Department of Medical Support
Overview of the department
The Department of Medical Support consists of technical staff belonging to the Department of Clinical Laboratories, Department of Radiology, Division of Rehabilitation Medicine, and ME center. To smoothly provide medical techniques required in clinical practice, promote efficient hospital management, and improve medical services for patients, a limited number of human resources (technical staff) are adequately arranged and effectively utilized.
Organization system and major business activities
The organization system of our department consists of 4 divisions under the Director and Assistant Director of the Department of Medical Support. Each division consists of a head and relevant technical staff, as described below.
Division of Clinical Examination
1) Support of serum, biochemical, blood, and bacterial sample tests, physiological function tests, such as electrocardiography, ultrasonography, electroencephalography, and electromyography, blood collection-supporting activities, ICT activities, specialized “dock” business, guidance for diabetes care, and NST activities
2) Clinical technologists, belonging to the Department of Blood Transfusion, responsible for the management of blood preparations and blood transfusion tests
3) Clinical technologists, belonging to the Division of Surgical Pathology, responsible for the preparation of specimens for histo-/cytodiagnosis, pathological/cytological diagnoses, and morphological diagnosis using an electron microscope
4) Clinical technologists, belonging to the Department of Surgery, responsible for intraoperative monitoring/testing, preparations for endoscopy, photographing of intraoperative specimens, autologous blood collection, and preparations for blood transfusion
Division of Radiology
1) Plain radiology of the thorax/abdomen, bone/dental X-ray, X-ray TV tests with barium, cardiac catheterization, CT, and MRI 2) Radiological technicians responsible for nuclear medical examinations, such as PET-CT, with radioactive agents 3) Radiological technicians responsible for advanced radiotherapy, such as IMRT
Division of Rehabilitation
1) Physical therapists responsible for the assessment and treatment of paralysis of the hands/legs, walking ability, and exercise capacity after respiratory/cardiovascular diseases
2) Occupational therapists who improve basic daily activities and social adaptability
3) Speech-language-hearing therapists who manage verbal and eating/deglutition disorders
4) Orthoptists responsible for visual function/field tests
Division of Clinical Engineering
1) Clinical engineering technologists responsible for the maintenance of life-support devices such as artificial heart-lung machines, dialyzers, respirators, and pacemakers
2) Clinical engineering technologists responsible for the inspection of medical instruments in our hospital
3) Dental technicians responsible for the preparation of denture-/implant-assisting devices and those for treating temporomandibular joint disorder in the Department of Dentistry/Oral Surgery
4) Dental hygienists responsible for assisting dental/oral surgery and guidance on dental health care
Primary activities
The Board of the Department of Medical Support and 3 committees (business, safety, and education) were established. The following 3 activities are conducted:
1) Patient-based medical services are efficiently promoted through flexible management and cooperation to establish an occupational environment in which health care professionals can fully implement their specialized techniques.
2) Each member’s safe activities are managed by establishing a safety system for each division.
3) Humanity-characterized technical staff are nurtured by establishing organized education/training systems.
Specialty-certified technologists’ activities
To establish an efficient workflow for medical support and provide safe, optimal medical services for patients, technologists in each division, certified as ultrasonographers in various fields, molecular analysts, diabetes care instructors, cytoscreeners, blood transfusion technologists, NST-specializing clinical technologists, radiotherapy-specializing technologists, mammography screening technologists, MR technologists, breast echography technologists, emergency imaging technologists, cardiac rehabilitation instructors, respiratory therapists, and bone/joint-specializing physical therapists, conduct activities so that they can contribute to team practice. They are exerting efforts to overcome various problems in medical practice.