A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to clarify how community pharmacists recognize the legal validity of acts that involve touching their patients and to determine if the pharmacists had personal feelings of resistance toward particular acts. The questionnaire was sent to 400 community pharmacies that practiced home care and 147 valid responses were analyzed. The survey suggested that there were many pharmacists who had no objection toward measuring vital signs, such as temperature and blood pressure. Additionally, they recognized that it was necessary for doctors, other professionals, and patients to recognize their ability to measure vital signs. The survey also suggested that there were strong feelings of resistance toward invasive acts, such as insertion of an enema tube or a suppository. It was considered that these feelings were due to insufficient knowledge and experience, as well as uneasiness with hygiene issues. The necessity to participate in a practical study session was emphasized. When pharmacists recognized a problem with the legality of an act, their feelings of resistance, particularly toward examining bedsores and applying ointment on them, tended to become strong. Therefore, it was suggested that pharmacists may be able to perform the acts without feelings of resistance if the legality of the acts was clarified. Based on these findings, it is necessary to find a suitable rationale for performing each act, so that pharmacists will be able to perform the acts that involve touching their patients without feelings of resistance.

A questionnaire-based survey was administered to determine how community pharmacists recognize the necessity for and frequency of touching their patients during care giving. The questionnaire was sent to 400 community pharmacies that practiced home care, and 147 valid responses were analyzed. The survey suggested that acts recognized by pharmacists to require touching were measuring vital signs and helping patients take oral medications. It was thought that pharmacists needed to help patients in taking oral medications and also needed to determine issues related to oral intake. The survey also indicated that the frequencies of measuring vital signs and applying plasters to patients were high. Measuring vital signs was considered routine work, and applying plasters to patients was considered occasional work. Many respondents stated the need for practical study sessions on measuring vital signs. The frequency of measuring vital signs has increased because pharmacists have increasingly recognized this need. Additionally, females tended to touch their patients more frequently than males. However, there was no relationship between the frequency of examining bedsores and applying ointments on them and gender because it was thought that knowledge and experience were more important. The recognition of necessity for touching their patients was high but the frequency was comparatively low, and there was a discrepancy between the recognition of necessity and frequency. It was suggested that practical study sessions on when patients should be touched should be a high priority.

Introduction: Lifelong learning is important for physicians because of patient safety and the need to constantly improve the quality of medical practice. However, few studies have investigated the specific topics that are required.
Methods: We examined the lifelong learning needs of physicians by means of a self-administered questionnaire that was completed by 595 subjects, who were clinical practitioners working in Gunma Prefecture.
Results: Subjects of all ages needed lectures about the use of evidence-based medicine in medical examinations, clinical studies and the interpretation of epidemiological data, and diagnostic imaging. The younger subjects had a greater need for learning about clinical skills and techniques, such as advanced cardiac life support／intensive care life support, abdominal ultrasonic diagnosis, and cardiac ultrasonic diagnosis. Regarding the ideal times for these lectures, some physicians working at Gunma University Hospital expressed a preference for weekdays after normal business hours, while others preferred the weekends.
Discussion: The lifelong learning needs of physicians were clarified. Because physicians work on different shifts and at different institutions, scheduling training sessions that everyone can attend is difficult, especially for those who are off-campus. The timing of the training sessions, as well as the content of lectures, must be considered. Ideally, sessions should be held more than once to accommodate the busy schedules of physicians. We believe that providing an opportunity for lifelong learning will help attract more people to a career in medicine and thereby help address the physician shortage.

Introduction and Methods: An immediate effect of the physician shortage is the return to clinical work by physicians who had earlier left. Therefore, the needs of returning physicians were examined by means of a self-administered questionnaire. The subjects were clinicians working in Gunma Prefecture.
Results: About 50% of female physicians and 25% of male physicians had left clinical practice. The reasons given for leaving were “studying abroad” for most male physicians and “pregnancy and child-rearing” for most female physicians. More than 70% of physicians who had left clinical work felt uneasy about returning. The degree of anxiety after returning did not differ significantly between male and female physicians. Problems encountered by returning physicians involved “changes in medicines,” “changes and progress in technology and medical theories,” and deterioration of their “skills and techniques.” Moreover, returning physicians felt a need for increased “practical skills training.”
Discussion: Our study has clarified the needs of physicians returning to clinical work. The development and adoption of a simple system that will help physicians return to clinical practice is required.

Since students who would like to study Kampo medicine more have no opportunity to communicate each other in Northern Japanese Universities, we newly started joint study conferences held by medical students in 2013. The objectives of this paper are to report on these annually held student-based Kampo study conferences in the Hokkaido and Tohoku areas, and the ways each university studies Kampo medicine. In the conference, the students reported on their club activities. Then they studied the history of Kampo medicine and simulation of abdominal diagnosis, and performed group work on case reports together. The number of student participants in these conferences has tripled over 3 years from 18 to 58 (for a total of 111 participants). All members were satisfied with the content. And this reflects medical students' need for a wider perception of Kampo medicine, rather than a limited one gained in their university club activities. We hope this conference will play a major role in other nationwide student-based Kampo study conferences in the years to come.