Annual Report 2023
Department of Nursing
Miho Kurihara, Kazue Hayasaka, Tamae Hiramatsu, Miki Kondo, Megumi Yamagishi, Yoshiko Kaneda, Akiko Maruta, Miyuki Manaka, Emiko Sasai, Harumi Miyazaki, Makiko Suzuki, Mifumi Nakajima, Aki Yaguchi, Mayumi Hara, Nao Katagiri, Chisato Ichikawa, Emiko Yasukawa, Chiemi Saito, Yuta Hirano, Michiko Murata
Introduction
Under the nursing philosophy to “contribute as active members of the team working in state-of-the-art cancer treatment, and to participate in the development of cancer nursing at the core hospital providing cancer nursing care in Japan,” the Department of Nursing of the National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCCE) conducts activities according to the following basic policies:
1. To provide nursing care founded on trust and reassurance, respecting the patient's rights and dignity of life,
2. To pursue the essential values of nursing and practice scientific and creative nursing,
3. To facilitate clinical studies and disseminate new information concerning cancer nursing and
4. To promote the development of leadership skills.
The Department of Nursing ensures a balance between providing high-quality medical and nursing care, business management efficiency, and actively participating in and contributing to the hospital’s management.
Routine Activities
1) Nursing activities
To provide the best nursing that is safe and reliable and that embraces the medical advances and the needs of patients and their families, with an awareness and sense of responsibility as nurses of the Hospital East, the Department of Nursing actively engages in the following activities: participate in hospital management in a coordinated, cooperative and collaborative manner beyond the boundaries of occupational categories; provide high-quality nursing while expanding the nursing specialty; and ensure appropriate personnel assignment so that we can handle an increasing number of patients and workload each year. We also promote decision-making and the division and transfer of operations in coordination and collaboration with doctors, nurses’ aides such as clerks and assistant nurses, and other co-medicals. We are establishing a system to provide high-quality, efficient, and practical nursing services to improve operations, promote team medicine, promote medical cooperation within the region, and develop human resources.
We have strengthened the centralization of bed status and continued smooth bed management by the head nurse, resulting in an occupancy rate of 101.3% (102.5% in 2022).
At the WOC (Wound and Excretion Control) Outpatient, AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) Nursing Outpatient, Outpatient Radiology Nursing Outpatient, and Cancer Chemotherapy Nursing Outpatient, specialist nurses and certified nurses provide comprehensive support such as whole-body management and consultations to complete outpatient cancer chemotherapy and radiation therapy and enabling patients to realize their goals in their own lives and life.
We established a system in which we can continuously provide supplementary explanations on treatments, risk assessment, prevention and management of adverse effects, etc., including before, during, and after chemotherapy so that patients can complete chemotherapy more safely and efficiently.
At the Hospitalization Preparation Center, which was established in the outpatient department, we are working to strengthen the hospitalization/discharge support system and PFM (patient flow management). We provide multifaceted support, including ethical considerations, even before admission.
A hotel opened on the hospital grounds in July 2022. Some outpatient medical services have been moved to the hotel’s second floor. We also work with hotel operators to develop services that meet the needs of patients and their families staying at the hotel. In the future, we plan to develop accommodation plans that meet even more needs and aim to expand our services.
2) Educational activities
We operate a career ladder system that evaluates the suitability, fairness, and appropriateness of career advancement based on each nurse's background and ability, and each nurse works on self-development and human resource development while assessing the level of their abilities, such as specialized nursing skills, practical nursing ability, and nursing management ability.
3) Nurse specialists and certified nurses
In fiscal 2023, we had the following nurses newly certified: one Certified Nurse Specialist in Gerontological Nursing, one certified nurse in cancer chemotherapy nursing, one certified nurse in Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing, and one certified nurse in Dysphagia nursing.
There are 12 nurse specialists in three areas, 51 certified nurses in twelve, and two accredited nurse administrators who serve as role models in nursing practice in their respective specialties and provide education, instruction, etc.
Nine people in six categories have completed the specific action training, contributing to the expanding role of nurses and the task shift of doctors' work.
The in-house education program for certified nurses in anticancer IV, which was launched to expand the specialties and operations of nurses, has entered its 10th year, and 131 in-house certified nurses in anticancer IV and 19 in-house certified nurses in radiotherapy and intravenous injection are currently working actively in the hospital wards, Outpatient Treatment Center, Department of Radiological Diagnosis, etc.
We provided an open Cancer Nursing Seminar,” Communication skill training,” and “Dementia Response Training” to help cultivate nurses outside our hospital. Many nurses from all over the country have been highly acclaimed.
4) Operation of certified nurse education courses and training of accredited nurses
The Japanese Nursing Association is an educational institution equipped to educate certified nurses. The association rated us highly for our excellent medical and nursing care, rich educational human resources, and the content of our academic programs, in which “certified nurse education courses” have been established within the hospital. We provided an “Education course for certification in palliative care” in 2013, an “Education course for certification in cancer chemotherapy” in 2016, an “Education course for certification in cancer radiation therapy” in 2018, and an “Education course for certification in cancer chemotherapy.”
In 2023, 4 trainees in cancer chemotherapy completed the course and are currently waiting for the qualification exam.
Since the education courses were established, 93 trainees have completed five terms of the palliative care course, 63 trainees in five terms of the cancer chemotherapy course, and 23 trainees in two terms of radiation nursing, respectively. of these, 93 trainees passed the certification examination by the Japanese Nursing Association in palliative care, 51 in cancer chemotherapy, and 23 in cancer radiation nursing. They are now actively working in their respective medical institutions as certified nurses, providing high levels of nursing with advanced nursing skills and helping to raise the care skills of other nurses based on the three roles of practice, instruction, and consultation.
Research Activities
In fiscal 2023, 29 presentations were made at academic conferences, with support from the Hospital East clinical research support team, the nursing research support team of nurse specialists and certified nurses, and the nursing research society. These research support teams provided advice during the research process and inspired nurses to take on challenges and tackle issues that arise during clinical practice. In the future, we intend to improve the quality of nursing research so that our nursing department can create and promote new, evidence-based methods of cancer nursing.
Future Prospects
As a core clinical research hospital, we are expected to progress, become a world-leading base for developing new drugs and equipment, and provide pioneering medical care and advanced treatment.
As a member of team medicine, the Department of Nursing, Hospital East will continue to secure, cultivate, and appropriately assign nurses as the foundation for improving nursing quality and adapting nursing to meet the demands of medicine as it evolves. We will also provide pioneering medical care fit for a core clinical research hospital and advanced treatment hospital, promote clinical research and trials, and strengthen the medicaml safety system.
Recognizing that the philosophy and mission of a cancer research center cannot be achieved without stable management, we will keep improving our management in cooperation and collaboration with other departments.