Serious mental illness and in-hospital mortality among hospitalized patients with acute COVID-19: A large-database analysis in Japan.

Objective: The association of serious mental illness (affective or non-affective psychotic disorders) with higher mortality in patients infected with acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been suggested. Although this association remains significant after adjusting for medical comorbidities in previous studies, admission clinical status and treatment modalities should be considered as important confounding factors.

Methods: We aimed to assess whether serious mental illness is associated with in-hospital mortality, in patients with COVID-19 by adjusting for comorbidities, admission clinical status, and treatment modalities.

Challenging cases of professionalism in Japan: improvement in understanding of professional behaviors among Japanese residents between 2005 and 2013.

Background: Professionalism is deemed as the basis of physicians' contract with society in Japan. Our study in 2005, using a questionnaire with scenarios to professionalism, suggested that many physicians at various levels of training in Japan encounter challenges when responding to these common scenarios related to professionalism. It is unclear how medical professionalism has changed among Japanese residents in over time.

Questionnaire survey for challenging cases of medical professionalism in Japan.

Background: Little information is available on evaluation of medical professionalism among Japanese physicians and on its education in Japanese medical schools.

Aims: To assess professionalism and its education in Japan.

Method: We analysed the responses to challenges to professionalism for Japanese residents and physicians, using the Barry Questionnaire, and to survey the extent of education related to professionalism during medical school curricula.

Rapport and the hospitalist.

One key issue in the hospitalist movement is the need for hospitalists to establish rapport and maintain relationships with their patients. Rapport is critical in obtaining a thorough history, and then effectively negotiating the diagnosis and treatment plan with patient and family. This article summarizes both the challenges to establishing rapport and the opportunities unique to hospital-based practice.