Okashira Diary | Kaeko Yamashita (Dean, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
2008.12.13
Strictly speaking, I believe that academic societies (academic conferences) for "nursing science"—such as the Japanese Society of Nursing Science, the Japan Society of Nursing Education, and the Japanese Society of Cancer Nursing—are those that have a history and track record of pursuing the science and phenomena of nursing and have been approved and registered as academic organizations by the Science Council of Japan. However, the actual practice of nursing and nursing education requires not only "nursing science" but also empirical knowledge and insights from interdisciplinary fields. Therefore, when I speak of "academic societies related to nursing" in my daily life, it includes not only "nursing science" but also a broader academic domain that examines the methods, processes, results, and findings in the pursuit of "education and practice related to nursing."
The academic societies I belong to are also diverse. From the perspective of my main research content, they can be divided into two groups. One group consists of societies where the main members are nurses (including public health nurses and midwives) who pursue nursing education, research, and practice (such as the Japanese Society of Nursing Science, the Japan Society of Nursing Education, the Japanese Society of Cancer Nursing, the Japan Academy of Nursing Administration, the Japan Academy of Nursing Science, the Japanese Association for Research in Family Nursing, the Japan Society of Chronic Illness and Conditions Nursing, and the Japan Academy of Gerontological Nursing). The other group consists of societies that research medical sciences and healthcare, such as health and disease treatment, where most members are physicians (such as The Japanese Continence Society, the Japanese Society of Geriatric Urology, The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, the Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control, The Japan Society of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Japan Association for Death and Life Studies, and The Japanese Society for Stress Science).
My methods of participation in these societies are varied: some I have been involved with as a director or councilor since their establishment; others I joined later and have supported as a councilor or peer reviewer for papers; some provide me with opportunities to encounter new knowledge by presenting my research findings or participating in academic meetings; and for others, I indirectly support their activities by paying annual membership fees.
One of the studies that strongly caught my interest at a recent academic society I attended was a report at the 14th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Continence Society titled "Functional Brain Imaging of Micturition." My interest in this report is likely related to my own research theme, which is "micturition in patients with diabetic cystopathy," but the recent developments in "functional brain imaging" have been remarkable.
It has long been fairly clear that "storage and voiding functions (the ability to store urine in the bladder and excrete it when a certain amount has accumulated)" are controlled by lower urinary tract functions such as the bladder and urethra, peripheral neuromuscular mechanisms, the spinal cord, and regulation by higher centers. However, it is groundbreaking that research using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and PET (positron emission tomography) has now made it possible to capture images of the roles of various brain regions during storage and voiding. I was pleased to be able to anticipate that "the day is not far off when these research findings will help elucidate the causes of voiding problems in patients with Parkinson's disease, dementia, and cerebrovascular disorders, and allow us to devise appropriate countermeasures."
The environment surrounding nursing and healthcare is changing rapidly. Therefore, there is a growing need to fully understand people's health consciousness, how they utilize information, and advanced medical sciences and treatment methods, and to apply this understanding to nursing education and nursing practice. As the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, which has the mission "to educate leaders who will carry the future of nursing science and practice," I have been strongly and repeatedly reminded these days that it is essential not only to sincerely engage in education and research that creates new knowledge in "nursing science" but also to participate in academic societies in related fields and conduct collaborative research.
(Date of publication: 2008/12/13)