[Integrated Community Care from the Perspective of Patients Receiving End-of-Life Treatment]

I studied patients who had received end-of-life care at our clinic and investigated integrated community care based on these experiences. Atotal of 543 patients received end-of-life care at our clinic from October of 2007 to December of 2012. The number of those who received such care at home showed a growing trend while the number of patients receiving such care at hospitals tended to decrease. This was believed to be the effect of the aging population rate continuing to increase each year in Akita City. Understanding of home healthcare is still insufficient not only among patients' families but even among healthcare professionals as well. However, now that extensive home care collaboration networks have been formed, provision of end-of-life care at hospitals may be showing a declining trend. The first report by the Headquarters for the Promotion of Social Security System Reform, dated June 15, 2015, which was compiled by cabinet members, estimated the number of beds considered appropriate as of 2025. According to the report, there were over 150,000 excess beds throughout Japan with Akita Prefecture having approximately 3,500 extra beds. Collaboration between hospitals and home-based healthcare becomes important for many reasons, one of which is to make effective use of the limited number of beds. Therefore, there is a need to further improve and strengthen the integrated community care system.