Community Healthcare and Nursing Care Support

In Japan’s aging society, while the population over age 65 is increasing and expected to peak in 2042, an acceleration is forecast in the decline of the working age population that will provide medical and nursing care. And there are regional differences in the progress of aging and the changes in population composition. Trends in demand for medical and nursing care also differ by region, and the medical and nursing care needs of patients and nursing care service users are changing over time. As a wide variety of social issues appear in stark relief, such as an increase in elderly people living alone, those watching over parents living apart, elderly people caring for elderly people, and more, it is necessary to resolve the labor shortage among medical and nursing care providers and improve the mechanisms whereby people can receive necessary medical and nursing care and lifestyle support services in familiar settings like their own homes. Also, to enable homebound patients and nursing care service users to enjoy greater quality of life and more convenient services, there is a need for medical and nursing care partnerships and for meticulous support that is tailored to each community’s circumstances.

In order to contribute to resolving medical and nursing care issues for each community and creating health for community residents, the Suzuken Group aims to link with our Group companies and partner companies that have expertise and resources in the healthcare field to launch new businesses based on a demand chain concept that starts with the needs of patients, local governments, and medical and nursing care providers. For ascertaining needs, we will utilize points of contact with patients established through the digital platform in which the Suzuken Group’s pharmacy businesses, nursing care businesses, and partner companies participate. Through these new businesses, we will build a community healthcare platform where communities – including local governments, medical institutions, pharmacies, nursing care facilities, and such – can work together to provide their community patients and residents with safe and secure lives.

In our pharmacy business, in November 2023, we began a partnership with Pharmarise Holdings and started initiatives such as a patient support service for pharmacies and the construction of a new pharmaceutical distribution model. In our nursing care business, we formed a comprehensive business partnership with Chubu Electric Power in March 2023. By combining the service that Chubu Electric Power operates for identifying elderly individuals potentially experiencing frailty^※ based on an analysis of their electricity use, with the Suzuken Group’s DX solution, which connects medical and nursing care providers, we are actively constructing a business model to support the health of community residents.

Based on patient needs identified through our Group’s pharmacy and nursing care businesses, in addition to the needs of users who utilize these services, we will work together with companies and local governments in communities to jointly develop and roll out new solutions to address the diverse medical and nursing care issues in each community.

In our new initiatives for community healthcare and nursing care support, we aim to create services and functions that can support patients and their families and offer compassionate care by leveraging the connections we have fostered with our own pharmacists, nutritionists, care managers, caregivers, nursing care facility managers, and local governments through our business operations to date.

One such initiative involves creating pharmacies that specialize in specific diseases, leveraging pharmacists’ expertise. We work closely with local medical institutions, providing support from pharmacists with the Japan Rheumatism Foundation and implementing strict management of rheumatoid arthritis medications using Cubixx. We also contribute to community health by holding public lectures for local residents. In addition, we have begun providing support for ostomates^※ through Medical Care Station (MCS), a communication tool exclusively for medical and nursing care. Pharmacists and certified nurses in wound, ostomy and continence nursing work together through MCS to provide health and medical consultations.

Our nursing care facilities have also launched pilot vaccination awareness programs for care workers in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies. By connecting pharmaceutical companies with nursing care facility users and caregivers, we aim to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination, help prevent the elderly from becoming seriously ill, and ultimately contribute to the marketing efforts of pharmaceutical companies.

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  Ostomate：A person who has a stoma (artificial anus/artificial bladder) formed in their abdomen to allow for the discharge of bodily waste due to various illnesses or accidents.

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  WOCN：Certified nurses in wound, ostomy and continence nursing certified by the Japanese Nursing Association

Contributing to community healthcare collaboration by supporting rheumatoid arthritis patients

UNISMILE Pharmacy Iruka Store, located in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, excels in supporting patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The pharmacy provides detailed explanations and consultations regarding prescriptions and works in cooperation with rheumatologists and nearby medical institutions. Specialist pharmacists can provide instructions on self-injection and manage the patient’s physical condition during the initial period of medication, and by providing the medication immediately after instruction, this system also reduces the number of visits to medical institutions by the patient. Furthermore, the pharmacy has also introduced Cubixx, allowing it to stock a wide variety of biologics, including self-injectable biological products and high-priced medications. This enables the pharmacy to address situations where nearby medical institutions or pharmacies are out of stock. As a result, the pharmacy has received feedback that this has expanded treatment options. UNISMILE Pharmacy Iruka Store strives to be a pharmacy chosen by both patients and medical institutions by engaging closely with the community and providing accurate information.

UNISMILE Pharmacy Iruka Store,

Related contents

• Business Overview: Community healthcare and nursing care support business
• Business Overview: Healthcare Product Development Business

The transformation to a health creation enterprise

• Top Conversation
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• Smart Logistics
• Community-based in-Home Healthcare
• Specialty drug distribution
• Promotion of DX

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