- Below is the content from the press release--
-Eliminating concerns about sudden changes in the health of small children during the hours when the hospital is closed.
(Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Kodai Tabita; hereinafter "Northstar") has expanded the coverage area of its after-hours pediatric health consultation application "Kids Doctor" from the Kanto metropolitan area and three prefectures to all areas of Japan, starting July 13, 2022. The service area has been expanded from the Kanto metropolitan area and three prefectures to the entire country.
After the pandemic of the new coronavirus in early 2020, other infectious diseases among children had been on a downward trend due to the long-standing behavioral restrictions placed on people's lives, but this summer, such behavioral restrictions have been relaxed, resulting in a significant change in the trend. According to statistics from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Information Center for Infectious Diseases, summer illnesses among children (infectious gastroenteritis, pool fever, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, RS virus infection, etc.), which have been on the decline for the past two years, are showing signs of an epidemic*. During the summer vacation season from late July to August this year, various outing promotion measures such as nationwide travel support and prefectural discounts are scheduled to be implemented, and such infectious diseases among children are expected to further increase.
*Tokyo Metropolitan Government Infectious Disease Information Center, "Fixed-point Reported Diseases Weekly Reported Disease Trend Graph"
https://survey.tmiph.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/epidinfo/weeklychart.do
Against this backdrop, demand for Kids Doctor's chat health counseling and online medical care and nighttime house call appointment services has also increased significantly since last year. In particular, the number of requests for online medical appointments has increased tenfold in just over a year since March of the previous year.
▼Graph showing the number of online medical appointments
The main advantages of this gradually expanding online medical practice include the following
▼ Benefits
- You can be seen immediately (reducing the time spent in hospital visits and waiting in medical hours)
- Reduce the risk of nosocomial infection.
- Relax and receive medical examinations in the comfort of your own home.
- Medical examinations are available even in distant and underpopulated areas
- Can also prescribe medications.
Although there are limitations to medical examinations due to the lack of palpation and physical examination, especially on weeknights and holidays when hospitals are not available, the burden on patients and their surroundings is great. In addition, there are great expectations for the use of online medical services in the future to address issues such as emergency hospital shortages and emergency access in underpopulated areas.
In response to this situation, Kids Doctor has been offering an online medical appointment service in the Kanto metropolitan area and three prefectures, but now we have decided to expand the service area nationwide by partnering with medical institutions to provide online medical appointments in order to ease the anxiety of more parents.
Kids Doctor's online medical appointment service is limited to weekday evenings and holidays when hospitals are not available. However, the medical history and consultation information are securely linked in advance to the doctors at the partner medical institutions, allowing patients to receive medical examinations with peace of mind.
Click here to download the application ( https://kids-doctor.jp/ )
▼ Areas where online medical appointments are available
throughout Japan
Hours of Acceptance
Weekdays 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., weekends and holidays 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
*Online medical services are provided by affiliated medical institutions.
*Office hours may change from day to day.
At Kids Doctor, we will continue to improve our services to relieve the concerns of more parents raising children.
About Kids Doctor.
Kids Doctor is a service that was created to provide moms and dads who are worried about their children's health with "peace of mind that they can easily consult with doctors and nurses".
The service includes "chat health consultation" by nurses during weekday evenings and holidays when hospitals are not open, "online medical care" where you can see a doctor on your smartphone, and "house calls" where a doctor can come to your home.
▼Chat Health Consultation
Based on the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare guidelines, the nursing team will provide general medical information and recommendations for medical consultation without medical judgment during hours when hospitals are not open. If it is determined that an after-hours visit to a hospital is necessary, the team will not only provide information on conventional emergency hospitals, but will also provide information on online medical services, nighttime home visit services, nearby emergency hospitals, and cab dispatch to emergency hospitals.
▼Online medical care / Nighttime house calls
Online medical services that allow patients to talk to a doctor when their family clinic is not open, or house calls to the patient's home, can be reserved through a smartphone. These medical services are provided by doctors at affiliated medical institutions, so you can use them with peace of mind (health insurance and children's subsidies are also applicable).
*Click here to download the app ( https://kids-doctor.jp/)
*Kids Doctor Introduction Video
Outline of Northstar Co.
Company name: Northstar Corporation
■Location: Gleams Nihonbashi 8F, 4-7 Nihonbashi Hisamatsucho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
■Representative: Kodai Tabita
■Establishment: January 28, 2021
■Business description: Providing internet-based medical and healthcare-related services Providing medical and healthcare related services using the Internet
■URL: https: //nstr.co.jp/
BTAJ2021 GRAND PRIZE WINNER KIDS DOCTOR'S ONLINE MEDICAL SERVICE AREA HAS FINALLY EXPANDED NATIONWIDE. WITH THE START OF SUMMER VACATION AND THE NUMBER OF NEW CORONA CASES ON THE RISE, IT IS REASSURING FOR PARENTS TO KNOW THAT ONLINE MEDICAL SERVICES ARE NOW AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE.
Let's take a look at the details from the press release.