KUDO Yoshiki
Director

We Offer Advanced and Safe Medical Care that Best Meets Needs of Individual Patients

Hiroshima University Hospital is called “Hirodai Hospital” by people in Hiroshima and nearby regions in an affectionate tone. We assume that in the past, many people considered that university hospitals prioritized research over medical services. Today, however, our hospital has gained recognition as a dependable medical institution that offers advanced and safe medical care. At Hiroshima University Hospital, we offer medical services to help improve the health and welfare of our patients in line with the following mission statement: “Provide holistic and integrated medical care, foster superior medical experts, and pursue new medical innovations.”

“Holistic and integrated medical care” refers to providing medical care by considering not only specific organs and disorders in question but also mental issues and social aspects of patients concerned. At Hiroshima University Hospital, we conduct diagnosis, offer treatments, and take preventive measures in a holistic manner to meet the needs of individual patients. Many patients, particularly elderly patients, have multiple complicating disorders. At our hospital, specialists in various medical fields collaborate with one another to offer medical care to such patients. This is possible only at hospitals of holistic and integrated capability.

Hiroshima University Hospital has been designated by the national government as an “advanced treatment hospital” that provides advanced medical care and a “hospital for Cancer Genome Medicine (CGM),” which offers medical care for patients with cancer based on genetic information. In addition to fulfilling our responsibility as an organization designated as such, we are also eager to build partnerships with local clinics and hospitals. Our hospital maintains high referral and counter-referral rates to and from other medical institutions in the region. For example, we treat patients in a critical or acute stage at our hospital, and when their condition becomes stable, we refer them to general practitioners in their own communities.

Concerning the second mission “Foster superior medical experts,” various facilities related to medical education are assembled on Hiroshima University’s Kasumi Campus, where our hospital is located. The campus is home to schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences, and health sciences, in addition to the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine. Moreover, Hiroshima University Hospital has both medical and dental departments. We actively collaborate with medical professionals in various fields as well as vigorously cultivate excellent human resource maximizing having these two departments. As a core medical institution designated by the national government、we leverage these strengths to fulfill our responsibilities through  the Advanced Radiation Emergency Medical Support Center, the Nuclear Emergency Medical Support Center, a core hospital for the treatment of pediatric cancers, a designated hospital for Cancer Genome Medicine (CGM), a prefectural core hospital for cancer treatment, a medical treatment core hospital, an advanced emergency and critical care center, a liver disease care core hospital, an AIDS core hospital, a regional maternal and neonatal care medical center, and a disaster medical assistance hospital, among others.

Lastly, it is also an essential role of university hospitals to pursue new medical innovations. Backed by the collective strength of related facilities on the Kasumi Campus, Hiroshima University Hospital is engaged in the development of advanced and innovative medical care. Meanwhile, introduction of cutting-edge technologies and involvement in new clinical research programs should be conducted in compliance with strict rules and ethical codes. The hospital has established a system to engage in research programs on advanced medical technologies while paying sufficient attention to medical safety and ethics. To this end, specialists of our hospital serve as members of related organizations, including the Clinical Research Center in Hiroshima, the Future Medical Center, the Ethical Review Committee for Clinical Research, and the Department of Medical Safety Management.

In response to the spread of COVID-19, Hiroshima University Hospital has dealt with patients with severe COVID-19 while continuing to treat patients who need highly difficult and cutting-edge medical care as usual. The fact that we have been able to fulfill our role as a university hospital under difficult circumstances over the past three years is due not only to the infection prevention measures taken by our staff, but also to the understanding and cooperation of our patients. Although COVID-19 has been reclassified from a Category II infectious disease to a Category V infectious disease like influenza under the Infectious Diseases Act, we will continue to pay attention to infection control, and at the same time, will contribute to the enhancement and development of medical care by providing the best medical care and fostering advanced medical experts. We ask for your continued understanding and support.

KAKIMOTO Naoya
Chief Deputy Director

To Ensure Advanced Dental Treatments and Oral Healthcare for all at all ages

Since the merger of the medical and the dental departments in 2003, Hiroshima University Hospital has been promoting collaboration between the two departments. Today, it is one of the most advanced medical institutions in Japan in terms of the linkage of the two. Based on this partnership, the Dental Department provides patients with dental treatments and oral healthcare before, during, or after surgical operations, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and transplantation therapy given by the Medical Department. Offering these services, the Dental Department helps improve patients’ quality of life and contributes to their prompt recovery. In addition, the Dental Department provides outpatients with advanced and specialized dental treatments. when patients with intractable oral diseases are referred by nearby dental clinics, we offer appropriate services, including examinations, diagnoses, briefings, and treatments. Recently, we often have seen many patients who cannot easily receive standard dental treatments, such as patients of various generations with a dental phobia, disabled patients, those with systemic diseases, and extremely aged patients. In joint efforts with members of the Medical Department, we provide such patients with dental treatments customized to their specific needs.

Concerning human resource development, which is another mission of university hospitals, Hiroshima University Hospital provides students with seamless educational programs that ensure smooth advancement from student dentist certification to clinical practice and finally to specialized dentistry training programs. Through this process, the hospital fosters professionals in dental medicine, dental treatments, and oral health sciences who will be able to contribute to people and society, exert leadership in dentistry and dental treatments, and take active part on a global stage.

As regards research programs, the Center for Oral Clinical Examination, located within the hospital, takes the initiative in clinical and epidemiological research programs aimed at seeking innovative ways to diagnose oral diseases and develop new dental equipment. In these programs, we are striving to benefit potential patients, as well as those who already receive our treatments. Concerning practical training of dental students and research in dentistry, we need cooperation from patients. In this regard, I would appreciate your generous understanding.

In conclusion, all members of Hiroshima University Hospital are striving to develop dental treatment technologies and to improve the oral healthcare of its patients. We would appreciate your continued support and understanding.