1.The Fitness to Drive Assessment Program at Family Physicians' Clinic in Japan
Mamiko UKAI ; Tadao OKADA ; Takuya HIGASHI ; Yusuke KANAKUBO ; Ryota TAKAHASHI
An Official Journal of the Japan Primary Care Association 2022;45(3):97-101
We have conducted driving fitness evaluations for post-illness patients in our clinic since 2008. Many patients expressed a desire to resume driving; thus, primary care physicians and rehabilitation staff collaborated to establish an evaluation system. We conducted cognitive dysfunction evaluation, driving simulator evaluation, and evaluation at driving schools. Among 160 patients, we evaluated 87 to be fit to drive, and eight to be unfit. We describe the significance and challenges of assessing patients' driving aptitude in primary care.
2.Mental Health Competencies in Family Medicine Residency Training
Shogo KAWADA ; Tadao OKADA ; Ryota TAKAHASHI ; Mamiko UKAI
An Official Journal of the Japan Primary Care Association 2021;44(3):116-127
In recent years, the integration of mental health into primary care has become a global trend, as it is recognized to be effective for providing appropriate treatment, improving outcomes, and using resources appropriately. Therefore, in many countries, mental health education in primary care has been developed and delivered. However, systematic training on mental health for family physicians has not been sufficiently provided in Japan. We performed a scoping review in order to clarify the mental health competencies of primary care physicians by analyzing the educational curricula in other countries using thematic analysis. The competencies extracted were comprehensive and classified into three domains: "general competencies in primary care," "general competencies in mental health in primary care," and "specific competencies in mental health in primary care". In the future, it will be necessary to create a competency list based on the reported data and formulate a model curriculum based on the current situation in Japan.