Questionnaire-Based Development of an Educational Program of Traditional Japanese Kampo Medicine

Abstract

Traditional Japanese Kampo medicine has been widely used in clinical practice in Japan. Though it is a compulsory subject in Japanese medical schools, a standard educational program in Kampo medicine does not exist. Tohoku University has incorporated Kampo medicine into clinical education via didactic lectures since 2003; however, student evaluations have been lower for Kampo than for all other clinical specialties. We administered a questionnaire about a Kampo medicine course for fifth-year students from 2009 to 2012 and developed an educational program based on feedback obtained. The questionnaire consisted of nine questions (a clear training plan; opportunities for learning, practice, and patient contact; acquisition of medical knowledge and physical examination; learning professionalism; understanding the specialty; overall assessment) that were rated on a 5-point Likert scale along with open-ended questions about the course's strengths and weaknesses. The students responded to the questionnaire after clinical practice in Kampo medicine and other clinical specialty courses. Scores for Kampo medicine and the average of other clinical specialties were compared. All 389 students who participated in Kampo clinical practice answered the questionnaire. In 2009, scores for Kampo medicine for nine questions were lower than for the average of the other clinical specialties. After curriculum reformation involving hands-on training in 2012, all scores except "opportunities to learn about clinical cases" and "opportunities to practice involvement" were higher than the average of all other clinical specialties. In conclusion, we have successfully developed a Kampo medicine educational program for our university through this survey study.

The actual conditions of traditional Japanese Kampo education in all the pharmacy schools in Japan: a questionnaire survey after the enforcement of the new national 2015 core curriculum

“…In Kampo education in some medical schools, to attract students, certain techniques have been used, e.g., actual interviews with patients [ 18 ], students receiving acupuncture [ 19 ], and students undergoing medical examinations given by classmates (diagnosing each other using the “qi, blood, and fluid” system) [ 20 , 21 ]. On the other hand, experience with crude drugs and crude drug extracts is offered in pharmacy schools [ 22 ].…”

Kampo medicine prescriptions for hospitalized patients in Tohoku University Hospital

“…After the investigation in this class, the students and tutors (ST and RA) additionally discussed the usage of each KM in our hospital and its clinical evidence, as part of the educational program in our department [5].…”

“…In the Tohoku University Medical Department, a KM education program has been developed and is offered in a multiple-grade curriculum [5]. Students in the 2nd grade take a 'Problem-based Learning' class, which is a smallgroup practice to identify clinical problems and search for solutions.…”