The use of information and communication technology in Japanese rural clinics

Hiroyuki Teraura; Seitaro Iguchi; Takahiro Maeda; Soichi Koike; Masatoshi Matsumoto; Sanae Haruyama; Kazuhiko Kotani

doi:10.2185/jrm.2021-026

The use of information and communication technology in Japanese rural clinics

J Rural Med. 2021 Oct;16(4):298-300. doi: 10.2185/jrm.2021-026. Epub 2021 Oct 1.

Authors

Hiroyuki Teraura¹, Seitaro Iguchi², Takahiro Maeda³, Soichi Koike⁴, Masatoshi Matsumoto⁵, Sanae Haruyama⁶, Kazuhiko Kotani¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Community and Family Medicine, Center for Community Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Japan.
² Department of Community Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medicine and Dental Sciences, Japan.
³ Department of General Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Japan.
⁴ Division of Health Policy and Management, Center for Community Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Japan.
⁵ Department of Community-Based Medical Systems, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Japan.
⁶ Faculty of Nursing, Jichi Medical University, Japan.

Abstract

High-speed information and communication technology (ICT) networks stretch all over Japan. However, their utility in facilitating rural healthcare remains uncharacterized. A nationwide questionnaire survey was sent by mail to 1,018 rural clinics constructed in a public manner in municipalities throughout Japan. ICT use was classified by type, including a doctor-to-doctor manner. Only 19% of the 303 clinics surveyed (with a response rate of 30%) used ICT. Specifically, 50% used it in a doctor-to-doctor manner, while 35% used it to obtain electronic medical records. Differences in proficiency levels among ICT users were cited by 21% of the respondents as a major problem associated with ICT use. In Japan, the prevalence of ICT use for rural healthcare appeared low. We suggest a policy reform to facilitate ICT use in rural healthcare.

Keywords: remote medicine; rural medicine; telehealth; telemedicine.