Tokushukai began a mobile health screening bus service this fiscal year. Ten buses equipped with X-ray systems and other equipment have been introduced at hospitals across Japan, mainly to screen working-age people. The number of people screened has risen steadily, giving the service a promising start.

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The service began in April and is now operating at eight hospitals nationwide. Each institution has selected buses suited to local needs, with either chest X-ray equipment alone or both chest and stomach X-ray equipment. Services include X-rays, blood tests and measurements of height, weight and body mass index (BMI).

Toshinori Yamazaki, Director of Administration at Chiba-Nishi General Hospital, proposed the service. “I had long wanted people of different generations in the community, especially working people who rarely visit healthcare institutions, to understand the importance of preventing illness,” he explains.

Another motivation came when Yamazaki visited areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Seeing a screening bus from a supporting healthcare institution used to check survivors for fractures showed him that these buses were valuable in disasters as well as for disease prevention.

The original plan was to operate only in Chiba Prefecture, but after the proposal was presented to Tokushukai Chairman Torao Tokuda, it developed into a nationwide initiative.

Tokushukai has recently made cancer treatment and preventive medicine priorities across the Group. The service's alignment with these priorities also helped bring it into operation.

Modern digital equipment and attention to privacy

Screening numbers are growing at the participating hospitals. This reflects both the accuracy of the tests and the popularity of thoughtful services that help patients feel at ease.

All testing equipment on the buses uses the latest digital technology. X-ray images can be enlarged as needed, allowing finer details to be viewed than with conventional film images.

Recorded digital data is sent to the hospital's EMR system, so people who later visit for further examination or treatment do not need to repeat the same tests.

Height, weight, BMI and other measurements are automatically transferred from the measuring equipment to a computer. There is no need to read results aloud, helping protect privacy. “A woman recently screened was found to have severe anaemia. She worked as a driver and had sometimes been at risk while driving, so she thanked us and said she was glad she had been screened,” says Akira Namiki, who is responsible for mobile screening.

The hospital also follows up carefully, for example by mailing invitations to people who need further examination. These efforts are helping increase screening attendance.

The digital equipment also supports hospital staff. Digital records make test data easier to manage, including allowing staff to locate a patient's results immediately.

The mobile screening service is steadily delivering results. With an ageing population, increasing chronic disease and pressure to contain healthcare costs amid fiscal constraints, prevention has become a major issue. “Providing high-quality health screening is a responsibility of the Tokushukai Group,” says Yamazaki.

Preventing illness and detecting it early through screening benefits patients and can also help reduce Japan's healthcare expenditure, an important issue in a difficult fiscal environment.

A mobile service that can reach every part of the community is therefore highly valuable. When Tokushukai hospitals operate these services, they can reliably connect prevention and early detection with early treatment.

Source: Tokushukai Newspaper, 7 May 2012, No. 824