Abstract
The theme of the 2022 Congress, “不（fu）”, is a Japanese prefix for negation. It can mean “mysterious”, “uncertain”, “unhappy”, “incurable”, “inconvenient” or “anxious”—feelings one can experience in situations where clinical practice and/or society have not yet been able to sufficiently deliver. Recognizing and working towards resolving these situations could fuel new developments in DDS. According to the definition adopted by Schumpeter, “innovations” are characterized by discontinuity—novelty achieved through “new combinations” in terms of satisfying human needs. What, then, is the result of combining “不（fu）” and DDS? Broadly speaking, the notion of “不（fu）” in medicine has changed from “how not to die” to “how to live a fulfilling life until the very end”. In other words, the focus has shifted from simply saving lives to adequately controlling symptoms. This review aims to highlight this through an overview of the “不（fu）” of various diseases. The same question is at the root of the SDGs, which are society’s “不（fu）”：how can the number of individuals empowered to live fulfilling lives be increased？
