Tokushukai Medical Group’s Shonan Kamakura General Hospital (SKGH) and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) are pleased to announce the commencement of a pilot project in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, the aim of which is to demonstrate the feasibility of lifelog-based* “health promotion and monitoring” services. The project began monitoring expecting and nursing mothers being treated at SKGH in late April 2023 and local Rotary Club members in late May 2023. It is being conducted jointly by SKGHand MC, in collaboration with a number of other entities, including NTT DATA Corporation (NTT DATA), Link & Communication Inc. (L&C), and Peace Tec Lab, Inc. (Peace Tec Lab).
The trials are being run primarily in the Muraoka-Fukasawa District, which spans the cities of Fujisawa and Kamakura. Considering that interests in this district have been engaged in discussions on urban development work that focuses on health-related innovations, this pilot project is a good fit. Its objectives are to help realize the shared vision of those interests to rebuild the district with advanced services and accelerate next-generation, health-monitoring capabilities that make effective use of personal health records.
*Digitized personal records of daily life and activities
1. Project Background
In May 2019, SKGH, Shonan Health Innovation Park (Shonan iPark), and the governments of Kanagawa Prefecture, Fujisawa City and Kamakura City signed a memorandum of understanding to promote advanced, health-related innovations in the Muraoka-Fukasawa District, their joint objective being to develop the district into a center for cutting-edge health innovation. Up until recently, MC had been serving as an advisor, but it has now become more directly engaged in the initiative through this pilot project with SKGH.
2. Project Summary
(1) Health Monitoring Trials for Expecting and Nursing Mothers
Together, SKGHand MC have equipped the hospital’s expecting and nursing mothers with wearable devices that record lifelog data (amount of exercise, quality of sleep, etc.). The hospital’s staff have been monitoring those data with the “Health Data Bank,” a health-management system developed by NTT DATA. The mothers have also been receiving advice via “Calomama Plus,” an AI-driven health app developed by L&C, regarding in-hospital prenatal and postnatal consultations, advanced postnatal home care, and so on. Furthermore, the mothers are being encouraged to take advantage of the subscription-based, “Alice Style Prime” product-sharing platform developed by Peace Tec Labs. The platform can facilitate postnatal care tailored to varying lifestyles by offering rentals of a wide range of products, including home electronics, fitness equipment, and childcare goods that are typically only used for a short time.
By creating a stress-free environment for expecting and nursing mothers to both deliver and raise their children, this project aims to address Japan’s aging society by promoting the growth of a younger population. It is also invested in the development of appealing services that meet the Muraoka-Fukasawa District’s new needs in urban development.
(2) Resident Health Improvement Trials
This project also includes trials aimed at making the district’s residents more aware of their own health and verifying the feasibility of establishing lifelog-based services in the newly developed communities. Wearable devices have also been distributed to local Rotary Club members, whose daily lifelog data is being used in conjunction with a program on the Calomama Plus app that is designed to promote good health through proper exercise, sleep and nutrition. Residents are being encouraged to use both the program and other value-added services that were derived from it.
About Shonan Kamakura General Hospital (URL: www.skgh.jp)
Shonan Kamakura General Hospital opened in November 1988 with 368 beds. Dedicated to always meeting the region’s urgent medical needs, SKGHhas continued to diversify and grow its systems and capabilities. In 2021, it completed construction of a new cutting-edge medical center designed to treat those in need of advanced care, including proton therapy, PET and CT scans, regenerative medicine and so on. This year, SKGHcompleted construction of two more centers, one to provide emergency and critical care, and the other to treat victims of trauma. The hospital has now grown its general capacity to 669 beds.
About Mitsubishi Corporation (URL: www.mitsubishicorp.com)
MC works with its roughly 1,700 subsidiaries, affiliates and group companies to develop businesses all over the world. Spanning multiple industries and regions, these businesses are overseen by MC’s Industry Digital Transformation Group, Next-Generation Energy Business Group and 10 other industry-specific business groups: Natural Gas, Industrial Materials, Petroleum & Chemicals, Mineral Resources, Industrial Infrastructure, Automotive & Mobility, Food Industry, Consumer Industry, Power Solution, and Urban Development. Over the decades, MC’s operations have expanded from trading to include development, production, manufacturing and other activities, which it engages in together with its partners worldwide.
About NTT DATA Corporation (URL: www.nttdata.com)
NTT DATA is an IT services provider that is active in more than 50 countries. Its mission is work with its customers in leveraging information technology to reform businesses and solve societal problems, thereby contributing to a more affluent and harmonious future. The company’s services span everything from consulting to systems development and operations.
About Link & Communication Inc. (URL: www.linkncom.co.jp/)
Link & Communication is a healthtech company dedicated to the development of specialist-based health-support systems. To fulfill its mission to make our world a healthier place, it relies on its network of ICT professionals and healthcare specialists, which includes more than 10,000 nutritionists and registered dieticians across Japan. As a leader in the fields of food, health and nutrition, the company provides its customers with food and other general health-related advice and information.
About Peace Tec Lab, Inc. (URL: https://peaceteclab.co.jp/)
Based on its corporate philosophy to help create equal-opportunity societies by promoting the lending and borrowing of goods, Peace Tec Lab is engaged in a variety of businesses, including new product developments and work to strengthen business connections through its Alice Style product-sharing platform. In its aim to address physical-property-related societal challenges, the company is also involved in the building of SDG-compliant social infrastructure.
*The product, company and entity names mentioned in this press release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Inquiries:
Shonan Kamakura General Hospital
Mail: kouhou@shonankamakura.or.jp
Mitsubishi Corporation
Tel: 03-3210-2171
Link & Communication Inc.
Mail pr@linkncom.co.jp
Peace Tec Lab, Inc.
Tel: 090-9009-2448 / 080-3318-0550
Mail: pr@alice.style
Topic:Â Press release summary