Junko Sugama, PhD
President, Japanese Society of Pressure Ulcers
I am honored to have been appointed President of the Japanese Society of Pressure Ulcers (JSPU) at the Board of Directors meeting held following the General Members’ Meeting in August 2025. I am deeply humbled to have been entrusted with the responsibility of continuing to steer this Society—which has been carefully built up by the distinguished scholars who have led JSPU to date—and I am more determined than ever to dedicate myself to its further development.
Our Society has continued its activities with the aim of improving healthcare and welfare by promoting education, research, and the advancement and dissemination of specialized knowledge regarding pressure ulcers and wound management, and by enhancing the management of pressure ulcers (prevention, treatment, and care).The previous Board of Directors compiled a history of JSPU 25-year journey (published in Volume 27, Issue 2 of the Society’s journal), reflecting on the evolution of JSPU activities from its founding to the present and identifying future challenges. During this term, the Board of Directors will work toward the following priority objectives:
- Equal Access to Pressure Ulcer Management
As community-based integrated care progresses, small and medium-sized hospitals—which provide community medical support and home care—represent an area where JSPU has not previously been involved. We will clarify the current state of pressure ulcer management in these settings, develop pressure ulcer management strategies tailored to each setting, and implement them. - Consensus on Unavoidable Pressure Injury (UPI)
This has been an ongoing initiative since 2019. Reaching a consensus on “What is UPI?” has proven to be a major challenge and remains an ongoing task. We aim to re-examine the key issues, deepen the discussion on “What is UPI?” while accumulating evidence, and ultimately reach a consensus. - Revitalizing the Generation of Evidence Through Research on Pressure Ulcer Management
An Editorial Board was established concurrently with the founding of JSPU, and the first issue of the Journal of JSPU was published the following year. It is a vital academic journal for compiling evidence on pressure ulcer management, and we take pride in having published numerous original research articles of high originality to date. However, in recent years, the number of original research articles published has stagnated. The Editorial Board, the Award and Grant Selection Committee, the Annual Scientific Meeting, and regional scientific meetings will work together across organizational boundaries to create a system that encourages the submission of papers to the Journal of JSPU, with the goal of increasing the number of published papers. - Expansion of Pressure Ulcer Management Teams in Community-Based Integrated Care
Many of our members have worked hard to implement multidisciplinary pressure ulcer management in clinical settings. The expertise of pharmacists, registered dietitians and nutritionists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists broadens the scope of pressure ulcer prevention and management. We will continue our efforts to increase membership. Furthermore, as the number of elderly individuals in the later stage requiring long-term care increases, we believe that care workers play a significant role in pressure ulcer management. We will explore the ideal structure for pressure ulcer prevention and management teams that include care workers. - Establishing a Sustainable Pressure Ulcer Status Survey System
The pressure ulcer prevalence survey is an initiative that has been sustained through the volunteer efforts of many members. This survey is a valuable tool for evaluating the quality of pressure ulcer care in Japan from three perspectives—structure, process, and outcomes—and we consider tracking trends in these areas to be one of the JSPU core missions. We will work to reduce the burden on members and establish a sustainable system for conducting the pressure ulcer prevalence survey.
Finally, JSPU has always moved forward as a multidisciplinary team guided by the principle of “patient-centered pressure ulcer prevention and management.” This commitment will remain unchanged. We ask for the continued cooperation and support of all members who contribute to the Society’s activities.
(September 7, 2025)