Developing sustainable public health care systems for responding to COVID-19 in Japan

Despite having prevented public health center (PHC) dysfunction in response to COVID-19 during the first wave, public health nurses (PHNs) who play a central role in preventing COVID-19 and supporting community people were unable to share practical knowledge with other PHNs immediately. This report aims to introduce the development of novel sustainable public health care systems with regard to COVID-19 in Japan: task sharing, securing staff, and task shifting.

A descriptive study. The Japan Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare enlisted good practices regarding resource allocation and developing full readiness for sustainable public health care systems in September 2020.

Public health center developed systems for office support, infection control, hospital coordination, and outsourced inventory control. To reduce the workload of PHNs, a support team of three to four office workers developed a response manual for residents and a format for telephone consultations regarding COVID-19. Developing an infection control team and web-based system for hospital coordination decreased the workload of PHCs in each community to prepare for the pandemic.

Public health center should consider managing limited human resources and focus on providing specialized care for COVID-19 patients. Task sharing, securing staff, and task shifting are crucial strategies for developing sustainable public health care systems.