Community-based medical education (CBME), community comprehensive care education, and interprofessional education (IPE) in Japan: An exploration of their implementation.

Introduction: Medical education globally has evolved, with community-based medical education (CBME) and interprofessional education (IPE). This study aimed to explore the implementation of CBME, community comprehensive education, and IPE in Japan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted across all Japanese medical universities in 2021. Data on CBME clinical clerkships, community comprehensive care education, and IPE were collected from 82 medical universities using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: The study achieved a 100% response rate. 91.5% of universities offered CBME clinical clerkships, with 39.0% providing training periods up to 10 d. Outpatient practices were the primary CBME location in 90% of cases. 85.4% of institutions provided clinical care services, home medical care, and interprofessional collaboration. Direct observations were adopted 85.4% of the universities as an assessment method. Community comprehensive care education peaked in the fourth year (32.9%), while IPE was most prevalent in the first year (48.3%), followed by the fourth year (35.4%).

Conclusion: This study, notable for its 100% response rate, highlights the significant incorporation of CBME. Future research should focus on the long-term effects, with recommendations for standardizing CBME curricula and enhancing staff development in a community to improve healthcare outcomes.