Nursing Division
Introduction
The life-style of cancer patients has been changing recently; they not only undergo cancer treatment in the hospital but also live in a society with an understanding of what cancer is. Therefore, nursing is required to meet higher standards in order to meet such various needs. The Nursing Division has set out the following basic principles:
1. To establish good rapport between patients and nurses in order to grasp patients' needs adequately, and to provide peaceful nursing care.
2. As an expert caregiver for cancer patients, not only to search for the essence of nursing, but also to make efforts to improve ourselves as human beings.
3. To progress and reform constantly in order to be professional health care providers for cancer patients.
We, as nurses, provide the care that focuses on the individual patient and patientﾕs routine activity. Moreover, we are always making efforts to improve our medical services for making our patients and their families feel comfortable and satisfied.
Routine Activities
We, 235 nurses and 35 nurse's aides, are involved in the nursing care for 314.9 outpatients per day and 383.1 inpatients per day. The outpatient center has 20 beds and 18 outpatient departments, and ten wards. With recent reforms in Japan, such as a reduction in the duration that inpatients spend in the hospital, the number of outpatients who visit the center is 45.0 per day.
Patients are assigned to a ward based on the organ affected by cancer. Therefore, patients can undergo intensive care in their wards. This idea is based on respect for the patients' quality of life. New cancer treatment such as proton irradiation therapy has been administered since last November. In order to provide a higher quality of nursing care, we formulate nursing objectives every year. Objectives are evaluated at each department to assure that next year's goals meet the outcome to improve our services. Nursing consultation was established in 1995. Its aim is to support home nursing care. The activities of the over-seas training committee are to improve the patients' education, and to make an effort to improve the patients' and caregivers' abilities for care by themselves.
New Developments
1. We accepted sixteen nurses from all parts of Japan for training in the alleviation of pain and stress ward. The range of duration of training varied from two weeks to three months. Thus, we strongly believe that we accomplished our mission as a pioneer in the care of "the alleviation of pain and stress."
2. Also, we accepted the first nursing students of Noda School of Nursing in Chiba into our hospital as a practical teaching institution from June to December. A total of 35 students received training at our institution. They seemed to realize the reality such as the difficulties and joys of patient care through actual nursing practice. This was the first experience for us. However, we also learned many things through this program.
3. We have organized the 13th Meeting of the Japanese Society of Cancer Nursing on February 27 and 28 in 1999.
4. We presented five research reports, four published research papers, and twelve lectures.
Statistics
| Organized by | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
| Ministry of Health and Welfare | ||||||
| Training nurse | 4 | 6 | ||||
| Teaching nurse | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Supervisor | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Nursing management training organized by Chiba Prefecture | 1 | |||||
| Nursing training by Mayo Clinic (USA) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Total | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | |
| Palliative care unit | 16 | 7 | 32 (3) | 21 (2) | 18 (2) |
| General | 7 | 25 |
