Open Dialogue is a dialogical approach aiming at "polyphony (multivoicedness) " based on seven principles such as "social network perspective" and "tolerance of uncertainty". This method began as an approach to treat mental illness in Finland, and has great potential in the primary care field. In particular, it may be effective for highly complex and/or uncertain cases.

We introduced the "Health Cafe with Mobile Stalls Project" as an example of community-oriented care. The authors, two family physicians and a medical student held salutogenic dialogues at mobile stalls in the "Yanesen" area in Tokyo and Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture. Mobile stalls may be able to demonstrate "small scale multi-functional" roles to approach people who are indifferent to health, and serve as a place where multiple generations can connect.

This paper examined the origins of the conception vessel (also known as the Ren meridian) based on references to the conception vessel in the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi Neijing, the seminal medical text of ancient China). It takes into consideration new findings related to medical principles, Chinese philology and graphology, and history. We reached the following opinions. It is clear from references in texts such as Lingshu Wuyin Wuwei's mention of underdeveloped innate reproductive functions in men, and the Bone Cavity thesis of the Suwen that states "diseases of the conception vessel appear inside the male as the "seven stomach aches"and in females as mucous discharges from the female genitals and lumps within the bowels", that the conception vessel has existed in both males and females since its discovery. The conception vessel runs along the body's midline, where the following are also located:the vestige of the umbilical cord connected to the fetus, the opening of the vagina and urethral opening (from which menstrual blood and semen are discharged, respectively), and the uterus which holds the fetus. Given that these are all located along the midline, it is thought that the conception vessel was formed based on knowledge of the meridian in ancient cosmology. Insight into the origin of the conception vessel can be provided by elucidating the mechanisms of how the human body gives birth to new life by placing focus on both male vitality and female menstruation while avoiding differences in genital structure. These are interpreted using the same criteria as kidney qi, heavenly dew, conception vessel, and the vital channel, suggesting that both share the same roots and are based in the bladder on the body's midline.

The importance of patient narratives has been recognized in medical education. It is almost equivalent to concepts of "altruism" or "empathy" in medical professionalism. However, opportunities or resources on the matter have been limited. About 100 years ago, Sir William Osler said, "Just listen to your patient" , emphasizing the importance of patient narratives. Listening to the patient's story has been situated at the core of medical education, and the value of patient narratives has been explored through an online database and the activities of patient storytellers. In this article, examples from our empirical study on patient narratives are presented, and its effectiveness is then discussed.

Social media (including social networking service) is now a presence in medical professionalism that cannot be ignored, and this new area is called “online professionalism” or “e-professionalism” . Professional organizations in various countries, such as the American College of Physicians, have issued statements on online professionalism, but the debate has not progressed much in Japan. Regarding the use of social media by physicians, challenges include professional use of social media, management of one’s identity and professional image as a physician, and appropriate electronic communication with patients. Appropriate use of social media can promote knowledge sharing and collaborative learning among medical professionals and contribute to the formation of collective intelligence.

Movie is an artistic activity along with literature, music, painting, and theater. If we consider movie as an art form, we can see it not only as a means of presenting a new way of looking at society, but also as a means of recreating a new sense of common experience. Cinemeducation, the use of film in medical education, has a human development function, i.e., it promotes critical thinking and formation of autonomy, and at the same time, it helps to foster professionalism. For example, it teaches altruism, empathy, and ethical reasoning skills. Specific methods of cinemeducation include the use of whole-length films or movie clips to facilitate small group discussions, asking the learners questions that match the educational objectives, and the combination of role-play, lectures and thinking about medical management or treatment plans. One of the challenges of cinemeducation is the selection of teaching materials, such as what kind of movie to choose, whether to show the whole-length films or just a part of it, and which part to choose, as well as the design of the class content to match the learners' readiness and progress.

Objective: Community-based medical education (CBME) serves as a complement to university medical education, and it is practiced in several urban undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums. However, there are few reports on CBME learning content in rural Japanese settings.Materials and Methods: This research aimed to clarify learning content through semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis of second-year residents who studied on a remote, rural island located 400 km from the mainland of Okinawa, Japan. Analysis was based on Steps for Coding and Theorization (SCAT).Results: Fifteen concepts were extracted, and four categories were generated: a strong connection among the islanders, the necessary abilities for rural physicians, islander-centered care, and the differences between rural and hospital medicine. In contrast to hospital medicine, various kinds of learning occurred in deep relationships with the islanders.Conclusion: Through CBME on a remote island, the residents learned not only about medical aspects, but also the importance of community health through the social and cultural aspects, whole-person medical care in a remote location, and the importance of reflection in their self-directed learning.

Background: It is a major challenge to support training for simulated patients (SPs) and maintain a SP community. In order to promote the motivation of SPs, we conducted two sessions titled “clinical diagnostics lectures” . This study qualitatively explores the impact of the lectures for SPs.　Methods: Nine SPs who attended the clinical diagnostics lectures took part in focus group interviews. Transcripts were analyzed as per the Steps for Coding and Theorization (SCAT) method.　Results: Fifteen concepts and six categories were generated from the focus group interviews. The categories included , , , , , and .　Discussion: “Clinical diagnostics lectures” provided to SPs offer a deeper understanding of scenarios and motivation for SPs to learn. However, there was concern about deviation from the patient’s perspective.