Introduction: Behavioral economics (BE) has been applied to recent studies in the medical field. However, current pharmacy curricula do not include BE. This study aimed to introduce BE to pharmacy students and investigate their degree of knowledge of and interest in BE. We taught BE to pharmacy students and conducted a questionnaire survey. Methods: The research was conducted at a national university in Japan, where the authors are faculty members. The target class was “Advanced Topics in Clinical Pharmacy Research and Education,” which is optional for both undergraduate and graduate students. We taught three topics during a 90-minute class: “pharmacoeconomics,” “self-medication” (both already included in the current pharmacy curricula), and “behavioral economics.” Students responded to a questionnaire that investigated their knowledge before class and their evaluation of the class. Results: We received valid responses from 41 of the 51 students. Prior to the class, more than 90% of the students answered that they were not aware of three BE terms: nudge, prospect theory, and present bias. After the class, 92.7% answered that they were interested in BE, and 82.9% considered the topic useful for future research and work. Discussion: BE was a new concept to most sampled pharmacy students. Once introduced to it, however, they showed an interest in learning more about how to apply the subject in their field. Therefore, pharmacy schools might find it useful to incorporate BE into their curricula. Further study is needed before the curricula are revised.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to investigate the method of objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) before clinical training for physical therapy students. This study also aims to clarify the relationship between OSCE results and clinical training achievements in clinical clerkships. Methods: We analyzed the correlations between OSCE results, knowledge confirmation examination results, number of case types experienced, and clinical training achievements of 79 physical therapy students. Results: Significantly positive correlations were noted between OSCE results and knowledge confirmation examination results, number of case types experienced, and clinical training achievements. Furthermore, there were significantly positive correlations between OSCE-skill element and the areas of clinical training achievements, physical therapy assistance, and clinical training achievements-evaluation. Discussion: This study showed that although OSCE was designed to assess competence in a non-clinical setting, OSCE results were also related to clinical skill.

　In online training, maintaining students’ desire to learn is a challenge. It is also challenging to develop realistic and interesting teaching materials and practical training. To effectively conduct online training in the area of critical care, we developed a video to be used as teaching material. It shows the procedure for patient and family care in clinical practice through multidisciplinary collaboration and hospital-university cooperation. We then combined paper examples, video materials, and online conferences to design practical training using the ARCS model. As a result, we were able to maintain the students’ desire to learn and lead them to independent learning and to maintain patient understanding and satisfaction with practical training. It has been suggested that video materials using actual clinical scenes could lead to effective online training and an understanding of multidisciplinary collaboration.

　The objective of the “Introduction to Pediatric Nursing” course is to have pupils understand the growth and development of children and their surrounding environments, such as family and society, and the problems faced by children with disabilities and the psychological burden on their families. In order to make the content of the lecture more concrete and realistic, we developed a class using general broadcasting programs and movies as audiovisual materials. In this article, we will report on the outcome.

　High-quality simulation education is required as a learning strategy to train physicians who can respond to various situations with consideration for medical safety and team medicine. However, it is difficult to incorporate hands-on training into medical classes with more than 100 students per grade. We have implemented a variety of simulation classes as pre-clinical training in the three years since the opening of the medical school. We designed a large-scale, multifunctional simulation facility that has never existed in our country, and aimed to realize pre-clinical training classes that students can feel through their five senses instead of limiting their experience to visual information such as slides. We introduced simulation lessons that integrate basic medicine and clinical medicine for effective learning and motivation. We also introduced online technology that shares the simulation skills experienced by small groups with all students in the large lecture room.

　Since 2017, Japanese medical schools have begun to obtain official accreditation from the World Federation for Medical Education, where behavioral and social sciences are necessary components. These sciences were not familiar to Japanese educators, despite their detailed explanation in Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education (revised version of 2016). Therefore, we need to conceptualize the disciplinary entities for each of the original and respective sciences. To conceptualize each academic discipline, the author aims to clarify the domestic background in the context of the educational and social needs of a progressively aging population.

　In recent years, while the introduction of behavioral and social science curricula has been progressing, the recognition of the fields of behavioral and social sciences differs in each university. There is an overlap between the academic systems of behavioral science and behavioral medicine that cannot be separated, and it is difficult to make a clear categorization at present. On the other hand, the concept of behavioral science and behavioral medicine is characterized by the integration of a wide range of disciplines to pursue a holistic understanding of human behavior. The interrelationship between the disciplines is considered important. In the field of research, translational research that integrates behavioral and social sciences is being promoted. Behavioral medicine also emphasizes the domains of bio-behavioral mechanisms, clinical practice, and public health, and the interrelationships among these domains. In clinical practice, psychosomatic medicine integrates behavioral science approaches and medicine, and practices holistic medicine as its core. In this paper, I would like to describe the concept of behavioral science and behavioral medicine, and help to develop a curriculum for medical education.

　Social science is a general term for various academic disciplines that scientifically explore the relationships that make a group a society. It can be divided into a macro approach, which analyzes society at the mass level, such as the state or local government, and a micro approach, which focuses on specific social phenomena in the field. As methods of survey analysis, both quantitative research based on statistical analysis and qualitative research based on observation and interviews are used. Cultural anthropology and sociology, in particular, can serve as hubs that relate social phenomena to the findings of social sciences such as economics and political science due to their characteristic of taking an integrated view of society as a whole. In addition, both of these disciplines can bring rich knowledge to clinical practice in that they can analyze and interpret social issues in the field using micro and qualitative approaches.

　Medical ethics is a branch of bioethics, that includes research ethics and clinical ethics. While medical ethics shows a universally valid or general value judgment based on theories and principles, clinical ethics is a study that shows a provisional and probable value judgment that fits a particular case. It is applied ethics. Regarding, research ethics, “ethical guidelines for medical research targeting humans” and “clinical research law” have been established. “Medicine and Law” had long been taught in medical education, however, it was treated as “miscellaneous rules and regulations.” In response to recent social changes, knowledge in the area has now been presented in the Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education as “Medical Law,” with a request that it should be taught by legal specialists as an independent discipline. Since the excessive “legalization of medicine” is causing harm to the current medical field, professional autonomy is important in the education of “Medical Law.”

　With the accreditation of medical education by JACME, the discussion on behavioral and social sciences in medical education has become more active. In addition to the conceptualization of behavioral science, social science, medical jurisprudence, and medical ethics in this special issue, this article describes the status of behavioral and social sciences in medical education in the U.S. and the U.K., as well as the relationship between social medicine and social science. In addition, I will explain why behavioral and social sciences are based on disciplines such as psychology, anthropology, and sociology, and ask for opinions, objections, and counterarguments.

　Medical professionals’ education strategies include experiential learning, such as medical interviews, clinical procedures, clinical observership, and clinical clerkship. Experiential learning is the process of “renewal of ability through experience and reflection.” It is indispensable for lifelong learning to give meaning, value, and practicality to empirical knowledge by looking back on the experience. Feedback adds information from the perspective of others and deepen reflection. To provide useful feedback, it is necessary to improve the feedback literacy of both teachers and learners. This time, I would like to present a strategy for improving learner feedback literacy and a practical example of feedback literacy training for simulated patients.