start-ver=1.4
cd-journal=joma
no-vol=25
cd-vols=
no-issue=1
article-no=
start-page=39
end-page=
dt-received=
dt-revised=
dt-accepted=
dt-pub-year=2025
dt-pub=20250109
dt-online=
en-article=
kn-article=
en-subject=
kn-subject=
en-title=
kn-title=Effectiveness of professional-identity-formation and clinical communication-skills programs on medical students' empathy in the COVID-19 context: comparison between pre-pandemic in-person classes and during-pandemic online classes
en-subtitle=
kn-subtitle=
en-abstract=
kn-abstract=Background Enhancing students' empathy is critical in medical school education. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift from in-person to online classes. However, the effectiveness of online classes for enhancing medical students' empathy has not been investigated sufficiently and the evidence is limited. This study compared the effectiveness of enhancing empathy between pre-pandemic in-person classes and during-pandemic online classes among medical students in Japan using pre-pandemic and during-pandemic data.<br>
Methods This is a retrospective observational study. This study measured students' empathy using the Japanese translation of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version (JSE-S) before and after the special programs for professional identity formation and clinical communication among first- and second-year students who matriculated from 2015-2021. This study categorized the matriculation year groups as "pre-pandemic" and "during-pandemic" groups for the first- and second-year students. This study estimated the adjusted mean score differences of the JSE-S and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from the pre- to post-program between the pre-pandemic and during-pandemic groups in the first and second years using linear regression analysis.<br>
Results This study's participants included 653 first-year students and 562 second-year students. In the first year, the during-pandemic group had a significantly higher mean score difference from the pre- to post-program compared to the pre-pandemic group. The adjusted regression coefficient (95% CI) was 7.6 (5.7 - 9.5), with the pre-pandemic group as the reference. In the second year, there were no significant differences between the two groups.<br>
Conclusions The results suggest that online classes are not inferior to in-person classes or even slightly better in enhancing medical students' empathy, which should be clarified by further studies. This study's findings have important implications for medical education and implementing hybrid class formats to enhance students' empathy.
en-copyright=
kn-copyright=

en-aut-name=KataokaHitomi
en-aut-sei=Kataoka
en-aut-mei=Hitomi
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=1
ORCID=

en-aut-name=TokinobuAkiko
en-aut-sei=Tokinobu
en-aut-mei=Akiko
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=2
ORCID=

en-aut-name=FujiiChikako
en-aut-sei=Fujii
en-aut-mei=Chikako
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=3
ORCID=

en-aut-name=WatanabeMayu
en-aut-sei=Watanabe
en-aut-mei=Mayu
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=4
ORCID=

en-aut-name=ObikaMikako
en-aut-sei=Obika
en-aut-mei=Mikako
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=5
ORCID=

affil-num=1
en-affil=Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Okayama University Hospital
kn-affil=

affil-num=2
en-affil=Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Okayama University Hospital
kn-affil=

affil-num=3
en-affil=Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Okayama University Hospital
kn-affil=

affil-num=4
en-affil=Division of Kidney, Diabetes and Endocrine Diseases, Okayama University Hospital
kn-affil=

affil-num=5
en-affil=Department of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University
kn-affil=
en-keyword=COVID-19 pandemic
kn-keyword=COVID-19 pandemic
en-keyword=Empathy
kn-keyword=Empathy
en-keyword=Jefferson Scale of Empathy
kn-keyword=Jefferson Scale of Empathy
en-keyword=Medical students
kn-keyword=Medical students
en-keyword=Online class
kn-keyword=Online class
END

start-ver=1.4
cd-journal=joma
no-vol=23
cd-vols=
no-issue=1
article-no=
start-page=81
end-page=
dt-received=
dt-revised=
dt-accepted=
dt-pub-year=2023
dt-pub=20230202
dt-online=
en-article=
kn-article=
en-subject=
kn-subject=
en-title=
kn-title=Eleven years of data on the Jefferson Scale of Empathy - medical student version: Japanese norm data and tentative cutoff scores
en-subtitle=
kn-subtitle=
en-abstract=
kn-abstract=Background<br>
More and more studies investigate medical students' empathy using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE). However, no norm data or cutoff scores of the JSE for Japanese medical students are available. This study therefore explored Japanese norm data and tentative cutoff scores for the Japanese translation of the JSE-medical student version (JSE-S) using 11 years of data obtained from matriculants from a medical school in Japan.<br><br>
Methods<br>Participants were 1,216 students (836 men and 380 women) who matriculated at a medical school in Japan from 2011 to 2021. The JSE-S questionnaire was administered to participants prior to the start of the program. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics and statistical tests were performed to show the norm data and tentative cutoff scores for male and female students separately.<br><br>
Results<br>The score distributions of the JSE-S were moderately skewed and leptokurtic for the entire sample, with indices -0.75 and 4.78, respectively. The mean score (standard deviation) for all participants was 110.8 (11.8). Women had a significantly higher mean score (112.6) than men (110.0; p < 0.01). The effect size estimate of gender difference was 0.22, indicating a small effect size. The low and high cutoff scores for men were <= 91 and >= 126, respectively, and the corresponding scores for women were <= 97 and >= 128, respectively.<br><br>
Conclusions<br>
This study provides JSE-S norm data and tentative cutoff scores for Japanese medical school matriculants, which would be helpful in identifying those who may need further training to enhance their empathy.
en-copyright=
kn-copyright=

en-aut-name=KataokaHitomi U.
en-aut-sei=Kataoka
en-aut-mei=Hitomi U.
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=1
ORCID=

en-aut-name=TokinobuAkiko
en-aut-sei=Tokinobu
en-aut-mei=Akiko
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=2
ORCID=

en-aut-name=FujiiChikako
en-aut-sei=Fujii
en-aut-mei=Chikako
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=3
ORCID=

en-aut-name=WatanabeMayu
en-aut-sei=Watanabe
en-aut-mei=Mayu
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=4
ORCID=

en-aut-name=ObikaMikako
en-aut-sei=Obika
en-aut-mei=Mikako
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=5
ORCID=

affil-num=1
en-affil= Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Okayama University Hospital
kn-affil=

affil-num=2
en-affil= Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Okayama University Hospital
kn-affil=

affil-num=3
en-affil= Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Okayama University Hospital
kn-affil=

affil-num=4
en-affil=Division of Kidney, Diabetes and Endocrine Diseases, Okayama  University Hospital
kn-affil=

affil-num=5
en-affil=Department of General Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry  and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University
kn-affil=
en-keyword=Jefferson Scale of Empathy
kn-keyword=Jefferson Scale of Empathy
en-keyword=Norm data
kn-keyword=Norm data
en-keyword=Cutoff scores
kn-keyword=Cutoff scores
en-keyword=Medical students
kn-keyword=Medical students
en-keyword=Empathy
kn-keyword=Empathy
END

start-ver=1.4
cd-journal=joma
no-vol=
cd-vols=
no-issue=
article-no=
start-page=
end-page=
dt-received=
dt-revised=
dt-accepted=
dt-pub-year=2015
dt-pub=2015
dt-online=
en-article=
kn-article=
en-subject=
kn-subject=
en-title=
kn-title=Thyroid Cancer Detection by Ultrasound Among Residents Ages 18 Years and Younger in Fukushima
en-subtitle=
kn-subtitle=
en-abstract=
kn-abstract=Background: After the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011, radioactive elements were released from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Based on prior knowledge, concern emerged about whether an increased incidence of thyroid cancer among exposed residents would occur as a result.

Methods: After the release, Fukushima Prefecture performed ultrasound thyroid screening on all residents ages <=18 years. The first round of screening included 298,577 examinees, and a second round began in April 2014. We analyzed the prefecture results from the first and second round up to December 31, 2014, in comparison with the Japanese annual incidence and the incidence within a reference area in Fukushima Prefecture.

Results: The highest incidence rate ratio, using a latency period of 4 years, was observed in the central middle district of the prefecture compared with the Japanese annual incidence (incidence rate ratio = 50; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 25, 90). The prevalence of thyroid cancer was 605 per million examinees (95% CI = 302, 1,082) and the prevalence odds ratio compared with the reference district in Fukushima Prefecture was 2.6 (95% CI = 0.99, 7.0). In the second screening round, even under the assumption that the rest of examinees were disease free, an incidence rate ratio of 12 has already been observed (95% CI = 5.1, 23).

Conclusions: An excess of thyroid cancer has been detected by ultrasound among children and adolescents in Fukushima Prefecture within 4 years of the release, and is unlikely to be explained by a screening surge.
en-copyright=
kn-copyright=

en-aut-name=TsudaToshihide
en-aut-sei=Tsuda
en-aut-mei=Toshihide
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=1
ORCID=

en-aut-name=TokinobuAkiko
en-aut-sei=Tokinobu
en-aut-mei=Akiko
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=2
ORCID=

en-aut-name=YamamotoEiji
en-aut-sei=Yamamoto
en-aut-mei=Eiji
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=3
ORCID=

en-aut-name=SuzukiEtsuji
en-aut-sei=Suzuki
en-aut-mei=Etsuji
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=4
ORCID=

affil-num=1
en-affil=
kn-affil=Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University

affil-num=2
en-affil=
kn-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University

affil-num=3
en-affil=
kn-affil=Faculty of Informatics, Okayama University of Science

affil-num=4
en-affil=
kn-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University
END