In order to alleviate the anxiety of children who are infected with the new coronavirus and are being treated, Shizuoka City has begun an initiative called the "Shizuoka City Method" in which pediatric doctors monitor the condition of children and their families over the phone or online.
The "Shizuoka City Method" has been undertaken by Shizuoka City since October last year for children under junior high school age and their families who are receiving medical treatment at home or at a hotel.
After the health center introduces a pediatrician to the children to see them at the hospital, the doctors continue to provide medical care over the phone or online, aiming to alleviate the anxiety of children and their families.
Toshihiro Tanaka, director of the pediatrics department of Shizuoka Kosei Hospital, who is participating in the initiative, connected the phone with the parents of the child for four days to check the body temperature and heart rate, and asked if there was anything to worry about.
Some children returned to school shortly after recovering, and Dr. Tanaka discussed how to interact with the children around him so that he could go to school with peace of mind.
It is expected that this initiative will reduce the burden on the health center, and Dr. Tanaka, who is already in charge of 99 people in 32 households, said, "By listening to minor changes in physical condition and feelings, patients' anxiety can be alleviated. Can play its original role, and I think it's a mechanism that everyone would have liked if they worked on it throughout the region. "