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Our History and future
October 1, 2008, the Hepatitis Information Center established at Kohnodai Hospital, National Center for Global Health and Medicine.
"The Hepatitis Information Center Concept" of 2007 was as follows: In order to promote the standardization of hepatitis treatment and improvement of medical standards nationwide, a system to support regional core centers for is necessary, especially for information dissemination functions, and to do so, the infrastructure should be established. As basic and clinical research on hepatitis is progressing rapidly both in Japan and overseas, this make it more important to create a database of information and update the regularly. In addition, a system to share the accurate information widely should be established.
Based on the above Hepatitis Information Center Concept, the Hepatitis Information Center was established at Kohnodai Hospital, National Center for Global Health and Medicine on October 1, 2008. Its main roles are as follows.
- Providing information on hepatitis treatment and setting up a website,
- Supporting the information sharing among the regional core centers,
- Organizing training sessions for medical staffs at the regional core centers, etc.
The Hepatitis Information Center has played a significant role in promoting the liver disease care system in Japan.
Strategic strengthening since 2016 in the Hepatitis Information Center
The Administrative Operations Disclosure Process for the project of the regional core center was implemented in June 2015. In the process, it was proposed that "equalization among the regional core centers," "strengthening functions of the Hepatitis Information Center," "efforts to address the regional disparities in the rate of medical consultations among individuals after test positive for hepatitis," and "reviewing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)" are necessary. Consequently, the role of Hepatitis Information Center has largely been revised. To "improve the quality of hepatitis treatment in the region, the Center requires strategic strengthening, as the intensive support system for regional core centers, and there local the network of liver disease treatment". The following new projects were decided to be implemented.
- Strengthening the support system for regional core centers by Hepatitis Information Center,
- Enhancement of the regional network for liver disease,
- PDCA cycle through the establishment of multiple KPIs,
From 2023, in order to achieve the standardization of hepatitis care, implementation of hepatitis control measures in prefectures is to be monitored and evaluated with the scoring systems, plus the implementation of support for local government (prefectures and cities) to establish a cooperative interaction with regional core hospitals and local healthcare facilities for liver disease treatment.
Future Role of the Hepatitis Information Center
Based on these reviews, the role of the Center in the "Strategic Strengthening Project for the Hepatitis Information Center," which is centered on human resource support, information support, and policy outreach, is as follows.
- To support the regional core centers responsible for 1) coordinating specialized institutions and liver disease-related facilities within each prefecture, and 2) enhancing counseling and support for hepatitis patients.
- To encourage a wide range of generations to receive and undergo medical examinations through a variety of public relations.