- The following is content from the press release -
(Head office: Chuo-ku, Osaka), together with Fast Doctor Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), launched a new initiative on August 15, 2024 (Thursday) to solve issues related to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare by providing services to "prepare" for sudden onset of health problems.
One year after the start of the initiative
Under the corporate message of "Smile Raising Your Child. Under the corporate message of "Akachan Honpo," the company provides products, information, and services related to pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing, and aims to realize a society where people can have and raise children with peace of mind by learning about "life with babies" and solving social issues that can be seen through such knowledge.
Fast Doctor aims to create a society in which everyone can enjoy 24-hour seamless medical care by strengthening the functions of family doctors during nights and holidays when access to medical care is difficult.
In July 2023, Akachan Honpo launched "Fast Doctor with Akachan Honpo" in sympathy with the concept of "with akachanhonpo," which is an initiative by Akachan Honpo to "solve issues and problems in pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing together" with various people and companies. with Akachanhonpo" was launched in July 2023. Over the past year since the start of the initiative, Akachan Honpo has been promoting the Fast Doctor application as a guide.
Approximately 1,500 medical consultations per year from customers connected to the Fast Doctor app from Akachan Honpo(*1)The online medical service, which began in January 2024, is gradually becoming available to customers, and we are making steady progress in our goal of working together with mothers and fathers to resolve any problems they may be experiencing.
However, while we can appreciate the results of the efforts of both companies over the past year, we also felt the need to further enhance the value of these efforts, rather than continuing with the same initiatives. We have decided to reaffirm our customers' "disadvantages" over the past year and launch a new initiative, based on the prospect of considering initiatives that can solve the "disadvantages" of both customers.
(*1) According to Fast Doctor Co.
To solve further problems
～Common problems that emerged from the surveys of both companies
Mr. Mizuno, Representative, Fast Doctor
According to the Japan Research Institute's "Questionnaire on the development of nighttime and holiday primary school emergency medical care systems," about 50% of families with primary school-aged children or younger have a primary school-aged child.(*2)of the mothers and fathers answered that they are anxious about seeing a doctor at least once a year during the night or on weekends when their children are injured or unwell.
In addition, when a child suddenly becomes ill at night or on holidays, 119 or the emergency room is likely to be recalled, but about 70% of (*2)of parents said they were not sure about using the number. For example, about 50% of the reasons why they considered but decided not to use the 119 number(*2)was "could not decide whether or not to call an ambulance," and the same was true in the case of the emergency room. This indicates the difficulty for parents to make a decision by themselves when their child is not feeling well.
Survey shows about 80%.(*2)However, only 4% of these families have a family doctor who is available 24/7 and provides medical services at night. We believe that the current situation is that people are unable to consult or make their own decisions, and are therefore reluctant to use medical services, and that there is a need to establish a consultation service that is open to all.
(*2) From "Questionnaire on the development of nighttime/holiday primary child emergency medical care system", Japan Research Institute, Inc.
Representative Ajishi, Akachan Honpo
We also conducted a survey of our customers with children between the ages of 0 and 6 years old, and found that approximately 80% of them had children, regardless of whether it was during the day or at night.(*3)of customers indicated that they had had problems with medical treatment for their children's illnesses and injuries.
The most common reasons given were "could not decide whether to take the patient to the hospital even during office hours" and "could not decide whether to wait until the next office hour if it was after office hours," confirming that the respondents were troubled by the "could not decide" part of their symptoms.
About 60% about medical services they would use again(*3)of the respondents answered "telephone consultation," while about 30% actually used it.(*3)and half the number of patients. This could be viewed as the current situation where 30% of these patients were anxious about their child's symptoms and waiting for the next clinic hour.
Here, we see a common concern of "could not make a decision," regardless of whether it is during the day or at night. Fast Doctor's survey results also showed that "could not make a decision," indicating that although there is an environment where consultation is available, people are not aware of it or are hesitant to use it.
The fact is that some people are hesitant to call or see a doctor with concerns about their child's physical condition. The priority should be the physical condition of the child and the patient. We felt that it is necessary to raise awareness and create an environment in which people feel they can consult with us at any time without hesitation.
(*3) From a survey by Akachan Honpo Co., Ltd. on problems with medical treatment for children's illnesses and injuries.
Survey period: 7/20 (Sat.) to 7/28 (Sun.) for 9 days Method: Web survey Number of responses: 1126
～Medical consultation service in the Akachanhonpo application.
Mr. Mizuno, Representative, Fast Doctor
This time, as part of the second phase of the initiative, we have been asked to set up a window in the Akachanhonpo application that leads to free medical consultation with Fast Doctor. There are many emergency medical consultation services in the world, but if they are not used, their value will not be realized. We believe that the placement of the consultation desk in the Akachan Honpo app will bring the medical consultation desk to the attention of people on a regular basis and eliminate some of the hesitation to seek medical advice.
~To solve the problems of the whole family
Representative Ajishi, Akachan Honpo
The goal is not to set up a contact point, but rather to resolve customers' "inconvenience" by having them use this service without hesitation when they are unable to see a medical institution. To this end, we hope that customers will not continue to feel anxious due to hesitation, but will change their way of thinking so that they feel it is OK to consult with us if they are in trouble. I believe that we must also continue to communicate this message to our customers.
Mr. Mizuno, Representative, Fast Doctor
Fast Doctor also has an online service for mental health care and counseling, and a very large percentage of the counseling there is also for parenting concerns.
Representative Ajishi, Akachan Honpo
We also feel a sense of challenge in dealing with customer discomfort and consultation arising from child-rearing issues and other problems. I had the opportunity to interview an employee who recently gave birth and heard that she had to have a C-section in a hurry. Pregnancy and childbirth are not only anxiety-provoking, but it is also important to think about what we can do to help customers feel more physically and mentally challenged due to unexpected events.
Representative Ajishi, Akachan Honpo
Smiling Parenting" is our corporate message. I believe that we need to work on mental health care and counseling to ease anxiety and bring smiles to the faces of our customers. We would like to provide families raising children with an app that they can use on a regular basis not only to buy things, but also to resolve various lifestyle concerns. First of all, let's establish a dedicated contact point on the app and work together to help those in need.
Mr. Mizuno, Representative, Fast Doctor
We would like to continue to strengthen our partnerships with these companies, as strengthening the "Casual Medical Consultation" will lead to our vision of "taking on the role of a family doctor for 100 million people".
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About Akachan Honpo
Akachan Honpo aims to provide products, services, and information that meet the needs of our customers under the corporate message of "Smile Childcare. Akachan Honpo aims to provide products, services, and information that meet the needs of our customers under the corporate message "Akachan Honpo.
