Clinical Ethics Consultation in Japan: What does it Mean to have a Functioning Ethics Consultation?

This research examines the current status of clinical ethics consultation (CEC) in Japan through a nationwide study conducted with chairs of ethics committees and clinical ethics committees among 1028 post-graduate clinical teaching hospitals. We also qualitatively analyzed their viewpoints of the CEC's benefits and problems related to hospital consultation services to identify the critical points for CEC and inform the development of a correctly functioning system. The questionnaire included structured questions about hospital CEC organization and service purpose and operation and open-ended questions about the benefits and problems of initiating CEC.

Ethical Issues faced by Home Care Physicians and Nurses in Japan and their Ethics Support Needs: a Nationwide Survey.

This study aimed to identify the ethical issues faced by home care physicians and nurses, and the support they require. It was conducted in collaboration with the Japanese Association for Home Care Medicine from November to December 2020. An e-mail was sent to 2785 physicians and 582 nurses who are members of the society, requesting their participation in a web-based survey targeting physicians and nurses with practical experience in home care; 152 physicians and 53 nurses responded.

Report on the Establishment of the Consortium for Hospital Ethics Committees in Japan and the First Collaboration Conference of Hospital Ethics Committees.

Hospital ethics committees (HECs) are expected to play extremely broad and pivotal roles such as case consultation, education of staffs on healthcare ethics, and institutional policy formation. Despite the growing importance of HECs, there are no standards for setup and operation of HECs, and composition and activities of HECs at each institution are rarely disclosed in Japan. In addition, there is also a lack of information sharing and collaboration among HECs.

Somatic Changes Perceived by Patients With Heart Failure During Acute Exacerbation: A Qualitative Study Using Text Mining.

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) often inadequately perceive their symptoms. This may be because the medical terms do not match the somatic changes experienced by patients. To improve symptom perception, healthcare professionals must understand the somatic changes as perceived by patients.

The relationship between perceived difficulty and reflection in the practice of discharge planning nurses in acute care hospitals: A nationwide observational study.

Aims And Objectives: To clarify the characteristics and practice of discharge planning nurses in acute care hospitals and to elucidate the relationship between subjective difficulty perceived in practice and reflection.

Background: The importance of discharge planning for an effective transition from the hospital to a care facility is increasing. In acute care hospitals, however, it is not clear what discharge planning nurses are doing for patients who are highly dependent on medical treatment, the subjective difficulties they perceive in practical activities, and whether reflection by nurses can be expected to mitigate those difficulties.

Histone demethylase JMJD1A coordinates acute and chronic adaptation to cold stress via thermogenic phospho-switch.

In acute cold stress in mammals, JMJD1A, a histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) demethylase, upregulates thermogenic gene expressions through β-adrenergic signaling in brown adipose tissue (BAT). Aside BAT-driven thermogenesis, mammals have another mechanism to cope with long-term cold stress by inducing the browning of the subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT). Here, we show that this occurs through a two-step process that requires both β-adrenergic-dependent phosphorylation of S265 and demethylation of H3K9me2 by JMJD1A.

The Psychosocial Influences of Waiting Periods on Patients Undergoing Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection.

This study aimed to clarify psychosocial influences of waiting periods on patients undergoing endoscopic submucosal dissection for cancer at an advanced medical care facility in Japan. Subjects were consenting patients hospitalized from 2009 to 2010. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered about patients' characteristics, disease and stage, and waiting period.

Comparison of ethical judgments exhibited by clients and ethics consultants in Japan.

Background: Healthcare professionals must make decisions for patients based on ethical considerations. However, they rely on clinical ethics consultations (CEC) to review ethical justifications of their decisions. CEC consultants support the cases reviewed and guide medical care.

Clinical ethics consultation: examining how American and Japanese experts analyze an Alzheimer's case.

Background: Few comparative studies of clinical ethics consultation practices have been reported. The objective of this study was to explore how American and Japanese experts analyze an Alzheimer's case regarding ethics consultation.

Methods: We presented the case to physicians and ethicists from the US and Japan (one expert from each field from both countries; total = 4) and obtained their responses through a questionnaire and in-depth interviews.

An eight-year follow-up national study of medical school and general hospital ethics committees in Japan.

Background: Ethics committees and their system of research protocol peer-review are currently used worldwide. To ensure an international standard for research ethics and safety, however, data is needed on the quality and function of each nation's ethics committees. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics and developments of ethics committees established at medical schools and general hospitals in Japan.