Acute Mesenteric Ischemia Mimicking Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Case Report on Diagnostic Challenges and Management.

This article demonstrates the need for abdominal imaging in COVID-19 patients with systemic symptoms in the differential diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia and critical COVID-19 pneumonia. We detail the case of a 91-year-old man, initially diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, who was later found to have acute mesenteric ischemia through abdominal CT imaging, despite lacking typical abdominal symptoms. Abdominal CT revealed intramural and portal emphysema, leading to a diagnosis of acute mesenteric ischemia. Given the patient's advanced age and poor condition, supportive care was chosen, with the patient passing away 12 hours post-admission. This case highlights the critical need for comprehensive evaluation, including abdominal imaging, in COVID-19 patients with systemic symptoms to identify other serious conditions like acute mesenteric ischemia, especially in the absence of specific abdominal pain. Early detection is vital for appropriate management and improved patient outcomes.

Translating, adapting, and validating the medical student version of the patient care ownership scale for use in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Patient care ownership (PCO) among medical students is a growing area in the field of medical education. While PCO has received increasing attention, there are no instruments to assess PCO in the context of Japanese undergraduate medical education. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the PCO Scale - Medical students (PCOS-S) in the Japanese context. METHODS: We collected survey data from fifth- and sixth-grade medical students from five different universities varying in location and type. Structural validity, convergent validity, and internal consistency reliability were examined. RESULTS: Data from 122 respondents were analyzed. Factor analysis of the Japanese PCOS-S revealed three factors with Cronbach's alpha values exceeding the satisfactory criterion (0.70). A positive correlation was observed between the total Japanese PCOS-S scores and the global rating scores for the clinical department as a learning environment (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.61). CONCLUSIONS: We conducted the translation of the PCOS-S into Japanese and assessed its psychometric properties. The Japanese version has good reliability and validity. This instrument has potential value in assessing the development of medical students' PCO.

The impact of patients' social backgrounds assessment on nursing care: Qualitative research.

Background: Although nurses are expected to address the social determinants of health (SDH) in clinical settings, the perspectives of front-line nurses on the integration of SDH into their clinical practice remain unclear. Understanding the dynamism of this integration and its outcomes can yield crucial insights into effective nursing care. This study aims to elucidate the integration and adoption of tool-based SDH assessment nursing programs and their impacts on daily nursing care. Methods: We conducted qualitative research at a small community-based hospital in Japan, where a tool-based program characterized by social background interviews and documentation was implemented. Nurses at the hospital were recruited via purposive and snowball sampling. After hypothesis generation, semi-constructed in-depth online interviews were conducted. Each interview lasted between 30 and 50 min. The data were analyzed via thematic analysis using the framework approach. Results: A total of 16 nurses participated. Participants' incorporation of the novel SDH assessment program was bolstered by prior learning and their recognition of its practical value. Institutional support and collaborative teamwork further facilitated the adoption of this innovation. Enhanced knowledge about the social contexts of their patients contributed to increased respect, empathy, and self-affirmation among participants, consequently enhancing the quality of nursing care. Conclusion: Through team-based learning, reflection, and support, nurses can integrate a tool-based SDH assessment program into their daily nursing practice. This program has the potential to empower nurses to deliver more holistic care and redefine their professional identity. Further research is warranted to assess patient-reported outcomes.

Association between tolerance for ambiguity specific to the clinical context and empathy in medical trainees: A multicenter cross-sectional study in Japan.

PURPOSE: Physicians' empathy and ambiguity tolerance have recently become a focus of medical education. However, the association between the two concepts remains unclear. This study examined the association between empathy and ambiguity tolerance in the clinical context among medical trainees. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study in 12 institutions: 2 universities for medical students and 10 hospitals for residents. We assessed ambiguity tolerance using the Japanese version of the Tolerance of Ambiguity in Medical Students and Doctors scale. The outcome variable was empathy, measured using the Japanese translation of the Jefferson Scales of Empathy (JSE). RESULTS: Data from 100 medical students and 135 residents were analyzed. After adjustment for possible confounders, the factor scores of 'tolerance for things that are not black or white in medicine' showed a dose-dependent association with the JSE. There was no clear trend in the association between the total scores or other factor scores and empathy. CONCLUSION: This nationwide multicenter study showed that the factor scores of 'tolerance for things that are not black or white in medicine' were associated with empathy among medical trainees. Our findings may be helpful for developing interventions in the field of medical education to nurture empathy.

What was happening in the collaboration between general practitioners and public health nurses in the community: A qualitative study.

Background: Interprofessional collaboration in the community is becoming essential in primary care, particularly collaboration between public health nurses and general practitioners. However, the precise value of such collaboration has not been sufficiently studied. The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative analysis of collaboration between general practitioners and public health nurses in the community to explore the details of the phenomenon and its possible impact on the community. Methods: Since 2015, The University of Toyama has been implementing the Collaborative Health Activities Project, in which general practitioners and public health nurses work together to promote community health. Focus group and individual interviews were conducted with participating staff, and the data were analyzed qualitatively. Results: Fifteen themes were generated, in six categories. The categories were as follows: enhanced roles of public health nurses and physicians in the community, new perspectives on the community, public health nurses' sense of trust and empathy toward physicians, bonds of solidarity between public health nurses and physicians, proactive change in residents, and supporting "hangout places". Conclusion: The collaboration between general practitioners and public health nurses familiar with the same community fostered a sense of trust and empathy and created the bonds of solidarity between staff and residents. The results also suggest the collaboration may have a positive impact on the local community by inspiring residents to change proactively and supporting "hangouts" where residents and professionals can informally connect.

Possibility of alleviating difficulties of health and social care professionals engaged in end-of-life care through Clinical Art program.

Background: Health and social care professionals experience high-stress levels during end-of-life care. Various intervention programs have been proposed to reduce stress and prevent burnout among physicians and nurses, including arts-based activities that have shown potential. However, it is unclear how art programs can alleviate stress among healthcare professionals providing end-of-life care. This study aimed to explore the potential of Clinical Art programs to alleviate distress in professionals providing end-of-life care. Methods: Two Clinical Art workshops, held in October and November 2020, were attended by local health and social care professionals. Focus groups were conducted with those who attended and consented to participate in the study. Verbatim transcripts were made, and a qualitative analysis of the text was conducted. Results: Thirteen health and social work professionals participated in the study. Perceived difficulties in end-of-life care included the complexity and uncertainty of end-of-life care services, the approaches to patients and families, and the difficulties due to human aspects of healthcare providers. The positive effects of Clinical Art included pure enjoyment of art, empathic communication with patients and families and the application of an ontological view of human beings, which were identified as reasons for Clinical Art's effectiveness and applicability to care. Conclusions: The results suggest that the Clinical Art program has a psychosocial moderating effect on health and social work professionals and can be used for empathic communication with patients and families in end-of-life care and for applying an ontological view of human beings in caring for patients.

Exploring the experiences and learning of young primary care physicians in disaster-affected areas: A qualitative study on the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Background: Primary care physicians (PCPs) play a critical role in disaster medicine. However, it is unclear how PCPs who provide chronic support to disaster-affected areas learn from their experiences. Methods: This qualitative study investigates the learnings of young PCPs who provided medical care during the chronic phase of the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster. Results: Thematic analysis of interviews with five physicians revealed the challenges faced by them and their learnings in providing medical support to disaster-affected areas. Conclusions: They not only learned medical skills but also humanistic aspects such as empathizing with the survivors' loss.

Cultural adaptation and validation of Japanese medical resident version of the workplace social capital scale: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The Workplace Social Capital (WSC) Scale is the most frequently used tool for measuring social capital at work in Western countries. However, there are no corresponding tools for assessing WSC among medical trainees in Japan. Thus, this study was conducted to develop the Japanese medical resident version of the WSC (JMR-WSC) Scale and examine its validity and reliability. METHODS: The Japanese version of the WSC Scale by Odagiri et al. was reviewed and the scale was partially modified for use in the Japanese context of postgraduate medical education. To verify the validity and reliability of the JMR-WSC Scale, a cross-sectional survey was performed in 32 hospitals across Japan. Postgraduate trainees (years 1-6) at the participating hospitals responded to the online questionnaire on a voluntary basis. We tested the structural validity through confirmatory factor analysis. We also examined criterion-related validity and internal consistency reliability of the JMR-WSC Scale. RESULTS: In all, 289 trainees completed the questionnaire. The results of confirmatory factor analysis supported the JMR-WSC Scale's structural validity on the same two-factor model as that of the original WSC Scale. Logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjustment for gender and postgraduate years, trainees with good self-rated health had a significantly elevated odds ratio for good WSC. Cronbach's alpha coefficients showed acceptable internal consistency reliability. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully developed the JMR-WSC Scale and examined its validity and reliability. Our scale could be used to measure social capital in postgraduate medical training settings in Japan to help prevent burnout and reduce patient safety incidents.

Social Prescribing Initiative at Community Library and Its Impact on Residents and the Community: A Qualitative Study.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: Social prescribing aims to improve health and well-being by connecting individuals with mental health, housing, and loneliness issues to informal services and support. This approach connects individuals to activities and services in their community to fulfill their practical, social, and emotional needs. However, no reports of community libraries being prescribed as a place to be referred through social prescribing were observed in the literature and the impact of community libraries on community residents and communities in social prescribing. The aim of this study was to identify the functions of a community library operated by medical and social professionals in the social prescribing initiative, its functions, and its impact on community residents and communities. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the users of the Daikai Bunko Library, a community library in Toyooka City, Japan. The library was established by a primary care physician and community residents as a place where visitors can stay and use it as a library, a bookstore, a café, and a consultation place. Interviews were recorded, and the verbatim transcript was analyzed using the Steps for Coding and Theorization. RESULTS: Ten individuals participated. The theoretical description of the interview texts revealed 11 categories as the function of the library and its effect on the individuals and the community: a place to stay, attractive space design, diverse accessibility, choosability of various roles, consultation function, social support, empowerment, mutual trust, formation of connections across generations/attributes, co-creation, and social impact. CONCLUSIONS: We found that a community library run by medical and social professionals was a useful social prescribing site and had various effects on the community residents who used it. Various functions of the community library, such as consultation functions and attractive space design, may lead to effects on local individuals providing social support and empowerment, with social impacts such as co-creation and formation of connections to the local community.

Keep thinking about unanswered questions in primary care: Cultivating negative capability.

Negative capability or tolerance for uncertainty is important for primary care physicians. The 2022 edition of the Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education also states that the content of professionalism is to "keep thinking about unanswerable questions."

Learning and elucidating the uncertainty in primary care by mapping uncertainty in medicine.

This letter reports on a workshop aiming to ease clinical practice by mapping uncertainties in clinical practice. The workshop was indeed effective considering the mapped uncertainties based on previous research and included discussion. We believe that future expansion of similar activities will promote the study of uncertainty in clinical practice.

Late-Onset Intracranial Hemorrhage Presenting as Refractory Hyponatremia: A Case Report.

Here, we report a case of refractory hyponatremia and delayed intracranial hemorrhage following a head injury. A 70-year-old male patient was admitted with complaints of left chest pain and light-headedness after a fall. Hyponatremia recurred despite the correction with intravenous saline. Head computed tomography revealed a chronic subdural hematoma. The subsequent introduction of tolvaptan improved hyponatremia and disorientation. Delayed intracranial hemorrhage is a differential cause of refractory hyponatremia after head contusion. This case is clinically relevant because (i) the diagnostic delay of late-onset intracranial hemorrhage is common but fatal, and (ii) refractory hyponatremia can be a hint of late-onset intracranial hemorrhage.

Translation, adaptation, and validation of the Tolerance of Ambiguity in Medical Students and Doctors (TAMSAD) scale for use in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Ambiguity is inherent to the medical field; hence, assessing and educating medical trainees regarding ambiguity tolerance is essential. The Tolerance of Ambiguity in Medical Students and Doctors (TAMSAD) scale-a novel instrument that assesses ambiguity tolerance in clinical settings-has been widely used for medical education research in Western countries. However, a version of this scale applicable to the intricate clinical contexts of Japan has not yet been developed. In this study, we developed the Japanese version of the TAMSAD (J-TAMSAD) scale and tested its psychometric properties. METHODS: In this multicenter study, we collected data through a cross-sectional survey in two universities (medical students) and ten hospitals (residents) across Japan, and evaluated the structural validity, criterion-related validity, and internal consistency reliability of the J-TAMSAD scale. RESULTS: We analyzed the data of 247 participants. The sample was randomly divided in half, with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) performed on one half and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the other. EFA led to an 18-item J-TAMSAD scale comprising five factors. CFA showed acceptable fit for this five-factor model (comparative fit index = 0.900, root mean square error of approximation = 0.050, standardized root mean square residual = 0.069, goodness of fit index = 0.987). There was a positive correlation between the J-TAMSAD scale scores and total reverse scores on the Japanese version of the Short Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (Pearson correlation coefficient 0.41). The internal consistency was found to be satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha 0.70). CONCLUSIONS: The J-TAMSAD scale was developed, and its psychometric properties were confirmed. The instrument can be useful for assessing tolerance of ambiguity among medical trainees in Japan. With further validation, it could be used to verify the educational effectiveness of curricula that foster ambiguity tolerance in medical trainees, or even in research assessing the relationship with other variables.

The Effectiveness of the Multiple-Attending-Physicians System Compared With the Single Attending-Physician System in Inpatient Setting: A Mixed-Method Study.

OBJECTIVES: Medical facilities have been required to effectively utilize insufficient human resources in many countries. Therefore, we qualitatively and quantitively compared physicians' working burden, and assessed advantages and disadvantages of the single- and the multiple-attending physicians systems in inpatient care. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we extracted electronic health record of patients from a hospital in Japan from April 2017 to October 2018 to compare anonymous statistical data between the single-attending and multiple-attending-physicians system. Then, we conducted a questionnaire survey for all physicians of single and multiple-attending systems, asking about their physical and psychiatric workload, and their reasons and comments on their working styles. RESULTS: The average length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the multiple-attending system than in the single-attending system, while patients' age, gender, and diagnoses were similar. From the questionnaire survey, no significant difference was found in all categories although physical burden in multiple-attending system tended to be lower than that in single-attending system. Advantages of multiple-attending system extracted from qualitative analysis are (1) improvement of physicians' quality of life (QOL), (2) lifelong-learning effect, and (3) improving the quality of medical care, while disadvantages were (1) risk of miscommunications, (2) conflicting treatment policies among physicians, and (3) patients' concern. CONCLUSIONS: The multiple-attending physician system in the inpatient setting can reduce the average length of stay for patients and also reduce the physical burden on physicians without compromising their clinical performance.

Effects of Using a Video-Sharing Application on Multidisciplinary Staff During Pre-discharge Home Assessment Visits for Elderly Hospitalized Patients.

Background: Pre-discharge home assessment visits for elderly hospitalized patients are conducted by the hospital staff to ensure a smooth transition to home care and are effective in preventing falls and reducing the rehospitalization rates. However, the effect of an application that enables the viewing of videos of the patient's home activities during the pre-discharge visit on the multidisciplinary professionals who provide services to the patient has not yet been fully clarified. Methods: Multidisciplinary professionals at 23 facilities located in western Tottori Prefecture who used a video-sharing application (Patto-Mie Net) were invited to be interview participants. Those who agreed were interviewed about the usefulness of the application in their work and its effect on multidisciplinary collaboration. A verbatim transcript was made, and thematic analysis was conducted using the qualitative analysis software NVivo. Results: Twenty-eight people participated in the interviews, including nurses, care managers, rehabilitation specialists, care workers, and other social care professions. Fourteen themes and five categories were generated from the analysis: comprehensive information visualization and transferability, identification of changes over time and prognostic prediction, promoting multidisciplinary collaboration, patient and family reality, and disadvantages and concerns. Conclusion: The use of an application that allows video-sharing of a patient's home movement status during a pre-discharge visit has revealed a variety of benefits for multiple professionals in hospitals and other facilities. In particular, the results were characterized by the psychological closeness between multiple professionals, promotion of interprofessional communication, and sharing of reality, including the psychosocial background of the patient and family.

Development and assessment of a vaccine administration training course for medical students.

BACKGROUND: Vaccine administration skills are very important for physicians, especially in the era of global pandemics. However, medical students have reported that practical sessions to develop these skills are insufficient. Therefore, the aim of our study was to develop a vaccination training course for medical students. We also examined its educational effectiveness. METHODS: 5th- and 6th-year medical students at the University of Tokyo were recruited to attend the vaccine administration training course in 2021. These students were our study participants. Our course consisted of an orientation part, which included a lecture on the indications, adverse events, and vaccination techniques of flu vaccines and practice on a simulator, and a main part in which the staff of the University of Tokyo Hospital were actually vaccinated. Before and after the main part of the course, study participants completed an online questionnaire that assessed their confidence in vaccine administration technique through a five-point Likert scale. We also surveyed their feedback about the course content and process. At the beginning and end of the main part, their technical competence in vaccination was assessed by two independent doctors. These doctors used a validated checklist scale (ranging from 16 to 80) and a global rating scale (ranging from 0 to 10). We used their mean scores for analysis. The quantitative data were analyzed through the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. For the qualitative data of the questionnaire, thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: All 48 course participants participated in our study. Participants' confidence in vaccination technique (Z = -5.244, p < 0.05) and vaccination skill significantly improved (checklist rating: Z = -5.852, p < 0.05; global rating: Z = -5.868, p < 0.05). All participants rated the course as, "overall educational." Our thematic analysis identified four emerging themes: interest in medical procedures, efficacy of supervision and feedback, efficacy of "near-peer" learning, and very instructive course. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, we developed a vaccine administration course for medical students, assessed their vaccination techniques and confidence in those techniques, and investigated their perceptions of the course. Students' vaccination skills and confidence improved significantly after the course, and they positively evaluated the course based on a variety of factors. Our course will be effective in educating medical students about vaccination techniques.

The Development and Evaluation of the Interprofessional Education Facilitation Program for Health Professionals Using the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS) Model of Instructional Design.

Background It is important to learn interprofessional education (IPE) facilitation skills to promote interprofessional collaboration in healthcare. Nonetheless, to date, only a handful of IPE facilitation programs have been developed through research. Objective The objective of this study was to create an IPE facilitation program for healthcare professionals who wanted to promote interprofessional collaboration in their organizations based on the tenets of instructional design and evaluate its effectiveness. Methods This study's methodology was a mixed method based on relative subjectivism. We developed a two-day IPE facilitation program to learn IPE facilitation skills and promote interprofessional collaboration in the participants' own organizations. The program was developed based on the instructional design principles of the attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction (ARCS) model, measuring the participants' Interprofessional Facilitation Scale (IPFS) scores at three time points: before the first day, after the second day, and approximately one year after the course was completed. A one-way analysis of variance test was used to compare IPFS means at the three time points, and open-ended statements were qualitatively analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Twelve healthcare providers (four physicians, two pharmacists, one nurse, one rehabilitation worker, one medical social worker, one clinical psychologist, one medical secretary, and one other) participated in the completed IPE facilitation program. Their IPFS scores increased significantly from 17.4 ± 16.1 before the program to 38.1 ± 9.4 after the program and remained at 35.1 ± 11.7 for one year (p = 0.008). In addition, qualitative analysis suggested that the knowledge and skills learned in the program could be applied in the participants' workplaces, which helped them maintain their IPE facilitation skills. Conclusion We developed a two-day IPE facilitation program based on the ARCS instructional design model, and the participants' IPE facilitation skills scores increased and were maintained one year later.

The process of Transformative Learning in Dialog Café with Health Professionals and Citizens/Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Dialogue Café, which is an inclusive process that provides a platform for the exchange of ideas or perspectives on certain issues, is a suitable approach to facilitating mutual understanding between health professionals and citizens/patients. However, little is known about the effects of the Dialogue Café on participants in the context of health communication. Previous studies suggest that transformative learning occurs after dialogue. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to clarify the process of the transformative learning process among participants of the Dialog Café and to evaluate whether their transformative learning would lead to an understanding of others' perspectives. METHODS: We conducted a psychometric analysis of a web-based questionnaire consisting of 72 items for participants of Dialog Café held from 2011 to 2013 in Tokyo and studied the relationships between various concepts using structural equation modeling (SEM). To evaluate the validity and reliability of concept measurement, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: The questionnaire response rate was 39.5% (141/357), of which 80 (56.7%) respondents were health professionals and 61 (43.3%) respondents were citizens/patients. The SEM analysis revealed that transformative learning occurred in both groups. The process of transformative learning consisted of 2 types; one process leading directly to "perspective transformation" and the other leading to "perspective transformation" via "critical self-reflection" and "disorienting dilemmas." "Perspective transformation" was related to "understanding others" in both groups. Among health professionals, "perspective transformation" was related to "transformation of awareness toward patients/users." CONCLUSION: Dialog Café can facilitate the process of transformative learning among participants, and transformative learning may lead to mutual understanding between health professionals and citizens/patients.

Competency lists for urban general practitioners/family physicians using the modified Delphi method.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the growing global urbanization and urban population have resulted in the emergence of various health problems unique to urban areas. Therefore, training general practitioners and family physicians who can tackle the complex health problems of urban areas and improve the health of urban people is one of the most important issues of our time. However, findings on competencies for urban general practitioners (GP) and family physicians (FP) were limited. This study aimed to identify their comprehensive and content-validated list of competencies. METHODS: We used the modified Delphi method to develop a content-validated competency list. First, we analyzed and synthesized the competencies extracted from the literature review using qualitative thematic analysis methods to create an initial competency list of 34 items. We then assembled 39 expert panelists in four groups of study participants: physicians, nurses, patients, and medical education specialists. The expert panelists were asked to indicate their level of agreement with the lists and provide revised comments on the description of each competency via a web-based questionnaire. Their responses were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively by the research team and used to revise the list. These processes were repeated, and the survey was completed when it was determined that consensus had been reached. RESULTS: Three rounds of Delphi were conducted. 39 responded in the first round, 38 in the second round, and 36 in the third round. The initial list of competencies was revised and consolidated from 34 to 14 items in the first round, bringing the total to 20 items along with six new items proposed by the panelists. In the second round, it was revised and consolidated into a list of 18 items. In the third round, all 18 items were considered to have been agreed upon by the panelists, so the survey was closed. CONCLUSION: We identified a comprehensive 18-item list of competencies for urban GP/FP in a content-validated manner. Several are newly discovered competencies in this study. The findings of this study will be useful for the future training of urban GP/FP and for solving urban health problems.

Using patient storytelling to improve medical students' empathy in Japan: a pre-post study.

BACKGROUND: Empathy for patients is now internationally accepted as one of the competencies of physicians for patient-centered medical practice and an essential component of medical education. Recently, "patient storytelling" has attracted attention in empathy education for medical students to understand patients' experiences, feelings, and perspectives. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate how patient storytelling enhanced undergraduate medical students' empathy in Japan to the extent that they sustained it for six months. METHODS: Participants were 159 fourth-year undergraduate medical students in Tokyo in academic years 2018 and 2019. The questionnaire surveys were conducted three times: at the beginning of the class, immediately after the class, and six months after the class. The Japanese version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version was used in this study. Gender, age, and clinical orientation were also obtained through the self-reported questionnaire. We invited a male patient storyteller who was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease to the classes on "Professionalism." The title of his storytelling was "The Power of Medical Professionals' Words." RESULTS: JSE-S scores improved significantly immediately after listening to patient storytelling. The scores remained improved six months after the class. Interest of specialty was significantly positively associated with an immediate change in JSE-S scores. However, gender had no significant association with changes in JSE-S scores either immediately or six months after education. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may suggest that patient storytelling would be useful to cultivate empathy among undergraduate medical students. It is to be expected that more medical schools will use patient storytelling to educate medical students in humanistic and communication education.