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Key learnings:<ol><li>Human-centered solutions to a critical problem</li><li>Building stronger communication and support</li><li>A solution supporting key users’ needs&nbsp;</li></ol>&nbsp;The recent pandemic put a strain on all of us, but especially on those who needed hospital care even before the COVID virus became prominent. Patients who required continuous care after a hospital stay suffered as medical facility shutdowns and restrictions increased. And without that kind of in-person support, patients grew more and more isolated as conditions remained. The healthcare sector became progressively understaffed, making it challenging for healthcare workers to maintain a proper work-life balance.&nbsp;The team behind Tomopiia recognized this problem and wondered, “How can we support patients online?"Junichiro Shigemura pitched his venture idea to Moon Creative Lab: a platform that helps patients with chronic illnesses track their care and communicate directly with nurses. The platform, which he named&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tomopiia.com/">Tomopiia</a>, provides a new form of communication inspired by the needs of both nurses and patients.<h3>There aren’t enough hours in the day to handle each patient individually&nbsp;</h3>Improving patients’ quality of life is a nurse’s true purpose. As some of the closest healthcare professionals to patients,&nbsp;nurses can often become optimistic cheerleaders, giving patients hope in dark and despairing times.&nbsp;Unfortunately, the pandemic caused hospitals to hit an all-time high with patients filling more hospital beds than ever before. Rather than taking time with each patient to make sure their physical and emotional needs were met, the focus shifted to treating and discharging patients as quickly as possible.&nbsp;Because of these new conditions, an increasing number of nurses started to leave the healthcare field, overwhelmed by their everyday tasks. It became more and more difficult for nurses to find enough hours in the day to thoughtfully care for each patient and still maintain their own lives outside of the hospital.&nbsp;Seeing all of these changes for both patients and nurses, Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) Junichiro Shigemura knew he had to create something that could dramatically improve the lives of both parties.&nbsp;<h3>Tomopiia creates dialogue between patients and nurses&nbsp;</h3>Shigemura set out to create a platform where patients can communicate directly with nurses anytime, anywhere. Many issues can be solved through remote communication, allowing patients to get the care and information they need without the hassles and obstacles of going to the hospital in person.In fact, patients who share their concerns with their nurse actually find that the communication helps them better express their thoughts and feelings. Through user feedback, the Tomopiia team found that some patients tell nurses things they had never told their doctor, family, or even friends. Opening up to a nurse can give patients peace of mind and build a trusted line of communication and mental support.&nbsp;This new form of interacting with patients also allows more flexibility for nurses and the ways in which they provide care, allowing the opportunity for better work-life balance.&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/tomopiia_blog2_a03d61aa60.jpg" alt="tomopiia blog2.jpg"><h3>Engaging patients with communication&nbsp;</h3>At its start, Tomopiia’s intention was to support patient independence and improve their quality of life through better medical guidance. But through a series of conversations and open dialogue, Shigemura realized that it was the communication line itself that engaged potential users.&nbsp;"One patient told me, 'I realized my true feelings by speaking up for myself.’ That's when I realized the importance of listening to what the patient wants to say rather than asking what they needed to know.&nbsp;It meant a lot to the patients that the nurses were the ones listening to them from a comfortable distance."&nbsp;As a result, Tomopiia’s goal and purpose has shifted to focusing more on closer and more direct communication between patients and medical professionals rather than knowledge and consultation.<h3>Expanded opportunities for nurses to play an active role</h3>Tomopiia's aim is to create a platform that supports patients, creating an environment where each patient feels valued – something that can be hard to do with existing medical practices. Additionally, the intent of Tomopiia is to create an environment that enables nurses to provide enhanced levels of care and communication.In the future, Tomopiia plans to collaborate with local governments, companies, and hospitals that share the mission of improving the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of medical care. Shigemura expressed, "I would like to contribute to both the psychological care of patients and the expansion of opportunities for nurses to play an active role.”&nbsp;For&nbsp; the latest information about Tomopiia, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tomopiia.com/">Tomopiia's official website</a>.

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<figure class="media"><oembed url="https://vimeo.com/815553076"></oembed></figure>Tomopiia, a Moon Creative Lab venture that helps patients with chronic illnesses track their care and communicate directly with nurses, held a symposium entitled, “Future Possibilities of Nursing” at Moon Creative Lab’s Tokyo Studio on Dec. 5, 2022. This event was part of Tomopiia’s skill-up workshops and information events that it provides for nurses.<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Tomopiia2_93840f15e4.jpg" alt="Tomopiia2.jpg">More than 60 people gathered for the symposium, both in person and online. Attendees were excited for this rare opportunity to have a conversation with well-known guests in the nursing field, including Dr. Suga Sakamoto, vice president of Tokyo Healthcare University and a professor in the Department of Nursing.Junichiro Shigemura, founder of Tomopiia and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at Moon Creative Lab, kicked of the symposium, and Ayano Toshinai, Tomopiia’s executive manager and a nurse, expressed her gratitude for attendees:&nbsp;“I feel Tomopiia is truly challenging the 'future of nursing.'”&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Tomopiia3_a964ea6e3a.jpg" alt="Tomopiia3.jpg">Dr. Sakamoto gave a keynote speech in which she looked back on the history of nursing in Japan, confirmed the industry’s current situation, and talked about where nursing is headed in the post-COVID world.Dr. Sakamoto stated that “chat = dialogue” is the key to the future of nursing in a society where contactless or remote options are more common:&nbsp;“The future of nursing will not be created by technology, but rather by the dialogue that we humans engage in.”&nbsp;<img src="https://moon-website-prod-images.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Tomopiia4_27d1a25256.jpg" alt="Tomopiia4.jpg">Dr. Masahiro Yoshioka, director emeritus of&nbsp; Eiseikai Medical Corporation’s Minami Tama Hospital, then kicked off the symposium discussion with speakers Hideo Ishida, CEO of Tekix, Inc.; Tatsunari Morimoto, executive officer of CHCP Home Nursing and president of N Field Inc.; and Dr. Sakamoto. &nbsp;This discussion was a lively exchange of opinions, with “dialogue” being one of the major keywords. “Dialogue” requires understanding one another while also understanding ourselves. In addition to dialogue between patients and nurses, the event led to conversations between managers and staff as well as among staff members.At the end of the session, our guest speakers responded to the many questions and comments we received from participants, demonstrating the passion nurses have for this topic.Tomopiia plans to continue providing events around the future of nursing and nurses' careers. You can check the latest information about Tomopiia on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tomopiia.com/">Tomopiia's official website</a>.

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