Continuing medical education for the general practitioners has been activery performed. The former committee for continuing medical education of the Japan Society for Medical Education reported the objectives of continuing medical education for general practitioners. The present committee proposed learning strategies for continuing medical education for general practitioners in accordance with specific behavioral objectives of the curriculum.
It was postulated that appropriate learning strategies are necessary for physicians to provide holistic medical care in their communities, in addition to improving their medical knowledge and skills.
Learning strategies in the curriculum were also coordinated with the continuing medical education system of the Japan Medical Association.

The aim of this study is to clarify the definition and recognition on continuing medical education for administrators (or leaders for residents) of 80 university hospitals and 266 clinical training hospitals as designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, using the questionaire consited of 5 main questions, as following:
1) On the curriculum (program) of continuing medical education in their hospitals.
2) On the continuing medical education system of Japan Medical Association.
3) On the continuing medical education activity of the specified academic societies.
4) On guide of continuing medical education for the residents.
5) On definition of continuing medical education.
Answers to a questionaire were returned from 227 institutions (65.6%)
Analyzing the results, present situation of program curricula for continuing medical education in hospitals, participation to continuing medical education system of Japan Medical Association and Academic Societies, and consideration on continuing medical education as a hospital leader were comprehensible.

The committee of continuing medical education in Japan Society for Medical Education discussed on PRA of American Medical Association [AMA]. We have first analyzed the brochure of PRA for the members of AMA, and then prepared the questionnaire for AMA. We were able to obtained the answers to the questionnaire which were sent to AMA through courtesy of Japanese Medical Association (JMA). It was realized that AMA emphasizes an importance of PRA for medical practice to the patients; nevertheless acquisition rate of PRA is actually low, and so AMA proceeds with efforts towards completion of PRA.

PURPOSE: Pain from osteoarthritis (OA) is generally classified as nociceptive (inflammatory). Animal models of knee OA have shown that sensory nerve fibers innervating the knee are significantly damaged with destruction of subchondral bone junction, and induce neuropathic pain (NP). Our objective was to examine NP in the knees of OA patients using painDETECT (an NP questionnaire) and to evaluate the relationship between NP, pain intensity, and stage of OA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-two knee OA patients were evaluated in this study. Pain scores using Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), painDETECT, duration of symptoms, severity of OA using the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) system, and amount of joint fluid were evaluated and compared using a Spearman's correlation coefficient by rank test. RESULTS: Our study identified at least 5.4% of our knee OA patients as likely to have NP and 15.2% as possibly having NP. The painDETECT score was significantly correlated with the VAS and WOMAC pain severity. Compared with the painDETECT score, there was a tendency for positive correlation with the KL grade, and tendency for negative correlation with the existence and amount of joint fluid, but these correlations were not significant. CONCLUSION: PainDETECT scores classified 5.4% of pain from knee OA as NP. NP tended to be seen in patients with less joint fluid and increased KL grade, both of which corresponded to late stages of OA. It is important to consider the existence of NP in the treatment of knee OA pain.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Knee/pathology/physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuralgia/*physiopathology ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/*physiopathology

In accordance with the new model-core-curriculum for medical education, the current status of education about the science of radiation health was surveyed in all medical schools in Japan. Among the four learning points related to the “Biological effects of radiation and radiation hazards” , about half of the schools covered issues on “radiation and human body” and the “effect of medical radiation exposure” in one, or less than one, 60-minutes class, but did not touch on “radiation risk communication” and “radiological disaster medicine” . A significant deviation of human resources was also observed between schools. Learning tools such as presentation files and video content were preferred as education support materials. Therefore, development and distribution of the learning tools, especially in “radiation risk communication” and “radiological disaster medicine” , may be a first step to promoting high-quality education on the science of radiation health risk in each school’s curriculum.