Leveraging ICT to contribute to a society that supports the elderly

Tokyo, Jan 23, 2013 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced the introduction of a new cloud service that comprehensively supports the health and lifestyles of senior citizens through home healthcare and nursing services. The new cloud service, to be rolled out only in Japan starting from today, was developed through the experience Fujitsu gained over the past two years in using ICT in senior care on the front lines of home healthcare and in areas stricken by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Based on the concept of "leveraging ICT to contribute to a society that supports the elderly," Fujitsu's new social cloud service assists institutions that provide aid to the elderly, such as home healthcare and nursing services, local and non-profit organizations, and also lifestyle businesses. The service also aims to connect seniors to a broader network within society, including healthcare and nursing services, local communities, retail services, and family members.

As a first step to achieving these goals, Fujitsu has developed three types of specialized home healthcare and nursing services under the name "Fujitsu Intelligent Society Solution Senior Care Cloud Oushin Sensei"(1) (hereafter Oushin Sensei). The Company today rolled out a "Home Healthcare Support SaaS" designed to improve the quality of home healthcare services while also reducing the burden on caregivers. Starting in May, Fujitsu will offer a "Home Team Care SaaS" to enable broader collaboration between different care services and facilitate teamwork in supporting the elderly by linking information collected by home healthcare and nursing staff. A "Home Healthcare Support Contact Center Service," which manages correspondences and inquiries from patients and their families 24/7, is also available starting from today.

Fujitsu's new service was developed in collaboration with Shinsuke Muto, president of You Home Clinic, Tetsuyu Institute Medical Corporation, an organization that makes continuous advances on the front lines of home healthcare.

Background

As the number of people aged 65 and over now comprises 24% of its total population, Japan is facing numerous challenges in dealing with a globally unprecedented "super aging society."

Despite a desire to live safely and comfortably on their own, in reality many senior citizens are facing isolation and insecurity due to the decline of local communities and weaker relationships with other people. Presently, even though 60% of seniors prefer to receive medical care in their own home, 80% pass away in hospitals. Furthermore, the total social welfare benefit cost to care for the elderly amounted to 35 trillion yen in 2012, and this figure is steadily increasing each year. This situation places significant economic and personal pressure on the generation of workers that must continue to support the aged population.

Moving forward, it will be necessary for Japan to continue to support its elderly population with limited medical resources, and in order to solve the various challenges listed above, a nationwide collaboration focused on the advancement of home healthcare and nursing services is expected.

Overview of Oushin Sensei

1. Home Healthcare Support SaaS: Supporting more efficient home healthcare services

The Home Healthcare Support SaaS is equipped with a number of useful functions in case of an emergency, such as the "Dr. Navigation" function that can guide staff from a parking lot located near a patient's home to the front door, as well as the "Schedule Master" function that allows organizations to schedule doctor visits more efficiently by utilizing positional data in relation to the homes of other patients. Furthermore, by utilizing the "House Call Sheet" feature, doctors will be able to access updated background information and prescription data for each patient on a tablet computer when making house calls. This will enable doctors to provide more thorough treatment when visiting a patient at home.

In demonstration testing over the past two years, use of the Home Healthcare Support SaaS has facilitated both role-sharing and information coordination for doctors and staff members. This has greatly improved the time that doctors spend together with patients.

2. Home Team Care SaaS: Enabling broader collaboration between different care services through data coordination

In providing home healthcare and nursing services to elderly patients, different specialists, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, care managers, and caregivers, form a team based on patients' health patterns and cognitive abilities. Fujitsu Home Team Care SaaS provides a shared space in the cloud for the standardized forms required by team members, such as health and lifestyle e information, as well as a space for exchanging schedules and messages. This allows members to access the newest vital information for a patient anywhere at any time.

3. Home Healthcare Support Contact Center Service: Providing patients and their families 24/7 support for correspondence and inquiries

Fujitsu Home Healthcare Support Contact Center Service provides 24/7 telephone support, including off-hours and emergency service, to patients and families by connecting them to nurses who have specialized training. Calls placed by the patient or a family member are directed to the most appropriate party, helping to reduce the burden on busy doctors and other staff.

Target Sales

Fujitsu aims to achieve cumulative sales of 6 billion yen by fiscal 2015. The target business operators are organizations in the senior care marketplace, including home healthcare and nursing services, local and non-profit organizations, as well as lifestyle businesses.

Pricing and availability in Japan are available at www.fujitsu.com/global/news/pr/archives/month/2013/20130123-01.html.

* Oushin Sensei: Oushin Sensei can be translated as "Doctor House Call."

About Fujitsu Limited

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Over 170,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$54 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.



Source: Fujitsu Limited

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