Introduction : Recommendations from healthcare providers are considered by vaccinees and their parents when they decide whether to receive an immunization. However, in Japan, the attitudes of primary care physicians toward vaccination are unknown. We assessed some practices and recommendations of, and barriers to, primary care physicians regarding vaccinations in Japan.
Methods : A self-administered questionnaire was mailed (in 2012) to 3000 randomly selected physician-members of the Japan Primary Care Association. Excluded were physicians within two years after graduation, living abroad or retired. We described respondent practices, recommendations, and barriers to the provision of routine and voluntary vaccinations.
Results : The overall response rate was 25.8%. The rates at which physicians gave routine and voluntary vaccines in their own practices were 29.0-91.4% and 15.2-89.5%, respectively. The vaccine recommendation rates for routine and voluntary vaccines were 58.2-70.2% and 14.1-50.9%, respectively. The physicians reported that their barriers to recommendation of routine vaccines were vaccination schedule complexity (32.9%), opinions of vaccinees and parents (28.9%), and vaccine safety (27.7%). They also reported that perceived vaccine safety (62.1%), lack of understanding of vaccine-preventable diseases (55.7%), and complexity of vaccine schedules (44.4%) were reasons given by vaccinees and parents for noncompliance. Physicians' barriers to recommendation of voluntary vaccines were cost (45.3%), safety (35.1%), and lack of information (30.1%). They reported that vaccinees and parents expressed concern about cost (61.8%), safety (51.8%), and lack of vaccine information (50.7%).
Conclusion : We clarified practices, recommendations, and barriers to primary care physicians regarding routine and voluntary vaccination in Japan.

Introduction: Vaccine policies have changed in recent years in Japan. In the present study, we assessed practices, recommendations, knowledge, and sources of information among primary care physicians (PCPs) regarding vaccinations in Japan. Methods: We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study targeting PCPs in Japan. We used a web-based self-administered questionnaire targeting physicians that were members of the Japan Primary Care Association in 2019. We analyzed respondent administrations, recommendations, knowledge, and sources of information regarding vaccinations. Results: We received responses from 1,084 PCPs (20.1%) and invited 981 participants for the analysis. The rates at which physicians gave routine and voluntary vaccines in their own practices were 23.3-95.5% and 13.2-94.4%, respectively. The active recommendation rates for routine and voluntary vaccines were 41.6-92.0% and 13.6-75.5%, respectively. Furthermore, among routine vaccines, human papillomavirus vaccine was the least administered and recommended. PCPs working at clinics had the most accurate knowledge about vaccinations, and PCPs utilized academic organizations most readily as an information resource. Conclusion: We clarified practices, recommendations, knowledge, and sources of information regarding vaccinations among PCPs in Japan.

 In Horokanai town, Hokkaido, the policy of full subsidies for voluntary vaccinations against influenza, haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), varicella, mumps, pneumococcal for children and human papillomavirus (HPV) was introduced between 2008 and 2010. A campaign for community education about vaccination was initiated.
 Vaccination coverage improved after the subsidy as follows : influenza vaccination increased from 57.4% to 60.1%, Hib from 2.9% to 52.2%, varicella from 0% to 30.0%, mumps from 2.8% to 38.2%, pneumococcal for children from 1.3% to 50.6%, and HPV from 0% to 81.3%.

Objective: Previous studies have investigated medical students’ interest in family medicine, as well as their intentions to work in rural areas after taking part in community-based clinical clerkships. Community-based clerkships are designed to teach medical students community healthcare and to increase the number of physicians working in rural communities following their graduation. However, few studies have examined which clerkship experiences, specifically, enhance medical students’ positive perceptions on community healthcare. This study aimed to examine the association between experiential learning in community-based clerkships and students’ positive perceptions on community healthcare.Patients and Methods: From 2015 to 2017, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 290 final year medical students, before and after completion of their community-based clerkships. The survey asked the students about their perceptions (categorized into “Worthwhile” and “Confident”) of community healthcare and experiential learning during their clerkships. We assessed 13 medical learning areas involving healthcare, medical care, welfare, and nursing care practice. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the factors associated with positive student perceptions.Results: Of the 290 students, 265 (91.3%) completed both the pre- and post-questionnaires. Of these, 124 (46.8%) were female, 67 (25.2%) were from small towns (of <100,000 people), and 87 (32.8%) selected clinical clerkships within depopulated areas. A total of 205 (73.3%) students reported positive perceptions on community healthcare. There was a significant association discovered between students’ positive perceptions on community-based healthcare and them taking part in experiential learning in mobile medical services (43 [16.2%] students experienced mobile medical services—adjusted odds ratio 6.65, 95%, confidence intervals 1.67–26.4, p = 0.007).Conclusion: Medical students’ positive perceptions on community healthcare were discovered to be associated with them taking part in experiential learning in mobile medical services during their community-based clerkships.