The new era of academic hospitalist in Japan

Abstract

Types of original research of peer‐reviewed publications by hospitalists.

Research Trends in General Medicine Departments of University Hospitals in Japan

“…As the medical training of generalists intersects with various medical subspecialties, generalists are well-positioned to contribute to research on health services, quality, and safety; health information, eg diagnostic error, patient safety, quality improvement, and clinical education. 7 …”

“…First, as the heads of GM departments are often from various internal medicine specialties, the focus on basic sciences research is likely to persist. 7 , 14 , 15 The second issue regards mentorship which is important to support generalists in developing a program of research; however, as the generalist program became a medical board subspecialty in Japan only in 2018, the generalist subspecialty is still in its developmental stage and, thus, mentorship for research may not be readily available. 7 , 8 , 11 , 14 …”

“…6 The role of generalist physicians in Japan is varied, including hospital medicine, family medicine, outpatient management of difficult diagnostic cases, or a mix of these roles. Therefore, the definition and actual role of generalists within Japan’s unique healthcare system has not yet been clearly established, 7 with generalists adapting their role depending on the needs of clinical settings in which they work. This has resulted in difficulty for generalist physicians to become active in research in university hospitals.…”

Post‐COVID‐19: Designing the new normal in general medicine

“…Research for general physicians will cover a wide range of healthcare fields, including clinical research that can be performed in primary care settings, family medicine, public health, medical education, quality and safety, medical informatics, etc. 4 However, this move from the real to virtual world can create disparity between those who can access and use the Internet effectively and those who cannot. Nevertheless, some work would have to inevitably move online post-COVID-19.…”

“…Second, the gap in learning opportunities close to residences will be resolved; the self-learning ability online will aid improvement in the ability of doctors. 4 Learning contents will be freely available through universities and well-known training hospitals. This will reduce the disparity in postgraduate education levels, which was difficult to access in remote areas.…”