Takeuchi Yuki, Chen Qi, Fetters Michael D
University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Family Medicine, Rochester, NY | Teine Keijinkai Hospital, Teine Family Medicine Clinic.
School of Health Humanities, Peking University, Beijing, China.
PRiMER. 2025 Mar 26;9:10. doi: 10.22454/PRiMER.2025.358588. eCollection 2025.
Promoting family medicine (FM) among medical students is essential for strengthening future primary care systems. This study examines Japanese medical students' perspectives on FM and compares them with findings from an identical study conducted in China to identify effective strategies for promoting FM.
A cross-sectional, self-administered, online survey was conducted from November 2020 to February 2021, involving 438 medical students across 28 medical schools in Japan. The survey, modeled after an identical study in China, assessed career decision factors, perceptions of FM careers and lifestyles, and attitudes toward FM, using a 5-point Likert scale.
Of the 363 respondents who indicated a preferred specialty, 19.8% selected FM, making it the second most popular choice. Japanese medical students valued social commitment, manageable work hours, and career stability but perceived FM as less prestigious compared to medical students in China. Both groups recognized the importance of FM in rural health care and the role of government support. However, Japanese medical students were less optimistic about FM careers offering good income and work-life balance.
While FM is relatively popular among medical students in Japan, challenges such as perceptions of low prestige and poor work-life balance remain. Addressing these issues might enhance interest in FM. Study limitations include response bias, cultural differences affecting generalizability, and differences in timing of the survey and participant grade levels between studies. Future research should address these limitations and further explore cultural influences on medical students' career decisions.
在医学生中推广家庭医学（FM）对于加强未来的基层医疗体系至关重要。本研究调查了日本医学生对家庭医学的看法，并将其与在中国进行的一项相同研究的结果进行比较，以确定推广家庭医学的有效策略。
2020年11月至2021年2月进行了一项横断面、自填式在线调查，涉及日本28所医学院校的438名医学生。该调查以在中国进行的一项相同研究为模型，使用5点李克特量表评估职业决策因素、对家庭医学职业和生活方式的看法以及对家庭医学的态度。
在363名表明首选专业的受访者中，19.8%选择了家庭医学，使其成为第二受欢迎的选择。日本医学生重视社会责任感、可管理的工作时间和职业稳定性，但与中国医学生相比，他们认为家庭医学的声望较低。两组都认识到家庭医学在农村医疗保健中的重要性以及政府支持的作用。然而，日本医学生对家庭医学职业提供良好收入和工作与生活平衡的前景不太乐观。
虽然家庭医学在日本医学生中相对受欢迎，但仍存在诸如声望低和工作与生活平衡差等看法方面的挑战。解决这些问题可能会提高对家庭医学的兴趣。研究局限性包括回应偏差、影响普遍性的文化差异以及研究之间调查时间和参与者年级水平的差异。未来的研究应解决这些局限性，并进一步探讨文化对医学生职业决策的影响。
