Concepts in pediatric surgery in Japan

Abstract

Issues in pediatric surgery in Japan, including clinical medicine, research, education, ethics, patient health, medical expenses, and malpractice suits were discussed from the standpoint of a pediatric surgeon working at a university hospital. Various aspects of each issue were explored, and strategies of each problem area were proposed. The four starategies particularly emphasized were advancement of clinical field in peadiatric surgery, development of a new mass screeinig program to detect malignant tumors and active participation in the mass screening team, clarification of the etiology of biliary atresia and development of an effective treatment, and advancement of research by a newlyformed project team whose members represent as many institutions in Japan as possible.