CHARM pad: ontology-based tool for learning systematic knowledge about nursing

Japan is no exception among developed countries facing healthcare system problems due to aging and low birthrate as the number of patient increases and health care worker numbers shrink. The introduction of high tech medicine has increased the amount of knowledge to be learned by novice nurses. Although vast amounts of implicit knowledge have accumulated among nursing practitioners, this knowledge needs to be communicated when hospitals train younger generations of nurses. In this paper, the authors have proposed an activity model called CHARM (the Convincing Human Action Rationalized Model) and CHARM Pad, tablet PC with browsing software for CHARM models. CHARM explicates multidimensional purpose-oriented procedure relations often existing as implicit knowledge. For this reason, CHARM supports the training and education of novice nurses. We developed CHARM models according to nursing guidelines of hospitals and applied them to training of the nurses in two hospitals. CHARM and CHARM Pad are being evaluated at these hospitals and positive responses are coming from nurses.