GS activity report

In collaboration with the Faculty of Nursing, Thammasat University in Thailand, seven sophomore students from the Department of Nursing undertook a training program on the healthcare system and nursing in Pathum Thani Province, Thailand, for eight days from March 18 to 25.

The purpose of this program is to improve the "intercultural ability" of nursing students. It encourages behavioral changes to improve nursing and support capabilities for patients and residents.

As a preliminary study, I started by understanding Thai society and people. We read a book together, and also clarified the health issues in Thailand and the social and cultural factors that affect them from the information on the website of the World Health Organization (WHO).At the same time, I also investigated the state of nursing in Thailand.Although the information was limited in Japanese and English, the students learned about the differences between Thai and Japanese medical care and nursing, and hypothesized (students) about the social and cultural backgrounds (reasons) of the differences. I set up the reason for the difference I thought.I decided to verify these by observing (visiting) and interviewing (questions) on site.

In terms of actual activities, we visited Thammasat University Hospital, a tertiary medical institution in Pathum Thani Province, and a facility that provides primary medical care and preventive activities as the cornerstone of primary health care, and a welfare facility for the elderly. We visited the home and the Early Childhood Development Center, which is a research institute attached to the Faculty of Nursing, Thammasat University, which aims to provide comprehensive care and education for infants.Each has its own characteristics, but the second-year students, who have just finished basic nursing training, seem to be very interested in the environment of university hospitals and how nursing should be.
Through these tours and the question-and-answer session that followed, the students realized many things.For example, regarding the provision of a hospital environment for patients, which is the basic role of nursing, in Japan today, individual beds are always separated by curtains to maintain a private space, even in multi-bed rooms, in order to respect the privacy of patients. has becomeHowever, I learned in advance that the curtains are always open in Thai hospitals.The reason for this, the students speculated, was that in Thailand, interaction between patients was more important than maintaining privacy.This is because I heard that family and community ties are closer in Thailand than in Japan.When I actually visited the hospital, I found that the curtains were not closed in the hospital room, which was consistent with what I learned in advance.But the reasons were different.I learned that the reason why the curtains are not closed in Thailand is that there is no air conditioner installed in the general hospital room, so when the curtains are closed, the air does not flow and it becomes very hot.In advance, I thought that Thai people may have a weaker sense of privacy than Japanese people, but in fact, even in Thailand, the curtains are closed when necessary, so it is definitely not a sense of privacy. I learned not to.From the point of view of infection prevention, I would like to create a private room space by closing the curtains around the bed in Thailand, but it was not possible due to climate and economic reasons.In addition to this, I learned about various environments and learned that Thailand's medical and care environment is based on the evidence of the latest research results.The difference in the hospital environment and the content of care compared to Japan is not due to differences in medical and nursing knowledge, but to the social and cultural reasons of each country. I think that one of the great achievements of this project is that the students realized that it was the result of ingenuity.

Through 8 days of tours of these facilities, subsequent discussions, and day-to-day exchanges with Thammasat University Nursing students, what kind of changes did the students have in their own views and ways of thinking about people of different cultures and societies? Was there?I don't think it's likely that values ​​and ways of thinking will change significantly in a short period of time.However, I would like to expect each individual to not only digest the new realizations gained through this training within themselves, but also make an effort to make presentations in a way that will be communicated to third parties such as other students and faculty members at the university. think.