The Uonuma Challenge, Japan: Integrating Community Care Through Interprofessional Education, Collaborative Practice, and Participation of Community Residents

Uonuma City, Japan, has a population of about 35,000 and faces many issues, such as a declining population and an increase in older adults seeking medical services. Uonuma School for Community Health and Social Care was established in 2011 to educate health and social care multiprofessionals for interprofessional collaboration and enlighten community residents. The school curriculum includes three major themes: (1) medical students and trainees, (2) a daytime lecture-based “open school” and night school for community residents, and (3) health and social care professionals addressing various issues. In the past 16 years, the school’s outcomes have included reducing the number of patients with HbA1c greater than 8%, controlling the introduction of dialysis, and reducing ambulance calls for mild cases. Despite having few medical doctors, Uonuma had the lowest medical expenditure nationwide in 2015. A cluster of COVID-19 occurred in the hospital in April 2021, managed collaboratively by multiprofessionals and community residents. However, a sound community-based integrated care system could be built with interprofessional education, collaborative practice, and the participation of community residents, resulting in a life expectancy nearly the same as the national average and low medical expenditures in Uonuma City.