start-ver=1.4
cd-journal=joma
no-vol=17
cd-vols=
no-issue=4
article-no=
start-page=e0267587
end-page=
dt-received=
dt-revised=
dt-accepted=
dt-pub-year=2022
dt-pub=20220421
dt-online=
en-article=
kn-article=
en-subject=
kn-subject=
en-title=
kn-title=Interest in Infectious Diseases specialty among Japanese medical students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: A web-based, cross-sectional study
en-subtitle=
kn-subtitle=
en-abstract=
kn-abstract=IntroductionThe emergence of the novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has led to huge disruptions in the medical field and society. The significance of training and education for experts has been increasingly acknowledged in Japan, where the number of infectious disease (ID) specialists is reportedly insufficient. In this paper, we report the results of a web-based survey that was conducted to reveal the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced medical students' awareness of ID specialists and future career choices. MethodThis cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in March 2021 and targeted 717 medical students belonging to Medical School of Okayama University, Japan. The questionnaire consisted of four questions meant to assess students' knowledge and future intentions of becoming ID specialists. ResultsWe obtained 328 eligible questionnaires (response rate: 45.7%). Of 227 (69.2%) students who were aware of ID specialists, 99 (43.6%) answered that they came to know about them only after the pandemic, 12 (3.7%) answered that their interest in being an ID specialist arose during the pandemic, while 36 (11.0%) responded that they would rather not become ID specialists. At the time of the survey, 5 students (1.5%) were aiming to become ID specialists. ConclusionWe observed a very low rate of interest to be an ID specialist among medical students. The experience of the pandemic does not seem to have influenced Japanese medical students to choose ID as a specialty for their careers. Continuous efforts to increase the number of ID specialists are necessary in Japan as a countermeasure against the coming pandemic.
en-copyright=
kn-copyright=

en-aut-name=HagiyaHideharu
en-aut-sei=Hagiya
en-aut-mei=Hideharu
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=1
ORCID=

en-aut-name=OtsukaYuki
en-aut-sei=Otsuka
en-aut-mei=Yuki
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=2
ORCID=

en-aut-name=TokumasuKazuki
en-aut-sei=Tokumasu
en-aut-mei=Kazuki
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=3
ORCID=

en-aut-name=HondaHiroyuki
en-aut-sei=Honda
en-aut-mei=Hiroyuki
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=4
ORCID=

en-aut-name=NishimuraYoshito
en-aut-sei=Nishimura
en-aut-mei=Yoshito
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=5
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=6
ORCID=

en-aut-name=OtsukaFumio
en-aut-sei=Otsuka
en-aut-mei=Fumio
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=7
ORCID=

affil-num=1
en-affil=Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
kn-affil=

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

affil-num=3
en-affil=Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
kn-affil=

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

affil-num=5
en-affil=Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
kn-affil=

affil-num=6
en-affil=Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
kn-affil=

affil-num=7
en-affil=Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
kn-affil=
END

start-ver=1.4
cd-journal=joma
no-vol=17
cd-vols=
no-issue=4
article-no=
start-page=e0266853
end-page=
dt-received=
dt-revised=
dt-accepted=
dt-pub-year=2022
dt-pub=20220414
dt-online=
en-article=
kn-article=
en-subject=
kn-subject=
en-title=
kn-title=Fear of an unprecedented, invisible enemy: Difficulties experienced in establishing criteria for the release of COVID-19 patients from isolation in a Japanese University Hospital
en-subtitle=
kn-subtitle=
en-abstract=
kn-abstract=Introduction The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global pandemic, and the United States and European authorities established criteria for the release of COVID-19 patients from isolation in October 2020. However, a huge discrepancy exists between the hospital-discharge protocol for COVID-19 patients and the release of patients from in-hospital isolation. Our initially proposed criteria for in-hospital release from isolation was not adhered to by healthcare workers (HCWs) due to prevailing concerns regarding disease infectivity. Herein, we report difficulties encountered in attempting to establish a common understanding of the management of emerging infections. Methods We performed a Google Form-based questionnaire survey targeting HCWs from Okayama University Hospital, Japan, via e-mail on January 21-28, 2021. The anonymous investigation required respondents to provide information regarding their background as well as perceptions regarding the requirement, level of understanding, and readiness for developing release criteria. Results We obtained 150 eligible responses, including 57 (38.0%) from medical doctors and 53 (35.3%) from nurses. Most HCWs managing COVID-19 patients advocated for the implementation of the criteria, whereas those not working in that capacity did not (p<0.001). Over half of the HCWs indicated discomfort at seeing COVID-19 patients transitioning to general management even after meeting the criteria. Conclusions It was challenging to establish a common understanding regarding the ideal criteria for in-hospital release of COVID-19 patients from isolation in our hospital. The dissemination of our experiences and multifaceted discussions with HCWs would be of great value as a countermeasure against the emergent pandemic.
en-copyright=
kn-copyright=

en-aut-name=HagiyaHideharu
en-aut-sei=Hagiya
en-aut-mei=Hideharu
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=1
ORCID=

en-aut-name=HasegawaKou
en-aut-sei=Hasegawa
en-aut-mei=Kou
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=2
ORCID=

en-aut-name=OtsukaFumio
en-aut-sei=Otsuka
en-aut-mei=Fumio
kn-aut-name=
kn-aut-sei=
kn-aut-mei=
aut-affil-num=3
ORCID=

affil-num=1
en-affil=Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
kn-affil=

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

affil-num=3
en-affil=Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
kn-affil=
END