2021 Volume 16 Issue 4 Pages 281-287
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate Japanese dialects for expressing symptoms that palliative care specialists believe they should know. Method: A nationwide questionnaire mail survey was conducted between February and April 2020 with 762 palliative care specialists. Japanese dialects and their meanings that specialists need to know when assessing symptoms were surveyed and a content analysis was performed. Results: A total of 492 (64.8%) specialists responded, and 233 (47.4%) mentioned a total of 116 dialects, out of which 101 were used to express symptoms. The dialects were classified into the following categories: “fatigue, unspecified distress, and discomfort” (N=62), “pain” (N=13), “respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms” (N=8),“psychological symptoms” (N=8), “gastrointestinal symptoms” (N=5), and “neurological, muscular, and dermatological symptoms” (N=5). Conclusion: We identified Japanese dialects and their meanings that specialists would need to know when assessing symptoms. The understanding of various dialects may help better assess symptoms.
