To promote adequate support for people with severe motor disabilities who depend on medical care (Iryo-teki care), we investigated 1,259 such cases in Hyogo Prefecture and made a comparison with data obtained in 2007 by the Ethics Committee of the Japan Pediatric Society. Data were collected from 10 secondary medical care zones within Hyogo Prefecture from June to September, 2014. Medical interventions upon which participants depended included nasal feeding, gastrostomy, suction of nose and mouth, tracheostomy, oxygen inhalation, and artificial ventilation; these were identical with interventions identified in an investigation conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The total number of participants dependent on medical care was 1,259, including 933 who received home care and 326 who were hospitalized. The number of participants who were less than 20 years old increased about sixfold from 2007 to 2014, and there were even some cases in underpopulated areas. The number of cases with home oxygen therapy increased eightfold compared with that reported in 2007. Respirator-dependent cases totaled 299 in Hyogo Prefecture, where the incidence ratio of 0.05 out of 1,000 was higher than that in other areas of Japan.
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