〜The case search DB has improved the quality and efficiency of consultation services and citizen satisfaction through a demonstration project in Fuchu City, Tokyo.
- The following is content from the press release -
(Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Naoya Hashimoto; hereinafter "Kids Public"), which provides online consultation services to obstetricians, pediatricians, and midwives, has developed and provided the "Minna no Sodan Search," a case search database, as part of the "Child Policy DX (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Naoya Hashimoto; hereinafter "Kids Public") has contributed to improving the quality of consultation services and reducing the workload of public health nurses in a demonstration project conducted in Fuchu City, Tokyo (Mayor: Ritsuo Takano) as part of the "Child Policy DX Model Project" (fiscal 2023 supplementary budget project) promoted by the Child Family Agency.
This demonstration project aims to improve the work of public health nurses in Fuchu City, which had been facing challenges in responding to the increasing number of consultations on child care and acquiring specialized knowledge. Under the national government's DX promotion, "Minnano Sodan Search" was introduced as a solution.
Background: Current status and issues of childcare support in Fuchu City and DX promotion by the government
Like many municipalities in recent years, Fuchu City has seen a trend toward greater diversity and complexity in the content of consultations regarding concerns and problems related to child rearing. In particular, public health nurses have been burdened with the burden of providing consultation services that involve medical judgment, acquiring the latest knowledge, and providing on-the-job training to inexperienced staff. Under these circumstances, the Child and Family Affairs Agency has been promoting DX in the field of child policy, and the establishment of an efficient and high quality consultation response system was an urgent issue.
Providing our case study search DB to Fuchu City, which conducts the Child Policy DX Model Project of the Administration for Children and Families.
In response to these issues, Kids Public provided Fuchu City, which was selected for the "Children's Policy DX We provided this database to Fuchu City, which was selected for the "Children Policy DX Model Project" of the Agency for Children and Families. This enabled public health nurses to quickly access reliable information based on the views of obstetricians, pediatricians, and midwives whenever they needed it. Fuchu citizens can also now search for expert knowledge without blindly searching the Internet.
Outcome 1: Public Health Nurses: 75% of Fuchu City Public Health Nurses Experience Skills Improvement, Both Increased Expertise and Reduced Burden
According to the results of a questionnaire survey (11 public health nurses responded) conducted by Fuchu City during the demonstration period (October 2024 to January 2025), "Minna no Sodan Search" showed the following results.
reskilling
- 75% public health nurses responded that they gained insight into cases they had not dealt with before and responses that differed from their own.
- Contributed to the improvement of our ability to respond to consultations requiring medical expertise.
Reduction of workload
- 62.51 TP6T of public health nurses who used the tool found it effective for their consultation response work.
- Specifically, the survey contributed to the reduction of psychological and time burdens by "reducing the burden of considering the policy for responding to consultations" (25.0%) and "easing anxiety about cases that are difficult to answer" (25.0%).
Confident consultation service
- 25% public health nurses responded that they were able to confidently respond to consultations by previewing consultation cases in advance.
- Regardless of years of experience, the program has shown effectiveness in supporting the work of public health nurses.
Improving the quality of consultation services
- Comparing before and after the introduction of the tool, the group of public health nurses who used the tool (8 respondents) showed a positive trend in 4 out of 5 items related to consultation response and reflection compared to the group of non-users (3 respondents).
- Objective data also suggested an improvement in the quality of consultation response and a deeper opportunity to reflect on one's own response.
Efficient Information Gathering
- The degree of dependence on consultation with colleagues decreased (from 1001 TP6T before introduction to 81.81 TP6T after introduction), contributing to the creation of an environment in which necessary information can be obtained efficiently.
Expectations for Newcomer Training and Work Standardization
- Expectations were expressed that future establishment of the tool would "facilitate consultation responses from residents" (54.51 TP6T), "improve the efficiency of training new public health nurses" and "reduce workload" (45.51 TP6T each).
All users "want to use it again in the future," and it also contributes to the elimination of anxiety and the creation of time.
The introduction of this tool was also highly appreciated by Fuchu citizens (90 respondents, 45 of whom are users of this tool).
High intention to reuse and satisfaction with use
- Of the users of this tool (45 respondents), 75.61 TP6T indicated that there was a change in the status of their worries/concerns. All of them also indicated that they would like to continue using the tool in the future.
Reduced search time
- On average, Internet search time related to pregnancy and parenting was reduced by an average of about 47 minutes per week (from an average of about 109 minutes per week to an average of about 62 minutes per week).
Effect of reducing unnecessary and urgent consultations and medical examinations
- It was suggested that the tool could promote users' ability to resolve their own problems, and could also be expected to inhibit access to consultation at the counter and medical care.
[Future Prospects] Promoting DX for childcare support in local governments nationwide
Based on the success of the Child and Family Agency's "Child Policy DX Model Project" in Fuchu City, Kids Public is confident that "Everybody's Consultation Search" will contribute to reducing the workload of public health nurses, improving their expertise, and enhancing the quality of childcare support for residents in local governments nationwide. Going forward, Kids Public will accelerate the nationwide rollout of this service and further improve its functions to provide strong support for local governments' childcare support DX.
Based on the results of this project, Fuchu City is aiming to further increase public awareness of the tool, to establish the use of public health nurses, and to use the time created by the use of the tool to provide more support to families that need it.
About Fuchu City, Tokyo
Located roughly in the center of Tokyo, the city is rich in nature with the lush greenery of Musashino and history and culture, including the Okunitama Shrine. The city is also making efforts to support child-raising, aiming to realize a "Kodomo-Mannaka Society.
(Area: 29.43㎢, Total population: 260,758 (as of April 1, 2025))
About Kids Public Inc.
Established in 2015 with the philosophy of "realizing a society where no one is isolated when it comes to child rearing. It provides various services to support children's health and child rearing via the Internet. Its main services, "Obstetrics & Gynecology Online and Pediatrics Online," have been introduced in 185 cities, wards, towns, and villages nationwide (as of May 2025), and the cumulative number of consultations exceeds 200,000.
URL:https://kids-public.co.jp/
For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact
Public Relations Office, Kids Public Inc.
Location: SK Midoshirocho Building 5F, 11-8 Kanda Midoshirocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
tel: 03-6774-7937
E-Mail: marketing@kids-public.co.jp
Date of establishment: December 28, 2015
Representative: Naoya Hashimoto, Representative Director (Pediatrician)
Business description: With the philosophy of "realizing a society in which no one is isolated in raising children," the company provides support for children's health and child rearing through the Internet.
Services Offered:
Telehealth Medical Consultation Service
- Pediatrics Onlinehttps://syounika.jp/
- OB/GYN Onlinehttps://obstetrics.jp/
Medical Media
- Online Journal of Pediatricshttps://journal.syounika.jp/
- OB/GYN Online Journalhttps://journal.obstetrics.jp/
Problem Solving BOT
- Kusuribo: Pregnancy - Lactation Medication Information Search Chatbot
