ArticleSurgery today2024
The shortage of surgeons in Japan: Results of an online survey of qualified teaching hospitals that take part in the surgical training programs for board certification by the Japan Surgical Society.
Article in Surgery today, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Self-reported harassment during Japanese surgical residency: secondary analysis of a nationwide survey of newly board-certified surgeons.Surgery today · 2026Article
- Workplace Harassment and Consideration of Leaving Surgical Practice: A Nationwide Survey by the Japanese Society of Gastroenterological Surgery.Annals of gastroenterological surgery · 2026Article
- The global surgical workforce crisis: narrative review of the role of surgical educator development and technological innovations.Surgery today · 2026Review
- Surgical training outcomes of female versus male surgeons in Japan.Surgery today · 2026Article
- Feasibility and surgical outcomes of thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax with scope manipulation performed by clinical engineers: a retrospective comparative study.General thoracic and cardiovascular surgery · 2026Article
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- Secondary breast surgery after initial partial mastectomy for breast cancer in Japan.Surgery today · 2026Article
- Longer hours, limited returns? a post-hoc National survey analysis of overtime hours during surgical training in Japan.Surgery today · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of pharmacist-led management of candidemia in a tertiary care hospital without a full-time infectious disease specialist.Nagoya journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Increased Surgical Risks in Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Following the Shift to Single-Surgeon Practice Triggered by Trainee Resignations.Journal of Korean medical science · 2026Article
- Article
- Objective suturing skill assessment in a hands-on course increases medical students' aspiration to become surgeons.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Motivations and factors influencing the choice of a career as a thoracic surgeon in Japan: results of a nationwide questionnaire survey.Surgery today · 2026Article
- Supporting doctors' professional identity development through specialist training.Anatomical sciences education · 2026Article
- Decline in the surgical workforce in urban and rural Japan and the regional quota system as a potential solution to surgeon shortages.Surgery today · 2025Article
- Toward safe clinical deployment of remote robotic surgery in Japan: five-year validation of the hinotori™ system using 5G wireless communication.International journal of clinical oncology · 2025Review
- Impact of social media on the career choices of medical students and junior residents in Japan: a prospective study to strategize an increase in the number of aspiring surgeons.Surgery today · 2025Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeA collapse in regional healthcare through the maldistribution of physicians has been a long-debated issue in Japan and amidst this situation, a new system of board certification was initiated. The Japan Surgical Society (JSS) conducted a nation-wide survey to grasp the current distribution of surgeons in Japan, and their roles.
methodsAll 1976 JSS-certified teaching hospitals were invited to respond to a web-based questionnaire. The responses were analyzed to seek a solution to the current issues.
resultsResponses to the questionnaire were received from 1335 hospitals. The surgical departments of medical universities serve as an internal labor market and were the source of surgeons for most hospitals. More than 50% of teaching hospitals throughout the country claimed a shortage of surgeons even in well-populated prefectures such as Tokyo and Osaka. Hospitals rely on surgeons to cover the deficits in medical oncology, anesthesiology, and emergency medicine. These additional responsibilities were identified as significant predictors of a shortage of surgeons.
conclusionsSurgeon shortage is a serious issue throughout Japan. Given the limited number of surgeons and surgical trainees, hospitals should make every effort to recruit specialists in the additional fields where surgeons are filling the gaps and allow surgeons to engage more in surgery.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.