OSAKA UNIVERSITY SHORT-TERM STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM _

Objective
Japan has achieved tremendous improvements in life expectancy during the last 50 years and leads the international life expectancy tables. This course will provide an overview of systems of health service and medical care in this country, with special reference to rapid aging of the population, trends of epidemiology of major diseases, and characteristics of life style of the people.

Textbook and Reference Books

• R Detels, WW Holland, J McEwen, GS Omenn( ed.):Oxford Textbook of Public Health, Vol. 1-3, Oxford University Press, 1997.
• WJ Stephen: An Analysis of Primary Medical Care -An International Study, Cambridge University Press, 1979.
• Ministry of Health and Welfare: Annual Report on Health and Welfare 1990-1991, Japan International Cooperation of Welfare Services, 1992.
• Ministry of Health and Welfare: Health and Welfare Statistics in Japan, Health and Welfare Statistics Association, 1992.

Lecture Outline

• 1. History of public health in Japan
• 2. System of health and welfare services in Japan
• 3. System of medical care in Japan
• 4. System of dental service in Japan
• 5. Epidemiology of major diseases in Japan

• 6. Life style and health
• 7. Alcohol consumption and health
• 8. Cancer epidemilogy in Japan
• 9. Mental health for the people in Japan
• 10. Medical ethics for the people in Japan

• 11. System of community nursing care in Japan
• 12. Quality assurance of health care in Japan
• 13. Comparison of character of cancers between Western countries and Japan
• 14. History and pathology of Hashimoto's Disease
• 15. Cooperative research works with Asian countries

Field Works
In this course, visits to institutions related to health service and medical care are organized to let the students understand real aspects of these activities in a community. Institutions expected to visit include hospitals, private clinics, public health centers, community health centers, health care homes for the elderly, and welfare homes for the elderly. The participants are requested to submit the report on the visited institutions.