April 2020 to March 2021

Hajime Yamada (General Manager, Accessibility Study Group; Professor Emeritus, Toyo University）
Takashi Kawazoe (President, Carepro, Inc.)
Naoki Sakakibara (Associate Professor, Faculty of Human Studies, Seisen Jogakuin College)
Ryoko Shimono (Project Assistant Professor, Presidential Endowed Chair for “Platinum Society”, the University of Tokyo)
Chika Sekine (Chairperson and Senior Fellow, UDIT Inc.)
Kazuyoshi Senda (Professor, College of Pharmacy, Kinjo Gakuin University)
Isamu Hirao (President, Regional manegement Platinum lnstitute)
Keiko Fujikata (NPO Shonan Fujisawa Senior Network)
Kazuko Yuma (Chief Fellow, Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies)

   The COVID-19 pandemic, which started in Wuhan, China, spread not only in Japan but also around the world, in this era of globalization where movements of people and things take place on a global scale. Efforts to contain the pandemic are still underway. This unprecedented situation has highlighted the delay in Japan's digitalization, with the healthcare sector drawing attention as one of the areas where the pace of informatization has been sluggish due to institutional and regulatory barriers.

   In this research, in addition to the policy trends in relevant ministries and agencies, we also summarized the response of the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, we identified advanced cases of development and social implementation of cutting-edge technologies, such as digital auscultation devices, wearable sensors, and VR, and investigated the use of technologies from the viewpoint of QOL and QOD. We also investigated the “once-only principle” being implemented in Denmark as an example of initiatives overseas.

   The time has come to explore approaches to health, medical care, and nursing care that are consistent with the "new normal" and to further promote DX in the healthcare sector by utilizing ICT, including cutting-edge technologies such as AI and IoT. In this research, we came up with recommendations on how the use of cutting-edge technologies in the healthcare sector can contribute to social transformation and the “new normal.”

   Also, in relation to this research, we held a symposium on "Wellbeing and DX: Living in the COVID-19 era” on March 23, 2021.