The Japanese Society of Pressure Ulcers (JSPU) certifies specialists in pressure ulcer care to help advance prevention and treatment and improve treatment levels among health professionals engaged in pressure ulcer care in Japan. This certification system targets 6 professions: nurses, pharmacists, physicians, national registered dietitians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. The JSPU qualifies these health professionals as specialists in pressure ulcer care when their knowledge and skills are considered to be adequate to prevent and treat pressure ulcers after their completion of a JSPU-defined training course following at least 4 years of their practice in pressure ulcer care. Since the certificate is effective for 5 years, those who prefer to maintain the status have to apply for its update. For the application to be accepted, they are required to submit a record of a personal history of life-long education courses taken during 5 years of practice under the current certification.
This system was implemented in 2007. As of September 2007, 146 health professionals (91 nurses, 52 physicians, 2 pharmacists, and 1 national registered dietitian) are qualified as JSPU specialists in pressure ulcer care.
(Written by Shigehiko Kawakami, chairperson of the Certification Committee, Japanese Society of Pressure Ulcers)