after the intervention. Skin morphology was measured by digital image analysis. In total, 16 people of elderly completed the follow-up study. After the intervention, skin hydration significantly increased indicated that the skin condition changed from dry to moisturized. The following factors were associated with this improved hydration: average thickness of the sulcus cutis, variance of thickness, and the relative scales area significantly decreased.

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 The purpose of this descriptive study is to evaluate the clinical applicability of a wearable lift assist device（WLAD）from a nursing perspective. The WLAD was developed to help reduce workload on the lower back. It was first introduced to work environments handling heavy weights, such as shipping companies. Today, its use is expanding to home health care settings for assisting elderly adults in bathing；however, the applicability for nursing care in clinical settings has not yet been demonstrated. In this study, we developed an evaluation questionnaire from a nursing perspective, using a Likert-type four choice format, and evaluated the WLAD in a simulated clinical situation assisting patient transfer to and from a bedside commode. The questionnaire included six categories；Fitting ease, Operability, Comfort, Sense of safety, Sense of back support, and General comments. Ten registered nurses in a hospice care unit participated in this study. In aggregated ratings one category, Operability, scored negatively. All other categories, Fitting ease, Comfort, Sense of safety and Sense of back support scored positively. In general, 80% agreed that the WLAD was useful in assisting patient transfer to and from a bedside commode. These results indicate specific needs for further development of the WLAD but also suggest applicability within the clinical nursing care setting.

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 The present study aimed to identify factors and observe and classify skin changes in detail related to pressure ulcers caused by repeated use of unventilated masks during non-invasive positive pressure ventilation（NPPV）among healthy adults under identical fixation conditions as under actual usage conditions, mask fixation cannot be standardized and varies from patient to patient. Specifically, two mask types were placed on nine subjects at least twice. A single researcher ensured that masks were fitted in the same manner, and observed all survey contents. Cases in which similar skin changes were observed twice were regarded as mask-induced skin changes, and their relationship to the facial morphology and subjective assessment of the subject were analyzed. On the cheeks and forehead, skin changes in a pattern consistent with the mask configuration were observed；while on the nose, a distinct irregular pattern inconsistent with the mask configuration was observed. Moreover, the masks did not properly fit on the nose, indicating that using an ill-fitting mask or changes in the configuration of the mask itself may affect the pattern of skin changes. These findings indicate that the factors related to pressure ulcers caused by NPPV masks are not restricted to care-related factors, and that assessments of the device and its appropriate use are also important.

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[in Japanese]

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