Correction: Suzuki et al. Cross-Country Student Perceptions about Online Medical Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 2840.

In the published publication, there was an error regarding the affiliation for "Tomoya Suzuki" [...].

Cross-Country Student Perceptions about Online Medical Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

(1) Introduction: Most educational institutions around the world have shifted from traditional face-to-face to online education amid COVID-19. This change may particularly impact medical students, whose education is heavily influenced by clinical learning experiences. Accordingly, we investigated medical students' perceptions about positive and negative aspects of online medical education in Japan and overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: In-depth online interviews were conducted among 13 Japanese medical students and five medical students from Slovakia, Norway, and Hungary. Interviews were conducted from 23rd September to 3rd October 2020 using the snowball sampling method. Questions were focused on five main areas: Q1 the type of online education; Q2 advantages and disadvantages of online education; Q3 any changes in the relationship with teachers, friends, and family; Q4 any opinions about further improvements in online education; and Q5 any needs for affiliation with a particular university. Then thematic analysis was conducted. (3) Results: The results of the thematic analysis revealed the following four themes that represent the positive and negative aspects of online medical education; Theme 1: Timesaving and Flexibility; Theme 2: Technical problems and lack of digital skills; Theme 3: Unstandardized teaching skills; Theme 4: Lack of experience beyond medical school lectures. (4) Conclusions: While online education was found useful in terms of saving time and creating a flexible learning environment, many important drawbacks were noted such as internet and computer problems and unstandardized teaching skills, and lack of quality assurance. In addition, experiences outside the classroom such as making relationships with faculty and friends, conducting research and participating in extracurricular activities were missed, which they normally enjoy in college life.

Potential association of prolonged patient interval and advanced anatomic stage in breast cancer patients in the area affected by the 2011 triple disaster in Fukushima, Japan: Retrospective observational study.

ABSTRACT: For five years after the 2011 triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster) in Japan, the proportion of patients with undiagnosed symptomatic breast cancer remained elevated in the coastal area of Fukushima. These individuals experienced a prolonged interval from first symptom recognition to initial medical consultation (hereafter referred to as the patient interval). We aimed to investigate how this prolonged patient interval affected disease staging.Using patient records, we retrospectively extracted females with newly and pathologically diagnosed breast cancer who initially presented to Minamisoma Municipal General Hospital from March 2011 to March 2016. We estimated the proportion with advanced-stage disease (III, IV) according to the patient interval duration (<3 months, 3-12 months, and 12 months plus). A cut-off patient interval value was determined based on the previous evidence with regards to impacts on survival prospects. Logistic regression approaches were used to fulfill the study outcome.The proportion of patients with advanced-stage disease was 10.3% for < 3 months (7/68), 18.2% for 3-12 months (2/11), and 66.7% for more than 12 months (12/18). We found a similar trend using the multivariate logistic regression analyses.Prolongation of the patient interval was associated with advanced-stage disease among female patients with breast cancer.

A call for individualized evacuation strategies for floods: A case report of secondary surgical site infection in a postsurgery breast cancer patient in Fukushima, Japan, following Typhoon Hagibis in 2019.

Recognition of Individual and environmental risks is crucial to alleviate damage inflicted by disasters. In particular, an awareness of floods and their health risks in patients' residences is important for patients and their healthcare professionals.